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specials Clickfunnels It is a really popular– and rather frightening– statistic that everyone in business world has actually listened to that “90% of the start-ups stop working”. If you take a look at these stopped working companies which when began with much vitality and also interest, they rarely fall short since the concept or the suggestion of business itself was poor.
specials ClickfunnelsThere are numerous services with great potential that fall short due to the lack of understanding the founders have about advertising or actually making a sale.
It does not matter just how fantastic your item or the solution is if you do not understand the best ways to turn your leads right into conversions.
specials Clickfunnels It is similar to an auto sale without a sales representative. There will be many visitors that pertain to see the autos, however without that included push, there will certainly be no sales. A website without a sales channel is the very same, which is why you need to purchase Click Funnels in order to obtain the most variety of sales possible.
Click Funnels supply you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales channel which will take your site visitors via a convincing journey that will make them acquire your item at the end.
specials Clickfunnels Click Funnels have actually developed a variety of sales funnels that could lead you to accomplish your objectives by taking your visitors through a well thought out sales funnels.
A sales channel favorably affects the mind of your site visitors to earn the choice to move forward with your goal. This is essentially providing that little push a sales representative would provide in a physical store to ultimately make up the mindset to go on with a purchase.
An internet site is comparable to an online shop, as well as the function of placing a big investment into designing an internet site is to eventually help raise the profits of your organisation. A lot of people, especially the start-ups as well as the business owners who are brand-new to the online business world emphasis excessive on the appearances of the layout to think about whether it works sufficient to actually make a sale.
You may spend a whole lot of loan to work with the very best internet designers and designers, as well as they might even provide a terrific looking internet site to you, but if you have to assume concerning the sales process within the website, your financial investment will just cost you money without a return. This is why you require to acquire Click Funnels. A website developed via that service is laser-focused to deliver wonderful advertising and also sales results from the beginning throughout. Complying with are the four important points that a well chose and positioned sales funnels do.
Bring in new visitors to the web site is the first and also one of the most essential tasks that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. This phase is narrower as well as in the following action of the channel as well as should be well maintained considering that they are most likely to make a purchase in the following few phases as long as you keep them pleased.
Closing is the final stage of a channel where a lead comes to be a customer. They actively make the order as well as purchase your product, sign up for your newsletter or essentially do just what you intended them to do by creating the channel. Following level is customer retention or maintaining them pleased with your product or the acquisition, so they come to be return customers.
specials Clickfunnels It is a popular– as well as rather scary– fact that everybody in the service globe has actually listened to that “90% of the start-ups fall short”. If you have an appearance at these stopped working services which when began with much vitality as well as enthusiasm, they seldom stop working since the concept or the concept of business itself was negative.
specials ClickfunnelsThere are many companies with wonderful prospective that fail because of the lack of knowledge the creators have regarding advertising and marketing or actually making a sale.
specials Clickfunnels It is comparable to a car sale without a salesman. There will be lots of site visitors that involve see the cars and trucks, yet without that added push, there will certainly be no sales. A site without a sales channel coincides, which is why you have to acquire Click Funnels in order to obtain the most variety of sales feasible.
Click Funnels provide you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales funnel which will take your visitors with a convincing trip that will certainly make them buy your item at the end. This final objective could be various relying on the product that you market or the service that you provide. However, Click Funnels have produced a range of sales funnels that can lead you to accomplish your goals by taking your visitors via a well considered sales funnels. Adhering to are several of the goals which can be met by a sales funnels.
A sales funnel favorably influences the thought process of your site visitors to make the decision to move forward with your purpose. This is basically considering that little press a sales representative would certainly give up a physical shop to ultimately comprise the mindset to proceed with an acquisition.
A web site is comparable to an online store, as well as the purpose of placing a huge investment into designing a website is to inevitably assist enhance the profits of your organisation. A lot of individuals, specifically the startups and also the business owners that are new to the online organisation globe focus as well much on the appearances of the layout to think about whether it works enough to really make a sale.
Drawing in brand-new visitors to the site is the first and also one of the most essential jobs that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the channel. This phase is narrower as well as in the following action of the funnel and also ought to be well maintained since they are likely to make an acquisition in the following couple of stages as long as you keep them pleased.
Closing is the last phase of a funnel where a lead ends up being a customer. They actively make the order as well as buy your product, sign up for your newsletter or basically do what you intended them to do by developing the funnel. Following degree is client retention or keeping them thrilled with your product or the purchase, so they end up being return consumers.
specials Clickfunnels It is an extremely prominent– as well as rather scary– fact that everyone in the service world has actually listened to that “90% of the startups fail”. If you have an appearance at these failed businesses which as soon as began with much vitality and interest, they rarely fall short due to the fact that the concept or the suggestion of business itself misbehaved.
specials ClickfunnelsThere are many companies with terrific possible that fall short because of the lack of expertise the owners have concerning advertising or really making a sale.
It does not matter just how terrific your item or the service is if you do unknown how you can transform your leads into conversions.
specials Clickfunnels It is similar to a car sale without a salesman. There will certainly be lots of visitors who pertain to see the automobiles, yet without that included press, there will certainly be no sales. An internet site without a sales channel is the exact same, which is why you need to purchase Click Funnels to get the most number of sales possible.
Click Funnels give you with a pre-designed and well-curated sales funnel which will take your site visitors through a convincing journey that will certainly make them acquire your product at the end.
specials Clickfunnels Click Funnels have created a range of sales funnels that could lead you to accomplish your purposes by taking your visitors via a well believed out sales funnels.
A sales funnel favorably affects the idea procedure of your visitors to earn the choice to move forward with your goal. This is more or much less providing that little push a salesperson would give up a physical store to finally make up the frame of mind to go on with an acquisition.
An internet site is similar to a virtual store, and also the function of putting a large financial investment right into developing an internet site is to eventually assist boost the profits of your organisation. The majority of people, particularly the startups and the entrepreneurs that are brand-new to the online business world emphasis also much on the appearances of the layout to think about whether it is effective sufficient to really make a sale.
This is why you need to buy Click Funnels. Following are the four main things that a well chose and put sales funnels do.
Bring in new site visitors to the web site is the first and among the most crucial jobs that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the channel.
The specials Clickfunnels larger the variety of site visitors drew in to the site, the extra active consumers there will certainly go to the end. This is done by appealing styles as well as templates of websites, user-friendly interfaces as well as easy social media showcases that aid amazed visitors to spread the word. The conversion process is when a simple site visitor becomes a potential customer, which is a lead. This stage is narrower and also in the next step of the channel and need to be well maintained since they are likely to earn an acquisition in the next couple of stages as long as you keep them pleased.
Closing is the last of a funnel where a lead becomes a customer. They actively make the order and purchase your item, register for your e-newsletter or generally do what you intended them to do by producing the channel. Following level is consumer retention or maintaining them happy with your item or the acquisition, so they come to be return clients.
specials Clickfunnels It is a popular– as well as instead frightening– fact that everybody in the service globe has actually listened to that “90% of the start-ups stop working”. If you take a look at these fallen short organisations which as soon as began with much vitality and excitement, they rarely fall short since the concept or the suggestion of the service itself was bad.
specials ClickfunnelsThere are many services with great potential that fail as a result of the lack of knowledge the founders have about marketing or in fact making a sale.
specials Clickfunnels It resembles a car sale without a sales representative. There will certainly be many visitors who come to see the cars and trucks, but without that included press, there will certainly be no sales. A website without a sales channel coincides, which is why you should purchase Click Funnels so as to get one of the most number of sales possible.
Click Funnels provide you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales channel which will take your site visitors via a convincing trip that will certainly make them acquire your item at the end. This last objective can be various depending on the item that you sell or the service that you provide. Nevertheless, Click Funnels have produced a series of sales funnels that could lead you to achieve your objectives by taking your visitors with a well considered sales funnels. Following are several of the purposes which could be met by a sales funnels.
A sales funnel favorably impacts the mind of your site visitors making the decision to go ahead with your purpose. This is essentially providing that little push a salesman would certainly give in a physical store to ultimately make up the mindset to go in advance with a purchase.
A web site resembles a virtual store, and also the purpose of placing a huge investment into designing a site is to inevitably assist enhance the profits of your business. Many individuals, particularly the startups as well as the business owners who are new to the online organisation world emphasis excessive on the appearances of the layout to think about whether it is effective enough to actually make a sale.
This is why you need to purchase Click Funnels. Complying with are the 4 major points that a well selected and also put sales funnels do.
Attracting new site visitors to the web site is the very first and also one of the most vital tasks that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the channel. This stage is narrower as well as in the following action of the channel and should be well kept considering that they are likely to make a purchase in the following couple of stages as long as you maintain them satisfied.
Closing is the last of a channel where a lead becomes a client. They proactively make the order and acquire your product, authorize up for your newsletter or basically do what you meant them to do by developing the funnel. Next level is consumer retention or keeping them happy with your item or the acquisition, so they become return consumers.
specials Clickfunnels There are numerous organisations with excellent potential that fail due to the absence of expertise the creators have about marketing or actually making a sale.
specials Clickfunnels A site without a sales funnel is the very same, which is why you require to buy Click Funnels in order to get the most number of sales possible.
Click Funnels give you with a pre-designed and well-curated sales channel which will certainly take your site visitors through a persuading trip that will certainly make them buy your item at the end.
specials Clickfunnels Click Funnels have actually developed a variety of sales funnels that could lead you to accomplish your goals by taking your visitors with a well thought out sales funnels.
A sales funnel positively affects the thought procedure of your site visitors to earn the choice to move forward with your goal. This is a lot more or less giving that little push a sales representative would offer in a physical shop to ultimately compose the mindset to proceed with a purchase.
An internet site is comparable to a digital store, as well as the objective of putting a large investment into creating a website is to ultimately help increase the profits of your business. Many people, specifically the start-ups and the business owners that are new to the online organisation globe focus too a lot on the looks of the design to think about whether it is effective sufficient to really make a sale.
You could invest a great deal of money to hire the most effective web designers and also developers, and they could even supply an excellent looking website to you, yet if you need to assume about the sales procedure within the internet site, your financial investment will just cost you money without a return. This is why you should purchase Click Funnels. An internet site produced with that solution is laser-focused to provide excellent advertising as well as sales results from the starting to the end. Following are the four main points that a well picked as well as placed sales funnels do.
Attracting brand-new site visitors to the internet site is the very first as well as one of the most important jobs that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the channel. This stage is narrower and also in the following action of the channel as well as need to be well kept given that they are most likely to make a purchase in the following few phases as long as you maintain them amazed.
Closing is the last of a funnel where a lead ends up being a client. They actively make the order as well as buy your product, enroll in your e-newsletter or primarily do exactly what you planned them to do by producing the funnel. Next level is consumer retention or maintaining them pleased with your product or the acquisition, so they end up being return customers.
specials Clickfunnels There are several companies with great possible that stop working due to the absence of knowledge the founders have regarding marketing or actually making a sale.
There will certainly be numerous visitors that come to see the automobiles, yet without that included press, there will be no sales.
specials Clickfunnels A site without a sales funnel is the same, which is why you require to get Click Funnels in order to get the most number of sales feasible.
Click Funnels offer you with a pre-designed and also well-curated sales funnel which will take your site visitors with a persuading trip that will make them purchase your item at the end. This final objective could be various depending upon the item that you sell or the solution that you offer. Click Funnels have developed a variety of sales funnels that could lead you to achieve your objectives by taking your visitors via a well assumed out sales funnels. Following are several of the goals which can be satisfied by a sales funnels.
A sales channel favorably affects the mind of your visitors to make the decision to move forward with your objective. This is essentially considering that little press a sales representative would certainly give up a physical shop to ultimately compose the attitude to go in advance with an acquisition.
An internet site is similar to a digital store, as well as the purpose of placing a large financial investment into developing a website is to eventually aid enhance the profits of your service. Many people, specifically the startups and also the business owners that are new to the online service world emphasis as well much on the appearances of the layout to consider whether it is efficient enough to actually make a sale.
This is why you need to buy Click Funnels. Complying with are the four major things that a well picked and positioned sales funnels do.
Attracting new site visitors to the site is the first and also one of the most essential tasks that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. This phase is narrower and also in the following action of the funnel as well as should be well preserved because they are most likely to make an acquisition in the next few phases as long as you maintain them satisfied.
Closing is the last of a funnel where a lead becomes a client. They actively make the order as well as buy your product, enroll in your newsletter or primarily do just what you planned them to do by creating the funnel. Next degree is consumer retention or maintaining them pleased with your product or the purchase, so they end up being return clients.
specials Clickfunnels There are many businesses with excellent potential that fail due to the lack of expertise the founders have regarding advertising or in fact making a sale.
specials Clickfunnels A web site without a sales channel is the very same, which is why you require to acquire Click Funnels in order to get the most number of sales possible.
Click Funnels provide you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales funnel which will take your site visitors through a convincing journey that will make them buy your product at the end. This last objective can be different depending on the item that you sell or the service that you supply. Nevertheless, Click Funnels have developed a series of sales funnels that could lead you to attain your objectives by taking your site visitors via a well considered sales funnels. Following are a few of the objectives which can be fulfilled by a sales funnels.
A sales channel positively affects the idea procedure of your visitors to make the decision to go ahead with your goal. This is essentially providing that little press a sales representative would provide in a physical shop to ultimately compose the frame of mind to go on with a purchase.
An internet site resembles an online shop, and also the objective of placing a big financial investment into making a site is to ultimately assist increase the profits of your business. Many people, particularly the startups and also the entrepreneurs that are brand-new to the online company globe emphasis way too much on the appearances of the layout to consider whether it works enough to actually make a sale.
You might spend a great deal of loan to work with the most effective internet developers and also programmers, as well as they may also deliver a terrific looking site to you, yet if you have to consider the sales procedure within the website, your financial investment will just cost you cash without a return. This is why you need to buy Click Funnels. A web site developed via that service is laser-focused to deliver fantastic advertising and also sales effects from the starting to the end. Complying with are the four primary points that a well selected as well as placed sales funnels do.
Bring in new site visitors to the website is the very first and one of the most vital tasks that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. This stage is narrower and also in the following step of the funnel and also need to be well preserved given that they are most likely to make a purchase in the next few stages as long as you keep them satisfied.
Closing is the last stage of a channel where a lead ends up being a customer. They actively make the order as well as purchase your item, enroll in your newsletter or basically do exactly what you planned them to do by creating the funnel. Following level is client retention or keeping them delighted with your item or the acquisition, so they become return consumers.
specials Clickfunnels It is a preferred– as well as rather terrifying– figure that everyone in business world has actually listened to that “90% of the startups stop working”. If you have an appearance at these failed companies which when started with much vigor as well as enthusiasm, they rarely fail since the concept or the concept of business itself misbehaved.
specials ClickfunnelsThere are numerous companies with great possible that stop working because of the absence of understanding the creators have about marketing or actually making a sale.
It does not matter how terrific your product or the service is if you do not recognize how you can turn your leads right into conversions.
specials Clickfunnels It resembles an auto sale without a sales representative. There will certainly be lots of site visitors that pertain to see the vehicles, but without that included push, there will be no sales. A website without a sales channel is the same, which is why you have to get Click Funnels in order to get the most variety of sales possible.
Click Funnels offer you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales funnel which will certainly take your visitors through a convincing trip that will make them acquire your item at the end.
specials Clickfunnels Click Funnels have actually developed an array of sales funnels that can lead you to achieve your goals by taking your site visitors with a well thought out sales funnels.
A sales funnel positively affects the thought procedure of your visitors to make the choice to move forward with your purpose. This is much more or much less providing that little press a salesman would certainly give up a physical shop to finally comprise the way of thinking to go in advance with an acquisition.
A site is comparable to a virtual shop, as well as the function of placing a huge financial investment into creating a website is to inevitably aid enhance the profits of your company. The majority of people, particularly the startups and also the business owners who are brand-new to the online organisation world focus also a lot on the appearances of the style to think about whether it is reliable sufficient to actually make a sale.
You might invest a great deal of loan to employ the most effective web designers and programmers, and they might even deliver a great looking internet site to you, however if you have to think of the sales process within the site, your investment will only cost you loan without a return. This is why you should purchase Click Funnels. A website developed through that solution is laser-focused to provide fantastic advertising and marketing as well as sales effects from the beginning throughout. Complying with are the 4 major things that a well chose and also positioned sales funnels do.
Drawing in new visitors to the internet site is the first and also one of the most vital tasks that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the channel. This stage is narrower as well as in the next step of the funnel as well as need to be well preserved because they are most likely to make an acquisition in the next couple of phases as long as you maintain them pleased.
Closing is the last stage of a funnel where a lead comes to be a consumer. They proactively make the order and also purchase your product, register for your e-newsletter or basically do what you planned them to do by producing the funnel. Next level is consumer retention or keeping them delighted with your item or the acquisition, so they become return clients.
specials Clickfunnels It is a popular– and also rather scary– statistic that everyone in business globe has actually listened to that “90% of the start-ups stop working”. If you look at these failed services which once began with much vitality as well as interest, they hardly ever stop working because the principle or the suggestion of business itself misbehaved.
specials ClickfunnelsThere are many services with great possible that stop working because of the lack of expertise the founders have concerning marketing or in fact making a sale.
It does not matter exactly how great your item or the solution is if you do not understand just how to turn your leads right into conversions.
specials Clickfunnels It resembles a vehicle sale without a sales representative. There will be many site visitors that involve see the cars, yet without that included push, there will certainly be no sales. A web site without a sales funnel coincides, which is why you need to acquire Click Funnels so as to get the most number of sales feasible.
Click Funnels give you with a pre-designed and also well-curated sales channel which will take your visitors via a convincing trip that will certainly make them buy your item at the end. This final goal could be different depending upon the item that you offer or the solution that you provide. Click Funnels have actually produced an array of sales funnels that could lead you to accomplish your objectives by taking your visitors through a well believed out sales funnels. Following are some of the objectives which can be fulfilled by a sales funnels.
A sales channel positively affects the mind of your visitors to earn the decision to go forward with your goal. This is basically providing that little press a salesperson would offer in a physical shop to ultimately make up the state of mind to go on with a purchase.
An internet site resembles a digital shop, and also the function of putting a huge investment right into creating a web site is to inevitably aid increase the income of your company. The majority of people, particularly the start-ups and the business owners who are new to the online business globe emphasis also much on the appearances of the style to think about whether it is reliable sufficient to actually make a sale.
You could invest a great deal of cash to employ the very best web designers and also designers, and also they could even provide a terrific looking web site to you, yet if you have to assume regarding the sales process within the site, your financial investment will just cost you money without a return. This is why you should purchase Click Funnels. A website created via that service is laser-focused to deliver excellent advertising and marketing as well as sales results from the beginning throughout. Complying with are the 4 important things that a well picked and positioned sales funnels do.
Bring in brand-new visitors to the web site is the first and among one of the most important jobs that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the channel.
The specials Clickfunnels bigger the variety of site visitors attracted to the internet site, the a lot more active clients there will certainly be at the end. This is done by eye-catching designs and themes of websites, user-friendly interfaces as well as simple social networks includes that aid impressed visitors to spread the word. The conversion procedure is when a simple site visitor ends up being a prospective consumer, which is a lead. This stage is narrower as well as in the following step of the funnel and should be well kept given that they are likely making a purchase in the next few stages as long as you keep them amazed.
Closing is the last of a funnel where a lead becomes a consumer. They actively make the order and buy your product, register for your e-newsletter or primarily do what you planned them to do by producing the funnel. Following level is client retention or keeping them happy with your product or the purchase, so they end up being return clients.
specials Clickfunnels There are several businesses with terrific potential that fail due to the lack of expertise the owners have concerning advertising or actually making a sale.
There will certainly be lots of visitors that come to see the autos, yet without that included press, there will certainly be no sales.
specials Clickfunnels A web site without a sales funnel is the very same, which is why you require to purchase Click Funnels in order to get the most number of sales possible.
Click Funnels give you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales funnel which will take your site visitors via a persuading trip that will certainly make them buy your product at the end. This last purpose could be various depending on the product that you sell or the service that you use. However, Click Funnels have actually developed a variety of sales funnels that can lead you to attain your objectives by taking your visitors through a well assumed out sales funnels. Following are some of the goals which can be satisfied by a sales funnels.
A sales funnel positively affects the mind of your visitors making the choice to move forward with your objective. This is more or less considering that little push a salesperson would certainly provide in a physical store to ultimately compose the state of mind to go on with a purchase.
A web site is comparable to a digital store, and the function of putting a large investment into making an internet site is to inevitably help raise the revenue of your business. Many people, specifically the start-ups and the business owners that are brand-new to the online business world focus excessive on the appearances of the style to think about whether it works enough to actually make a sale.
You could invest a great deal of money to work with the best internet designers and also developers, and also they may also supply a terrific looking site to you, however if you have to assume regarding the sales procedure within the website, your financial investment will just cost you cash without a return. This is why you have to acquire Click Funnels. An internet site produced via that service is laser-focused to provide excellent advertising as well as sales effects from the beginning throughout. Complying with are the 4 major points that a well selected as well as put sales funnels do.
Bring in new visitors to the web site is the very first as well as among one of the most important tasks that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the channel.
The specials Clickfunnels larger the number of site visitors drew in to the website, the much more energetic consumers there will be at completion. This is done by attractive designs as well as layouts of websites, user-friendly user interfaces and simple social networks showcases that aid pleased site visitors to get the word out. The conversion process is when a mere visitor comes to be a prospective customer, which is a lead. This stage is narrower as well as in the next step of the funnel and also should be well kept given that they are most likely to earn an acquisition in the following couple of phases as long as you keep them pleased.
Closing is the final phase of a channel where a lead ends up being a consumer. They actively make the order and acquire your product, register for your newsletter or basically do exactly what you meant them to do by developing the channel. Next level is client retention or keeping them happy with your product or the purchase, so they end up being return consumers.
specials Clickfunnels There are numerous services with great prospective that stop working due to the absence of knowledge the creators have about advertising and marketing or really making a sale.
There will be numerous visitors who come to see the cars and trucks, however without that added push, there will certainly be no sales.
specials Clickfunnels A site without a sales channel is the very same, which is why you require to get Click Funnels in order to get the most number of sales possible.
Click Funnels offer you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales funnel which will certainly take your site visitors via a persuading trip that will certainly make them acquire your product at the end. This final goal can be different depending upon the product that you sell or the service that you use. Nonetheless, Click Funnels have created a series of sales funnels that could lead you to attain your objectives by taking your site visitors via a well considered sales funnels. Adhering to are a few of the goals which can be satisfied by a sales funnels.
A sales funnel favorably impacts the mind of your visitors to earn the choice to move forward with your goal. This is basically offering that little press a salesman would give up a physical shop to lastly comprise the attitude to go on with a purchase.
A website is similar to a digital store, as well as the purpose of putting a huge financial investment right into developing a website is to inevitably aid boost the revenue of your organisation. Most individuals, especially the start-ups and the entrepreneurs who are new to the online service globe focus too much on the looks of the style to think about whether it is efficient enough to really make a sale.
This is why you require to get Click Funnels. Following are the four main things that a well selected as well as positioned sales funnels do.
Bring in brand-new visitors to the site is the very first and among one of the most vital jobs that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the channel.
The specials Clickfunnels bigger the number of visitors brought in to the website, the a lot more active customers there will be at completion. This is done by eye-catching styles and layouts of sites, user-friendly interfaces as well as easy social networks includes that help amazed site visitors to spread out the word. The conversion procedure is when a plain visitor becomes a prospective customer, which is a lead. This stage is narrower and also in the following action of the channel and ought to be well preserved given that they are likely making an acquisition in the following few stages as long as you maintain them amazed.
Closing is the last of a funnel where a lead ends up being a consumer. They proactively make the order as well as purchase your product, authorize up for your newsletter or generally do exactly what you planned them to do by creating the channel. Next degree is customer retention or maintaining them delighted with your product or the purchase, so they become return clients. | 2019-04-23T08:37:04Z | https://www.oldjewstellingjokesonstage.com/specials-clickfunnels/ |
There are many who don’t agree with what I am teaching. We’ll look at some objections I’ve encountered in discussions with others and in my study of this subject.
4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth herbs meet [fit] for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God: 8But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is near unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
One key to making sense of seemingly contradictory verses in the Bible is to base your understanding on the clearest verse. Another principle for understanding is to let Scripture interpret Scripture. If a part of the Bible doesn’t make sense, there are usually other passages that will enlarge your understanding. But sometimes God doesn’t reveal everything that we want to know, and we have to be content with that. However, that is never an excuse to quit searching for the truth. The gold seeker who quits taking his pan to the stream never gets the goods.
25When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
And [Jesus] said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto you...."
For whom is it impossible to renew to repentance the fallen Christian brother or sister? God or man? The passage from Hebrews doesn’t say. But the previous verses in Matthew, Mark and Luke clearly tell us it is not beyond God’s capability. So, by process of elimination, it is impossible for man to renew someone who has fallen away.
I believe we are told the impossibility of the task so that we do not spend all of our effort trying to win back someone whom we are not able to win back. We need to let God deal with those who have fallen away. Like the symbolic thorns and briers, they will be rejected and burned. In other words, they will go through judgment. God will judge them and lead them to the truth in order to achieve His goals for mankind. The moral of the story? Once you come to Jesus, don’t fall away.
And these shall go away into everlasting [aionion] punishment, but the righteous into life eternal [aionion].
The Greek word aionion is the adjective form of aion and is #166 in Strong’s concordance. According to Strong it means perpetual. Yet, it is based on aion, so what has already been said about aion should be applied to aionion (see chapter 4). Aionion is related to an age, or period of time, which begins and ends.
It is said by some who believe in eternal torment that because the same Greek word is used in this verse to describe the punishment and the life, that the duration of both must be the same. Since God gives eternal life to believers, they conclude that He must give eternal punishment to unbelievers. On the other hand, they say that if the judgment eventually ends, then the life eventually ends. This teaching started with Augustine in the early fifth century. However, we must keep in mind that Jesus is talking about the two distinct issues--life and punishment.
The little man with the little head went to his little house. Sadly, he could not enter his own home because it was too small. It was as small as his body, which was as small as his head.
What? This would make sense in a Dr. Seuss book, but not in real life. If we follow Augustine’s logic, the man, his head and his house must all be the same size because the same word is used to describe all three. Obviously, this is not true. Though all three things are relatively little, they are all very different in size. The adjective little is affected by the noun it describes. We know what men, heads and houses look like, so we can make sense of this statement.
I watched the long college wrestling match, then I watched the long tennis match.
A long college wrestling match, which normally lasts seven minutes, could last for eleven minutes if it went into overtime. A long tennis match could last for several hours. They are both relatively long, but not the same duration.
The problem we have is that none of us have seen the life or the punishment that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 25:46. We have no frame of reference for the duration of either based on this passage. We must look to the rest of the Scriptures to help our understanding of the span of the life and punishment. The verse at hand does not prove that the life and punishment must be the same duration.
16shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
At the second coming the faithful dead, those “worthy to obtain that world [aionos- age]” (Luke 20:35), will be resurrected and given immortality. The faithful who are alive on the earth will not die but will also be changed into immortals. They must be changed to inherit the kingdom of God (see Matthew 25:34 and 1 Corinthians 15:50). They will inherit aionion life--life for an age--the one thousand years following Christ’s return. Does that mean their life ends after the thousand years passes? No. They are immortal. But they have the special blessing of being part of the first resurrection, or being alive on the earth when Christ returns.
The wicked goats who are alive on the earth will remain mortal. They will go into aionion punishment. Because they are mortal, they will eventually die. Because they will die, their individual aionion punishment cannot last as long as the aionion life for the immortals. These goats will then be resurrected in the second resurrection, one thousand years after the first (Revelation 20:5). God will at that time deal with them accordingly.
There are many more details I would like to know about what takes place during Christ’s initial 1000 year reign. I’ll just have to wait and see. But I hope this general understanding will give us confidence to know that the judgment of unbelievers is not eternal.
When the subject of God reconciling the world to Himself comes up, people often ask: “So you’re saying that all those people who wanted nothing to do with God in their lifetime are going to get a second chance?” They are upset by the very idea that a Christ rejecter would be given a second chance by the Savior of the world. But they want to say (or scream), “They don’t deserve it!” But Christians wouldn’t dare say this out loud because they know that they don’t deserve to be saved either!
Erroneously, Christians, including myself, have been taught and have believed that this mortal life is the only window of time in which we can come to Jesus to be saved. There is not one verse in the Bible that teaches this! Besides, God has not left the salvation of all men to chance. The responsibility belongs to Him and to His Son. Who else would you want running this operation? They will not give up until all the sheep, even the wayward ones, are safely home. God, Jesus and heaven will rejoice over this. Will you?
1For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4And said unto them; “Go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.” And they went their way. 5Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and says unto them, “Why stand you here all the day idle?” 7They say unto him, “Because no man has hired us.” He says unto them, “Go you also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive.” 8So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard says unto his steward, “Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.” 9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12Saying, “These last have wrought but one hour, and you have made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” 13But he answered one of them, and said, “Friend, I do you no wrong: did not you agree with me for a penny? 14Take that yours is, and go your way: I will give unto this last, even as unto you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Is your eye evil, because I am good?” 16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
I believe this parable can be applied to many scenarios. I think it fits well with the study at hand. God will give salvation to all. If Hitler receives God long after everyone else, he will still have salvation and be reconciled to Him. Should we be upset be cause of Jesus’ goodness to those who are called late? No.
What if you or your son, daughter, mother or father were some of the last to enter God’s kingdom after the resurrection? What if it took a thousand years and a thousand “chances” or more for some? Would you be upset because Jesus brought them in, or would you party with the returned prodigals? Would you be glad that God didn’t give up on them, like those who would sentence them to eternal torment or annihilation seem to have done?
God is going to fulfill His will, whether we like it or not. If we truly love our enemies, we will rejoice when they come into the kingdom and are blessed by God. The fact that all people will end up in God’s kingdom is proof that He really does love the whole world.
Obviously, you can’t force someone to love you. But can you persuade someone to love you? Can you overwhelm them with your love in order to change their mind and heart? Yes! People do it all the time. I have personally seen and heard many stories of guys who pursued girls who were, by physical appearances, way out of their league. In all of the cases I am aware of, the girl was initially dead set against having anything to do with the guy. Not one of them that I am aware of grabbed the girl and forced her on a date. Kidnapping is still illegal. But the guy that got the girl put in the extra time and effort to win the one he loved. Many of the girls grew to love their pursuer. Some of them married. My point is this: if an ordinary man can win a resistant someone with love, why can’t God? Are we wiser than God? Why can’t God use the fullness of His resources to win people to Himself?
The Bible says that all people are initially God’s enemies (Romans 5:10). They remain so until He leads them to repent and put their faith in Jesus. God has to win all of us, though we are all initially resistant due to sin and rebellion. He won’t give up! What if God does manipulate things to win us? Can the Good Shepherd use His sheepdogs - the circumstances of life - to get the sheep to go where He desires? The end result is that we are won over by God. That’s a good thing. Do you think the apostle Paul gives a rip that Jesus, acting out of love, knocked him down and temporarily blinded him? I don’t think so.
Jesus told Thomas to “be not faithless” (v.27). In other words, Jesus told Thomas to have faith after he had seen Him. Thomas saw and touched Jesus before he believed, and Jesus received him. Those who believe after this occasion, and prior to seeing, will be blessed by being part of the first and blessed resurrection.
8For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest any man should boast.
God gives us the faith to believe when He chooses. We hope for salvation in all of its aspects. Until we possess all of the aspects of salvation, we must hope, we must have faith that we will receive from our heavenly Father these good things. Unbelievers who are told to depart from Jesus into judgment will see Him in all His glory, yet they won’t possess salvation. They must be brought to the point where they put their faith in Him and obtain salvation. The boy who sees the new bike in the store window has faith that he will get it for his birthday because his father promised him. He sees it, but he doesn’t possess it until the promise is fulfilled.
Concerning judgment, Jesus speaks of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:51). This will be the condition of those excluded from the kingdom as they look on those who are inside enjoying God’s blessings. The judgment will not be a cakewalk. But there is nothing that indicates the weeping and gnashing will last for eternity.
In Mark 9:43-48, Jesus says judgment will be in “hell,” a place “where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.” The word hell, used three times in the King James Bible in these verses, comes from the Greek word geenna (pronounced gheh'-en-nah; Strong’s #1067). It is derived from two Hebrew words and means valley of Hinnom. This valley near Jerusalem was used by the idolatrous worshipers of Molech in the times of the Hebrew kings and prophets. Child sacrifice was part of their wicked practices. In Jeremiah 19:6 God said He would judge the idolators and would at that time change the name of the place to “the valley of slaughter,” only now God would be the One doing the slaughtering.
The Jews that Jesus spoke to knew this prophecy from Jeremiah very well. The valley is said to have eventually become the local dump for Jerusalem, and remained so in the days of Jesus. Apparently garbage, dead animals and some dead humans were thrown there. Fires continually burned, and worms ate their fill. The dump is no longer there. So the literal worms of the dump have died, and the fires have been quenched.
Was Jesus talking about the wicked being cast into the literal valley of Hinnom, or was He referring to the future judgment of the wicked, or both? I believe that the literal valley that was familiar to His listeners would have been a powerful image for present and future judgment. Was the prophecy of the valley of slaughter fulfilled, or is their more to come. Based on God’s warnings of future judgment of mankind, I believe the prophecy is yet to be fully accomplished.
I believe we can learn from the literal valley of Hinnom in that it no longer exists as a garbage dump or a place of child sacrifice. The fires and flesh devouring worms are gone (OK, worms are probably still there and would eat flesh if it were available, but hopefully you get my point). The fires could not be quenched by those being judged and thrown there. They could not stop the worms from eating them. However, the firestarters and worm watchers could put an end to them.
But if you will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal [aionion] fire.
These cities were destroyed by God with fire from heaven. The cities are gone. The fires are gone. They lasted long enough to complete their purpose. They were not eternal, but aionion--they began, they ended. So, too with the fires and worms of the valley of Hinnom. The fires of God’s judgment will serve their purpose then end at some point.
Yep. It’s not fair for any sinner to enter God’s kingdom, and none will. His kingdom will be filled to the brim with former sinners. God can give His love and grace to whom He pleases. I’m glad He chooses to give it to all of us, even the worst of us.
What’s really unfair is Jesus, the completely sinless and innocent Son of God, dying in the place of all God’s guilty, sinful enemies. If you want to argue about what’s fair, talk to God about it. It’s His plan. I’d rather enjoy His amazing grace. Oh, how sweet the sound! Thank you Father and Jesus for being unfair!
True. But all does sometimes mean all.
5Then went out to [John the Baptist] Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
The Pharisees did not go to John to be baptized, and I’m assuming there were others. This statement is not literally true.
And you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.
Jesus warned His followers of the result of being faithful to Him. But not all men hated the disciples. Three thousand believed, repented and were baptized after Peter’s first sermon following Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
There are many more examples of all not literally meaning all.
[God our Savior] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [judgment].
20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Based on what scripture? Please, two scriptures would be preferred, but I’m just asking for one. Anyone? I’ve personally never seen or heard this argument scripturally supported. If you have legitimate support for this, or any support for objections to arguments that I’ve presented, please let me know. I’m seeking the truth.
Jesus bore all of our sins. Why isn’t He still being punished if an eternal punishment is due Him on our behalf? If a mother kills her week-old baby, should she only go to jail for one week? Silly assumptions lead to silly arguments. I should know; I’ve had a few in my day (and still probably have some tucked away in the recesses of my aging mind).
If Aion Doesn't Mean Eternal, Will Satan Be Saved Also?
10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.
Another all-inclusive list. All things will come together in Christ. Is Satan excluded? I have no reason to believe he will be.
Jesus' peaceful kingdom will have no border. The peaceful kingdom will not stop at Satan's feet. It will include all beings in harmonious relationships. This will be the ultimate expression of God's grace.
I will point out a few things in this parable that relate to the main topic of this book. If you wish to study this parable further, there are full commentaries available online.
Jesus’ audience for this story included His Jewish followers (16:1), and the Pharisees (16:14), the high and mighty religious leaders who were actually low and snakey. The Pharisees were sneering at Jesus as He told His parables (16:14).
The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.
Leah, one of Jacob’s wives, bore him six sons. He had twelve sons total. Has not Judah, the Jewish nation, undergone torment consistently on the earth? Human history would say “Yes.” Judah did not listen to Moses, and for the most part the nation was not moved to repentance by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (16:31). The nation was destroyed in 70 AD.
This is not a story about how to be saved. No one is condemned simply because they are rich and enjoy good things in life. No one is saved simply because they received evil things in life (16:25). We are saved by knowing Jesus.
Notice there is no indication in the parable of the duration of the rich man’s (Judah’s) torment. He is excluded from the comfort of Abraham’s bosom, but for how long we are not told.
Probably the most unspoken objection to God’s saving all is that some people just don’t want their enemies to be saved. There are people they really want to see burn forever. When they are told this won’t happen, they protest, sometimes using Scripture to justify their hatred for the person or group of people they loathe.
When the subject of Jesus being the Savior of the world is brought up, Christians often ask me, “Who else believes in Christian Universalism?” or “Who did you learn this from?” They want to know if there are any “famous” Christians alive today who are universalists. Are there any TV preachers or bestselling Christian authors who believe this? I don’t know if there are. But does that really matter? I know of some very famous universalists that have complete confidence in God’s ability to save all people. I’ll briefly cover some of them.
God (He's pretty famous) “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
Jesus (also quite famous) in Luke 9:56 said, “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Jesus said this to two of His closest followers, James and John, after they wanted to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans who did not receive Jesus. You can see the difference between man and Jesus when it comes to how they treat their enemies. Man desires to destroy, Jesus saves.
John the Baptist (famous guy) said of Jesus in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.” John knew why Jesus came--to take away all of our sin.
John the Apostle (another famous man) wrote in John 5 these words of Jesus: “21For as the Father raises up the dead, and quickens them; even so the Son quickens whom he will. 22For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son: 23That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which has sent him.” Through His righteous judgments Jesus will cause all people to honor Him. And when Jesus completes His work all people will be more than happy to humbly bow to Him.
The (famous) Apostle Peter preached about Jesus in Acts 3:21, “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” All things will be made right in God’s time.
The Apostle Paul (pretty well known) wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:28, “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” One universe under God. He truly is the Almighty.
Moses (very famous) wrote about God’s command to Adam in Genesis 1: “27So God created man in his own image; in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; and replenish the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’” Even though Adam did not accomplish God’s plan to fill the earth with very good people bearing God’s pure image, God hasn’t changed His original plan. It will be completed by the “last Adam,” Jesus. Read the very encouraging verses in 1 Corinthians 15:21-28 to see how He will do this.
(Famous) Isaiah 46, “9...I am God, and there is none like me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.’” God’s desires are good and He will accomplish them all.
(Somewhat famous) Daniel 2, “35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth....44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." These verses speak of God’s righteous kingdom ending all of man’s ungodly kingdoms, filling the whole earth and standing forever.
This is enough famous people support for me to put my faith in God’s ability to save all men. He will complete His goal of having the earth filled with very good people who bear His pure image. We will all worship and obey Him with hearts full of love and gratitude for His mercy and grace toward all, though none of us are deserving.
To see more about God's plan to save all people, get your copy of Jesus and Hitler.
No, I do not believe in reincarnation. I believe in the resurrection and restoration of all people to God the Father through Jesus the Savior. We do not need to come back to life as someone or something else when God is going to raise us to live as ourselves. You will be you, I will be me. We will be made better versions of our former selves.
Salvation is by grace through faith, and faith comes through hearing.
Is it not possible that those who do not come to saving faith in Jesus in this life, will come to saving faith in Him in a next life, here on earth?
Is it not possible that we are already in the Lake of Fire, and Jesus came in to get us out?
Our sun is a big ball of fire, as are our stars, and it is this place among the big balls of fire that Adam and Eve were put as punishment for their disobedience. After Adam and Eve return to dust, would there be any further punishment for them somewhere else, other than here on earth?
There is day and night torment here on earth, in outer darkness among the balls of fire. We are in bodies (coats of skin) that experience pain and perish and are destroyed. Then what?
The first mention of fire in the bible is the flaming sword preventing Adam and Eve from gaining access to the garden of Eden. Why didn't they try and get back into the garden from another direction?
Have you ever read the bible from the objective viewpoint that reincarnation could be true? There are a whole lot of verses in the bible that make a whole lot more sense, without doctrinal gymnastics, if reincarnation is true.
Jesus is the only way out of here, and we have to die to leave (remember he said "follow me"?), and if we die without faith, we are sent back.
If the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, the new heaven and the new earth are the second heaven and the second earth. If someone is able to go up to the third heaven, then the third heaven must exist, which by deduction means the third earth must also exist as heaven and earth pass away together, and to go up to the third heaven, you must have been on the third earth.
This is the second death, the "life" we are living now, after having been cast into the Lake of Fire for the second time. We are not alive here, we are dead, until we are made alive in Christ, after which we only need to die once to gain immortality, at which point we ourselves become ministering angels to those who are left here who didn't make it.
The bible makes so much more sense, if reincarnation is true.
Gehenna is here on earth. How is it possible to be cast to Gehenna, here on earth, with 2 eyes and 2 hands and 2 feet, after you have been killed, without being reincarnated?
Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, how many times did he die?
Hebrews 9:27 does not say "and as it is laid up to men once to (live and to)die, and after this-- (to be resurrected and face) judgment"
The words I added that I put in brackets are missing for a reason. This verse has nothing to do with reincarnation. In context Hebrews 9 and 10 are about things that happen in cycles, and the cycle is broken through faith in Christ.
Christ is rejected when He is packaged with eternal torment, as eternal torment in hell is rejected, and 98% of Christians do not share their faith in Christ because of fear of being rejected and ridiculed.
Pythagoras (a Jew), Socrates, Plato, Philo (a Jew), all were reincarnationists, belief in reincarnation persists to this day in Judaism. Have you ever looked?
Why did God send Israel into Egypt for 400 years (without a bible) for them to be indoctrinated with reincarnationism if reincarnation is not true? Why did God raise up Alexander the Great to Hellenize (read Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) the world with belief in reincarnation, if reincarnation is not true?
Reincarnation is not an option, as if it is true we can only be reincarnated back here, and we could be reincarnated as a baby who is sacrificed in fire to a strange God, in a place called Gehenna.
Here is not in the Garden of Eden with our Father.
Jesus came to save us from here.
No, I have never read the Bible with reincarnation in mind. Those who were resurrected in the Bible did not come back as a totally different person. Jesus came back as Jesus when He was resurrected. Lazarus was Lazarus. The others came back as the same person. The Bible makes enough sense to me seeing resurrection instead of reincarnation.
Why do you believe reincarnation implies a totally different person will come back? Is it not possible that the same person (spirit) comes back with their memories (soul) erased?
Where then, in your mind, if not on this earth, is the place of torment described in the bible where people will be tormented day and night to the ages of the ages, and what will this torment be?
Where will every knee bow, and every tongue confess, of those who do not do so in this life?
Can one not possibly be reincarnated after resurrection and judgement? Do they have to be mutually exclusive, or can one not simply follow the other?
Does the Great White Throne judgement necessarily have to be all on one day according to our perspective, or is it not possible that it could be an ongoing process, every time one dies they face the throne, and every time found guilty be sent back here?
Do you believe in the physical resurrection of this body of flesh, and that this body of flesh that has returned to dust (and not a transfigured body) will be the bodies we will occupy in front of the Great White Throne? If yes, why?
Brad (I'm going to call you Brad because it helps me picture you. Anonymous just doesn't work for me.) I see nothing in the Scriptures that indicates a resurrected spirit has their memories erased.
The lake of fire, and I believe all judgment - even the judgment we undergo in this life, takes place on the earth. This judgment will be varied as each individual is judged according to his deeds (Rom 2:6). The judgment will be terrible (Rom 2:8-9).
All will bow to Jesus on this earth sometime after His return.
You need to give me your thorough definition of reincarnation for me to know what you mean when you use that word.
The Great White Throne judgement could take a while. we are not given a lot of details on it. Brad, you say, "every time one dies." I don't see in the Scriptures the multiple deaths you speak of.
We will have resurrected bodies, but they will be different - see 1 Cor 15.
Did Adam and Eve remember the Garden of Eden after they had been put here?
There are 10 bible verses with the phrase "left hand" in the bible, the last is Jesus speaking of those on the left hand being cast into outer darkness, the first is Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh being blessed by Jacob. Manasseh, upon whom the left hand was placed, means "make to forget".
Upon which bible verses do you base your belief that judgement, including the Great White Throne judgement, takes place here on earth. Why could it not be in heaven? Jesus was taken up to heaven in His body, and heaven is where Stephen saw Jesus.
Upon what scriptures do you base your belief that all will bow to Jesus on this earth sometime after His return?
Those nations who gather to make war against Jesus after His 1000 year reign here on earth (Rev 20:9), did they bow to Jesus after His return, or will they bow to Jesus after fire has destroyed them?
If they bow to Jesus sometime after His return, sometime after being devoured by fire, will they bow to Jesus in a resurrected earthly or heavenly body?
Does it not make more sense that they would bow after being reincarnated in an earthly body, being born again amongst men in the usual way we are born? On the new earth, outside the city?
Reincarnation: The spirit of the deceased returning to inhabit a new body here on earth, and although this is not a rule, the soul (memories) having been erased/destroyed, although ultimately to be restored (Psalm 23).
As for multiple deaths, I am sure the term "second death" will ring a bell as something you probably will have seen in scripture. Death is being thrown into the lake of fire, just as Adam and Eve were, the first mention of fire in the bible is the "flaming sword", which I believe is allegorical for our sun and stars, as angels are also called stars. Adam and Eve on earth were already dead, in perishable coats of skin (our earthly bodies) when they landed on earth when they were driven from the garden of Eden (allegory for heaven). We all were dead until made alive in Christ, although trapped in these earthly bodies until liberated by the death of the body.
On 1 Cor 15, will resurrected bodies be earthly bodies or heavenly bodies? What kind of body will sufferers of torment be in, earthly or heavenly, if judgement takes place on earth and the lake of fire is on earth?
What do you believe the lake of fire is? Does it have to be a lake as we understand water lakes to be, on this earth?
Could it not possibly be our universe?
Have you ever read the anathemas against Origen by Roman Emperor Justinian, and wondered if they might be true and not heresy?
Why do so many different isolated cultures all over the world have essentially the same belief in reincarnation? Could this belief not simply be the belief of the 8 who survived the flood, who all nations have in common as their ancestors, and could it not be the truth?
Which scriptures seal the deal for you that reincarnation is completely out of the question?
Some of your questions I have no dogmatic answer for. I'm very content not having all of my questions answered, though I will continue to seek the truth.
I see no reason why Adam and Eve were given amnesia. We learn and grow when we remember the things in our life that did not go well.
I don't see the importance of the "left hand" in the Scriptures...at least as it relates to the discussion at hand.
I believe the judgment takes place on earth because of 2 Thess 1:7-10, 1 Cor 4:5, 2 Tim 4:1 & 8, Rev 21:1-10. Though Jesus will return to earth to judge, God is now judging humanity from Heaven. Judgment takes on many forms for the many situations that need to be judged.
All will bow to Jesus - Phil 2:9-11. This will be done on earth based on my previous paragraph.
Those who make war with Jesus and the saints will bow after their judgment, which will lead them to honor Him - John 5:22-23.
They will bow to Jesus in an immortal body after their resurrection.
No, it makes more sense that they would bow after their resurrection and judgment.
Resurrected bodies will be like Jesus' body - Phil 3:21.
The lake of fire is unique and unlike anything else we know, although I think it will probably contain elements of things we are familiar with. Regardless, it will be a terrible place of judgment.
The lake of fire could be a lot of things. We are simply not told a lot about it. I have faith that God will use it to accomplish His purpose - all people coming to honor Jesus - John 5:22-23.
I have read some about Origen and Justinian. I would rather keep my focus on the Scriptures and what they say.
Martin, your definition of reincarnation is very similar to resurrection if you get rid of the amnesia. I'm still not sure where you get the idea of erased memories from.
And why would God want to erase our memories? Remembering the rough parts of life gives us a greater appreciation for the goodness of God Who saves us from these things. Are we going going to forget what Jesus did for us on the cross?
There are no Scriptures that say reincarnation is not true. But the Bible does not have to address every single thing in the world that is not true.
Jesus came back as Jesus in a glorified body. He is the One Who is the pattern of things to come for us. He had no amnesia when He rose from the dead. Neither will we.
Have you read my book? It may answer some of the questions you have. The link is at the top of the blog - click on the book. | 2019-04-24T00:45:00Z | https://www.biggestjesus.com/2015/02/i-object.html |
People who look for consistency and patterns in Nintendo's thinking often come up with absolutely nothing beyond a Mii in a hot dog costume, but Reddit user Natzore has discovered something of actual worth.
Looking through the past schedules for Nintendo Direct presentations, it seems Nintendo has been quick in the past to follow up a Nintendo Direct Mini with a full-fat Nintendo Direct, rather than just letting them sit as they are.
Of course, Nintendo have often bucked even their own trends, so this is certainly not hard evidence, however the strange absence of larger games such as Bayonetta 3, Yoshi, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Fire Emblem in yesterday's presentation does seem unusual.
Do you think there's anything to this research, or is it entirely unfounded? Let us know in the comments below.
Very interesting. Of course I'd gladly welcome another direct.
Not getting any new info on Yoshi seemed odd to me. Already hyped for another Direct.
I hope this is true. I’m only asking for one thing: Animal Crossing Switch.
I hope there's another one. It would be terrible if that was it, so much was missing.
Hopefully that Direct Mini and Following Direct pattern continues and they redeem themselves.
Yeah, this is exactly what I thought Glad to see evidence supporting it!
Yeah I've seen this and thought the very same thing when it said mini. So there's still hope for the big titles!
It makes sense that there could be another one soon when you look at the games that are coming this year that never got mentioned.
I hope this is true as I found the mini to be disappointing in general with Nintendo really falling back into old routines of releasing old content and not enough new.
Ports or not, I don't care. Knowing that Dark Souls comes to the Switch so I can play it on the go is more than enough for me. I've been a fan since Demon's Souls and being able to play the pvp of the first Dark Souls again makes me really happy, since eliminating poise (or making it a hidden value, whatever) ruined the pvp on the next two games for me.
I like research and statistics, and the first thing that jumps out at me is that almost all of these took place in 2012 and 2013 when Iwata was still alive and running the show. None in 2014, 1 each in 2015 and 2016, none in 2017. So the pattern has kind of fizzled out.
Not saying their won't be one, it's probably 50-50, and it's probably due in mid-Feb just before B1+B2 and the SMO update releases. Yoshi is probably Sept or Oct, they can wait awhile on that as they focus on Kirby, Showing both of those off at the same time makes Switch look a little too focused on 2D platformers and ports.
So they may actually wait until E3. Or they may put 1 out in 5 minutes. We can guess all we want, but none of those guesses will be educated.
Edit - But if you are looking at a real reason for a new ND, it's none of those games, it's the complete lack of any mention at all of the 3DS, except the HW DE will include stuff from HW on 3DS. And they need to tell us about paid online before they start charging for it. So a ND will be forthcoming, probably Feb, or March. Or April or May. Or they'll just wait until E3.
I think it may be unfounded. I looked at that myself yesterday and it's important to note that most Minis were about a single game or service and not like the one yesterday. It doesn't seem common for there to be two announcement heavy Directs in a row. I do think there will be a game-specific or service-focused Direct next month, but not sooner than that. I'd love to be wrong though!
That really isn't that hard to believe.
Let's get back on board. I love the suspense.
@BoilerBroJoe The question is then why was yesterday's Direct considered "mini"? Because it didn't include an actual host?
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Yet so much there, in 15 minutes.
The mini lets a few smaller titles and third parties not get overshadowed. Give the media a few days to stew on Mario Tennis and don't step on the toes of the third party support that you're trying to build up by dropping a big first party announcement.
Hopefully there is another Direct before Bayonetta 2 on Feb 16. I was left underwhelmed to be honest.
I'm sure there will be another one soon. Although, I don't know if all the games will get addressed, but online and system is a strong possibility from the "fake" video.
I believe another direct is soon but I don’t expect it for another month or two. Nintendo’s release calendar for spring is filling up and I don’t think they would announce their summer titles this early.
The next direct will be a real info dump they're not going to wait till e3 to give us info on the online infrastructure and that is really going to have to be addressed sooner rather than later, so having this mini seemed like a way of slimming down the next one.
@Kalmaro It's all I want!
There was a HUGE list of games missing from yesterday’s direct considering it was a 2018 preview direct, albeit a mini direct.
The rumblings and hints were for a Direct in Jan, which wasn’t the mini one. January 11th’s broadcast date would mean a January main Direct still has 20 days left to count as a January direct... that would certainly fit the hints, the rumours and the 20 day max broadcast day gap table above.
Given how light that Nintendo Direct Mini was, I wouldn't be surprised if there was another very soon. In fact, it's needed.
@gatorboi352 - It was a mini and I was content with it. I feel the people just hope that one will match the hype they fuel themselves over it.
Wouldn't see it as sad, but this does reflect the desire to see a system from Nintendo doing what we all hoped for all these years for a success that wasn't fueled by the big blue ocean. It shows that this hype is here for a reason, and it's not put of desperation. It's fueled by the monumental success the Switch has garnered this far.
Why does not mentioning those games seem unusual? If they're not coming out by May why mention them last fall, yesterday then once again closer to the date? Actual new info on those in another direct outlining the rest of the year makes it not repetitious. I mean, look at Kirby, just because it was announced last fall, everyone yesterday kept overlooking it as a new game.
I like the Black Ops reference, nicely done.
Ah, the tagline...Black Ops reference!
I really want some info on Wolfenstein 2 on Switch...I love that game!
I'm not getting myself hyped up again until there's confirmation, especially since the lacklustre mini Direct didn't meet expectations.
I'm sure there will be another direct between now and E3, but not within 20 days after the mini Direct. Nintendo showed off a good amount of content yesterday, even if that content was port-heavy.
I'm sold, another Direct coming soon! You better be right about this!!
I feel like they're saving the full reveal of games like Fire Emblem, Pokemon and Metroid for E3. But I wouldn't be surprised if we still get another direct soon for other games.
There are no brakes in the hype train.
That's really interesting. Some of the gaps are so small like a day or two but I expect around a 15-30 day gap if there would be a full on Direct. Let's hope it exists and comes soon, the Mini Direct felt... well... Small.
With the release schedule calendar already amassed, I'd be more than content with getting next Direct sometime in mid-spring. But if it does hit in 2-3 weeks... what to say to that? Itadakimasu!
To be fair, this pattern makes sense. The surprises of a mini direct wouldn’t get half as much attention if they were part of a larger Direct with true bombshells in. And they need a wide range of games of all sizes to keep the release schedules full.
Oh man... that hype train again... LOL, bring those announcements on, Nintendo!
Oh wow I'm on NintendoLife! Hi mom!
Oh gosh, not this again...I am very happy with what was shown already at the direct mini. I am not gonna go through that fervent waiting again or I'll go bald!
So you think they didn't make a larger direct because they were holding back Yoshi, a barely-started game, and a port? That... seems unnecessarily hopeful.
Also, what kind of fanbase is this that people just had roughly 6 cool games and a bunch of DLC up through May, and all they want is more more more?
Seems like a pretty safe bet, that there be another one before spring. I mean, like it was said before, many of the bigger games set for this year were not even mentioned, plus there gotta be something happening with VC, the online service or at the very least MyNintendo before autumn ... right? RIGHT?
Point being, another Direct might not necessarily be focused on purely new games. That is not to say that they might not chose to shine a spotlight on one particular game or another as well - even if it's "only" a port or maybe a 3rd-party game.
Why are so many people complaining about the mini direct? There was plenty announced, like Dark Souls, which yeah it's a remaster, but considering the series has never been on a Nintendo system, it's practically a new game. Idk. I don't understand the entitlement sometimes.
My toad senses says that I highly doubt it. We may at least get a self-contained direct.
That sure would be nice but I’m not holding my breath.
I know that the mini direct to normal direct ratio DOES make sense, however, I wish people would stop trying to make sense out of Nintendo. They do what they want, when the want. People that try to predict what they will do will usually be disappointed.
But haven’t the “mini” directs, in the past, been focused on one game or so? This one had a lot more stuff covered than a mini usually had, I’m not so sure we’re getting another so soon.
Nah there have been several general mini directs.
Like I wrote in the forums, this mini direct could be just like how the last Nindie direct was a prelude to the big September direct last year, i.e. this Mini Direct covered all the small games that won't get mentioned in the big, full-size direct coming later. Of course it's just a theory, but it still seems pretty likely to me.
There probably will be a new direct soon. Nintendo still need to show xeno dlc, octopath plus the "new experiences" Kimishima talked about. Then theres the 6 new Switch sku's mystery from Amazon.
I believe they'll have another pretty soon. They know we all want to know what the hell is going on with the paid online service. And I'd certainly love to hear more about Bayonetta, Wolfenstein, and Yoshi.
I find this a little hard to believe but I do remember us getting Directs spaced closely together. So... maybe? But what else is there to show us when this was clearly a direct geared towards Spring releases?
@Paddle1 I hope the word "Mini" wasn't simply added at the last second when they saw the hype had gotten out of control.
Genuine question: Are you trolling?
I agree. In my opinion a Direct MINI only suggests a full-fledged Direct is near.
Hi everyone! I know you are probably all excited thinking about the a full direct that will (hopefully!!!) be coming soon, but I'd just like to introduce myself I'm not new to this amazing website, but I have finally decided to begin leaving some comments Hope you all have/had an amazing day!
I thought yesterday's mini direct was a satisfying appetizer with cool ports and surprises, so an indication that a bigger direct is coming, most likely stating more stuff for Switch and 3DS (and hopefully announcing that Link's Awakening remake for 3DS), is a fantastic and I am anticipating for another big direct in the coming days.
Great background Art, as always!
@westman98 @Shiryu "Shiryu is a member of staff"
So I guess this is not trolling?
I just hope it was not a Hyrule Warriors style definitive edition port. It could use the same engine and assets from Wii U, but I hope there's new content (stages, characters) and updated characters (like BotW versions of Link and Zelda etc).
They should take the Splatoon 2 route with periodical updates.
The new Smash would be an excellent game to introduce the new online infrastructure with.
While I enjoy these Nintendo Directs and the rapid fire reveals they bring, I think they just pander to this entitled attitude of many of today's gamers, particularly when reading some of the comments on here.
I remember the days when maybe we would hear about a game reveal in a magazine, or we would wait a few weeks to get the coverage of shows like E3 or TGS, how did we cope!
Games will arrive when they arrive no matter whether they are revealed in a direct mini, full direct, live game show, Twitter, magazine etc.
I could keep going, but hopefully the point gets across. We may get another Direct soon, but there is no pattern here to indicate if it will be a 20 minute look at a specific game, or a rapid fire look at several games. In 2012, Nintendo did more regionally specific Directs than they currently do. The "Mini" Direct yesterday covered far more games than most of the Directs on this list. Obviously those Directs covered their games in more detail due to the focus on a specific topic, but this list does not offer anything resembling a pattern. Especially when most of the examples are 5 to 6 years old.
I'd love another Direct soon, and I would not be surprised if we get a specific game Direct, or a 3DS Direct in the next few weeks, I just don't think those dates mean anything when you look at the topics and regions covered and try to compare them to the Direct yesterday.
@Mince-Pie Welcome to Nintendolife! Hope you have a wonderful day as well, and look forward to lots of amazing discussions about all things Nintendo!
@Moshugan @westman98 Please understand: I have never trolled anyone in my life, online or otherwise. But being a member of the staff as nothing to do with this intel. Smash Bros is my educated guess to the upcoming announcement because what we saw yesterday wasn't definitely not everything Nintendo had prepared for January. We will all soon find out.
PS: Do note that this is the usual terrible situation when I have friends working inside Nintendo who are under NDA and obviously fear for their job security if leaks come out but are also Nintendo fans and are dying to tell us about all this cool stuff that is yet to come.
Pretty sure it's unfounded in this case. I think the next Direct will be the usual March/April Direct.
This Direct pretty much revealed the lineup through May. It stands to reason that Yoshi, Fire Emblem, etc are coming in Summer or later, and therefore aren't necessary to talk about until said April Direct.
3DS games at this point are pretty much just localizations and a few small games. All that stuff can be revealed via Twitter honestly.
As for the Switch online services, I don't get why people absolutely insist that they'll talk about it in a Direct. Where does it say that they have to talk about that in a Direct? If you ask me, it's MUCH more likely that they don't do that and talk about it via press release/trailer drop/Twitter instead given how Nintendo has approached this type of thing in recent times.
In short, they did a Direct Mini because that's all there is for the next few months outside of indies and maybe a third party game or two in May (coughWolfensteincough). Everything else either doesn't need to be talked about in a Direct or is coming later and doesn't need to be talked about until the usual March/April Direct.
I realize that sounds negative and I don't mean to be a buzz kill, but I'm positive that that's the reality of the situation.
I'm not expecting another direct this month anytime soon. I'll probably eat my words later, but I'll not take them back.
@Shiryu It's true, right? You can say that you cannot confirm or deny it.
@IceClimbers Part of the reason people want another Direct is because for many, this was a pretty lacklustre lineup of games. When one of the biggest games shown was a Mario Tennis game, that kinda says a lot.
I can't see another direct until Easter which is March and would pace the E3 one perfectly.
I expect a Direct on March 3rd.
It's most likely we'll see it between 10 and 13 days from the direct mini.
That's some interesting stuff. In that case... the hype train continues it's trip. Next stop - full Nintendo Direct. After that - E3.
Makes sense, have a showcase for ports and indies alongside other minor announcements before the bigger titles.
Would still keep expectations in check though. Winter Directs are always big, but we know the announcements count the most at E3 when the general gaming audience is also listening.
@IceClimbers The problem is, why would Nintendo tease us with essentially an appetizer, only to go radio silent for the next 2 months. They as others have mentioned, they usually follow up a mini Direct with a full sized one a few weeks later, so we're getting a lot sooner than you think. Plus, the Japanese Direct page also has another blank spot. That's usually the first sign a new one is in production.
Difference is that’s when the 3DS was still a thing. We won’t see another direct til March.
@DrRandle Yoshi isn’t “barely started” actually. The Nintendo Treehouse demonstrated it. Also, Yoshi development time is quick.
I'm telling you, you should not start hyping another direct. I think that the reason why Nintendo choose this mini direct route, is that expectations started to become ridiculous.
Yesterday's Switch Direct Mini was fairly news-packed, though I suspect at least one other Direct between now and E3. I'd also like to see more info about upcoming 3DS games, or at least the ones we know about/have a chance of being ported outside of Japan. I believe this may be the 3DS's last good year, but that doesn't mean there aren't any games coming out for it to look forward to (though they may be few).
Ye this is quite clever. Although all they have to do is look at nintendo direct archive online. But i wouldn't of thought of looking at all the direct dates and comparing them to the non direct dates that's the clever bit.
sry mean't micro direct dates.
@NIN10DOXD That was more pointing towards Bayonetta. The last time we saw a Bayonetta teaser and a Yoshi game was in the same direct in 2013. Bayo came out 2014, and Yoshi was a full year later in 2015. 3 years is hardly "little"
Getting the ports out the way maybe, hehheh.
Are we really on NintendoLife! Wow.. Holy Sh*T! Hello Daddy!
I won't be surprised, I'm kinda suspecting we may get a bigger direct near the end of January.
Though that was mainly because the direct was called a "mini" direct so it seemed like there'd be something more.
@Justifier I don't think Nintendo cares about what our expectations are. At least not enough to base their direct schedules around it.
Look people, there will be another direct soon. Stop complaining about the mini direct. It at least showed some games. You will see more soon. Just be patient and I am sure Nintendo will have more info and surprizes to come soon.
but they might do a 3ds one next due too(yokai watch,dragon quest 1-3 remakes and 11 and i think they have a few more new games down the line)The online might come as the one year switch release march 3rd.
Well there is an open spot on the Japanese Direct page so maybe they get one..
I rather enjoyed yesterday's direct, a full Direct will be amazing. Definitely can see it happening no later than mid-March.
Please, Animal Crossing Switch, Yokai Watch 3 Sushi / Tempura USA version, first trailer of Pokemon Switch !
Yeah of course they should tell us more about the new online service etc but the way I see it it's free until then so I don't really mind all that much.
Blimey we've just had something and already the chatter is out for the next one.
I'm happy to wait and ignore the rumours.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Looking at your list, it would also seem likely that a full direct is coming. While I hope Nintendo saves some surprises for later Directs, there was some key stuff missing.. like 3ds games and the online service.
Gosh dang people. They literally JUST announced a whole gang of games coming to Switch and people are already wanting more so soon?
Ya, of course we want more announcements for 2018, but the year literally JUST started. Gonna be a long year people, there's lots of time for games to be announced. Doesn't all have to be the very first or second week of January!
And then it's E3, where the REAL announcements are made.
But still with plenty of other confirmed games coming like Wolfenstein 2, Y's VIII, Fire Emblem, Pokémon, Metroid Prime 4, SMTV, Dragon Quest XI, DQ Builders 2, Valkyria Chronicles 4, The World Ends With You, etc etc etc.
Settle down. The 90 day window from mid February to mid May is already more packed than any thing we saw last year, and last year was crazy. And they're all super high-quality games coming too. And more are being announced with every passing week. Someone noticed Southpark Fractured But Whole listing went up on a retailer listing today slated for March. Settle your butts down, the year just started.
I hope there is another direct soon, for me the mini didn’t hold much interest. I have a Wii U and the games they porting, not keen on M+R and none of the indie games take my fancy. Want to try Payday 2 and Dark Souls but not at £50, only Kirby was of any interest. But even feeling like this I think it was a good direct. I’m not sure if/when the full direct airs but i think it will focus on the online structure/vc. I do believe it the info will be wedged between two games. First I hope will be a FPS maybe Overwatch or CoD collection (not a FPS fan but the console needs some) followed by a first party/second party game we don’t know about, don’t think it will be smash yet as the mini was port heavy.
Weren't the Mini Directs ususally Japanese specific with games not releasing in the west? Then, a big direct for all the regions? Or, the Mini Directs were just about a specific game?
It would be incredible if another Direct was coming soon. I could see it happening because there weren't any headliners in that Direct. Nothing to WOW people for the future. However, it was a solid, solid Direct with many great games that are prime fillers in the calendar to tie people over and appeal to a wide range of audience. My first thought was where is Fire Emblem, Yoshi and other bigger confirmed 2018 games? We'll see.
A few new games announced in a mini direct (Dark Souls yes!), not too shabby. Expect a maxi direct before March with meatier reveals including South Park Fractured But Whole (March release?) and more info on the upcoming games we know about. As for the ports, DKTF definitely deserves a bigger audience than it reached on the Wii U; it's one of the best games of recent years in my opinion.
I was fine without the Mini, but the more the merrier. Hype!
You have said everything I wanted to and saved me the effort. People act like all the games you mentioned don't exist because they aren't in a Direct. Then pan the games announced in the Direct. OMG to a long time Nintendo fan it seemed solid. You get TWEnds, MarioT, Dark Souls, DKTF, Hwarriors, and Ys all previously unannounced and people act like thats nothing. I was stoked over Mario Tennis. People are gaga over Golf Story and it pretty much took everything from Camelot and the old gba/gbc Mario golf/tennis games, now Camelot is making a modern MarioT RPG and I am sure its going to rock.
The WiiU had some fantastic exclusives that so few people played. Many of them really deserve to be played in a portable format. I just don't think anyy real WiiU owners are but hurt like the trolls in this thread pretend to be.
Reposting this since it's very much applicable.
So we've already got as many new games in the pipeline, that we already know about the second week into the year, as we got the entire year of 2017, e3 announcements and all. And we've already got 2 more ports as well. And we haven't even gotten to the spring direct, E3 or the fall announcements yet. And we definitely have way more third-party support in the pipeline than we did last year. Many of which are exclusive (The World Ends With You, Octopath Traveller, SMTV, No More Heroes, etc).
I expect footage of the newest iterations of Bayonetta, No More Heroes, Metroid, Smash Bros, F-Zero and Eternal Darkness.
The list posted in this article actually does cover every Nintendo Direct Mini except for the ones that had another Nintendo Direct Mini right after it. Although, some of the Directs that came after the Nintendo Direct Mini were not general Nintendo Directs, but themed Nintendo Directs that cover something specific. The next Nintendo Direct could be a general Direct like in April and September 2017, but it could also instead be a specific themed Direct entirely about "Nintendo Switch Online" with its Virtual Console equivalent being the "featured games" of the Direct. No matter what the theoretical Direct is about, we'll find out in 20 days or less if Kimishima's Nintendo will be continuing the tradition of another Nintendo Direct shortly after a Nintendo Direct Mini.
No Nintendo Direct on 2014? Huh must had been a very boring year then.
@retro_player_22 There was Nintendo Directs in 2014, but there was no "Nintendo Direct Mini"s that year.
Honestly, I would have been happy had the mini Direct been the Direct, but the thought of even more news is definitely exciting! So many good games coming to the Switch in the near future.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I honestly don't understand what you don't like about ports and remasters. If they're new to you, which I know all these games are because you've made it very clear that you expect AAAs to come to a Nintendo system rather than having to buy a PS4, Xbox One, or PC, then what can it possibly matter that other people can play them on other systems, or that other people have already played them? A good game is a good game, and not being both new and exclusive doesn't change that.
Of course. The actual direct will be discussing all the new features of OS 5.0 which comes out in Feb.
The Mini Direct is just a starter meal to get you ready for the main course.
@Bondi_Surfer Every Nintendo Direct Mini in the past was shortly followed by a Nintendo Direct. So it's not listing all instances that fit the pattern. All instances fit the pattern.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Would you elaborate on how SNK Heroines is a remix, but Mario Tennis is a new game?
The difference isn’t in quantity. There’s a strong line-up in terms of pure numbers. But in games that appeal broadly.
Bayonetta is a niche game as is Dark Souls (as is Metroid). Kirby and DKC will appeal to the 2D platforming crowd. Mario Tennis has an audience but, again, comparatively small.
The games look great, but where are the heavy hitters to join Mario Kart, Mario, Zelda and Splatoon?
Well Pokemon is one. Pokemon often do their own dedicated Directs. So perhaps we will get one of those in the next few months.
Then the other two big hitters still to come are Animal Crossing and Smash Bros. But I wouldn’t expect both to land in the same year.
New Super Mario Bros, maybe.
But they won’t be making all these at once. Hell, nobody wants them all at once because you’ve got to play them.
It might be, but then again it might not. That's my best guess.
They really are letting Mario where what he wants these days . It couldn't have been comfortable playing tennis all these years in his overalls.
@aesc May your Michiganese source be right.
I should hope so, the mini was underwhelming unless as a devoted Nintendo fan you owned none of those titles the first time around.
I thought the Direct Mini was pretty darned good. Better, I would argue, than many of their past E3 presentations in terms of interesting content.
I think Nintendo should do another direct, but maybe in a month or so. I'm very happy for the time being. Great time to be a Nintendo fan.
Well, if they don't mention Pikmin 4, my son is going to give me his Switch.....If they mention Shenmue, Animal Crossing, Excite Truck Switch, or Gamecube or Dreamcast eshop, then I'll buy my own the day of the direct.
Shenmue won't come. Excite Truck is possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Pikmin and Animal Crossing will definitely come... just, doubtful it's in some dreamed up Direct in 20 days.
It might be at E3, it It might even be after that, but I'd be downright amazed if Animal Crossing doesn't come, that's like Mario not coming, it's unheard of, and Pikmin 4 is already done according to Nintendo so, it'll turn up eventually (hopefully this year).
I was fine with the mini Direct, but sure, I’d welcome more.
I don’t understand why we still don’t have animal crossing. I thought for sure it was coming in the Wii U days, then I thought for sure it was coming to Switch. If it doesn’t get announced this year, I’ll be completely dumbfounded. New Leaf launched in Japan in 2012, it is due.
I mean, the Switch hasn't even been out a year yet.
Alot of games skipped Wii U, and will be returning this generation. But it's a long 5 years of games. It could come at any time, doesn't have to be this year. I do personally think it'll come this year or at least be announced but, there's no guarantee.
Probably on the blue moon.
My guess is it will be another Indies Direct. Featuring the Stardew Valley update, Owlboy, and hopefully, A Hat in Time.
As I said before, I feel like we get one in February. This was just a mini.
Yah, kind of figured as much. But we know we'll see Pikmin 4, and Animal Crossing....How about music on the Eshop and Sega Virtual Console.
Yeah, I mean we had that really weird Animal Crossing app on the Wii U that basically only told the time, that’s when I was saying to myself, man it’s gotta be soon if we have that. I suppose it could be that 2017 was so stacked Nintendo opted to hold it back, but yeah I agree, it’s gotta be soon that we get a formal announcement that it’s at least on the way.
This is pretty misleading. Most Mini Directs were during 2012-13 when Nintendo was constantly doing exclusive mini directs for different regions, even directs exclusive to North Korea or Australia. If you look at the distances between Directs for Europe or NA alone, they're much further apart.
Check Wikipedia's ND Schedule Page to see what I'm talking about.
@HappyMaskedGuy -Sorry - I'm a regular on NintendoLife - I'm not a Troll - My Better half is Japanese from Kyoto. I don't have an Uncle that works at Nintendo - but we do have friends that work there. Normally - the first time they hear about Nintendo News - it's the same as us - through the media and Nintendo Directs - Their Loyalty to Nintendo is incredible so you can't get any information by being friends. However - In this instance - it is assured that something very very big is to be announced by the end of the month - so big that it is in fact heavily rumoured in the Hallowed corridors of Ninty HQ amongst the staff as it has been difficult to contain.
I don’t see what you gain from lying so il take you at your word.
So you live in Kyoto? Oh man I would love to visit, how long have you resided there?
@Nicolai Directs are more Worldwide now, so there's little reason for region specific ones anymore unless its a game that's currently region exclusive (which will be rare). So there's very likely a Direct following in the next couple weeks. Plus, the Mini Direct to Direct transitions aren't even the biggest indicator, the Japanese Nintendo Direct page currently has another blank spot. That's usually one of the first signals a new Direct is in production.
Animal Crossing Wii U in development and planned for a 2016/2017 release.
Wii U hardware didn't sell well enough holiday 2014.
Animal Crossing Wii U moved to NX in early 2015 meanwhile progress already made became amiibo Festival.
@TheMisterManGuy You missed my point. I'm not predicting the return of region-exclusive directs, I'm just saying the numbers provided are misleading, since Directs were done differently for nearly all of them listed above. Directs now are more sparse than they were in 2012 because Nintendo doesn't have to repeat the same information to each region.
To further my point, let's look at the most recent example. On Nov 2, 2016, we get a global Animal Crossing Direct, and 3 days later, Japan exclusively get one for Miitopia. That's not much to get hyped up about. These examples are never followed by a major Direct.
This specific bit of evidence is void, but you're right, there were other signs of a Direct soon. I just think it will more likely be in February. The 10 day average given above isn't likely.
@Nicolai Thing is, because Directs are more worldwide now, the chances of it being a general Direct increase, as Japan and Europe got a few general Directs in the past that skipped the US entirely. Of course, you are right, it may not be a general Direct. But there's still validity to the point.
@ekwcll This. The mini wasn't even bad, so I truly don't get the need to complain on end.
Whenever we do get a new direct, cool. Until then, cool. Got some 2017 switch games to finish.
Yeah it very well could have been that.
I would like to see how many of these instances are "Nintendo Direct Mini" and then big "Nintendo Direct", instead of some other kinds of Directs. Remember, a Nintendo Direct Mini, while small, is a general Direct, which means that it conveys a lot more general information than a specific Direct (like ones for a specific title, franchise, or indies), which means that it can stand on its own when specific Directs can not. A Nintendo Direct Mini can just be "We don't have a lot to show for this time period, so we will have a Mini instead of a regular Direct".
There's also the factor of looking at those years, comparing the frequency of Directs back then versus now, etc. There are just too many factors that I don't really feel like were taken into account here. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I love this site, but this is the exact thing that builds expectations that are borderline impossible to meet. We had one this week, and now, we are expecting another.
If another Direct comes, that’s great, but if we do not get another one for two months, that’s okay too.
They already reserved another direct slot on the Japanese website.
It could happen or ninty could keep us waiting till March. My bet at the mo is early feb.
Well if the chart is anything to go on, we'll need to be on the lookout until the end of the month.
@cfgk24 that’s awesome, make sure you let us know if you get any scoops, or at the least tell me I’d want to know!
I did wonder about that. It wouldn’t surprise me at all.
The mini direct the other day also didn't have any live footage of the developers, which most directs usually do, in order to communicate more about the essence of the games to the viewers, which I found odd.
@cfgk24 Well I'll just have to take your word for it. Hopefully your sources are correct! Would love a big juicy surprise!
All I want is a big expansion on My Nintendo. I don't need any new games at the moment, even if nothing but Kirby in this direct was for me. I've got a backlog to work on.
Pokemon Crystal VC release coming.
Considering the release of Gen 1 and Gold/Silver, I doubt they are releasing Crystal without planning something else around it.
I've heard rumours of a Direct or some presentation of sorts coming this week, but also of one for next month. The latter of which would include Fire Emblem as well as Yoshi among other things.
Assuming it is correct, I would think the supposed Direct this week would focus on a Switch update, features and Nintendo Switch Online as well as perhaps a couple games. That is just my speculation based on the rumours though.
Yeah... really jumping to conclusions over this.
In almost all of the examples listed, one of the two directs was exclusive to a single region (typically Japan) and/or focused on a specific upcoming release.
If you exclude the regional exclusive Directs and the specials for a specific game, then it becomes clear that they are following a roughly monthly pattern... so the next direct is not to be expected until February.
If we were to get another direct before then, it'd either be a regional exclusive (which wouldn't be anything to get particularly excited about) or a special for an upcoming release.
None of the upcoming releases we already know about would really warrant their own direct, and have already been covered in the recent direct... so the only possibility would be a game that we either don't know anything about, or are not expecting to be released anytime soon... we can't really make any guesses about the former, but there are two possible options for the latter... Pokemon Switch (there are rumours currently circulating that it is far closer to release than they've let on) and Metroid Prime 4 (there are hints that this could have been in development in secret for years before we got the teaser announcement, so may also be far closer to release than we think).
@Skunkfish I like this prediction! | 2019-04-22T10:04:11Z | http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/01/video_nintendos_track_record_with_direct_broadcasts_points_to_another_one_happening_very_soon |
Embodiments herein are generally directed to derotation systems, apparatuses, and components thereof that can be used in spinal derotation procedures, as well as methods of installation. The derotation systems may include a plurality of derotation towers and clamp members.
The present disclosure relates to orthopedic derotation devices and methods used to install these devices.
Many types of spinal irregularities can cause pain, limit range of motion, or injure the nervous system within the spinal column. These irregularities can result from, without limitation, trauma, tumor, disc degeneration, and disease. One general example of a spinal irregularity is an abnormal curvature of the spine, for example, as exhibited with scoliosis, kyphosis, and/or lordosis. Scoliosis, a side-to-side curvature of the spine, can affect the dimensions of an individual's chest area, thereby impacting performance of internal organs such as the lungs and heart.
Treatment of irregular spinal curvatures can include, for example, reducing the severity and preventing further progression of the irregularity through physical therapy, bracing, and/or surgery. Surgical procedures can include realigning or correcting the curvature of the spine and optionally placing one or more rods alongside thereof to maintain the alignment.
Some embodiments herein are directed to a derotation system that can include first, second, and third derotation towers, wherein each derotation tower comprises a proximal derotation tube coupled to a distal engagement assembly that is configured to engage an anchor member; first and second clamp members, wherein each clamp member is configured to receive at least two derotation tubes; and a handle assembly configured to engage one of the clamp members; wherein the first clamp member is configured to couple the first and second derotation tubes along a first axis and the second clamp member is configured to couple the first and third derotation tubes along a second axis that is skewed relative to the first axis.
Other embodiments herein are directed to a derotation system that can include a plurality of derotation towers, wherein each derotation tower comprises a derotation tube; a plurality of clamp members each having a longitudinal axis, wherein each clamp member is configured to engage at least two derotation tubes; and a handle assembly configured to engage one of the clamp members; wherein, when the clamp members are engaged with the derotation tubes, the longitudinal axes of at least two clamp members are skewed.
Yet other embodiments herein are directed to a derotation kit that can include a plurality of derotation towers, wherein each derotation tower comprises a proximal derotation tube; a plurality of clamp members, wherein each clamp member is configured to engage at least two derotation tubes; a plurality of handle assemblies, wherein each handle assembly is configured to engage a clamp member; and a plurality of countertorque devices, wherein each countertorque device is configured to engage at least one derotation apparatus.
Some embodiments herein are directed to a method of installing a derotation system that can include engaging a plurality of derotation towers with a plurality of anchor members, wherein each derotation tower comprises a proximal derotation tube coupled to a distal engagement assembly; clamping a first clamp member around a first group of at least two derotation tubes along a first axis; clamping a second clamp member around a second group of at least two derotation tubes along a second axis, wherein the second axis is skewed relative to the first axis; coupling a handle assembly to one of the first and second clamp members; and applying force to the handle assembly to adjust a position of at least one derotation tower.
Other embodiments herein are directed to a method of installing a derotation system that can include engaging a plurality of derotation towers with a plurality of anchor members to thereby push at least one elongate rod into engagement with the anchor members, wherein each derotation tower comprises a proximal derotation tube coupled to a distal engagement assembly; clamping a first clamp member around a first group of at least two derotation tubes along a first axis; clamping a second clamp member around a second group of at least two derotation tubes along a second axis, wherein the second axis is skewed relative to the first axis; coupling a handle assembly to one of the first and second clamp members; and applying force to the handle assembly to adjust a position of at least one derotation tower.
Still other embodiments herein are directed to a method of installing a derotation system that can include providing a plurality of anchor members and a plurality of derotation towers; engaging each derotation tower with a different anchor member; clamping each derotation tower to at least two other derotation towers along first and second axes that are skewed relative to each other; and applying force to the system to adjust a position thereof.
FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative clamp member.
In some procedures to treat irregular spinal curvatures, a surgeon or other user may attach bone anchors to select vertebrae of the spine. A rod can be inserted through the bone anchors to adjust or maintain the relative positions of the vertebrae, thereby promoting correction of the curvature. A mechanical force can be used to deliver the rod to the bone anchors in a process that may be referred to as reduction. In some instances, a locking member, such as a set screw or locking cap, can be coupled with the bone anchor to retain the rod therein. In addition to adjusting for curvature, the angular rotation of one or more vertebrae relative to other vertebrae can be adjusted. This process can involve rotating the anchors and/or rods via tube members and can be referred to as derotation. Accordingly, described herein are derotation systems and components thereof that can be advantageously used to manipulate and/or adjust the rotational angle of one or more vertebrae.
Components of all of the systems and devices disclosed herein can be made of materials known to those skilled in the art, including metals (e.g., titanium), metal alloys (e.g., stainless steel, titanium alloys, and/or cobalt-chromium alloys), ceramics, polymers (e.g., poly ether ether ketone (PEEK), polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU), polysulfone (PSU), polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), polypropylene (PP), polyacetals, or mixtures or co-polymers thereof), allograft, and/or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the systems and devices may include radiolucent and/or radiopaque materials. In some embodiments, the systems and devices may be formed of silicone rubber. In other embodiments, one or more components may be coated with a bone growth-enhancing material, such as hydroxyapatite. The components can also be machined and/or manufactured using techniques known to those skilled in the art. For example, polymeric components may be injection-molded or blow-molded.
Embodiments herein are directed to derotation systems that can include one or more derotation towers and/or clamp members. The clamp members may be configured to couple, clamp, and/or link the derotation towers together to form the derotation system. In some embodiments, the derotation systems can additionally include one or more handle assemblies and/or countertorque devices. Advantageously, those skilled in the art may appreciate that the derotation systems of the present disclosure may include any combination of any embodiments of derotation towers, clamp members, handle assemblies, and/or countertorque devices described herein. The derotation systems may be configured to adjust the curvature and/or rotation of a patient's spine in a derotation procedure, as described herein. In some embodiments, the derotation systems may also be configured to reduce a rod, e.g., to push a rod into engagement with an anchor member, such as a tulip head or pedicle screw. The derotation towers may advantageously be cannulated to allow passage of a fastener, such as a set screw or locking cap, therethrough. In use, after the spine is derotated, the fastener may be passed through the derotation tower to couple with an anchor member, thereby securing the anchor member to a rod and/or at a particular angle.
The derotation towers described herein can each include a proximal derotation tube coupled to and/or extending from a distal engagement assembly. The derotation tube can include a longitudinal axis and a variable (e.g., angled, non-smooth, abrasive, roughened, increased-friction, coarse, grainy, sandblasted, knurled, texturized, bumpy, ridged, toothed, and/or irregular) transverse (e.g., circumferential) outer surface thereabout. The derotation tube can include a cannula extending entirely therethrough along the longitudinal axis thereof. The longitudinal axis can be a straight or curved line. The distal engagement assembly can be configured to engage an anchor member (e.g., a bone anchor such as a pedicle screw or hook, alone or in combination with a housing, such as a tulip head, and/or an elongate rod). The systems disclosed herein can include a plurality of derotation towers, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or more towers. In some embodiments, the systems disclosed herein can include at least first, second, and third derotation towers.
Turning now to FIG. 1, some embodiments herein are directed to a derotation system 100 that can include one or more derotation towers, such as derotation tower 2, and one or more clamp members, such as clamp member 4. As illustrated in FIG. 2, derotation tower 2 can include a proximal derotation tube 6 and a distal engagement assembly 8. The proximal derotation tube 6 can include a longitudinal axis 9 and a variable transverse outer surface thereabout. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the derotation tube 6 can include a plurality of angled surfaces 10. In some embodiments, the derotation tube 6 can include six angled surfaces (e.g., can include a hexagonal outer surface or transverse outer cross-section). In other embodiments, the derotation tube 6 can include 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or more angled surfaces. In some embodiments, the derotation tube 6 can include first and second rotatable members 12, 14. The first and second rotatable members 12, 14 can be positioned in series along the longitudinal axis 9. Each of the first and second rotatable members 12, 14 can include a variable outer surface. For example, each of the first and second rotatable members 12, 14 can include a hexagonal outer surface or transverse outer cross-section. The first and second rotatable members 12, 14 may be advantageously configured to rotate relative to each other. In some embodiments, the derotation tube 6 can further include a locking member configured to lock the rotational orientation of the first and/or second rotatable members 12, 14. Advantageously, the first and second rotatable members 12, 14 can be configured to each couple to a clamp member along a different axis, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Each rotatable member 12, 14 can be rotated individually to adjust and/or accommodate the orientation of the clamp member.
An alternative embodiment of a proximal derotation tube is proximal derotation tube 16, illustrated in FIG. 3. Derotation tube 16 can include a longitudinal axis 18 and a variable transverse outer surface thereabout. In these embodiments, derotation tube 16 may be a unitary (e.g., one-piece) tube. As illustrated in FIG. 3, at least a section of the variable transverse outer surface of the derotation tube 16 can include roughening and/or texturizing (e.g., knurling). In some embodiments, derotation tube 16 may be referred to as a knurled tube.
In some embodiments, the proximal derotation tube and the distal engagement assembly, or a component thereof, may form a unitary body. In other embodiments, the proximal derotation tube may be reversibly or irreversibly coupled to the distal engagement assembly. For example, in some embodiments the proximal derotation tube may be welded to the distal engagement assembly. In other embodiments, the proximal derotation tube may be clipped, threaded, snapped, bolted, and/or otherwise coupled to the distal engagement assembly. In embodiments where the distal engagement assembly includes two or more components (e.g., an inner sheath and an outer sheath), the proximal derotation tube may be coupled with any of the components.
One embodiment of a distal engagement assembly, distal engagement assembly 20, is illustrated in FIG. 4A. The distal engagement assembly 20 can include an outer sleeve 22 slideably disposed over an inner sleeve 24. The inner sleeve 24 can include a distal end 26 configured to engage an anchor member 28. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the distal end 26 of the inner sleeve 24 can include two tips 30, 32 separated by a longitudinal slot 34. Each tip 30, 32 may also include a beveled protrusion (not shown) extending radially outwards and that may be configured to engage an inner surface of the outer sleeve 22.
The outer sleeve 22 may include a channel 38 at a proximal end having an enlarged proximal opening 34 and an enlarged distal opening 36. The proximal opening 34 and the distal opening 36 may each have a width that is greater than that of an intermediate portion 35 therebetween. For example, the channel 38 may be generally “I”-shaped. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the channel 38 may pass entirely through the outer sleeve 22 in a transverse direction. In some embodiments, the proximal end of the outer sleeve 22 may also include one, two, or more flat exterior sections. In some embodiments, the outer sleeve 22 can include two parallel flat exterior sections (e.g., two parallel walls). The flat exterior sections may be configured to couple with one or more installation tools, such as a countertorque device, described further herein.
The distal engagement assembly 20 can also include an actuator 40. Actuator 40 may be coupled to a stop 42. The stop 42 may be sized to fit within the enlarged proximal and distal openings 34, 36, but not within the intermediate portion 35. In use, when the actuator 40 is depressed, the distal engagement assembly 20 may transition between an unlocked position and a locked position, wherein in the locked position the distal engagement assembly 20 is coupled (e.g., secured) to and/or engaged with the anchor member 28. In the locked position, illustrated in FIG. 4A, the stop 42 may be positioned within the proximal opening 34 and the outer sleeve 22 may engage the beveled protrusion (not shown) on each tip 30, 32. In this position, the outer sleeve 22 may be applying a radial force on the beveled protrusions, causing the slot 34 to compress, bringing the tips 30, 32 together to clamp the anchor member 28 therebetween. To transition to the unlocked position, e.g., to disengage the distal engagement assembly 20 from the anchor member 28, the actuator 40 may be depressed (e.g., squeezed), disengaging the stop 42 from the proximal opening 34. The outer sleeve 22 may then be translated proximally until the beveled protrusions are uncovered and the stop 42 is aligned with the distal opening 36. The actuator 40 may then be released to allow the stop 42 to be retained within the distal opening 36. To transition to the locked position, e.g., to engage the distal engagement assembly 20 with the anchor member 28, the actuator 40 may be depressed (e.g., squeezed), disengaging the stop 42 from the distal opening 36. The outer sleeve 22 may then be translated distally until the beveled protrusions are covered and the stop 42 is aligned with the proximal opening 34. The actuator 40 may then be released to allow the stop 42 to be retained within the proximal opening 34.
Another embodiment of a distal engagement assembly, distal engagement assembly 44, is illustrated in FIGS. 4B-C. The distal engagement assembly 44 can include an outer sleeve 46 slideably disposed over an inner sleeve 48. The inner sleeve 48 can include a distal end 50 configured to engage an anchor member (not shown). As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the distal end 50 of the inner sleeve 48 can include two tips 52, 54 separated by a longitudinal slot 56. Each tip 52, 54 may also include a protrusion 58, 60 extending radially outwards and that may be configured to engage an inner surface of the outer sleeve 46. The inner sleeve 48 may also include a proximal end 62, illustrated in FIG. 4C. The proximal end 62 may include a circumferential groove 64 on an outer surface thereof. The circumferential groove 64 may be configured to receive a retaining ring 66 therein. As illustrated in FIG. 4C, the retaining ring 66 may be configured to be disposed between the inner sleeve 48 and the outer sleeve 46. In some embodiments, the retaining ring 66 may be compressible and/or compliant.
The outer sleeve 46 may include a distal end 68 and a proximal end 70, as illustrated in FIGS. 4B-C. The distal end 68 may be configured to engage the protrusions 58, 60 of the inner sleeve 48. The proximal end 70 may include a distal circumferential groove 72 and a proximal circumferential groove 74, both extending along an inner surface thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the proximal end 70 may also include at least one or more concave gripping surfaces 76, 78. Each concave gripping surface 76, 78 may include an engagement or friction-increasing feature, such as ridges, teeth, knurling, and/or sandblasting. In some embodiments, the proximal end 70 may also include one, two, or more flat exterior sections. In some embodiments, the proximal end 70 can include two parallel flat exterior sections (e.g., two parallel walls). The flat exterior sections may be configured to couple with one or more installation tools, such as a countertorque device, described further herein.
In use, the distal engagement assembly 44 may transition between an unlocked position and a locked position, wherein in the locked position the distal engagement assembly 44 is coupled (e.g., secured) to and/or engaged with an anchor member (not shown). Although not illustrated, those skilled in the art may appreciate that an anchor member (e.g., a bone screw engaged with a housing and/or a rod) may be positioned between the tips 52, 54 prior to transitioning the distal engagement assembly from the unlocked position to the locked position. In the unlocked position, illustrated in FIG. 4B-C, the protrusions 58, 60 at the distal end 50 of the inner sleeve 48 may be exposed (e.g., not engaged with the outer sleeve 46). Additionally, the retaining ring 66 may rest within the groove 64 on the proximal end 62 of the inner sleeve 48 and the distal groove 72 on the proximal end 70 of the outer sleeve 46. In some embodiments, the groove can be circumferential or rectangular. The retaining ring 66 may inhibit the outer sleeve 46 from translating axially. To transition to the locked position, e.g., to engage the distal engagement assembly 44 with the anchor member, a user may grasp the concave gripping surfaces 76, 78 and translate or slide the outer sleeve 46 distally. The retaining ring 66 may be pushed and/or compressed into the circumferential groove 64, allowing the outer sleeve 46 to translate or slide. The outer sleeve 46 may continue to translate distally until the retaining ring 66 is aligned with the proximal groove 74 and the distal end 68 of the outer sleeve 46 has engaged the protrusions 58, 60. When the retaining ring 66 is aligned with the proximal groove 74, it may move and/or expand into the proximal groove 74, thereby inhibiting the outer sleeve 46 from translating axially. In this position, the distal end 68 of the outer sleeve 46 may be applying a radial force on the protrusions 58, 60, causing the slot 56 to compress, bringing the tips 52, 54 together to clamp the anchor member (not shown) therebetween.
In some embodiments, the distal engagement assembly may include a rod reducer assembly which be configured to reduce a rod engaged with an anchor member (e.g., may be configured to urge a rod towards the anchor member or portion thereof). Some embodiments may include rod reducer assembly 80, illustrated in FIG. 5A. Rod reducer assembly 80 may include a connector member 82 and a clip reducer 84 configured to be reversibly coupled with the connector member 82. The rod reducer assembly 80 may also include a threaded driver (not shown).
The connector member 82 may be a generally tubular body having a cannula extending longitudinally therethrough. The connector member 82 may include a proximal end 83 that is coupled to the derotation tube 16. The proximal end 83 may also include a collar 96. The collar 96 may be generally cylindrical with two flat exterior sections 94, 95 (e.g., two parallel walls). The flat exterior sections 94, 95 may be configured to couple with one or more installation tools, such as a countertorque device, described further herein. The connector member 82 may include a first cantilevered tab 86 and a symmetrical second cantilevered tab 88 on an opposite side of the connector member 82, as illustrated in FIG. 5B. The tabs may protrude radially outward from an outer surface of the connector member 82 as well as inward from an inner surface thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, rod reducer assembly 80 may also include a handle member 90 having a cannula extending longitudinally therethrough and two arms 92, 93 extending transversely therefrom. The connector member 82 may be received within the cannula of the handle member 90. The handle member 90 may have an inner surface configured to engage an outer surface of the tabs 86, 88. The handle member 90 may be coupled to the proximal end 83 of the connector member 82 by a spring member 97, such as a compression spring.
The clip reducer 84 may be cannulated and may include a distal end 98 configured to engage anchor member 28. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the distal end 98 can include two tips 104, 106 separated by a longitudinal slot 108. The clip reducer 84 may be configured to receive the anchor member 28 between the two tips 104, 106. Each tip 104, 106 may also include a protrusion (not shown) extending radially outwards and that may be configured to engage an inner surface of a reduction member 102. The reduction member 102 may be slideably engaged with the clip reducer 84. The reduction member 102 may be a tubular member having a cannula extending therethrough, and may include a distally-extending tip 110. In some embodiments, the reduction member 102 may be generally chevron- or V-shaped when viewed from a side. The tip 110 may include a partially-circular (e.g., concave) cut-out configured to engage, nest, or abut a cylindrical rod. The clip reducer 84 may be received within the cannula of the reduction member 102. The reduction member 102 may be configured to slide longitudinally (e.g., distally and/or proximally) along the clip reducer 84. The clip reducer 84 may also include a proximal end 112, as illustrated in FIG. 5B. The proximal end 112 may include depressions or recesses 114, 116 that can be configured to receive at least a portion of tabs 86, 88 therein. The rod reducer assembly 80 may further include an elongate threaded driver (not shown). The driver may be configured to engage and/or actuate the reduction member 102.
In use, the connector member 82 may be coupled with the clip reducer 84 as follows. The arms 92, 93 of the handle member 90 may be grasped and the handle member 90 pulled proximally towards the collar 96 to compress the spring member 97 and release the tabs 86, 88. The proximal end 112 of the clip reducer 84 may be inserted into a distal end of the connector member 82 until the recesses 114, 116 are aligned with the tabs 86, 88. The arms 92 of the handle member 90 may then be released, thereby releasing the spring member 96 and causing the handle 90 to return to its distal position. The inner surface of the handle 90 may engage the tabs 86, 88, pushing them radially inwards and into the recesses 114, 116. The handle 90 may retain the tabs 86, 88 within the recesses 114, 116 and may thereby inhibit the connector member 82 from disengaging from the clip reducer 84.
To engage rod reducer assembly 80 with an anchor member, the distal end 98 of the clip reducer 84 may be positioned or placed around at least a portion of the anchor member 28. The clip reducer 84 may be placed around anchor member 28 before or after coupling with the connector member 82. Although not illustrated in FIG. 5A, those skilled in the art may appreciate that, in use, anchor member 28 may include an elongate rod resting in the U-shaped opening thereof. To reduce the rod, e.g., to urge the rod into closer and/or secure engagement with the anchor member 28, the threaded driver or screw may be threaded through the clip reducer 84. Rotation of the threaded driver, which is in engagement with the reduction member 102, can cause the reduction member 102 to translate distally. As the reduction member 102 translates distally, it may apply a radial force on the tips 104, 106, compressing the slot 108 and causing the tips 104, 106 to clamp the anchor member 28 therebetween. The threaded driver may urge the reduction member 102 to translate distally until it abuts the elongate rod (not shown) and urges or pushes the elongate rod into engagement with the anchor member 28.
FIG. 5C illustrates another embodiment of a rod reducer assembly. Rod reducer assembly 118 may include a clip reducer 120 and a threaded driver 122. The clip reducer 120 can include a proximal end 124 and a distal end 126. The clip reducer 120 may be coupled to derotation tube 16 at the proximal end 124. The proximal end 124 may also include one, two, or more flat exterior sections 138. In some embodiments, the proximal end 124 can include two parallel flat exterior sections (e.g., two parallel walls). The flat exterior sections 138 may be configured to couple with one or more installation tools, such as a countertorque device, described further herein. The distal end 126 may include two tips 128, 130 separated by a longitudinal slot 132. The rod reducer assembly 118 may also include a reduction member 134 that is slideably engaged with the clip reducer 120. The reduction member 134 may be a tubular member having a cannula extending therethrough, and may include a distally-extending tip 136. In some embodiments, the reduction member 134 may be generally chevron- or V-shaped when viewed from a side. The tip 136 may include a partially-circular (e.g., concave) cut-out configured to engage or abut a cylindrical rod. The clip reducer 120 may be received within the cannula of the reduction member 134. The reduction member 134 may be configured to translate or slide longitudinally (e.g., distally and/or proximally) along the clip reducer 120.
The threaded driver 122 may be configured to be received within the cannula of the clip reducer 120 and may be configured to engage the reduction member 134. To engage rod reducer assembly 118 with an anchor member, the distal end 126 or a portion thereof may be placed or positioned around an anchor member. In use, the tips 128, 130 may be placed around an anchor member that may include, for example, a housing and a fastener (e.g., a pedicle screw or hook) therein. An elongate rod may also be placed or positioned at or within the housing. To reduce the rod, e.g., to urge the rod into closer engagement with the anchor member, the threaded driver 122 may be inserted (e.g., threaded) through the clip reducer 120 from a proximal end of the derotation tube 16 and into engagement with the reduction member 134. The threaded driver 122 may actuate the reduction member 134, causing it to translate distally. As the reduction member 134 translates distally, it may apply a radial force on the tips 128, 130, compressing the slot 132 and causing the tips 128, 130 to clamp the anchor member therebetween. The threaded driver 122 may urge the reduction member 134 to translate distally until it abuts the elongate rod (not shown) and urges or pushes the elongate rod into engagement with the anchor member.
FIG. 5D illustrates another embodiment of a rod reduction assembly. Rod reduction assembly 140 can include an inner sleeve 142, an outer sleeve 144, and a rotatable handle 146. The inner sleeve 142 may include a proximal end 148 and a distal end 150. The proximal end 148 may be configured to couple with derotation tube 16. The inner sleeve 142 may be configured to engage anchor member 28. In some embodiments, the distal end 150 can include two or more tips 152, 154 (e.g., four or more) separated by a longitudinal slot 156. The inner sleeve 142 may be configured to receive the anchor member 28 between the two tips 152, 154. Each tip 152, 154 may also include a protrusion (not shown) extending radially outwards and that may be configured to engage an inner surface of the outer sleeve 144.
The outer sleeve 144 may be slideably disposed over the inner sleeve 142 and may be configured to reduce an elongate rod (not shown). The outer sleeve 144 may include a proximal end 158 and a distal end 160. The distal end 160 may include a distal tip 162 having a partially-circular (e.g., concave) cut-out configured to engage, nest, or abut a cylindrical rod. The proximal end 158 may include one, two, or more flat exterior sections. In some embodiments, the proximal end 158 can include two parallel flat exterior sections (e.g., two parallel walls). The flat exterior sections may be configured to couple with one or more installation tools, such as a countertorque device, described further herein. The proximal end 158 may be engaged or coupled with the rotatable handle 146. The rotatable handle 146 may be configured to actuate the outer sleeve 144.
To engage rod reducer assembly 140 with anchor member 28, the distal end 150 or a portion thereof may be placed or positioned around the anchor member 28. In use, the tips 152, 154 may be placed around anchor member 28 (e.g., a tulip head or other housing). Although not illustrated in FIG. 5D, those skilled in the art may appreciate that, in use, anchor member 28 may include an elongate rod resting in the U-shaped opening thereof. To reduce the rod, e.g., to urge the rod into closer and/or secure engagement with the anchor member 28, the rotatable handle 146 may be rotated (e.g., threaded onto the inner sleeve 142) to actuate the outer sleeve 144, thereby urging and/or pushing the outer sleeve 144 in a distal direction. As the outer sleeve 144 translates distally, it may apply a radial force on the tips 152, 154, compressing the slot 156 and causing the tips 152, 154 to clamp the anchor member 28 therebetween. The rotatable handle 146 may continue to rotate, urging the outer sleeve 144 to translate distally until it abuts the elongate rod (not shown) and urges or pushes the elongate rod into engagement with the anchor member 28.
The derotation systems disclosed herein may also include first, second, or more clamp members. In some embodiments, each clamp member may be configured to engage, couple, and/or receive (e.g., clamp) at least two derotation towers or portions thereof (e.g., proximal derotation tube and/or distal engagement assembly). For example, each clamp member may be configured to engage, couple, and/or receive (e.g., clamp) at least two derotation tubes. Thus, the derotation systems described herein may include a plurality of clamp members and derotation tubes. Any combination of embodiments of clamp members, derotation towers, and/or derotation tubes may be used in the derotation systems described herein. In some embodiments that include a plurality of (e.g., two or more) clamp members engaged with a plurality of derotation tubes, the longitudinal axes of at least two clamp members may be skewed (e.g., the longitudinal axes would intersect if in the same plane). In some embodiments, the derotation system can include at least three (e.g., first, second, and third) derotation towers and at least two (e.g., first and second) clamp members. In these embodiments, the first clamp member may be configured to couple two (e.g., first and second) derotation tubes along a first axis and the second clamp member may be configured to couple two (e.g., first and third) derotation tubes along a second axis, wherein the second axis is skewed relative to the first axis (e.g., the first and second axes would intersect if in the same plane). In other embodiments, the clamp members may be configured to engage each derotation tower in the system with at least a first adjacent derotation tower along a first axis and at least a second adjacent derotation tower along a second axis, wherein the second axis is skewed relative to the first axis. One such example is illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6A illustrates one embodiment of a clamp member. Clamp member 164 can include a first elongate arm 166 and a second elongate arm 168. The first elongate arm 166 can be coupled to an actuator assembly 170 and the second elongate arm can include a receiving portion 172 extending therefrom. Clamp member 164 can also include a first end 174 and a second end 188, wherein the first and second arms 166, 168 may be coupled together at the first end 174. Clamp member 164 may include a longitudinal axis that extends between the first and second ends 174, 188.
The first arm 166 can include an inner surface 184 and an outer surface 186, wherein the inner surface 184 is closer to the second arm 168 and the outer surface 186 is farther from the second arm 168. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the term “inner surface” can refer to a surface attached to the first arm 166, as well as to the direct surface of the first arm 166. The inner surface 184 can advantageously include a retaining (e.g., friction-increasing) feature. In some embodiments, the inner surface 184 may include a variable surface feature, and may be, for example, angled, non-smooth, abrasive, roughened, increased-friction, coarse, grainy, sandblasted, knurled, texturized, bumpy, ridged, toothed, and/or irregular. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the retaining feature of the inner surface 184 can include knurling. In other embodiments, the retaining feature may be soft, compressive, and/or compliant. For example, the retaining feature may be a polymeric (e.g., silicone) surface. In yet other embodiments, the retaining feature can include a scalloped surface, e.g., a plurality of indentations, wherein each indentation is configured to nest a portion of a derotation apparatus therein. The second arm 168 can also have an inner surface having some or all of the same features as the inner surface 184. As illustrated with respect to the second arm 168, in some embodiments the outer surface of either or both arms can include a plurality of curved depressions or indentations 192.
The first and second elongate arms 166, 168 may be pivotably coupled at the first end 174 of the clamp member 164. The first and second elongate arms 166, 168 may also be coupled to a spring member, such as a cantilever or torsion spring, at the first end 174. Thus, in use, when the arms 166, 168 are pulled apart and subsequently released, the spring member may pull the arms 166, 168 back towards each other.
The receiving portion 172 can include a receptacle 176 therein. At least a portion of the actuator assembly 170 may be configured to be reversibly received within the receptacle 176. In some embodiments, the receptacle 176 can be open on one side and can be, for example, a U-shaped channel or opening. In other embodiments, the receptacle may be a forked opening (e.g., may include two tines defining a channel therebetween). In yet other embodiments, the receptacle can include a tapered opening, e.g., such that the width of the opening of the receptacle is less than the diameter of the receptacle. In some embodiments, the receptacle 176 may have a constant diameter or width as measured longitudinally from the inner surface to the outer surface of the second arm 168. For example, the receptacle 176 may generally have the shape of a cylindrical segment. In other embodiments, the receptacle 176 may have a variable diameter or width. For example, the receptacle 176 may be tapered (e.g., conical or frustoconical). In some embodiments, the receptacle 176 can include a countersink configured to nest a portion of the actuator assembly 170 (e.g., head member 182) therein.
The actuator assembly 170 can include a threaded rod 178 and a threaded nut 180. The threaded nut 180 can be generally cylindrical and can include a threaded passageway configured to mate with the threaded rod 178. In some embodiments, the threaded nut 180 can include a gripping surface. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, the threaded nut 180 can be texturized and can include a plurality of alternating ridges and valleys. In some embodiments, the threaded nut 180 can be coupled to a head member 182. The head member 182 can be configured to be received (e.g., locked) within the receptacle 176. The head member 182 may be configured to rotate within the receptacle 176.
In some embodiments, the head member 182 may be distal to the threaded nut 180, as illustrated in FIG. 6A. In other embodiments, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, clamp member 165 may include a threaded nut 181 that is distal to the head member 183. Those skilled in the art may appreciate that, except as otherwise described herein, clamp member 165 may include the same features as clamp member 164. FIG. 10 shows an alternative embodiment of an assembly whereby the threaded nut 180 is positioned on an outer surface of the actuator assembly 170.
In some embodiments, the actuator assembly 170 may be pivotably coupled to the first elongate arm 166, for example, at the second end 188 of the clamp member 164. The actuator assembly 170 may be configured to pivot about a pin 190, and in some embodiments, may be configured to pivot by approximately 90 degrees relative to the first elongate arm 166. The actuator assembly 170 may be configured to pivot between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the actuator assembly 170 may be generally perpendicular to the first elongate arm 166, and/or at least a portion of the actuator assembly 170 may be received within the receptacle 176. In some embodiments, in the closed position, the threaded nut 180 may be configured to be received between the first and second elongate arms 166, 168. In other embodiments, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when in the closed position, the threaded nut 181 may be configured to be outside of both the first and second elongate arms 167, 169. In the open position, the actuator assembly 170 may be generally parallel to the first elongate arm 166. In some embodiments, the clamp member 164 may further include a spring member, such as a cantilever or torsion spring, that may be coupled to the first elongate arm 166 and the actuator assembly 170. In use, when the actuator assembly 170 is pulled or urged to the open position and released, the spring member may apply force on the actuator assembly 170 to pivot or return the actuator assembly 170 towards the closed position (e.g., towards the receptacle 176, relative to the first elongate arm 166).
The clamp member 164 may be configured to clamp, couple, engage, and/or secure at least two derotation towers. In use, the clamp member 164 may be pulled open by pivoting the actuator assembly 170 to the open position and pulling, urging, and/or pivoting the first and second arms 166, 168 apart. The clamp member 164 may then be placed around at least two derotation towers (e.g., around two or more proximal derotation tubes). For example, the at least two derotation tubes may be placed between the first and second arms 166, 168. Advantageously, the retaining surfaces on the derotation tubes and/or inner surfaces of the first and second arms 166, 168 may retain or increase friction between the members. The first and second arms 166, 168 may be brought together and the actuator assembly 170 may be pivoted towards the receptacle 176 to the closed position, with at least a portion of the actuator assembly 170 (e.g., the head member 182) inserted into and/or received within the receptacle 176. The derotation towers may be clamped within the clamp member 164 by threading the nut 180 along the rod 178. The head member 182, which may be captured within the receptacle 176 of the second arm 168, may urge the second arm 168 towards the first arm 166 to reduce a distance between the first and second arms 166, 168 at the second end 188 of the clamp member 164. The head member 182 may rest within a countersink of the receptacle 176, thereby inhibiting the second arm 168 from being released.
Turning to FIGS. 6B-D, an alternative embodiment of a clamp member is illustrated. Clamp member 194 can include a first elongate arm 196 and a second elongate arm 198. The first elongate arm 196 can be coupled to an actuator assembly 202 and the second elongate arm can include a receiving portion 204 extending therefrom. Clamp member 194 can also include a first end 206 and a second end 208. The first and second arms 196, 198 may be coupled together at the first end 206, for example, by a hinge member 207. Clamp member 194 may include a longitudinal axis that extends between the first and second ends 206, 208.
The first arm 196 can include an inner surface 210 and an outer surface 212, wherein the inner surface 210 is closer to the second arm 198 and the outer surface is farther from the second arm 198. The term “inner surface” can refer to a surface attached to the first arm 196, as well as to the direct surface of the first arm 196. The inner surface 210 can advantageously include a retaining (e.g., friction-increasing) feature. In some embodiments, the inner surface 210 may include a variable surface feature, and may be, for example, angled, non-smooth, abrasive, roughened, increased-friction, coarse, grainy, sandblasted, knurled, texturized, bumpy, ridged, toothed, and/or irregular. In other embodiments, the retaining feature may be soft, compressive, and/or compliant. For example, the retaining feature may be a polymeric (e.g., silicone) surface. In yet other embodiments, the retaining feature can include a scalloped surface, e.g., a plurality of indentations, wherein each indentation is configured to nest a portion of a derotation apparatus therein, as illustrated in FIGS. 6B-D. The second arm 198 can also have an inner surface having some or all of the same features as the inner surface 210. In some embodiments, the outer surface of the first and/or second arms may also include a retaining feature. For example, in some embodiments the outer surface of either or both arms can include a plurality of curved depressions or indentations (not shown).
The first and second elongate arms 196, 198 may be pivotably coupled at the first end 202 of the clamp member 194. The first and second elongate arms 196, 198 may also be coupled to a spring member, such as a cantilever or torsion spring, at the first end 206. Thus, in use, when the arms 196, 198 are pulled apart and subsequently released, the spring member may pull the arms 196, 198 back towards each other.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6B-D, the receiving portion 204 may extend at an oblique angle (e.g., greater than 90 degrees) relative to the second elongate arm 198. In other embodiments, the receiving portion 204 may be perpendicular to the second elongate arm 198. The receiving portion 204 can include a receptacle 214 therein. At least a portion of the actuator assembly 202 may be configured to be reversibly received within the receptacle 214. As illustrated in FIG. 6B, the receptacle 214 can be open on one side and can be, for example, a U-shaped channel or opening. In other embodiments, the receptacle may be a forked opening (e.g., may include two tines defining a channel therebetween). In yet other embodiments, the receptacle can include a tapered opening, e.g., such that the width of the opening of the receptacle is less than the diameter of the receptacle. In some embodiments, the receptacle 214 may have a constant diameter or width as measured longitudinally from the inner surface to the outer surface of the second arm 198. In other embodiments, the receptacle 214 may have a variable diameter or width. For example, the receptacle 214 may be tapered (e.g., conical or frustoconical). In some embodiments, the receptacle 214 can include a countersink configured to nest a portion of the actuator assembly 202 (e.g., nut 218) therein.
The actuator assembly 202 can include a threaded rod 216 and a threaded nut 218. The threaded nut 218 can be generally cylindrical and can include a threaded passageway configured to mate with the threaded rod 216. In some embodiments, the threaded nut 218 can include a gripping surface, such as a plurality of alternating ridges and valleys. As illustrated in FIGS. 6B-D, the threaded nut 218 can include two gripping wings, and may be referred to as a wing nut. In some embodiments, the threaded nut 218 can be coupled to a head member (not shown), as described herein with respect to clamp member 164.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6B-D, the threaded rod 216 may be coupled (e.g., affixed, connected, and/or attached) to the first arm 196. The threaded rod 216 may have an axis that is generally parallel to a length of the first arm 196. The threaded rod 216 may have a length that is greater than a width of the second arm 198. As described herein, the threaded rod 216 may be configured to be reversibly received within the receptacle 214 of the second arm 198.
The clamp member 194 may be configured to clamp, couple, engage, and/or secure at least two derotation towers. In use, the first and second arms 196, 198 may be pulled, urged, and/or pivoted apart and placed around two or more derotation towers (e.g., around two or more proximal derotation tubes), as illustrated in FIG. 6B. For example, the at least two derotation tubes may be placed between the first and second arms 196, 198. Advantageously, the derotation tubes may nest within and/or against the scalloped features on the inner surfaces of the first and second arms 196, 198. The first and second arms 196, 198 may be brought together so that the threaded rod 216 of the first arm 196 is received within the receptacle 214 of the second arm 198, as illustrated in FIG. 6C. The derotation towers may be clamped within the clamp member 194 by threading the nut 218 along the rod 216 towards the first end 206 of the clamp member 194, as illustrated in FIG. 6D. As the nut 218 moves along the rod 216, it may exert pressure on the receiving portion 204. In embodiments where the receiving portion 204 is obliquely angled, applying pressure on the receiving portion 204 may cause the second arm 198 to pivot towards the first arm 196, thereby clamping the derotation towers therebetween and/or reducing a distance between the first and second arms 196, 198 at the second end 208 of the clamp member 194. The threaded nut 218 may nest within a countersink of the receptacle 214, thereby inhibiting the second arm 198 from being released.
Derotation systems described herein may also include a handle assembly 300, as illustrated in FIGS. 7-8. The handle assembly 300 may be configured to engage or couple with any of the clamp members disclosed herein (e.g., clamp member 164, clamp member 165, and/or clamp member 194). In some embodiments, the handle assembly 300 may be configured to engage or couple with a single clamp member. In use, the handle assembly 300 may be configured to transmit force to the spine through the derotation system as part of a derotation procedure. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the handle assembly 300 can include an elongate member 302 and a plate member 304. The elongate member 302 may be rotatably coupled to (e.g., may be configured to rotate within) the plate member 304. The elongate member can include a proximal handle-engaging portion 306, a first leg 310, and a cylindrical body 308 therebetween. The elongate member 302 may be configured to rotate about longitudinal axis 312. The handle-engaging portion 306 can include a circumferential, rounded groove 314 and/or an angled proximal head 316. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the angled proximal head 316 can include four beveled walls and can include, for example, a generally square or rectangular transverse cross-section. The handle-engaging portion 306 can be configured to couple with a handle 318, as illustrated in FIG. 7. In use, the handle 318 can be grasped by a user to apply force to the derotation system.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the first leg can include an eccentrically-shaped member 320 and/or a distal lip 322 extending therefrom. The eccentrically-shaped member 320 may have a length, as measured along the longitudinal axis 312, which is greater than or equal to a height of a clamp member. The eccentrically-shaped member 320 may have a transverse area that is greater than that of the cylindrical body 308 of the elongate member 302. When viewed along the longitudinal axis 312, the eccentrically-shaped member 320 may have an area that is not equally distributed around the longitudinal axis 312. In some embodiments, the eccentrically-shaped member 320 may have a non-circular and/or non-symmetrical transverse cross-section. For example, the eccentrically-shaped member 320 may be elliptical, ovular, and/or egg-shaped. The eccentrically-shaped member 320 may be referred to herein as a cam member. The distal lip 322 may have a transverse area that is greater than that of the cylindrical body 308 and/or the eccentrically-shaped member 320. When viewed along the longitudinal axis 312, the distal lip 322 may have an area that is not equally distributed around the longitudinal axis 312. Both the eccentrically-shaped member 320 and the distal lip 322 may extend radially beyond the cylindrical body 308 at some points along a circumference of the cylindrical body 308. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the elongate member 302 may generally include a first, unlocked section or portion 324 where the cylindrical body 308, eccentrically-shaped member 320, and lip 322 are aligned (e.g., flush), and a second, unlocked section or portion 326 where the cylindrical body 308, eccentrically-shaped member 320, and lip 322 are staggered (e.g., the eccentrically-shaped member 320 and the lip 322 may each extend radially outward relative to the cylindrical body 308). The elongate member 302 may be configured to rotate between a locked and unlocked configuration. In the unlocked configuration, illustrated in FIG. 8, the unlocked portion of the elongate member 302 may be facing inwards (e.g., towards the second leg 330, described herein) and the locked portion may be facing outwards (e.g., away from the second leg 330). In the locked configuration, the unlocked portion of the elongate member 302 may be facing outwards and the locked portion may be facing inwards.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the plate member 304 can include a body 328 and a second leg 330. The handle assembly 300 may be configured to receive a clamp member between the first and second legs 310, 330. The body 328 of the plate member 304 may be generally flat and/or planar. The body 328 may include a receptacle 332 configured to receive the elongate member 302 therethrough. The second leg 330 may extend perpendicularly or orthogonally from the plate member 304. In some embodiments, the second leg 330 may be affixed or attached to the body 328. In other embodiments, the plate member 304 may be a unitary structure. The second leg 330 may be cylindrical.
In use, a clamp member may be positioned between the first and second legs 310, 330 when the handle assembly 300 is in the unlocked configuration (e.g., the unlocked portion of the elongate member 302 is facing inwards). To couple the handle assembly 300 to the clamp member, the elongate member 302 may be rotated to the locked configuration. The portion of the eccentrically-shaped member 320 that extends radially beyond the cylindrical body 308 may rotate into engagement with the clamp member to secure it in a friction fit between the first and second legs 310, 330. Additionally, the portion of the lip 322 that extends radially beyond the cylindrical body 308 may rotate to a position below the clamp member, further securing the engagement between the clamp member and the handle assembly 300.
Derotation systems described herein may also include a countertorque device 400, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9. The countertorque device 400 may be generally flat and/or planar. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the countertorque device 400 can include an elongate body 402 having first and second prongs 404, 406 extending distally therefrom. The first and second prongs 404, 406 can define a channel or cavity 412 therebetween. The cavity 412 can include a curved section 408 and a linear, straight, and/or flat section 410. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the linear section 410 may be distal to the curved section 408. The cavity 412 can also include a mouth or opening 416 that may be wider than the curved and/or linear sections 408, 410, as measured between the first and second prongs 404, 406. A proximal section of the elongate body 402 may include an angular hole 414 passing from a top surface to a bottom surface thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the angular hole 414 may have four walls and can be generally square or rectangular. In other embodiments, the angular hole may have a different number of walls, such as 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8, and may be, for example, triangular, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, or octagonal. The angular hole 414 may be configured to receive and engage the angular head 316 of the handle assembly 300. In some embodiments, the elongate body 402 may be generally hollow. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the elongate body 402 may include an elongate hole 418 passing from the top surface to the bottom surface thereof.
Some embodiments herein are directed to methods of installing the derotation towers and systems described herein. These methods can include providing a plurality of anchor members and derotation towers and/or engaging one or more derotation towers with one or more anchor members as described herein. In some embodiments, each derotation tower can be engaged with a separate and/or different anchor member (e.g., each anchor member may be engaged with only one derotation tower). Each derotation tower can include a proximal derotation tube (e.g., proximal derotation tube 6 or 16) coupled to a distal engagement assembly (e.g., distal engagement assembly 8, 20, or 44, or rod reducer assembly 80, 118, or 140). As described herein, the anchor member can include an anchor or fastener, such as a pedicle screw or hook, and a housing, such as a tulip head. The anchor or fastener may be at least partially received within the housing. The anchor member may include an elongate rod associated therewith. For example, the elongate rod may be disposed within a channel on the housing. Each derotation tower may be engaged with a separate anchor member. In some embodiments, a plurality of derotation towers may be engaged with a plurality of anchor members.
In some embodiments, one or more derotation towers can include a distal engagement assembly, such as distal engagement assembly 20 or 44, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-C. As described herein, these assemblies may include an outer sleeve (e.g., outer sleeve 22 or 46) slideably disposed over an inner sleeve (e.g., inner sleeve 24 or 48). As described herein, in these embodiments, the step of engaging the derotation tower with the anchor member can include positioning the inner sleeve around at least a portion of the anchor member (e.g., the housing) and translating the outer sleeve distally.
In some embodiments, one or more derotation towers can include a distal engagement assembly that includes a rod reducer assembly, such as rod reducer assembly 80, 118, or 140, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A-D. In these embodiments, the derotation tower may be configured to urge an elongate rod into engagement with an anchor member. For example, in embodiments where the anchor member includes a housing having a rod-receiving channel, the derotation tower may be configured to urge the elongate rod distally into the channel. In these embodiments, the step of engaging a plurality of derotation towers with a plurality of anchor members may include pushing or urging at least one elongate rod into engagement with the anchor members.
In some embodiments, the derotation tower may include a distal engagement assembly that includes rod reducer assembly 80, illustrated in FIGS. 5A-B. As described herein, in these embodiments, the rod reducer assembly 80 may include a connector member 82, a clip reducer 84 reversibly coupled with the connector member 82 and comprising a reduction member 102 and a distal end 98, and a threaded driver. The step of engaging the derotation tower with an anchor member (e.g., anchor member 28) can include positioning the distal end 98 around at least a portion of the anchor member (e.g., the housing) and threading the threaded driver through the clip reducer 84 to actuate the reduction member 102.
In some embodiments, the derotation tower may include a distal engagement assembly that includes rod reducer assembly 118, illustrated in FIG. 5C. As described herein, in these embodiments, the rod reducer assembly 118 may include a clip reducer 120 and a threaded driver 122. The clip reducer 120 can include a reduction member 134 and a distal end 126. The step of engaging the derotation tower with an anchor member can include positioning the distal end 126 around at least a portion of the anchor member (e.g., the housing) and threading the threaded driver 122 through the clip reducer 120 to actuate the reduction member 134.
In some embodiments, the derotation tower may include a distal engagement assembly that include rod reducer assembly 140, illustrated in FIG. 5D. As described herein, in these embodiments, the rod reducer assembly 140 may include an inner sleeve 142, an outer sleeve 144 slideably disposed over the inner sleeve 142, and a rotatable handle 146 configured to actuate the outer sleeve 144. The step of engaging the derotation tower with an anchor member (e.g., anchor member 28) can include positioning the distal end 150 around at least a portion of the anchor member (e.g., the housing) and rotating the rotatable handle 146 to actuate the outer sleeve 144.
Methods of installing the derotation systems described herein may also include placing, clamping, and/or securing a first clamp member around a first group of at least two derotation tubes (e.g., first and second derotation tubes) of at least two derotation towers (e.g., first and second derotation towers) along a first axis, to thereby couple together the derotation tubes. In some embodiments, the first axis may be a longitudinal axis or a latitudinal axis. In other embodiments, the first axis may be a medial-lateral or cephalad-caudal (e.g., superior-inferior) axis. Any combinations of the clamp members described herein, e.g., clamp member 164, 165, and/or 194, can be used as the first clamp member in the derotation systems of the present disclosure. As described herein, the first clamp member may include a first elongate arm coupled to an actuator assembly and a second elongate arm having a receiving portion extending therefrom, wherein the actuator assembly includes a threaded rod and a threaded nut. The step of clamping the first clamp member around the first group of at least two derotation tubes can include opening the first clamp member by pivoting apart the first and second elongate arms, placing the first group of at least two derotation tubes between the first and second elongate arms, inserting at least a portion of the actuator assembly of the first arm into a receptacle in the receiving portion of the second arm, and threading the nut on the rod to reduce a distance between the first and second elongate arms at a second end of the first clamp member.
Methods of installing the derotation systems described herein may also include placing, clamping, and/or securing a second clamp member around a second group of at least two derotation tubes (e.g., first and third derotation tubes) of at least two derotation towers (e.g., first and third derotation towers) along a second axis, to thereby couple together the derotation tubes. Any combinations of the clamp members described herein, e.g., clamp member 164, 165, and/or 194, can be used as the second clamp member in the derotation systems of the present disclosure. The second clamp member can be placed, clamped, and/or secured around the second group of derotation tubes according to the method described herein of placing, clamping, and/or securing the first clamp member around the first group of derotation tubes. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a second clamp member may be positioned on a derotation tower distal to a first clamp member, or vice versa.
In some embodiments, the second axis may be a longitudinal axis or a latitudinal axis. In other embodiments, the second axis may be a medial-lateral or cephalad-caudal (e.g., superior-inferior) axis. Advantageously, the second axis may be skewed relative to the first axis (e.g., the first and second axes would intersect if in the same plane). For example, the first axis can be a longitudinal axis and the second axis can be a latitudinal axis, or vice versa. In another example, the first axis can be a medial-lateral axis and the second axis can be a cephalad-caudal axis, or vice versa. In some embodiments, if in the same plane, the first and second axes would be perpendicular and/or orthogonal.
In some embodiments, one derotation tube (e.g., a single derotation tower), such as the first derotation tube, may be a member of both the first and second groups of derotation tubes. Thus, the first and second clamp members may overlap on the one derotation tube. Additionally, the one derotation tube may link the first and second groups together to assemble a derotation system, which may be referred to herein as a unified (e.g., interconnected) derotation system construct. In some embodiments, at least two or more derotation tubes (e.g., derotation towers) in the system can be coupled or clamped to at least two other derotation towers using at least two different clamp members. In some embodiments, each derotation tower in the system can be coupled or clamped to at least two other derotation towers along two different, skewed axes and using at least two different clamp members.
Some embodiments can include clamping each derotation tower to at least two other derotation towers along first and second axes, respectively, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, in a system including at least first, second, and third derotation towers, the first derotation tower can be coupled or clamped to the second derotation tower along the first axis, and can be coupled or clamped to the third derotation tower along the second axis. The first and second axes may be skewed relative to each other. In these embodiments, the step of clamping each derotation tower to at least two other derotation towers can include clamping at least two (e.g., first and second) clamp members around each derotation tower. The first clamp member may extend along the first axis and the second clamp member may extend along the second axis. In some embodiments, each derotation tower can be clamped to an adjacent ipsilateral derotation tower and an adjacent contralateral derotation tower. Thus, those skilled in the art may appreciate that the derotation systems of the present disclosure can include any number of derotation towers and/or clamp members. As illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, in some embodiments the derotation system can include eight derotation towers and six clamp members.
In use, the derotation towers may be engaged with a plurality of anchor members along two sides of a patient's spine. Advantageously, each derotation tower may be clamped to at least one derotation tower on the same side of the spine (e.g., ipsilaterally) and at least one on the opposite side of the spine (e.g., contralaterally). In some embodiments, each derotation tower may be coupled or clamped to at least two other derotation towers along two different, skewed axes. Advantageously, this can provide the derotation system with stability, as compared to a system that may only allow coupling of some towers, for example, on a single side of the spine, and can thereby enable a user to effectively apply controlled force during a derotation procedure.
Those skilled in the art may appreciate that the derotation towers and/or systems described herein may be used to treat a spinal irregularity, such as an irregular curvature (e.g., scoliosis), for example, in a derotation procedure. In a derotation procedure, a derotation system may be installed as described herein along a patient's spine adjacent to the spinal irregularity. As described herein, the system may include a plurality of derotation towers installed along both sides of the patient's spine and coupled together via clamp members either ipsilaterally and/or contralaterally. In some embodiments, the system can include a plurality of derotation towers coupled together with clamp members in both medial-lateral and cephalad-caudal directions.
Methods described herein can optionally include coupling a handle assembly (e.g., handle assembly 300) to one of the first and second clamp members (e.g., clamp member 164, 165, or 194). As described herein, handle assembly 300 can include an elongate member 302 rotatably coupled to a plate member 304, wherein the elongate member 302 can include a first leg 310 that can include an eccentrically-shaped member 320 and/or a distal lip 322. This step can include positioning the clamp member widthwise between the first and second legs 310, 330 of the handle assembly 300. For example, the first arm of the clamp member may be adjacent the first leg of the handle assembly and the second arm may be adjacent the second leg, or vice versa. In some embodiments, the clamp member, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A with respect to clamp member 164, can include a plurality of curved depressions or indentations 192. In these embodiments, the first and second legs 310, 330 of the handle assembly 300 may nest within these depressions or indentations 192. Advantageously, this feature may encourage a secure engagement between these components. The step of coupling the handle assembly to the clamp member can also include locking and/or securing the handle assembly to the clamp member. This step can include rotating the first leg, for example, from an unlocked configuration to a locked configuration as described herein, to thereby engage the eccentrically-shaped member 320 with the clamp member. In embodiments that include distal lip 322, the step of rotating the first leg 310 can also include rotating the distal lip 322 towards the second leg 330 and/or towards (e.g., under) the clamp member. The clamp member may thereby be retained, held, and/or positioned between the body 328 and the distal lip 322 of the handle assembly 300.
In some embodiments, a handle (e.g., handle 318) can be coupled to the handle assembly 300. In some embodiments, this step may be performed prior to coupling the handle assembly 300 to one of the clamp members. For example, this step may be performed prior to locking the handle assembly 300, e.g., prior to rotating the first leg 310 from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration. In these embodiments, the step of coupling the handle assembly 300 with the handle 318 can include inserting at least a portion of the proximal handle-engaging portion 306 into a socket in the handle. The handle 318 can be grasped by a user to apply force to the handle assembly 300. Thus, the step of rotating the first leg 310 can include rotating or turning the handle 318 to apply torque to the first leg 310. In some embodiments, the handle assembly 300 and the handle 318 can be connected or coupled via a quick-connect coupling. In other embodiments, the handle 318 can include a compressible member configured to be retained within the circumferential groove 314 on the proximal handle-engaging portion 306.
Methods herein can also include applying force to the handle assembly 300, e.g., by applying force to the handle 316, to adjust a position (e.g., angle and/or orientation) of at least one derotation tower. As the derotation tower may be coupled to an anchor member, this step can also include adjusting a position of the anchor member. Advantageously, because multiple (e.g., all) derotation towers may be coupled together in the derotation system, force applied to the handle assembly 300 may be distributed throughout the entire system to adjust a position thereof. In embodiments where each derotation tower is coupled to at least two different towers in two different directions, the derotation system may advantageously configured to sturdily receive and distribute force evenly therethrough. In a spinal derotation procedure, a user may apply force to the handle to adjust and/or correct the curvature and/or rotation of a patient's spine.
Some methods may also include coupling and/or securing the anchor member (e.g., a pedicle screw and/or housing) with a fastener (e.g., a set screw or locking cap). In these embodiments, the fastener may be passed longitudinally and/or axially through the derotation tower to the anchor member. A countertorque device (e.g., countertorque device 400) may be engaged with the derotation tower. For example, this may include positioning the derotation tower within the cavity 412 (e.g., between the first and second prongs 404, 406) of the countertorque device 400. In embodiments where the derotation tower includes one or more flat exterior sections as described herein, this step can include aligning the flat exterior sections with the linear or straight section 410 of the cavity 412. In embodiments where the derotation tower includes a flattened section having two parallel walls, this step can include aligning the two parallel walls with the linear or straight section 410 of the cavity 412.
Subsequently, an elongate driver may be passed longitudinally and/or axially through the derotation tower to engage the fastener. Force may be applied to the driver while the countertorque device 400 is engaged with the derotation tower to couple the fastener member to the anchor member (e.g., to thread a set screw into a housing or tulip head). In some embodiments, an elongate rod may be associated with the anchor member. For example, an elongate rod may be disposed within a channel on a housing of the anchor member. In these embodiments, applying force to the driver, while the countertorque device 400 is engaged with the derotation tower, may also result in securing the anchor member to the elongate rod and/or securing an angle of the anchor member relative to the elongate rod. Those skilled in the art may appreciate that the countertorque device may advantageously allow the driver and fastener to rotate while preventing or inhibiting the derotation tower and/or anchor member from rotating.
Some methods may also include disengaging the handle assembly 300 from the clamp member. This step can include placing the angled proximal head 316 of the handle assembly 300 into the angular hole 414 of the countertorque device 400 and applying force to the countertorque device to unlock the handle assembly 300 by rotating the eccentrically-shaped member 320 and/or distal lip 322 out of engagement with the clamp member (e.g., to rotate the eccentrically-shaped member 320 from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration).
Some embodiments herein are directed to a kit that can include any combination of the devices and components described herein. For example, some embodiments can include a plurality of derotation towers, a plurality of clamp members, a plurality of handle assemblies, and/or a plurality of countertorque devices. Multiple variants of derotation towers, clamp members, handle assemblies, and/or countertorque devices can also be included in a single kit. Furthermore, the kit can include a variety of different sizes of each device. The kit can additionally include one or more other devices, tools, and/or materials configured for use in conjunction with the derotation system or its components. For example, a kit may include one or more handles, fasteners (e.g., pedicle screws or hooks), housings (e.g., tulip heads), elongate rods, set screws, locking caps and/or drivers. In some embodiments, for example, where the kit does not include a derotation tower configured for rod reduction, the kit may additionally include a rod reducer. In other embodiments, the kit can include one or more additional instruments configured for use during the installation procedure, such as a probe, forceps, inserter, retractor, distractor, compressor, and/or rod bender. In yet other embodiments, the kit can include one or more additional implants, such as an intervertebral cage, plate, transverse rod connector, and/or bone graft material. In yet other embodiments, the systems described above can be used with various fusion devices (spacers, plates, rods) and prosthetic devices.
wherein the first clamp member includes an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface of the first clamp member includes a plurality of indentations, wherein each of the plurality of indentations is configured to nest a portion of the first, second, or third derotation towers.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each derotation tube comprises a longitudinal axis and a variable transverse outer surface thereabout.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the variable transverse outer surface comprises a plurality of angled surfaces.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one derotation tube comprises first and second rotatable members in series along the longitudinal axis.
5. The system of claim 2, wherein the variable transverse outer surface comprises a knurled surface.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the engagement assembly comprises an outer sleeve slideably disposed over an inner sleeve, wherein the inner sleeve comprises a distal end configured to engage the anchor member.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the outer sleeve comprises at least two concave gripping surfaces.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distal engagement assembly comprises a rod reducer assembly, wherein the rod reducer assembly is configured to reduce a rod engaged with the anchor member.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the rod reducer assembly comprises: a connector member; a clip reducer configured to be reversibly coupled with the connector member and comprising a reduction member and a distal end configured to engage the anchor member; and a threaded driver configured to actuate the reduction member.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the rod reducer assembly comprises: a clip reducer comprising a translatable reduction member and a distal end configured to engage the anchor member; and a threaded driver configured to actuate the reduction member.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the rod reducer assembly comprises an inner sleeve comprising a distal end configured to engage the anchor member; an outer sleeve slideably disposed over the inner sleeve and configured to reduce the rod; and a rotatable handle configured to actuate the outer sleeve.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein: at least one of the first and second clamp members comprise a first elongate arm coupled to an actuator assembly and a second elongate arm having a receiving portion extending therefrom, wherein the first and second elongate arms are pivotably coupled at a first end of the clamp member; and at least a portion of the actuator assembly of the first elongate arm is configured to be reversibly received within a receptacle in the receiving portion of the second elongate arm.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein an inner surface of each of the first and second elongate arms comprises a retaining feature selected from the group consisting of a knurled surface, a polymeric surface, and a scalloped surface.
14. The system of claim 12, wherein the actuator assembly is pivotably coupled to the first elongate arm.
15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a cantilever spring coupled to the first elongate arm and the actuator assembly.
16. The system of claim 12, wherein the receiving portion extends at an oblique angle relative to the second elongate arm.
wherein each of the plurality of clamp members include an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface of each of the plurality of clamp members includes a plurality of indentations, wherein each of the plurality of indentations is configured to nest a portion of each of the plurality of derotation tubes.
the elongate member comprises a proximal handle-engaging portion, a first leg, and a cylindrical body therebetween; and the plate member comprises a body and a second leg extending orthogonally therefrom; wherein the handle assembly is configured to receive one of the clamp members between the first and second legs.
19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a counter-torque device comprising an elongate body having first and second prongs extending distally therefrom and defining a cavity therebetween, wherein the cavity comprises a curved section and a linear section.
wherein each of the plurality of clamp members include an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface of the each of the plurality of clamp members include a plurality of indentations, wherein each of the plurality of indentations is configured to nest a portion of the at least one derotation tube. | 2019-04-24T06:19:17Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US9681899B2/en |
The survival of intracellular protozoan parasite, Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL), depends on the activation status of macrophages. l-Arginine, a semi-essential amino acid plays a crucial regulatory role for activation of macrophages. However, the role of l-arginine transport in VL still remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrated that intra-macrophage survival of L. donovani depends on the availability of extracellular l-arginine. Infection of THP-1-derived macrophage/human monocyte-derived macrophage (hMDM) with Leishmania, resulted in upregulation of l-arginine transport. While investigating the involvement of the transporters, we observed that Leishmania survival was greatly impaired when the transporters were blocked either using inhibitor or siRNA-mediated downregulation. CAT-2 was found to be the main isoform associated with l-arginine transport in L. donovani-infected macrophages. l-arginine availability and its transport regulated the host arginase in Leishmania infection. Arginase and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression were reciprocally regulated when assayed using specific inhibitors and siRNA-mediated downregulation. Interestingly, induction of iNOS expression and nitric oxide production were observed in case of inhibition of arginase in infected macrophages. Furthermore, inhibition of l-arginine transport as well as arginase resulted in decreased polyamine production, limiting parasite survival inside macrophages. l-arginine availability and transport regulated Th1/Th2 cytokine levels in case of Leishmania infection. Upregulation of l-arginine transport, induction of host arginase, and enhanced polyamine production were correlated with increased level of IL-10 and decreased level of IL-12 and TNF-α in L. donovani-infected macrophages. Our findings provide clear evidence for targeting the metabolism of l-arginine and l-arginine-metabolizing enzymes as an important therapeutic and prophylactic strategy to treat VL.
Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL) exhibit a dimorphic life cycle, transmitted by a Phlebotomine sand fly vector as flagellated promastigotes and inhabit within mammalian macrophages (MΦs) as amastigotes. The destiny of intracellular amastigotes relies predominantly on the MΦ-activation status, which is largely affected by different cytokines and chemokines (1–3).
While diverse molecules and characteristics of macrophages are reciprocally or mutually exclusively related to the activation status of macrophages, the dichotomous regulation of l-arginine metabolism is at the center of the different functions that are associated with classically or alternatively activated macrophages. Classically activated MΦs can generate anti-microbicidal molecules and oxidative mediators and eliminate parasites successfully, whereas “alternatively” activated MΦs augment parasite persistence (4, 5). Although two apparent types of MΦ activation can lead to antithetical outcomes of infection, these two pathways employ l-arginine as a common substrate for their enzymatic activities.
l-Arginine is a non-essential amino acid for healthy adult human, but it has to be supplemented during growth or various disease states (6, 7) and has thus been characterized as a semi- or conditionally essential amino acid. Mammalian l-arginine metabolism is critical both at the level of the whole organism (6, 7) and at the level of the discrete cell types (8). In macrophages, l-arginine is an antecedent for principally two crucial metabolic pathways: it is metabolized either by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to nitric oxide (NO) and citrulline or it is hydrolyzed by arginase to ornithine and urea. Arginase has two isoforms (arginase 1 and arginase 2), which catalyze the alike biochemical reaction but vary in cellular expression, cell-type-specific regulation, and subcellular localization one being cytosolic and the other mitochondrial, respectively (9, 10). The availability of l-arginine regulates the expression of different genes (7) and it is reported that l-arginine from the extracellular milieu is vital for iNOS-mediated NO production (11, 12). Furthermore, it is documented that the extent of arginase activities are indicators of disease extremity in human VL and in HIV infections (13–15).
Ornithine, the downstream molecule of l-arginine metabolism, is metabolized by ornithine decarboxylase, a rate-limiting enzyme, to produce polyamines which regulate several cellular processes like DNA replication, protein translation, cellular growth, and differentiation (16, 17). It is reported that polyamines enhance the growth of intracellular Leishmania amastigotes inside murine macrophages (18) and arginase-expressing granulocytes (13, 14). However, little is known about the role of polyamines in immune regulation. Therefore, macrophage l-arginine metabolism may have wide ranging implications for the type and outcome of immune responses.
Importance of l-arginine have been investigated considerably in cancer, trauma (19), and several other infectious diseases, including Trypanosoma cruzi (20), Toxoplasma gondii (21), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22), Plasmodium falciparum (23), Listeria monocytogenes (24), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (25) infections, but role of l-arginine in host immune responses against L. donovani infection and its biological relevance to disease outcome is obscure. Previous studies reported that trypanosomatids lack a biosynthetic route for l-arginine (26). Leishmania parasite cannot synthesize l-arginine de novo, indicating that its metabolism depends on extracellular supplies, making l-arginine, an essential amino acid for the growth and survival of the parasite (27, 28). Krassner and Flory reported that l-arginine is an important molecule for the growth of Leishmania parasites (29), and these parasites import this amino acid from in vitro culture media (29, 30) for their survival. Nonetheless, how the Leishmania parasite utilizes l-arginine inside macrophages and promotes its growth has yet not been clearly elucidated. Polyamine biosynthesis in Leishmania parasites takes a convoluted pathway, beginning with the l-arginine scavenged from the host, then translocated to glycosomes by an as yet unexplored permeation process (26). Furthermore, it has also been documented that in vitro cultured Leishmania parasites can directly attain and employ l-arginine from the extracellular milieu for polyamine production (26, 31). Previously, Castilho-Martins et al. reported that in L. (L.) amazonensis, arginine uptake is controlled by transporter-coding mRNA levels and they suggested a mechanism that senses internal arginine concentrations and regulates uptake of l-arginine by augmenting expression of arginine transporter (32). Later, Goldman-Pinkovich et al. reported that parasites respond to the inadequacy of l-arginine by elevating expression and activity of the Leishmania arginine transporter (LdAAP3) in addition to numerous other transporters and they proposed that the arginine deprivation response is mediated through a mitogen-activated protein kinase-2-dependent signaling cascade (33). However, the involvement of host pathways by which Leishmania can acquire the l-arginine pool within the MΦs remain obscure. Boitz et al. recently reported that arginase is essential for polyamine biosynthesis de novo and for promastigote growth in unsupplemented media but not for intracellular amastigotes suggesting that L. donovani amastigotes in the parasitophorous vacuole scavenge ornithine and spermidine for their survival (34).
Several mammalian l-arginine transport systems, encompassing systems y+, Bo+, bo+, and y + L, have been reported (35). The basal level of l-arginine is retained mainly through the y + L system in non-activated MΦs, while transport through the y+ system exacerbates considerably in activated MΦs (36). The cationic amino acid transporter family (CAT) belongs to the y+ system transporter family that comprises four members, CAT-1 to CAT-4, encoded by the Slc7A1 to -4 genes, respectively (35). Arginine is transported by the first three members (CAT-1, -2, and -3) of the CAT family (37). CAT-1 is ubiquitously expressed excluding in liver while CAT-3 is rendered only in brain. CAT-2 exists in two isoforms, with CAT-2A being basically expressed in the liver and muscle cells (38) and CAT-2B in the macrophages (39). CAT-2B is induced by cytokines in several cell types, including MΦs and plays a critical role in the modulation of iNOS and arginase activities (40). However, there is limited knowledge on how this transporter directly determines the outcome of Leishmania infection. It is reported that in MΦs with impairing l-arginine transporter, NO and polyamine synthesis were diminished upon activation with Th1 and Th2 cytokines, respectively (36), demonstrating that l-arginine accessibility is the impediment control step for both iNOS and arginase.
In the present study, we deciphered the involvement of CAT for the transport of l-arginine in Leishmania-infected macrophages and tried to understand the pathways by which l-arginine is utilized. Our study indicated that intra-macrophage survival of L. donovani depends on the availability and transport of extracellular l-arginine because intra-macrophage parasite burden was reduced upon inhibition of l-arginine availability and transport either by pharmacological inhibitor or by siRNA-mediated downregulation of the transporter. Furthermore, CAT-2 was observed to be the major isoform associated with l-arginine transport in L. donovani-infected macrophages. l-arginine supply regulated the host arginase in Leishmania infection. Simultaneously, inhibition of l-arginine transport as well as arginase leads to decreased polyamine production, resulting in decreased parasite survival inside macrophages. Therefore, we hope that understanding the biological role played by arginine deficiency in case of Leishmania infection will lead to its early identification and to the design of new and novel treatments.
All studies were approved by the Institutional Human Ethical Committee of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (Patna, India). Human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) were isolated from healthy adult individuals after written, informed consent. Routine experimentation with animals was approved by the Institutional Animal Ethical Committee of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India.
THP-1 cell line was purchased from NCCS, Pune, India. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), l-arginine, N-Ethylmaleimide (NEM; inhibitor of l-arginine transport), L-N6-(1-Iminoethyl) lysine dihydrochloride (L-NIL; inhibitor of iNOS), sulfanilamide (component of Griess reagent), and N-(1-Naphthyl) ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (NED; component of Griess reagent) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). (S)-(2-Boronoethyl)-l-cysteine, HCl (BEC; inhibitor of arginase), and Dansyl chloride were purchase from EMD Millipore, USA. Fetal bovine serum (FBS), OptiMEM, dialyzed FBS, and Lipofectamine RNAiMax reagent were purchased from Invitrogen, USA. siRNAs for CAT-1 (sc-44923), CAT-2 (sc-77441), Arg-1 (sc-29728), Arg-2 (sc-29729), and iNOS (sc-29417) were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, USA. PCR primers were designed from Avantor, IDT, USA. HRP-conjugated secondary antibodies were purchased from Jackson Laboratory, USA. [3H] l-arginine was purchased from PerkinElmer, Singapore. Amersham™ ECL™ Prime Western Blotting Detection Reagent was purchased from GE Healthcare, UK.
Leishmania donovani strain AG83 (MHOM/IN/1983/AG83), used in this study was maintained routinely in golden hamsters by repeated passage to sustain its virulence. Amastigotes were isolated from the spleen of infected hamster and were made to undergo transformation from amastigotes to promastigotes routinely, prior to infection as described earlier (41). Leishmania parasites were grown at 22°C in normal RPMI media (Invitrogen, USA) and supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated dialyzed FBS (Invitrogen, USA), 25 mM HEPES, pH 7.4, 4 mM NaHCO3, 100 U/ml of penicillin G-sodium (Sigma-Aldrich), and 100 mg/ml of streptomycin (Sigma-Aldrich), and these parasites were used for our experimental purpose. Levels of LPS in parasite stock preparations were found to be below the limit of detection [<0.1 endotoxin U/ml (LAL-test; BioWhittaker, Inc., Walkersville, MD, USA)].
THP-1 cells, an acute monocytic leukemia-derived human cell line, were maintained in RPMI-1640 (Invitrogen, USA) medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FBS (Invitrogen, USA) and penicillin (100 U/ml), streptomycin (100 mg/ml), and gentamycin (20 µg/ml) at 37°C in humidified air containing 5% CO2. The cells were treated with 20 nM phorbol 12-myristate 7-acetate (PMA) for 48 h so as to become matured macrophage-like phenotype and adhered with plastic. Non-adherent cells were removed by washing with RPMI without FBS. The cells were then further incubated in complete RPMI media containing no PMA for 24 h before using it for the experimental purpose.
Blood was collected from healthy donors in heparinized tubes and was processed within 10 min after blood collection. Mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood by density gradient centrifugation over Ficoll-Paque Plus (GE Healthcare, Piscataway, NJ, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The viability of the mononuclear cells was checked by trypan blue dye exclusion method (~95%). hMDMs were isolated by the method as described previously (42). Briefly, isolated monocytes were cultured overnight in 6-well plates at a density of 2 × 106 cells per well in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) (300 ng/ml) in RPMI medium with 10% FBS. Non-adherent cells were repeatedly washed, and cells were allowed to differentiate into MDMs in the presence of M-CSF and 10% FBS. Differentiated MDMs were harvested after 96 h.
The THP-1 or hMDMs were infected with Leishmania parasites for 6 hs at macrophage/parasite multiplicities of 1:10. The unbound parasites were removed by washing with RPMI without FBS followed by additional incubation of up to 48 h in complete RPMI medium. The cells were then fixed followed by staining with May-Grunwald Giemsa and observation under bright field microscope at 100× with oil immersion. Parasite load was determined by counting the number of amastigotes per 100 macrophages and percent infectivity was calculated by counting the number of infected cells (43). The results were expressed as mean ± SD of three independent experiments performed in triplicate.
THP-1 cells (1 × 106) or hMDMs were seeded in 6-well plate. Fresh siRNA transfection reagent containing siRNA (final concentration 25 nM), optiMEM, and lipofectamine RNAiMax was prepared by the protocol as described previously (44). The above reagent (200 µl) was added to each well and cultured for 6 h. Then, the supernatant was aspirated and cells were further cultured with fresh complete growth medium for 12–15 h before any inhibitor treatment. Confirmation of siRNA-mediated downregulation of target gene was evaluated by western blot analysis. Control cells were without siRNA.
Arginase activity in THP-1 or hMDM lysates were measured using a micromethod as described previously (45, 46). Briefly, after incubations, cells were lysed with 0.1% Triton X-100. After 30 min on a shaker, 25 mM Tris–HCl were added to the lysate. Then, to this lysate, 10 mM MnCl2 were added, and the enzyme was activated by heating for 10 min at 56°C. Arginine hydrolysis was supervised by incubating the lysate with 0.5 M l-arginine (pH 9.7) for 15–20 min at 37°C. The reaction was stopped with H2SO4 (96%)/H3PO4 (85%)/H2O (1/3/7, v/v/v) followed by addition of α-isonitrosopropiophenone (dissolved in 100% ethanol) and heating at 95°C for 30 min. The concentration of urea produced was quantified at 540 nm. Protein concentration was measured by BCA method [Pierce Thermo Fisher Scientific]. One unit of enzyme activity was defined as the amount of enzyme that catalyzes the formation of 1 µmol urea/min. BEC (200 µM) was used as an inhibitor of arginase as described previously (43, 47). Each measurement was performed in triplicate and the data were expressed as mean ± SD of three independent experiments.
Nitrite (NO2−) accumulation was used as an indicator of NO production and measured by using the Griess reagent (48). THP-1 or hMDM culture supernatants were collected after 48 h of incubation. Equal volume of supernatants and Griess reagent [1% sulphanilamide/0.1% n-(1-napthyl) ethylenediamine dihydrochloride/2.5% H3PO4] were mixed and incubated for 10 min at room temperature. Absorbance was recorded at 540 nm in a plate reader (Thermo Multiscan, USA). Nitrite concentration was estimated using NaNO2 as standard. L-NIL (100 ng/ml) was used as an inhibitor of iNOS as described previously (49).
RNA was extracted from macrophages (THP-1 and hMDM), and c-DNA was prepared from 20 µg of total RNA using c-DNA synthesis kit (Invitrogen). The c-DNAs were used in PCR amplification of l-arginine transporters, such as CAT-1, CAT-2A, CAT-2B, arginine metabolizing enzymes such as Arg-1, Arg-2, iNOS, and cytokines such as IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-α using gene-specific primers. After initial denaturation at 94°C for 5 min, targeted genes were amplified (94°C for 45 s, 56°C or 58°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 1 min) for 25 amplification cycles followed by a final extension at 72°C for 10 min. The PCR products were run on ethidium bromide stained 1.5% agarose gel and finally documented and quantified in gel documentation system (Bio-Rad) associated Quantity One software. All the PCR products were normalized with respect to GAPDH transcript and expressed as fold change. Each measurement was performed in triplicate and one of the representative gel image was shown. The data were expressed as mean ± SD of three independent experiments.
These semi-quantitative data were further validated by quantitative real-time PCR, which was performed in the LightCycler 480 (Roche) using SYBR green (Roche) chemistry as described previously (50). The cycling conditions were as follows: 1 cycle at 95°C for 3 min and 40 cycles of 95°C for 15 s (denaturation), 58°C for 30 s (annealing), and 72°C for 30 s (extension). The fluorescence signal was captured at the end of each cycle using the SYBR channel (490 nm wavelength for excitation and 525 nm wavelength for emission). Results were analyzed by LightCyclerR 480 relative quantification software (Roche) and expressed as the target/reference ratios of each sample, normalized by the target/reference ratio of the calibrator. Here, the target/reference value of uninfected macrophages was used as calibrator and GAPDH was used as reference. The primers used for both semi-quantitative RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR are summarized in Table S1 in Supplementary Material.
After individual incubations were over, protein was isolated from MΦs (THP-1 and hMDM). 50 µg of each protein were separated by electrophoresis on 12% SDS-polyacrylamide gel and transferred onto PVDF membrane (43). Membrane was washed with 1× TBST solution thrice and blocked with 3% BSA for 2 h at room temperature. Blocked membrane was washed in TBST solution thrice and then was incubated with monoclonal primary antibody against CAT-1, CAT-2, Arg-1, Arg-2, and iNOS. Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibody was used, and the protein band was visualized by enhanced chemiluminescence reaction, normalized with respect to GAPDH and expressed as fold change. Each measurement was performed in triplicate and one of the representative gel image was shown. The data were expressed as mean ± SD of three independent experiments.
Poyamines (putrescine and spermidine) were identified and quantified by a prederivatization method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as described by Balaña-Fouce et al. (51). Briefly, after incubations, both uninfected and infected macrophages were harvested, washed twice with PBS (pH 7.4), and the last pellet was disintegrated with 5% trichloroacetic acid (w/v) overnight. The extracts were centrifuged (10,000 g, 15 min), and the supernatant was neutralized with a saturated NaHCO3 solution. The mixture was incubated with a solution containing 20 mg dansyl chloride/ml (Merck) in acetone (Merck. HPLC grade) at 50°C for overnight. The dansylated polyamines were extracted twice with toluene (Merck, HPLC grade), evaporated under nitrogen stream and the precipitate was dissolved in 1 ml of acetonitrile (Merck, HPLC grade), before analysis by HPLC on a C18 reverse-phase column (Shimadzu, Japan). Dansylated polyamines were quantified with a spectrofluorimeter at excitation of 330 nm and emission at 510 nm. The peak areas, retention times were recorded and calculated by a PC Integration Pack Programme. The level of polyamines were expressed as nmol per 106 cells. There were three replicates in each test, and the data were the mean ± SD of three independent observations.
Uptake of l-arginine in macrophages were measured using the protocol described elsewhere (32) with minor modifications. Briefly, after incubation, THP-1 or hMDM (1 × 106 macrophages/ml) were pelleted down and washed with cold Earle’s Balanced Salt Solution (EBSS) containing 137 mM NaCl, 26 mM NaHCO3, 5 mM KCl, 1.8 mM CaCl2, 1 mM NaH2PO4, 0.8 mM MgSO4, and 5.5 mM glucose twice followed by resuspension in [3H]-l-arginine (5 μCi/ml) using stock from 1 mCi/ml (specific activity-51.5 Ci/mmole) (PerkinElmer, Singapore) at 25°C. Uptake was stopped after 8 min by adding 50 mM of ice-cold l-arginine (non-radioactive). Macrophages were then washed twice with EBSS, lysed in lysing solution (0.1% SDS, 100 mM NaOH). The incorporated radioactivity inside cell was estimated using liquid scintillation counter (Tri-Carb 2810 TR, PerkinElmer, USA). Uptake was expressed as nmol/106 cells/min. NEM (CAT specific inhibitor, 250 µM) was used as an inhibitor of l-arginine transport as described previously (52, 53). Each measurement was performed in triplicate and data were expressed as mean ± SD of three independent experiments.
The level of cytokines IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α in the supernatant of THP-1 macrophages were determined using commercial BD OptEIA ELISA kits (BD, San Jose, CA, USA) according to manufacturer’s protocol as described previously (41). The BD OptEIA test is a solid phase sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Required quantities of strips were taken and 50 µl of ELISA diluent was added to each well. After that, 100 µl of standard/sample was added and incubation at RT was done for 2 h followed by five times washing. 100 µl of detection antibody was then added followed by 1 h incubation. Washing was done seven times, and 100 µl of TMB One-Step Substrate was added. Incubation was done for 30 min at RT and then 50 µl of stop solution was added to stop the reaction and quantitative measurement was done by taking absorbance at 450 nm. Cytokine concentrations were estimated from respective standard curve and expressed as pg/ml.
We analyzed our data using Graph Pad Prism (Version 6.0, GraphPad Software, USA). Each experiment was repeated three times in separate sets and the results were expressed as Mean ± SD. Statistical differences were determined using Mann–Whitney U test for comparing two groups or Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test for comparing three or more groups. p ≤ 0.05 were considered significant.
In our previous study, we have shown that l-arginine is an important amino acid for the survival of Leishmania promastigotes. In that study, we observed that the viability and the cell proliferation were greatly diminished when parasites were grown in l-arginine-depleted media (43). In the present study, the same phenomena were examined in Leishmania parasites inside macrophages. Macrophages (THP-1 and hMDM) were cultured in l-arginine-depleted and l-arginine-supplemented RMPI medium separately and then infected with L. donovani parasite. However, macrophages were never switched from l-arginine-replete to l-arginine-depleted conditions. It was observed that macrophage viability was not altered upon l-argininie deprivation (data not shown). Further, it was observed that both parasite load (Figures 1A,B,D) and percent infectivity (Figures 1A,C,E) was increased at 48 h when compared to 6 and 24 h. Simultaneously, both parasite load and percent infectivity was significantly higher in l-arginine-supplemented media compared to l-arginine-depleted media at 24 and 48 h (p ≤ 0.05). However, no significant change in parasite load or percent infectivity were observed at 6 h time point upon l-arginine deprivation from the culture media. Parasite load was found to be significantly reduced (~2.04-fold at 24 h and ~2.27-fold at 48 h; p ≤ 0.05) in case of THP-1 macrophages grown in l-arginine-depleted medium compared to l-arginine-supplemented medium (Figures 1A,B). Similarly, significant decrease in parasite load was also observed (~2.16-fold at 24 h and ~2.29-fold at 48 h; p ≤ 0.05) when hMDM were cultured in l-arginine-depleted medium compared to l-arginine-supplemented medium (Figure 1D). On the other hand, percent infectivity was significantly reduced (~1.5-fold at 24 h and ~1.6-fold at 48 h p ≤ 0.05) when THP-1 macrophages were grown in l-arginine-depleted medium compared to l-arginine-supplemented medium (Figures 1A,C). Simultaneously, in case hMDM, percent infectivity was found to be reduced by ~1.65-fold at 24 h and ~1.6-fold at 48 h when macrophages were cultured in l-arginine-depleted medium compared to l-arginine-supplemented medium (Figure 1E). Therefore, these findings suggested that the availability of l-arginine in the culture media promotes parasite survival inside macrophages. However, in its absence, parasite growth was significantly reduced indicating that l-arginine is an important amino acid for the survival of Leishmania inside macrophages.
Figure 1. Effect of l-arginine availability on survival of Leishmania parasite inside macrophages. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (A,B,C) and human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) (D,E) (5 × 104 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with Leishmania donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 6, 24, and 48 h. Intracellular parasites were visualized by staining the cells with Giemsa followed by optical microscopy at 100× oil immersion (A). The horizontal bar indicates 5 µm size. The parasite load was measured by counting the number of intracellular amastigotes per 100 macrophages (B,D). The rate of infection was analyzed by counting the percent infected macrophages (C,E). Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Mann–Whitney U test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing two groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005.
In the present study, we wanted to observe the effect of l-arginine starvation from extracellular milieu on the expression of macrophage l-arginine transporters (CAT-1, CAT-2) in normal and infected condition. We also measured the amount of l-arginine transport during Leishmania infection in presence or absence of l-arginine in the culture medium. THP-1-derived macrophages and hMDM were cultured in l-arginine-depleted as well as l-arginine-supplemented RPMI media and infected with L. donovani parasite for 48 h. The expression of CAT-1 and CAT-2 (CAT-2A and CAT-2B) were checked at the transcript level by semi-quantitive RT-PCR as well as quantitive real-time PCR and translational level by western blot. No significant change in CAT-1 or CAT-2A expression was observed in case of Leishmania infection either in l-arginine-depleted or l-arginine-supplemented condition (Figures 2A–E).
Figure 2. Effect of Leishmania infection on expression of CAT-1 and CAT-2. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (A,B,D) and human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) (C,E) (1 × 106 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with Leishmania donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h. The expression of CAT-1 and CAT-2 (CAT-2A and CAT-2B) were evaluated at the transcript level by semi-quantitative RT-PCR (A) and real-time PCR (B,C) and protein level by western blotting (D,E). The intensity of the bands were quantified by densitometry in Quantity one software. Each experiment was repeated three times. Semi-QRT PCR gel images and western blots are representative of three experiments. Densitometric plots are shown adjacent to the gel images. Data are mean ± SD (n = 3) (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.001; ns, non-significant) (Mann–Whitney U test).
However, from the semi-quantitive PCR data, it was observed that in case of Leishmania infection to THP-1, the expression of CAT-2B transcript was increased by ~2.8-fold in l-arginine-supplemented condition and ~5.8-fold in l-arginine-depleted condition (Figure 2A). Similar results were observed when we checked the expression of CAT-2B by quantitive real-time PCR. In this case, the expression of CAT-2B transcript was increased by ~2.7-fold in l-arginine-supplemented condition and ~6.7-fold in l-arginine-depleted condition (Figure 2B). Comparative analysis indicated that CAT-2B transcript is significantly increased upon l-arginine deprivation (~2.1-fold, p ≤ 0.005 in case of semi-QRT PCR and ~2.5-fold, p ≤ 0.005 in case of quantitive real-time PCR) in case of Leishmania infection (Figures 2A,B). The expression of CAT-2B in Leishmania-infected hMDM was further checked by real-time PCR. It was observed that in case of Leishmania infection, the expression of CAT-2B transcript was increased by ~2.5-fold in l-arginine-supplemented condition and ~5.8-fold in l-arginine-depleted condition (Figure 2C). Comparative analysis indicated that l-arginine deprivation led to significant increase (~2.3-fold, p ≤ 0.005) in CAT-2B transcript in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to l-arginine supplementation (Figure 2C). Simultaneously, from the western blot data, it was also observed that deprivation of l-arginine led to significant increase (~2.8-fold, p ≤ 0.005) in CAT-2 in Leishmania-infected macrophages when compared to l-arginine supplementation (Figure 2D).
The expression of CAT-2 in Leishmania-infected hMDM were also checked by western blot and comparative analysis indicated that CAT-2 is significantly increased in case of Leishmania infection upon l-arginine deprivation (~2.1-fold, p ≤ 0.005) compared to l-arginine supplementation (Figure 2E).
The expression of CAT-1 and CAT-2 was further assessed in Leishmania-infected macrophages pretreated with inhibitor of l-arginine transport (NEM) both at the transcript and translational level. Surprisingly, no significant change in CAT-1 or CAT-2 expression was observed in case of NEM pretreatment either at the transcript or protein level (Figures 3A–E).
Figure 3. Effect of NEM on expression of CAT-1 and CAT-2 in Leishmania donovani-infected macrophages. THP-1 MΦs (A,B,D) and human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) (C,E) were left untreated or preincubated with NEM (250 µM) for 10 min followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h. The expression of CAT-1 and CAT-2 (CAT-2A and CAT-2B) were evaluated at the transcript level by semi-quantitative RT-PCR (A) and real-time PCR (B,C) and protein level by western blotting (D,E). The intensity of the bands were quantified by densitometry in Quantity one software. Each experiment was repeated three times. Semi-QRT PCR gel images and western blots are representative of three experiments. Densitometric plots are shown adjacent to the gel images. Data are mean ± SD (n = 3) (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.001; ns, non-significant) (Mann–Whitney U test).
Uptake of l-arginine in uninfected and infected THP-1 and hMDM were measured by radioactivity incorporation. It was observed that in case of Leishmania infection to THP-1, l-arginine transport was increased by ~2.7-fold in normal condition and ~4.2-fold in case of l-arginine deprivation (Figure 4A). However, at the same time, comparative analysis indicated that l-arginine deprivation leads to significant increase (~2.3-fold, p ≤ 0.005) in l-arginine transport in Leishmania-infected THP-1 (Figure 4A).
Figure 4. Effect of Leishmania infection on l-arginine transport. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (A) and human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) (B) (1 × 106 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with Leishmania donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h. In another experiment, THP-1 MΦs (C) and hMDM (D) were left untreated or preincubated with NEM (250 µM) for 10 min followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h. In a separate experiment, THP-1 MΦs (E) and hMDM (F) (1 × 106 cells/ml) were transfected with control siRNA, CAT-1 or CAT-2 siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h. Arginine transport was measured after incubating the cells with 1 μCi/ml of [3H] l-arginine uptake solution for 8 min followed by counting the incorporation of [3H] l-arginine in liquid scintillation counter (A–F). Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
Simultaneously, when we measured l-arginine transport in Leishmania-infected hMDM, it was observed that in case of Leishmania infection, l-arginine transport was increased by ~2.3-fold in normal condition and ~3.6-fold in case of l-arginine deprivation condition (Figure 4B). Furthermore, comparative analysis indicated that l-arginine transport is significantly increased in case of Leishmania infection upon l-arginine deprivation (~1.8-fold, p ≤ 0.005) compared to l-arginine-supplemented condition (Figure 4B).
The effect of NEM on macrophage l-arginine transport was further checked. It was observed that NEM pretreatment decreased l-arginine transport by ~2.4-fold in Leishmania-infected THP-1 macrophages (Figure 4C) and ~2.0-fold in Leishmania-infected hMDM (Figure 4D).
Further, to confirm that CATs are the main transporters for l-arginine in macrophages, we downregulated macrophage CAT-1 and CAT-2 by siRNA-mediated transfection and then infected with Leishmania parasite. It was observed that silencing of CAT-1 or CAT-2 had no significant effect on l-arginine transport in uninfected macrophages (Figures 4E,F). Simultaneously, CAT-1 knock down showed no significant decrease in l-arginine transport in Leishmania-infected THP-1 macrophages or hMDM. On the other hand, CAT-2 silencing leads to significant decrease (~2.6-fold; p ≤ 0.005) in l-arginine transport in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to normal infected macrophage (Figures 4E,F). Hence, our results suggested that CAT-2 is the main isoform associated with l-arginine transport in Leishmania-infected macrophages. Our study pointed out that as Leishmania is auxotroph for l-arginine, it modulates the host to upregulate the expression of CAT, thereby increases l-arginine uptake and utilizes this amino acid for their survival inside macrophages.
Further, we studied the effect of inhibition of l-arginine transport upon survival of Leishmania parasite inside macrophages. For this, we pretreated both THP-1 macrophages and hMDM with NEM (250 µM) and infected with Leishmania parasite for 48 h and measured the parasite load and percent infectivity. A ~2.4-fold reduction in parasite load (Figures 5A,B) and ~2.3-fold reduction in percent infectivity (Figures 5A,C) was observed when THP-1 macrophages were pretreated with NEM. Similar results were observed with the use of hMDM. In this case ~2.8-fold reduction in parasite load (Figure 5B) and ~2.7-fold reduction in percent infectivity (Figure 5C) was observed when hMDM were pretreated with NEM.
Figure 5. Effect of inhibition of macrophage l-arginine transport on survival of Leishmania inside MΦ. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (A–C) and human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) (B,C) (5 × 104 cells/ml) were either left untreated or preincubated with 250 µM NEM for 10 min followed by infection with Leishmania donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h. In a separate experiment, THP-1 MΦs (D,E,F) and hMDM (E,F) (1 × 106 cells/ml) were transfected with control siRNA, CAT-1 or CAT-2 siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h. Intracellular parasites were visualized by staining the cells with Giemsa followed by optical microscopy at 100× oil immersion (A,D). The horizontal bar indicates 5 µm size. The parasite load was measured by counting the number of intracellular amastigotes per 100 macrophages (B,E). The rate of infection was analyzed by counting the percent infected macrophages (C,F). Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Mann–Whitney U test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing two groups. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
Parasite load and percent infectivity were further measured in CAT-1 and CAT-2 siRNA transfected Leishmania-infected THP-1 macrophages and hMDM. It was observed that silencing of CAT-1 had no significant effect on parasite load and percent infectivity. However, CAT-2 knock down decreased the parasite load by ~4.7-fold (Figures 5D,E) and percent infectivity by ~2.4-fold (Figures 5D,F) in Leishmania-infected THP-1 macrophages compared to control siRNA transfected macrophages. Significant reduction in parasite load and percent infectivity were also observed in case of hMDM CAT-2 knock down (Figures 5E,F). Therefore, our study indicated that l-arginine transport is critically involved in the regulation of parasite survival inside macrophages.
The effect of l-arginine availability in regulation of arginase–iNOS balance in Leishmania-infected macrophages was investigated. We cultured THP-1 macrophages and hMDM in l-arginine-depleted as well as l-arginine-supplemented RPMI media, infected with L. donovani parasite for 48 h and checked the expression of Arg-1, Arg-2, and iNOS at the transcript level by semi-quantitive RT-PCR and quantitive real-time PCR. The expression of macrophage Arg-1 and Arg-2 was increased by ~2.3-fold and ~1.8–fold, respectively, upon Leishmania infection in case of normal (l-arginine supplementation) condition (Figure 6A). However, in case of l-arginine deprivation, no significant increase in Arg-1 or Arg-2 expression was observed upon Leishmania infection (Figure 6A). Comparative analysis indicated significant decrease in Arg-1 (~2.7-fold; p ≤ 0.005) and Arg-2 (~1.8-fold; p ≤ 0.05) expression in infected macrophages upon l-arginine deprivation (Figure 6A). However, no significant change in iNOS expression was observed upon l-arginine deprivation in case of Leishmania infection. Similar results were observed when the expression of these genes was studied by real-time PCR (Figure 6B).
Figure 6. Effect of inhibition of l-arginine availability on Arg-1, Arg-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in case of Leishmania infection. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with Leishmania donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h (A,B). In another experiment, THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were left untreated or preincubated with NEM (250 µM) for 10 min followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (C,D). In a separate experiment, THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were transfected with control siRNA, CAT-1, or CAT-2 siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (E,F). The expression of Arg-1, Arg-2, and iNOS were determined at the transcript level by semi-quantitative RT-PCR (A,C,E) and real-time PCR (B,D,F). The intensity of the bands was quantified by densitometry using Quantity one software. Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Semi-QRT PCR gel images are representative of three experiments. Densitometric plots are shown below the gel images. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
The expression of these genes were further checked by limiting l-arginine availability through blockade of l-arginine transporter (CATs) by NEM (CAT specific inhibitor) and siRNA-mediated downregulation. NEM pretreatment decreased the expression of Arg-1 by ~2.0-fold and Arg-2 by ~1.5-fold in infected macrophages (Figure 6C). Similar results were observed when the expression of these genes were studied by real-time PCR (Figure 6D).
Furthermore, silencing of CAT-1 decreased the expression of Arg-1 by ~1.96-fold and had no significant effect on expression of Arg-2 and iNOS in Leishmania-infected macrophages. However, CAT-2 knock down decreased Arg-1 expression by ~2.3-fold, Arg-2 expression by ~1.9–fold, and iNOS expression by ~2.0-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to control siRNA transfected macrophages (Figure 6E). Simultaneously, when we checked the expression of these genes by real-time PCR, we also observed that silencing of CAT-1 decreased Arg-1 expression by ~2.0-fold whereas it had no significant effect on Arg-2 and iNOS expression in Leishmania-infected macrophages. On the other hand, CAT-2 knock down decreased the expression of Arg-1 by ~2.7-fold and Arg-2 by ~1.9-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages (Figure 6F). Therefore, our results indicated that l-arginine availability and transport is critically involved in the regulation of Arg-1, Arg-2, and iNOS expression in Leishmania-infected macrophages.
The reciprocal regulation of arginase and iNOS in case of Leishmania infection was further evaluated at the transcript and translational level using an inhibitor of arginase (BEC) and iNOS (L-NIL). From the semi-quantitive RT-PCR data, it was observed that inhibition of iNOS increased Arg-1 transcript by ~1.9-fold and Arg-2 by ~1.9-fold, whereas, arginase inhibition upregulated iNOS transcript by ~4.6-fold in infected macrophages (Figure 7A). Simultaneously, real-time PCR data further confirmed that inhibition of iNOS led to significant increase in Arg-1 (~1.7-fold; p ≤ 0.05) and Arg-2 (~1.7-fold; p ≤ 0.05) transcript, whereas, arginase inhibition led to increased iNOS (~4.6-fold; p ≤ 0.05) transcript in Leishmania-infected macrophages (Figure 7B).
Figure 7. Regulation of Arg-1, Arg-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in case of Leishmania donovani infection. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were either left untreated or preincubated with BEC (200 µM) or L-NIL (100 ng/ml) for 3 h followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (A–C). The expression of Arg-1, Arg-2, and iNOS was determined at the transcript level by semi-quantitative RT-PCR (A) and real-time PCR (B) and protein level by western blotting (C). The intensity of the bands was quantified by densitometry using Quantity one software. Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Semi-QRT PCR gel images and western blots are representative of three experiments. Densitometric plots are shown adjacent to the gel images. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005.
In accordance with the semiQ-RT PCR and real-time PCR result, when we measured the protein level by western blot, we observed that the expression of Arg-1 was increased by ~2.5-fold and Arg-2 by ~2.1-fold upon Leishmania infection (Figure 7C). Arginase inhibition increased the iNOS expression by ~2.1-fold, whereas, inhibition of iNOS increased Arg-1 expression by ~1.6-fold and Arg-2 by ~1.8-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to normal infected macrophages (Figure 7C). Therefore, our study indicated that both Arg-1 and Arg-2 are upregulated at the transcript and translational level in case of Leishmania infection and Arg-1 is the major isoform associated with L. donovani infection. As downregulation of Arg-1 and Arg-2 increased the iNOS level, it is obvious that Arg-1/Arg-2-iNOS balance play a crucial role in regulation of each other and thereby determining the outcome of Leishmania infection.
Arginase activity at the enzymatic level was further measured in case of Leishmania infection upon l-arginine deprivation. Arginase activity was found to be increased by ~2.7- and ~1.6-fold in Leishmania-infected THP-1 macrophages compared to uninfected macrophages in case of l-arginine supplementation condition and l-arginine depletion condition, respectively (Figure 8A). Further, comparative analysis indicated significant decrease in arginase activity (~2.7-fold; p ≤ 0.005) in Leishmania-infected THP-1 macrophages upon l-arginine deprivation (Figure 8A). Similar results were observed with hMDM. In this case, significant decrease in arginase activity (~2.1-fold; p ≤ 0.005) was also observed in infected macrophages upon l-arginine deprivation (Figure 8A).
Figure 8. Effect of inhibition of l-arginine availability on regulation of arginase activity and nitric oxide production in macrophages infected with Leishmania donovani. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs and human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) (1 × 106 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with L. donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h (A,D). In a separate experiment, both THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs and hMDM (1 × 106 cells/ml) were left untreated or preincubated with 250 µM NEM for 10 min followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (B,E). In another experiment, both THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs and hMDM (1 × 106 cells/ml) were transfected with control siRNA, CAT-1, or CAT-2 siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (C,F). Arginase activity in MΦs was assessed spectrophotometrically by the method as described in Section “Materials and Methods.” The protein content was measured by BCA method, and the enzyme activity was expressed as mU/mg protein (A–C). Extracellular nitrite level was measured by Griess method using NaNO2 as standard (D–F). Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
Simultaneously, inhibition of l-arginine transport by NEM decreased arginase activity by ~2.4-fold and ~2.43-fold in infected THP-1macrophages and hMDM, respectively, when compared to untreated infected macrophages (Figure 8B).
Arginase activity was further measured in CAT-1 and CAT-2 knock down Leishmania-infected macrophages. Our results indicated that silencing of CAT-1 had no significant effect on arginase activity in both Leishmania-infected THP-1 and hMDM (Figure 8C). On the other hand, CAT-2 knock down led to significant decrease in arginase activity (~2.3-fold; p ≤ 0.005 in THP-1 and ~2.6-fold; p ≤ 0.005 in hMDM) in infected macrophages compared to control siRNA transfected Leishmania-infected macrophages (Figure 8C).
However, while measuring the NO level, no significant change in NO level was observed in case of Leishmania infection upon l-arginine deprivation (Figure 8D). Pretreatment of NEM also had no significant effect on NO level in Leishmania-infected macrophages (Figure 8E). NO level was further measured in CAT-1 and CAT-2 siRNA transfected Leishmania-infected macrophages and similar results were observed (Figure 8F). Therefore, our results confirmed that l-arginine availability and transport is critically involved in the regulation of arginase activity without altering NO production in Leishmania-infected macrophages.
Leishmania parasites and all other members of the trypanosomatid family depend on polyamines for growth and survival. As, l-arginine is the precursor molecule for synthesis of polyamines, trypanothiones, and tryparedoxin, the effect of l-arginine availability and transport on regulation of polyamine production for survival of Leishmania parasite inside macrophages was investigated. So, we cultured THP-1 macrophages in both l-arginine-depleted and l-arginine-supplemented RPMI media, infected with L. donovani and measured the putrescine and spermidine content. Putrescine level was found to be increased by ~3.0-fold and ~1.5-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to uninfected macrophages grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted media, respectively (Figure 9A). At the same time, spermidine level was increased by ~2.1-fold and ~1.6-fold (Figure 9B) upon l-arginine supplementation and l-arginine depletion condition, respectively, in infected macrophages. Simultaneously, when we compared the level of polyamines, we observed that putrescine (Figure 9A) and spermidine levels (Figure 9B) were significantly decreased (~2.8-fold, p ≤ 0.05 for putrescine and for spermidine ~1.8-fold; p ≤ 0.05) in l-arginine-depleted infected macrophages compared to l-arginine-supplemented macrophages.
Figure 9. Effect of inhibition of l-arginine availability on regulation of polyamine production in Leishmania donovani-infected macrophages. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with L. donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h (A,B). In a seperate experiment, THP-1 MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were either left untreated or preincubated with 250 µM NEM for 10 min followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (C,D). In another experiment, THP-1 MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were transfected with control siRNA, CAT-1 or CAT-2 siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (E,F). The polyamines (putrescine and spermidine) were extracted by TCA precipitation followed by dansyl chloride derivatization, separation by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography as described in “Materials and Methods.” Dansylated putrescine (A,C,E) and dansylated spermidine (B,D,F) were quantified by fluorescence spectrometry. Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
Polyamine level was further measured in Leishmania-infected macrophages pretreated with l-arginine transporter inhibitor. It was observed that NEM pretreatment decreased putrescine level by ~2.8-fold (Figure 9C) and spermidine level by ~1.9-fold (Figure 9D) in infected macrophages compared to untreated infected macrophages. Putrescine level was found to be increased by ~3.0-fold, ~3.1–fold, and ~1.5-fold (Figure 9E) while spermidine level by ~2.2-fold, ~2.0–fold, and ~1.6-fold (Figure 9F) in control siRNA transfected, CAT-1 siRNA transfected, and CAT-2 siRNA transfected infected macrophages, respectively, in comparison to uninfected macrophages. Simultaneously, it was observed that knock down of CAT-1 had no significant effect on macrophage putrescine and spermidine level. However, CAT-2 knock down decreased the putrescine level by ~2.7-fold (Figure 9E) and spermidine level by ~1.9-fold (Figure 9F) in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to control siRNA transfected infected macrophages. Therefore, our results showed clear decrease in the level of polyamines in infected macrophages in both l-arginine deprivation as well as during inhibition of l-arginine transport.
Arginase–iNOS expression critically regulates the outcome of infection. In this study, we wanted to explore the role of arginase and iNOS in the regulation of Leishmania infection. It was observed that arginase inhibition decreased the parasite load by ~3.8-fold, whereas, iNOS inhibition increased the parasite load by ~1.7-fold (Figure 10A). Similar observation was found in case of measurement of percent infectivity. Arginase inhibition led to a decreased percent infectivity by ~1.9-fold (Figure 10B).
Figure 10. Effect of regulation of arginase-inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) balance in Leishmania donovani survival inside macrophages. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs were either left untreated or preincubated with BEC (200 µM) or L-NIL (100 ng/ml) for 3 h followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (A,B,E,G,H). In another experiment, THP-1 MΦs were transfected with control siRNA, Arg-1, Arg-2, or iNOS siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (C,D,F,I,J). Intracellular parasites were visualized by staining the cells with Giemsa followed by optical microscopy at 100× oil immersion. The parasite load was measured by counting the number of intracellular amastigotes per 100 macrophages (A,C). The rate of infection was analyzed by counting the percent infected macrophages (B,D). Extracellular nitrite level was measured by Griess method using NaNO2 as standard (E,F). The polyamines (putrescine and spermidine) were extracted by TCA precipitation followed by dansyl chloride derivatization, separation by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography as described in “Materials and Methods.” Dansylated putrescine (G,I) and dansylated spermidine (H,J) were quantified by fluorescence spectrometry. Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
Parasite load and percent infectivity was further measured in Arg-1, Arg-2, and iNOS siRNA transfected and Leishmania-infected macrophages. It was observed that silencing of Arg-1 decreased the parasite load by ~3.3-fold (Figure 10C) and percent infectivity by ~1.9-fold (Figure 10D) in comparison to control siRNA transfected macrophages. On the other hand, silencing of Arg-2 decreased the parasite load by ~2.1-fold (Figure 10C) when compared to control siRNA transfected macrophages. However, in case of Arg-2 knock down percent infectivity was not significantly altered (Figure 10D). However, silencing of iNOS increased the parasite load by ~1.9-fold (Figure 10C). Therefore, our results indicated that arginase expression is critically involved in promoting parasite survival inside macrophages.
Simultaneously, inhibition of arginase activity by BEC also resulted in ~1.8-fold increased NO level in infected macrophages (Figure 10E). Silencing of macrophage Arg-1 and Arg-2 also increased the NO level in Leishmania-infected macrophages by ~1.8-fold and ~1.3–fold, respectively (Figure 10F).
Further, polyamines were also measured in Leishmania-infected macrophages pretreated with inhibitor of arginase and iNOS. It was observed that BEC pretreatment decreased the putrescine level by ~2.7-fold (Figure 10G) and spermidine level by ~1.9-fold (Figure 10H) in infected macrophages when compared to untreated infected macrophages. However, pretreatment of L-NIL increased the putrescine level by ~1.8-fold (Figure 10G) and spermidine level by ~1.6-fold (Figure 10H) in infected macrophages when compared to untreated infected macrophages. Polyamine level was also measured in Arg-1, Arg-2, and iNOS downregulated Leishmania-infected macrophages. Putrescine level was found to be decreased by ~3.7-fold and ~2.0-fold (Figure 10I) and spermidine level by ~1.8-fold and ~1.3-fold (Figure 10J), respectively, in Arg-1 and Arg-2 siRNA transfected Leishmania-infected macrophages. However, iNOS knock down increased the putrescine level by ~1.9-fold (Figure 10I) and spermidine level by ~2.2-fold (Figure 10J) in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to control siRNA transfected infected macrophages. These findings possibly suggest that arginase and iNOS expression are reciprocally regulated in case of Leishmania infection and the balance between these two enzymes regulate production of NO and polyamines and thereby determines the fate of Leishmania survival inside macrophages.
The involvement of l-arginine transport in regulation of Th1/Th2 balance in Leishmania infection was assessed by measuring cytokines at the transcript level by semi-quantitive RT-PCR as well as quantitive real-time PCR and released level by sandwich ELISA. The expression of Th2 cytokine, IL-10 was increased by ~3.2-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages when compared to uninfected macrophages in l-arginine-supplemented media (Figure 11A). Simultaneously, IL-10 expression in infected macrophages was found to be reduced significantly in l-arginine deprived condition when compared to l-arginine-supplemented condition (Figures 11A,B). However, l-arginine deprivation had no significant effect on Th1 cytokine production in infected macrophages (Figures 11A,B). Cytokine expressions were further measured in Leishmania-infected macrophages in presence or absence of NEM. IL-10 level was found to be decreased by ~4.6-fold in NEM pretreated infected macrophages when compared to untreated infected macrophages (Figure 11C). However, pretreatment of macrophage with NEM had no significant effect on IL-12 and TNF-α level in infected macrophages (Figures 11C,D). The expression of cytokines was further checked in CAT-1 and CAT-2 siRNA transfected Leishmania-infected macrophages. Silencing of CAT-1 decreased the IL-10 level by ~1.9-fold in infected macrophages. However, CAT-2 knock down decreased the IL-10 expression by ~2.8-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages when compared to control siRNA transfected macrophages (Figure 11E). Moreover, CAT-2 knock down decreased the IL-12 level by ~1.3-fold and had no significant effect on expression of TNF-α in infected macrophages (Figure 11E). Our real-time PCR data further validate the results of semi-quantitive RT-PCR (Figure 11F).
Figure 11. l-Arginine availability and transport regulate expression of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in infected macrophages. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with Leishmania donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h (A,B). In a separate experiment, THP-1 MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were either left untreated or preincubated with 250 µM NEM for 10 min followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (C,D). In another experiment, THP-1 MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were transfected with control siRNA, CAT-1, or CAT-2 siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (E,F). The expression of IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α were determined at the transcript level by semi-quantitative RT-PCR (A,C,E) and quantitative real-time PCR (B,D,F). The intensity of the bands was quantified by densitometry in Quantity one software. Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Semi-QRT PCR gel images are representative of three experiments. Densitometric plots are shown below the gel images. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
To further validate our semi-quantitative data, we measured the concentration of cytokines at the released level by sandwich ELISA. Th2 cytokine, IL-10 level was increased by ~2.1-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages when compared to uninfected macrophages in normal condition (Figure 12A). However, when Th2 cytokine released by Leishmania-infected macrophages in l-arginine deprivation and l-arginine supplementation condition was compared, significant decrease in IL-10 level (~1.9-fold; p ≤ 0.005) was observed in case of l-arginine deprivation. Moreover, l-arginine deprivation had no significant effect on Th1 cytokine production in infected macrophages (Figure 12A). Cytokines were further measured in Leishmania-infected macrophages in presence or absence of NEM. It was observed that IL-10 level was decreased by ~1.9-fold in NEM pretreated infected macrophages compared to untreated infected macrophages (Figure 12B). However, pretreatment of macrophages with NEM had no significant effect on IL-12 and TNF-α level in infected macrophages.
Figure 12. l-Arginine availability and transport regulate release of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in Leishmania-infected macrophages. THP-1 monocyte-derived MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were grown in l-arginine-supplemented and l-arginine-depleted RPMI medium followed by infection with Leishmania donovani (multiplicity of infection 1:10) for 48 h (A). In a separate experiment, THP-1 MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were either left untreated or preincubated with 250 µM NEM for 10 min followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (B). In another experiment, THP-1 MΦs (1 × 106 cells/ml) were transfected with control siRNA, CAT-1, or CAT-2 siRNA followed by infection with L. donovani for 48 h (C). Level of IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α in the macrophage culture supernatants were quantified by sandwich ELISA (A–C). Each experiment was repeated three times. Each determination was made in triplicate and the values were expressed as mean ± SD for three independent experiments. Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparison test was used to evaluate statistical significance for comparing three or more groups; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; ns, non-significant.
The level of cytokines in CAT-1 and CAT-2 siRNA transfected Leishmania-infected macrophages was also measured. It was observed that silencing of CAT-1 had no significant effect on cytokine release in infected macrophages. CAT-2 silencing decreased the IL-10 level by ~2.0-fold in Leishmania-infected macrophages compared to control siRNA transfected macrophages (Figure 12C). However, CAT-2 knock down had no significant effect on release of IL-10 and TNF-α in infected macrophages (Figure 12C). These findings clearly indicate that Leishmania infection is characterized by significant increased level of IL-10 cytokine. Inhibition of l-arginine transport decreased IL-10 level resulting in decreased parasite survival inside macrophages.
Arginine is one of the metabolic and signaling molecule required for protein synthesis by macrophages and their growth (54). Macrophages require exogenous arginine to meet their metabolic demands and it is also the key amino acid which signals M1 and M2 activation (55, 56). It is documented that when Leishmania enters inside the macrophage, instead of being classically activated, macrophage becomes alternatively activated and this ultimately promotes Leishmania survival inside macrophages. Simultaneously, inside the phagolysosome, the parasite has to face relatively carbohydrate sparse environment and, therefore, possibly uptakes fatty acids and amino acids as alternate energy sources for their survival and other activities (57–59). In our previous report, we have shown that l-arginine is crucial for the survival of L. donovani promastigotes in vitro (43). However, the role of l-arginine in the intra-macrophage survival of L. donovani is yet not properly elucidated. In the present study, we have investigated how L. donovani utilizes host l-arginine metabolic pathway and survives inside macrophages. Our results showed that the parasite load and percent infectivity was significantly reduced upon removal of l-arginine from the culture medium indicating the importance of l-arginine for the survival of L. donovani inside macrophages. Similar observations were reported by Sans-Fons et al. who demonstrated that the availability of l-arginine critically regulates macrophage activation and thereby promoting susceptibility to L. major infection (60).
Previously, Darlyuk et al. reported that starvation resulted in increase in l-arginine uptake in Leishmania promastigotes after amino acid depletion, along with concomitant increase of LdAAP3 at both mRNA and protein levels (61). In our previous study, we also observed that l-arginine deprivation led to its increased uptake in Leishmania promastigotes (43). Therefore, although the role of Leishmania l-arginine transporters for their survival was reported earlier (61), there are few reports regarding the involvement of macrophage l-arginine transporters for intracellular survival of Leishmania. Wanasen et al. previously reported the involvement of mouse cationic amino acid transporter 2B (mCAT-2B) in case of L. braziliensis infection (62). Later, Sans-Fons et al. also reported that the growth enhancement of L. major amastigotes inside macrophages was associated with CAT-2-mediated l-arginine transport (60). In this study, we also observed that the expression of CAT-2 is specifically increased in case of L. donovani infection. CAT-2 level was found to be further increased upon l-arginine deprivation during Leishmania infection. Therefore, we hypothesized that upon sensing low l-arginine availability, L. donovani modulates the expression of macrophage l-arginine transporters particularly CAT-2 and increases the uptake of l-arginine for its survival and growth. However, as we observed that even in case of knock down of CAT-2, macrophage l-arginine transport is not decreased in normal condition, it is evident that l-arginine is transported by CAT-1 transporter in normal resting condition. Simultaneously, from the parasite load and percent infectivity data in case of CAT-1 and CAT-2 downregulation, we observed that CAT-2 downregulation had more pronounced effect than CAT-1 in decreasing parasite survival inside macrophages. Therefore, we hypothesize that when the amount of l-arginine required by Leishmania for intra-macrophage survival is not sufficient by CAT-1 mediated transport, then the parasite upregulates host CAT-2 expression, and utilizes CAT-2 mediated l-arginine supply. Further, we observed that when l-arginine transporters were blocked either by inhibitor or siRNA treatment, L. donovani survival was greatly reduced indicating the importance of l-arginine transport for their survival inside macrophages. Therefore, our results are in agreement with the study of Wanasen et al (62).
Previous studies have demonstrated that pathogens take up extracellular l-arginine and compete with iNOS for l-arginine substrate to evade host defense (63). In this study, we observed that deprivation of l-arginine did not impair the upregulation of macrophage iNOS and arginase in normal condition. Similar results were reported in peritoneal exudate MΦ by Choi et al., where they have shown that MΦ activation and biological functions are not altered by the lack of l-arginine (64). However, our results are in contrary to the findings of El-Gayar et al. who showed that the presence of arginine is requisite for adequate translation of iNOS (65). In this study, we observed that host arginase is induced upon Leishmania infection and its expression is regulated by l-arginine availability in extracellular milieu and upon expression of CAT-2. Our study is the first to report that l-arginine transport is a critical factor for L. donovani infection ex vivo and this transport differentially regulate the expression of arginase in infected macrophages. However, as we observed that even in case of knock down of CAT-1, the expression of Arg-1 was decreased at the transcript level, we assume that CAT-1 mediated l-arginine transport might also have a role in regulation of arginase activity in L. donovani-infected macrophages. Our observation indicates that induction of host arginase is important for the survival of L. donovani parasite inside macrophages. In contrary to our observation, Wanasen et al. described that the l-arginine dependent intra-macrophage L. amazonensis survival was independent of arginase–iNOS activities (62). However, our findings is correlated with the studies by Boitz et al. who have recently shown that leishmanial arginase is not essential for proliferation of intracellular amastigotes, indicating that the parasites utilize host arginase pathway for their survival inside macrophages (34).
The conversion of l-arginine to l-ornithine and urea and its participation in polyamine production has been reported to stimulate growth of many pathogens, including Leishmania spp. (18, 26)., Trypanosoma spp. (20)., Helicobacter pylori (66) and Mycobacterium bovis (67). Several organisms, including Leishmania spp., can both synthesize polyamines de novo and salvage them by transport across their plasma membranes. In the present study, we observed that polyamine production was greatly diminished due to l-arginine deprivation or blockade of l-arginine transport ultimately resulting in decreased parasite survival inside macrophages.
The metabolism of arginine by iNOS or arginase 1 produces radically different biological products (68). It is reported that iNOS generates NO in large quantities and under physiological conditions plays an important role in killing parasites (69) whereas arginase 1 in turn regulates NO through depletion of arginine availability (68). In the present study, we wanted to understand how the expressions of iNOS and/or arginase are regulated in macrophages after L. donovani infection. We observed that iNOS and arginase are reciprocally regulated. If arginase is inhibited, iNOS expression is increased resulting in increased production of NO. In contrast, if iNOS is inhibited, arginase activity got increased favoring Leishmania survival inside macrophages. Elevated arginase activity has also been documented by multiple investigators in animal models of cancer (70, 71) and recently in human (72, 73). Thus, it is possible that increased arginase 1 expression may downregulate the production of NO as it limits arginine accessibility for iNOS. The present study for the first time revealed that l-arginine transport is a crucial factor for L. donovani infection ex vivo and that this transport system could moderately explain the differential expression of arginase and iNOS in infected macrophages. Our experiments point to a link between reduced l-arginine transport and decreased L. donovani growth. The data presented here provide a new explanation for the intracellular parasite replication in L. donovani infections.
The catabolism of l-arginine by macrophages plays a crucial role in regulation of the immune response, in several parasitic diseases including L. major infection (74). It is reported that to evade immune responses, some pathogens induce arginase expression in the host (75, 76) and that high level of arginase production blocks the immune response by local depletion of l-arginine (77). In this study, we investigated the involvement of l-arginine transport in regulation of Th1/Th2 balance in L. donovani infection. Our findings clearly indicated that Leishmania infection is associated with increase in IL-10 level and inhibition of l-arginine transport significantly decreased IL-10 level resulting in decreased parasite survival inside macrophages. Our findings are in agreement with the studies of Hesse et al. (56). Therefore, we propose that the IL-10 released by the macrophages in case of l-arginine availability in extracellular milieu induce the host arginase pathway leading to polyamine production and thereby promoting L. donovani survival inside macrophages.
In conclusion, our results decipher that l-arginine availability and transport plays a crucial regulatory role for survival of L. donovani parasite inside macrophages. L. donovani upregulates host l-arginine transport and controls l-arginine metabolism resulting in increased production of polyamines and skewed immune response for their survival inside macrophages (Figure 13). Our study is the first report describing the importance of CAT-2 mediated l-arginine transport for survival of L. donovani inside macrophages. The findings presented here further increase our knowledge about the pathways by which l-arginine deprivation regulates host immune response and promotes Leishmania survival inside macrophages. Therefore, targeting the metabolism of l-arginine and the macrophage cells expressing l-arginine-metabolizing enzymes is likely to constitute an important therapeutic and prophylactic approach to treat VL.
Figure 13. Schematic representation demonstrating the role of l-arginine availability and transport in the modulation of host immune response and Leishmania survival inside macrophages. The model illustrates that the fate of Leishmania parasites inside macrophages depend on the availability of extracellular l-arginine and activation status of macrophages. If l-arginine is available, it is taken up from the external medium by cationic amino acid transporters (CAT-2) and metabolized by arginase and other polyamine biosynthetic and thiol metabolic pathway enzymes, such as ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), spermidine synthase (SpdS), spermine synthase (Sps) to produce l-ornithine, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. Leishmania acquires either arginine or polyamines by the transporters present on the membrane of the parasitophorous vacuole which promotes amastigote proliferation and cell growth. Simultaneously, l-arginine can also be utilized by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to produce nitric oxide (NO) that would kill Leishmania parasites. Leishmania infection modulate the host to downregulate this pathway for their survival.
This study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of Institutional Human Ethical Committee of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (Patna, India) with written informed consent from all subjects. All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was approved by the Institutional Human Ethical Committee of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (Patna, India).
Conceived and designed the experiments: AM, SD, and PD. Performed the experiments: AM, AjayK, SR, SV, AG, SS, RS, and KA. Analyzed the data: AM, SD, AG, CM, and PD. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SR, AS, BP, AshishK, CM, and PD. Wrote the paper: AM, SD, and PD.
This work was supported by an intramural grant (INT-76-BAS) from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The funders have no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. AM was supported by Senior Research Fellowship from ICMR, Government of India. The authors are grateful to Dr. Sujoy Das Gupta, Professor, Deptartment of Microbiology and Swaroop Biswas, Bose Institute, Kolkata for providing HPLC facility. The authors are thankful to Mrs. Joyshree Karmakar, UGC-JRF for her support in transport experiments. The authors are also thankful to Subhash Kumar for providing technical assistance for this study.
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00839/full#supplementary-material.
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Copyright: © 2017 Mandal, Das, Kumar, Roy, Verma, Ghosh, Singh, Abhishek, Saini, Sardar, Purkait, Kumar, Mandal and Das. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. | 2019-04-25T17:53:10Z | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00839/full |
This statement was originally published as: Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer. NIH Consens Statement 1990 Jun 18-21;8(6)1-19.
For making bibliographic reference to the statement in the electronic form displayed here, it is recommended that the following format be used: Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer. NIH Consens Statement Online 1990 Jun 18-21 [cited year month day];8(6)1-19.
The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer brought together surgical, radiation, and medical oncologists, biostatisticians, psychologists, nurses, and other health care professionals as well as the public to address: the roles of mastectomy versus breast conservation, the role of adjuvant therapy, and the use of prognostic indicators in the treatment and management of early-stage breast cancer. Following 2 days of presentations by experts and discussion by the audience, a consensus panel weighed the evidence and prepared their consensus statement.
Among their findings, the panel recommended that (1) breast conservation treatment is an appropriate method of primary therapy for the majority of women with Stage I and II breast cancer and is preferable because it provides survival equivalent to total mastectomy and axillary dissection while preserving the breast; (2) the majority of patients with node negative breast cancer are cured by surgery or by surgery and radiation without further therapy; (3) there is clear evidence that the rate of local and distant recurrence is decreased by both adjuvant combination cytotoxic chemotherapy and by adjuvant tamoxifen; (4) the decision to use adjuvant treatment should follow a thorough discussion with the patient regarding the possible risks and toxicities of therapy and its impact on quality of life; and (5) patients with tumors less than or equal to 1 centimeter have an excellent prognosis and do not require adjuvant therapy outside the clinical trials.
Carcinoma of the breast is the most common malignancy in women in the United States. As a cause of cancer death in women, breast cancer is exceeded only by lung cancer. The incidence of breast cancer has been rising steadily over the past decade. In the 1990's, more than 1.5 million women will be newly diagnosed with this disease; nearly 30 percent of these women will ultimately die from breast cancer. The increased number of reported cases may be partially attributable to their detection following more widespread use of screening mammography. Most of the increase has been in patients with smaller primary breast tumors. In 1982, approximately 12,000 women were diagnosed with tumors less than 2 centimeters in diameter and negative axillary lymph nodes. That number had risen to 32,000 by 1986. For those patients with axillary node positive breast cancer, there has been a less dramatic increase in tumors less than 2 centimeters (3,000 in 1982 to 7,000 in 1986) while there has been a decrease in the number presenting with tumors larger than 5 centimeters. Of the 150,000 new patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 1990, 75 to 80 percent will have clinical Stage I or II disease, and approximately two-thirds of these will have no involvement of the axillary lymph nodes.
Traditional concepts through most of the 20th century held that breast cancer was a local/regional disease best managed by radical mastectomy. Over the past 20 years, there have been several clinical trials worldwide that have compared less extensive breast resections with standard radical mastectomy. These have included comparisons of total mastectomy (with and without radiation therapy and axillary lymph node dissection) with radical mastectomy. Subsequent studies have compared different approaches to breast conservation surgery with total mastectomy. At present, breast conservation therapy is used in a minority of patients. The appropriate use of breast conservation involves a variety of clinical, biological, and psychosocial factors that merit public debate.
Adjuvant therapy has become the standard of care for the majority of breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node involvement. More recently, several randomized trials from North America and Europe have shown an improvement in disease-free survival for node negative breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant therapy.
Absence of metastasis to the axillary lymph nodes has traditionally been considered a favorable biologic condition for patients with invasive breast cancer. However, all patients with node negative breast cancer are at risk for disease recurrence. Intensive efforts to define an individual patient's risk of recurrence have produced a plethora of potential prognostic factors, from patient characteristics to histologic, biochemical, and molecular characteristics of the tumor. The importance of these various prognostic factors has been the subject of controversy.
To evaluate the developing results of breast conservation, adjuvant therapy of node negative breast cancer, and clinical prognostic factors, the National Cancer Institute and the Office of Medical Applications of Research of the National Institutes of Health convened a Consensus Development Conference on the Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer on June 18-21, 1990.
What are the roles of mastectomy versus breast conservation in the treatment of early stage breast cancer?
What are the optimal techniques for breast conservation?
What is the role of adjuvant therapy for patients with node negative breast cancer?
How should prognostic factors be used in the management of node negative breast cancer?
What Are the Roles of Mastectomy Versus Breast Conservation in the Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer?
Breast conservation treatment is an appropriate method of primary therapy for the majority of women with Stage I and II breast cancer and is preferable because it provides survival equivalent to total mastectomy and axillary dissection while preserving the breast.
In general, primary therapy for Stage I and II breast cancer consists of breast conservation treatment or total mastectomy. Breast conservation treatment is defined as excision of the primary tumor and adjacent breast tissue*, followed by radiation therapy. Total mastectomy is an appropriate primary therapy when breast conservation treatment is not indicated or selected. Both surgical therapies are accompanied by axillary dissection, which provides important prognostic information.
* This procedure is also referred to as lumpectomy, segmental mastectomy, or partial mastectomy.
Prospective randomized trials comparing breast conservation treatment with total mastectomy with maximum followup of 17 years have demonstrated equivalent results as measured by overall patient survival. Important considerations in the choice of therapy for women with Stage I and II breast cancer include clinical criteria, factors that influence local/regional tumor control, cosmetic results, psychosocial issues, and patient preferences for treatment method.
Women with multicentric breast malignancies, including those with gross multifocal disease or diffuse microcalcifications detected by mammography.
Patients for whom breast conservation treatment would produce an unacceptable cosmetic result. Examples include women whose tumors are large relative to breast size and those with certain collagen vascular diseases.
Certain pathologic and clinical factors may influence treatment selection because of their potentially adverse impact on local recurrence after breast conservation treatment. Controversy exists about these factors, examples of which include the presence of extensive intraductal carcinoma within and adjacent to the primary tumor, extensive lymphatic involvement, and young age (under 35-39 years). Prospective studies comparing primary therapies have included women whose primary tumors were usually less than or equal to 4 centimeters in diameter.
Local control is a major goal of breast conservation treatment. The incidence of local recurrence is low in appropriately selected patients receiving optimal breast conservation treatment. Results of randomized trials have suggested that the use of adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy further reduces the rate of local recurrence after breast conservation treatment.
A goal of primary breast cancer treatment is to produce the best cosmetic result consistent with achievement of local/regional control. In clinical trials, the majority of patients achieve good to excellent cosmetic results after breast conservation treatment. Optimal long-term results require integration of careful surgical excision and precise radiotherapy techniques. When mastectomy is indicated or selected, breast reconstruction should be considered to improve the cosmetic result.
Women should be educated about treatment choices and clinical trial options in order to make an informed decision in consultation with their physicians. A variety of factors have a major influence on a woman's choice of primary therapy. These include logistic and emotional considerations, personal financial issues, and proximity and access to appropriate medical care. A woman's body image and her beliefs and concerns may determine her preference for breast conservation treatment or mastectomy.
The objective of breast conservation is to obtain a high probability of local control, with survival at least equivalent to that obtained with total mastectomy and axillary dissection, combined with maximal cosmetic results and maintenance of normal function. The most widely used treatment that achieves these goals is the combination of local surgical excision, axillary dissection, and postoperative radiation therapy. Although this treatment approach produces survival equivalent to mastectomy, with a high likelihood of good cosmesis and function, further studies are required to refine certain treatment details. The following recommendations define the treatment details deemed optimal based on the available data.
The diagnosis should be established by fine needle aspiration cytology, limited incisional biopsy (particularly for larger lesions), or definitive wide local excision.
The type and placement of incisions can influence greatly the quality of cosmesis. Arcuate incisions with thick flaps, centered over the lesion, are superior to radial incisions, particularly for upper quadrant lesions. Routine excision of overlying skin is unnecessary except for very superficial lesions. Careful hemostasis is essential and drains are rarely necessary. In most instances, suture reapproximation of mammary tissue should be avoided.
It is appropriate to excise the primary lesion with a normal tissue margin of approximately 1 centimeter. The intent of this recommendation is to achieve a surgical margin that is grossly and microscopically uninvolved with tumor. To obtain adequate pathological evaluation, it is necessary to mark the specimen for proper orientation and to ink the resection margins. When margins are grossly involved with tumor, further resection is indicated. Available data are inadequate to determine whether focal microscopic involvement of a margin increases the risk of local failure after optimal radiation therapy. Because cosmetic result is related to the amount of tissue excised, unnecessarily wide margins (> 2 cm) should be avoided.
Because nodal status is the most important available prognostic factor, a Level I-II axillary dissection should be routine both for staging and for prevention of axillary recurrence. Separate incisions should usually be employed for the primary tumor excision and the axillary dissection to enhance functional and cosmetic results.
Megavoltage radiation therapy to the whole breast to a dose of 4,500 to 5,000 cGy (180 to 200 cGy per fraction) should be routinely used. Boost irradiation has been used in the majority of trials to date. However, the precise indications are not well defined. In the reported trials, the patients with focal microscopic involvement of margins have been treated with boost irradiation or mastectomy. There are no current data to support lesser treatment for these patients. Treatment planning should be done to minimize radiation exposure to lung and heart and to achieve uniform dosage to the treatment volume. Boost irradiation should be delivered by electron beam or implantation to doses of 1,000 to 1,500 cGy. Higher doses produce a greater incidence of cosmetic impairment.
If a Level I-II axillary dissection has been performed, axillary nodal irradiation is not routinely indicated.
No data indicate any increased risk of secondary malignancies or contralateral breast cancers resulting from breast irradiation. Longer followup of this population is necessary to resolve this issue fully.
Although local control can be obtained in some patients with local excision alone, no subgroups have been identified in which radiation therapy can be avoided.
In patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, no precise recommendations regarding the sequence and timing of radiation therapy and chemotherapy can be made.
A small percentage of patients will develop a local recurrence following breast conservation therapy. Total mastectomy is effective salvage therapy for a substantial percentage of these patients. This is in contrast to the poor prognosis associated with local chest wall recurrence following mastectomy. Hence, in patients treated with breast conservation, long-term careful breast monitoring with physical examination and mammography is essential for early detection and treatment of local recurrence.
The majority of patients with node negative breast cancer are cured by breast-conserving treatment or total mastectomy and axillary dissection.
There is clear evidence that the rate of local and distant recurrence is decreased by both adjuvant combination cytotoxic chemotherapy and by adjuvant tamoxifen.
Data from the 10 randomized trials reviewed show that adjuvant systemic therapy reduces the rate of recurrence by approximately one-third, with a broad range. For example, among a group of women with a 30 percent risk of recurrence adjuvant therapy would decrease that risk to about 20 percent. The role of these treatments in improving overall survival and other important parameters such as quality of life is still being defined.
The completed studies are not large enough, nor is the followup long enough, to estimate with acceptable precision the interactions between menopausal status or steroid receptor positivity and the effects of adjuvant therapy in node negative patients. Although all patient subsets experience lower rates of recurrence, relatively few patients with estrogen receptor-negative tumors have been included in tamoxifen studies. At the present time, reduced mortality is seen in nearly all trials but is not statistically significant in most. However, the rate of death in node negative patients is low, so a clinically important reduction in mortality may require a long followup to achieve statistical significance. For chemotherapy, more benefit is seen in trials in which antimetabolites (methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil) are administered intravenously than in trials in which they are given orally. For tamoxifen, studies using the drug for more than 2 years (usually 5 years) seem to result in greater reductions in the rate of recurrence than studies using shorter courses.
In prospective studies in node negative patients, tamoxifen reduces the clinical incidence of contralateral primary breast cancer. The overall benefits from tamoxifen in postmenopausal patients clearly outweigh any toxicities currently described. In premenopausal patients, the administration of tamoxifen may cause endocrine abnormalities with uncertain long-term consequences. Although there does not appear to be an excess number of cases of endometrial carcinoma in tamoxifen-treated premenopausal patients, the followup durations are too short to predict confidently whether or not this will occur. The influence of tamoxifen on the developing fetus is unknown. There are no data now available concerning the effects of combination chemotherapy plus tamoxifen in node negative patients. Trials addressing this issue are under way.
The many unanswered questions in the adjuvant systemic treatment of node negative breast cancer make it imperative that all patients who are candidates for clinical trials be offered the opportunity to participate.
The following recommendations apply only to patients who are not candidates for such trials or who refuse participation.
All node negative patients should be made aware of the benefits and risks of adjuvant systemic therapy. The decision to use adjuvant treatment should follow a thorough discussion with the patient regarding the likely risk of recurrence without adjuvant therapy, the expected reduction in risk with adjuvant therapy, toxicities of therapy and its impact on quality of life. Some degrees of improvement may be so small that they are outweighed by the disadvantages of therapy.
Adjuvant therapy should consist of either combination chemotherapy or tamoxifen (20 mg/day for at least 2 years).
No completed studies have directly compared tamoxifen with chemotherapy (with or without tamoxifen) in node negative patients. Tamoxifen has less acute toxicity than chemotherapy, but no statement is possible regarding chronic toxicity or comparative efficacy. The results of current and future trials concerning the safety of tamoxifen in premenopausal patients must be followed carefully.
Prognostic factors should be used to provide an estimate of risk of recurrence in women with early-stage breast cancer. Although no individual patient can be assured that she has no risk of recurrence, the majority of women will be cured with local/regional therapy.
It has significant and independent predictive value that has been validated by clinical testing.
Its determination must be feasible, reproducible, and widely available, with quality control.
There is a strong correlation between tumor size and risk of recurrence. Even within the T1 category, there is variation in risk. Tumors less than or equal to 1 centimeter have a particularly good prognosis (e.g., < 10 percent recurrence at 10 years) relative to tumors 1.1 to 2 centimeters in diameter. In general, the risk of recurrence increases with increasing tumor size. The pathologist should perform a careful gross examination with documentation of tumor size.
Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor Status.
Patients with receptor-positive tumors have a better prognosis than those with receptor-negative tumors. However, the difference in recurrence rates at 5 years is only 8 to 10 percent.
This is a well-documented factor. When determined by experienced pathologists, it discriminates favorable and unfavorable prognostic groups. High nuclear grade is associated with a higher rate of recurrence. Nuclear grade is not currently part of the routine pathologic review of breast cancer specimens. The pathology community should adopt a uniform grading system and routinely use this discriminant.
Several well-characterized histologic subtypes impart a favorable prognosis, although they are a distinct minority of all breast cancer cases. These subtypes include tubular, colloid (mucinous), and papillary types.
Measurements of cellular proliferation in breast cancer specimens using a variety of techniques have shown a strong correlation with outcome. DNA flow cytometry has become widely available for the determination of S-phase fraction as well as ploidy status. S-phase fraction does correlate with prognosis, but ploidy status alone is not of clear prognostic value. Up to 25 percent of specimens are not evaluable by flow cytometry because of methodologic problems. Because of the complexity of the technology, quality control is especially critical. Although S-phase fraction has been shown to be an independent prognostic factor in some studies, its clinical value is being defined.
High levels of the protease cathepsin D are associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Data for HER-2/neu, epidermal growth factor receptor, and stress-response (heat shock) proteins are of interest, but further investigation is required before reaching any conclusions about their clinical value.
Currently available prognostic factors are associated with a broad range of risk of recurrence in node negative breast cancer patients. There are extremes of high and low risk where it is possible to make recommendations about adjuvant systemic therapy. For example, outside of clinical trials, it is reasonable not to treat patients with tumors less than or equal to 1 cm in diameter because their chance of recurrence is less than 10 percent at 10 years. With increasing tumor diameter, other prognostic factors should be weighed in the decision to use adjuvant treatment. A major goal is the development of risk profile systems with sufficient accuracy and reproducibility to estimate prognosis in the individual patient.
reassessing the predictive value of the tumor categories in the American Joint Committee on Cancer Tumor/Node/Metastasis staging system.
standardizing a nuclear grading system.
exploring relationships between individual prognostic factors and resistance to systemic therapy.
developing and using new and existing tissue and clinical data banks for the study of prognostic factors.
may be treated with surgical excision without irradiation.
do not require axillary node dissection.
do not require systemic therapy.
investigation of dose intensity, timing, and duration.
evaluation of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy combinations.
evaluation of preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy.
safety of prolonged use in premenopausal patients.
efficacy in patients with steroid receptor negative tumors.
comparison and combination with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists.
To assess quality-of-life parameters in future clinical trials.
To determine the optimal margin for local primary excision in the presence and absence of extensive intraductal cancer.
To determine whether boost irradiation is required in patients with pathologically negative margins and whether boost irradiation produces a high probability of local control in patients with microscopic involvement of margins.
To determine the optimal sequence and timing for radiation therapy and systemic adjuvant therapy.
local excision of primary tumor with clear margins.
Level I-II axillary node dissection.
breast irradiation to 4,500-5,000 cGy with or without a boost.
The majority of patients with node negative breast cancer are cured by breast conservation treatment or total mastectomy and axillary dissection.
The rate of local and distant recurrence following local therapy for node negative breast cancer is decreased by both adjuvant combination cytotoxic chemotherapy and by adjuvant tamoxifen. The decision to use adjuvant treatment should follow a thorough discussion with the patient regarding the likely risk of recurrence without adjuvant therapy, the expected reduction in risk with adjuvant therapy, toxicities of therapy, and its impact on quality of life.
While all node negative patients have some risk for recurrence, patients with tumors less than or equal to 1 centimeter have an excellent prognosis and do not require adjuvant systemic therapy outside of clinical trials.
Mary B. Daly, M.D., Ph.D.
"Adjuvant Tamoxifen: Results From the NATO and CRC Trials"
"A Danish Randomized Trial Comparing Breast Conservation With Mastectomy in Mammary Carcinoma"
"Milan Adjuvant Chemotherapy Trial for Node Negative Breast Cancer Patients"
"Perspective of the Breast Cancer Patient: Implications for Biomedical Research"
"Future Issues in Adjuvant Therapy for Patients With Node Negative Breast Cancer"
"DNA Flow Cytometry Measurements Have Significant Prognostic Impact in the Node Negative Breast Cancer Patient: An Intergroup Study (INT 0076)"
"Breast Conservation Trials of the NSABP"
"NSABP B-13: Methotrexate + 5-FU in Women With Estrogen Receptor-Negative, Node Negative Breast Cancer"
"NSABP B-14: Tamoxifen Versus Placebo in Women With Estrogen Receptor-Positive, Node Negative Breast Cancer"
"Prognostic Factors in NSABP Studies of Women With Node Negative Breast Cancer"
"Radiotherapeutic Considerations in the Treatment of Primary Breast Cancer"
"Reporting and Interpreting Adjuvant Clinical Trials"
"Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Adjuvant Therapies"
"Pathology Search for Prognostic Factors in the Intergroup 0011 Trial Population: An Ongoing Effort"
"Results of the NCI Early Breast Cancer Trial"
"International Breast Cancer Study Group Trial of Perioperative Chemotherapy"
Adrian L. Harris, F.R.C.P., D. Phil.
"Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Other Oncogenes"
"Recurrence in the Breast Following Conservative Surgery and Radiotherapy"
"A Decision Analytic Model of Adjuvant Therapy for Node Negative Breast Cancer Women"
"Swiss Adjuvant Trials in Women With Node Negative Breast Cancer: 14-Year Results"
"A Prospective Study Comparing Functional Outcome of the Upper Extremity in Women With Primary Breast Cancer Receiving Modified Radical Mastectomy or Excisional Biopsy and Radiation Therapy"
"Surgical Considerations in Selecting Among the Local Therapy Options"
"The Relative Value of Tumor Size, Hormone Receptors, Flow Cytometry, HER-2/Neu Oncogene, Cathepsin D, and Stress Response Proteins in Predicting Patient Outcome in Axillary Node Negative Breast Cancer"
J. Michael Morrison, M.B., F.R.C.S.
"The West Midlands Oncology Association Trial of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Patients With Node Negative Breast Cancer"
Henning T. Mouridsen, M.D., Ph.D.
"Classical Prognostic Factors in Node Negative Patients (The DBCG Experience)"
"Survival and Prognostic Factors in Node Negative Breast Cancer: Results of Long-Term Followup Studies"
"Psychosocial Factors Affecting Treatment Recommendations for Primary Breast Cancer"
Helen J. Stewart, M.B., Ch.B., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.R.
"The Scottish Adjuvant Tamoxifen Trials"
Ian F. Tannock, M.D., Ph.D.
"Use of a Physician-Directed Questionnaire To Define a Consensus About Management of Breast Cancer: Implications for Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Treatment"
Douglass C. Tormey, M.D., Ph.D.
"INT-0011: CMFP Versus Observation in High-Risk Node Negative Breast Cancer Patients"
Johannes Adriaan van Dongen, M.D., Ph.D.
"Randomized Clinical Trial To Assess the Value of Breast Conserving Therapy in Stage I and Stage II Breast Cancer; EORTC Trial 10801"
"Breast Conservation Trials of the NCI-Milan"
James A. Bryan II, M.D., M.P.H.
Since the NIH Consensus Statement on Treatment of Early Stage Breast Cancer was issued, additional information has become available that supplements the original statement.
Breast conservation has gained in popularity since 1990 and studies indicate that breast conservation is currently performed in 30-50% of patients with breast cancer nationwide(1). These numbers vary according to the geographic area of the country and according to the type of health care system in which patients are being treated (2,3).
Although more information is needed regarding the timing of radiation and adjuvant chemotherapy, several randomized studies have shown that radiation can be safely delayed for several months while chemotherapy is administered without any decrease in survival(4,5,6).
Several new studies have been completed since the consensus conference was held. These studies indicate that tamoxifen does result in a survival benefit for women with node-negative, hormone receptor positive breast cancer, regardless of age (7,8,9). Five years appears to be the optimal treatment duration for tamoxifen as shorter durations have proven less effective. Treatment beyond five years in women with node-negative breast cancer does not appear to result in additional benefit, and may even be harmful. Further study is needed to clarify whether tamoxifen should be prolonged beyond five years for women with node-positive breast cancer. Tamoxifen has been associated with an increased incidence of endometrial cancers, about 2 cases for every 1000 women treated per year (10). The endometrial cancers occurred almost exclusively in post-menopausal women but all women receiving this drug should undergo annual pelvic examinations and be monitored carefully for abnormal uterine bleeding. Endometrial biopsies or screening with ultrasound have been used to follow patients on tamoxifen but their effectiveness is unproven. It is clear from the randomized trials however that the benefits of tamoxifen in preventing the recurrence of breast cancer in pre- and post-menopausal women outweigh any detrimental side-effects that may occur.
Chemotherapy has also demonstrated a survival benefit in clinical trials in which selected women with node-negative, hormone receptor negative breast cancers were treated (11). While tamoxifen does not appear to be effective in hormone receptor negative tumors, chemotherapy has been shown to add to the beneficial effects of tamoxifen in receptor positive tumors (12). The additional benefit observed from the addition of chemotherapy appears to be greater in younger women (less than 50 years old) than in older women, although all ages showed some improvement.
Adjuvant therapy should consist of either combination chemotherapy or tamoxifen (20 mg/day for 5 years), and for some patients both therapies should be administered.
A large, randomized trial (NSABP B-20) has compared tamoxifen to tamoxifen and chemotherapy in node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive tumors (13). The results show that chemotherapy does add effectively to the survival benefits seen with tamoxifen alone. Toxicity results from this trial reveal no increase thus far in the number of second primary cancers from the addition of chemotherapy was an increase in the risk of thromboembolism which increased from approximately 2% with tamoxifen alone to about 7% for the combination of tamoxifen and chemotherapy.
Abrams JS, Phillips PH, Friedman MA. Meeting Highlights: a reappraisal of research results for the local treatment of early stage breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1995;87:1837-1845.
Farrow DC, Hunt WC, Samet JM. Geographic variation in the treatment of localized breast cancer. N Engl J Med 1992;326:1097-2101.
Potosky AL, Merrill RM, Riley GF et al. Breast cancer survival and treatment in health maintenance organization and fee-for-service settings. J Natl Cancer Inst 1997;89:1683-91.
Recht A, Come SE, Henderson IC, et al. The sequencing of chemotherapy and radiation therapy after conservative surgery for early-stage breast cancer. N Engl J Med 1996:334;1356-1361.
Fisher B, Brown AM, Dimitrov NV et al. Two months of doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide with and without interval reinduction therapy compared with 6 months of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil in positive-node breast cancer patients with tamoxife-nonresponsive tumors:results from NSABP B-15. J Clin Onc 1990:8;1483-1496.
Thurlimann B, Senn HJ: The changing approach to the treatment of early breast cancer. N Engl J Med 1996:334;1397-1399.
Fisher B, Dignam J, Bryant J et al. Five versus more than five years of tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer patients with negative lymph nodes and estrogen receptor-positive tumors. J Natl Cancer Inst 1996;88:1529-42.
Swedish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group. Randomized trial of two versus five years of adjuvant tamoxifen for postmenopausal early stage breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1996;88:1543-1549.
Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group. Systemic treatment of early breast cancer by hormonal, cytotoxic, or immune therapy. 133 randomised trials involving 31,000 recurrences and 24,000 deaths among 75,000 women. Lancet 1992;339:1-15.
Fisher B, Costantino JP, Redmond CK et al. Endometrial cancer in tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients: findings from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-14. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994;86:527-537.
Early Breast Cancer Trailists' Collaborative Group. Systemic treatment of early breast cancer by hormonal, cytotoxic, or immune therapy. 133 randomized trials involving 31,000 recurrences and 24,000 deaths among 75,000 women. Lancet 1992;339: 71-85.
Fisher B, Dignam J, Wolmark N et al. Tamoxifen and chemotherapy for lymph node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1997 Nov 19;89(22): 1673-1682. | 2019-04-25T04:48:10Z | https://consensus.nih.gov/1990/1990earlystagebreastcancer081html.htm |
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Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal of human skin and nares. It is also one of the leading nosocomial pathogens in both developed and developing countries and is responsible for a wide range of life threatening infections, especially in patients who are immunocompromised, post-surgery, undergoing haemodialysis and those who are treated with catheters and ventilators. Over the past two decades, the incidence of nosocomial staphylococcal infections has increased dramatically. Currently there are at least seven vaccine and immunotherapy candidates against S. aureus in the developmental phase targeting both active and passive immunization.
We used a modified CHNRI methodology for setting priorities in health research investments. This was done in two stages. In Stage I, we systematically reviewed the literature related to emerging vaccines against Staphylococcus aureus relevant to several criteria of interest: answerability; cost of development, production and implementation; efficacy and effectiveness; deliverability, affordability and sustainability; maximum potential impact on disease burden reduction; acceptability to the end users and health workers; and effect on equity. In Stage II, we conducted an expert opinion exercise by inviting 20 experts (leading basic scientists, international public health researchers, international policy makers and representatives of pharmaceutical companies) to participate. The policy makers and industry representatives accepted our invitation on the condition of anonymity, due to sensitive nature of their involvement in such exercises. They answered questions from CHNRI framework and their “collective optimism” towards each criterion was documented on a scale from 0 to 100%.
The panel of experts expressed low levels of optimism (score around or below 50%) on the criteria of answerability, efficacy, maximum disease burden reduction potential, low cost of production, low cost of implementation and affordability; moderate levels of optimism (scores around 60 to 80%) that these vaccines could be developed at a low cost, and thus on the deliverability, sustainability and impact on equity; and high levels of optimism (scores above 80%) regarding acceptable of such a product to both the end-users and health workers. While assessing the candidates for passive immunization against S.aureus, the experts were poorly optimistic regarding low production cost, low implementation cost, efficacy, deliverability, sustainability, affordability and equity; moderately optimistic regarding answerability and acceptability to health workers and end-users. They were of the opinion that these interventions would have only a modest impact (3 to 5%) on the burden of childhood pneumonia. .
In order to provide an effective vaccine against S. aureus, a number of unresolved issues in vaccine development relating to optimal antigenic target identification, criteria for acceptable efficacy, identification of target population, commercial development limitations, optimal timing of immunization strategy, storage, cold chain requirements and cost need to be addressed properly. There is still a great deal unknown about the complex interaction between S. aureus and the human host. However, given the nature of S. aureus and the lessons learned from the recent failure of two emerging vaccines, it is clear that a multi-component vaccine is essential. Combating only one virulence factor is not sufficient in the human host but finding the right combination of factors will be very challenging.
Pneumonia is the leading cause of global child mortality. Approximately 1.6 million children under the age of 5 years die each year due to pneumonia . Most prospective aetiology studies of pneumonia suggest that Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) are the leading bacterial causes followed by Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus) and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Though effective vaccines exist against the two major causes of bacterial pneumonia, no vaccine is presently available against S. aureus.
Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterial commensal of human skin and nares. About 20-30% of the human population are S. aureus carriers and show little resistance to mucosal colonization by the pathogen [2, 3]. Colonization may be transient or persistent and can last for years . Staphylococcus aureus is also one of the leading nosocomial pathogens in both developed and developing countries, causing infection frequently in immunocompromised patients, surgical patients, patients undergoing haemodialysis and those who are treated with catheters and ventilators . In the past 20 years the incidence of nosocomial staphylococcal infections has increased dramatically. It is now responsible for approximately 25% of the 2 million nosocomial infections reported in the United States each year . In addition, the increasing trend of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection has posed new problems. MRSA is now endemic in hospitals around the world with an estimated 1.5 million cases per year worldwide [6, 7]. The incidence of community-acquired MRSA infections are also increasing and there are reports of MRSA strains with reduced susceptibility to Vancomycin [8–11]. This establishes a need for new treatment and prevention strategies against S. aureus.
Vaccine development needs extensive research and resources. The development of Staphylococcal vaccine is further complicated by the pleomorphic character of staphylococci and complex patient populations at risk. The target population for S. aureus vaccination is different from other vaccines against pneumonia. In order to provide a full range of protection both active and passive immunization approaches need to be taken. An active immunization strategy may be a feasible approach for preventing staphylococcal infections in immunocompetent patients scheduled to undergo elective procedures. Populations at high risk for S. aureus infections, where active immunization is unlikely to be helpful, include neonates, especially premature newborns; other more completely immunocompromised children (e.g., certain cancer patients on immunosuppressive therapy); and populations where the risk of infection is both high and immediate (e.g., shock-trauma patients). One approach to providing these individuals with immunoprophylaxis is to use these vaccines as immunizing agents in healthy adult plasma donors, collect their plasma, and then fractionate it to produce specific hyper-immune gamma immunoglobulin (IGIV) for intravenous passive immunization. It should be noted that for some patients, such as those receiving prosthetic devices e.g. hip replacements, it may be necessary to provide both passive and active immunization in order to protect the individual from infection immediately after surgery and in the longer term.
It is therefore very important to assess the potential impact of all emerging vaccines and immunotherapy against Staphylococcus aureus and determine an investment strategy based on key prioritization factors. Currently there are at least seven products against S. aureus in the developmental phase targeting both active and passive immunization. We aimed to review the existing literature, outlining the progress of the emerging vaccines and immunotherapy against Staphylococcus aureus at all stages of development; present the evidence regarding key issues surrounding these products and assess the level of collective optimism of international experts over their priority status for receiving investment support. The paper is presented as part of a series of papers, each in turn focusing on different emerging vaccines and other interventions against pneumonia.
We used a modified Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methodology for setting priorities in health research investments. The methodology has been described in great detail [12–16] and implemented in a variety of settings [16–22].
We conducted a systematic literature review using the following criteria: answerability, cost of development, cost of product, cost of implementation, efficacy and effectiveness, deliverability, affordability, sustainability, maximum potential impact on disease burden reduction, acceptability to health workers, acceptability to end users and equity (Figure 1). Searches were conducted initially in July 2009 (and updated in April 2010) and were limited to Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar and Cochrane central register for controlled trials. No language or publication restrictions were applied. In order to ensure completeness, we also conducted hand searching of online journals, scanned the reference list of identified citations, and checked literature available on the websites of pharmaceutical companies (Inhibitex Inc., Merck, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, Neutec Pharma Ltd. and Biosynexus) and international agencies (GAVI, WHO, UNICEF and Pneumo ADIP). Details of the search strategies used are presented in Additional file 1.
We shared the initial review of the literature with 20 experts. The list of chosen experts included five leading basic scientists, five international public health researchers, five international policy makers and five representatives of the pharmaceutical companies. The 20 experts were chosen based on their excellent track record in child health research (but were not specifically involved with staphylococcal disease research). We initially offered participation to the 20 experts with the highest impact publications in their area of expertise over the past 5 years (for basic researchers and international public health researchers), or to individuals who were affiliated with pharmaceutical companies that had large vaccination programmes or working in large-budget international agencies. For those who declined to participate (about 20%) replacements were found using the same criteria. The policy makers and industry representatives accepted our invitation on the condition of anonymity, due to sensitive nature of their involvement in such exercises. About half of the experts were either affiliated to institutions in developing countries or had previous experience of working in developing country settings. The experts met during September 7-13, 2009 in Dubrovnik, Croatia, to conduct the 2nd stage of CHNRI expert opinion exercise. The process of second-stage CHNRI is shown in Figure 2. All invited experts discussed the evidence provided in CHNRI stage I, and then answered questions from the CHNRI framework (Supplementary table 2 in additional file 1). Their answers could have been “Yes” (1 point), “No” (0 points), “Neither Yes nor No” (0.5 points) or “Don’t know” (blank). Their “collective optimism” towards each criterion was documented on a scale from 0 to 100%. The interpretation of this metric for each criterion is simple: it is calculated as the number of points that each evaluated type of emerging intervention against Staphylococcus aureus received from 20 experts (based on their responses to questions from the CHNRI framework), divided by the maximum possible number of points (if all answers from all experts are “Yes”). [12–16].
We identified 63 articles and product monographs for inclusion. Several products are currently in development phase, most of which have completed phase I and II clinical trials (Figure 3 and Figure 4). Each product targets different virulence factors of the S. aureus pathogen. These factors include Staphylococcal surface proteins, polysaccharides, exoproteins and toxins elaborated by S. aureus. The only product which completed a Phase III clinical trial is Aurograb. Aurograb was a human-derived single chain variable fragment (scFv) therapeutic antibody against the S. aureus ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter. Aurograb was developed for the treatment of deep-seated MRSA infections. In 2006, the product completed a double-blind placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial carried out in a total of 35 centres in 6 European countries. However in 2008 the company decided not to pursue further development of Aurograb. The potential impact of Aurograb will not be assessed in this paper.
Bacterial capsular polysaccharides (CPs) confer resistance against host immune mechanisms and promote virulence. Antibodies to these CPs were shown to protect against infections caused by pneumococci, meningococci, Haemophilus influenzae type b and other pathogens. S. aureus isolates were initially believed not to possess capsular polysaccharides. However, Karakawa and colleagues discovered that S. aureus clinical isolates are capsulated and similar to pneumococci and group b Streptococci in that they posses several different capsular types . They also showed that conjugate vaccines to these polysaccharides generate antibodies that mediate type-specific opsonophagocytosis in an in vitro opsono-phagocytic assay that contained complement and neutrophils . Of the 13 known serotypes, two capsular types, 5 and 8, are the most important as they comprise the majority (~85%) of clinical isolates [9, 25, 26]. Fattom and colleagues combined the capsular polysaccharide 5 and capsular polysaccharide 8 to the mutant non toxic recombinant Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (rPEA) and formed the bivalent vaccine StaphVAX .
The potential of surface proteins of gram positive bacteria as an antigen has been tested for many years. However, in the case of S. aureus, none of the surface proteins that were tested as an antigen were found to be essential components of the pathogen. There is a high level of redundancy in the virulence protein range. Such redundancy makes the loss of a specific protein non fatal in S. aureus. Iron regulated surface determinant B (IsdB), an iron-sequestering protein, is conserved in diverse S. aureus clinical isolates, both methicillin resistant and methicillin sensitive. IsdB is expressed when there is iron limitation and has a role in the acquisition of iron . IsdB was first identified as a candidate antigen by Etz and colleagues . It has been reported that although IsdB is not an essential protein for S. aureus in vitro and loss of this protein results in a reduction in virulence in vivo, which makes it an attractive vaccine candidate . Merck`s new vaccine V710 contains IsdB protein antigen.
Presented with this evidence, the panel of experts expressed a low level of optimism (score around 40%) regarding the ability of vaccines for active immunization against S. aureus to satisfy the criterion of answerability (Figure 5).
Staphylococcus aureus colonizes the host by adhering to components of the extra cellular matrix through surface protein adhesions known as microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMM) . MSCRAMM bind to extracellular matrix components within host tissues or to serum-conditioned implanted biomaterials (e.g catheters, artificial joints, and vascular grafts). Evidence suggests that this microbial adherence is an important factor in the initiation and metastatic spread of S. aureus infections . Therefore, interventions that impact on early events in the infectious process may lead to an improved clinical outcome. MSCRAMMs have therefore been targeted as potential antigenic candidates for the development of novel immunotherapies. One such MSCRAMM protein is Clumping factor A (ClfA), an adhesin that mediates S. aureus binding to fibrinogen. It is expressed on the surface of almost all strains of S. aureus. ClfA recognizes the C terminus of the γ chain of human fibrinogen [29, 30, 32] and antibodies raised against the A domain of ClfA can inhibit the interaction between ClfA and fibrinogen. Based on this, Inhibitex developed INH-A21 (Veronate), which is a human intravenous immune preparation derived from donors with high levels of antibodies against the staphylococcal fibrinogen binding proteins ClfA and Ser-Asp dipeptide repeat G (SdrG).
Another similar product in the pipeline that is also being developed for the treatment of serious S. aureus bacteremia and related complications is Tefibazumab (Aurexis) . This is a humanized immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes ClfA with a high affinity.
A parallel track for developing immunotherapy against S. aureus was developed concurrently to the development of the StaphVAX. This approach utilized the vaccine to produce hyper-immune IgG for the treatment of patients at high risk for S. aureus infections that could not mount a significant immune response to the vaccine, or to be used as an adjunct therapy in patients who are already infected with S. aureus. Plasma donors were immunized once with StaphVAX and plasma were collected at least once a week starting two weeks after immunization. Plasma pools were made and IgG was fractionated using the Cohn fractionation technique. The purified IgG was formulated as intravenous immunoglobulin preparation (IVIG) at 50mg/ml IgG. The types 5 and 8 CP antibodies comprised up to 6% of the total IgG.
Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is a major constituent of the cell wall of gram positive bacteria and consists of teichoic acids, which are long chains of ribitol phosphate and glycerolipid. Available evidence suggests that LTA possess antigenic properties. Biosynexus has developed a humanized mouse chimeric mAB agaistt LTA called pagibaximab (BSYX – A110). The antibody is targeted at low birth weight infants for the prevention of blood stream infections by S. aureus and coagulase negative staphylococci .
Although not supported by hard evidence, the panel of experts expressed moderate levels of optimism (median score around 60 percent, which was greater than for active immunization) concerning the ability of immunotherapy for passive immunization to satisfy the criterion of answerability (Figure 6).
The first phase III clinical study of the StaphVAX vaccine conducted on 1804 haemodialysis patients showed mixed results . Although the study population comprised of extremely immunocompromised patients, the vaccine elicited antibody response levels of at least 80 µg per millilitre (the estimated minimal protective level) in 80% of patients for CP5 and in 75% of patients for CP8. However, the efficacy was not sustained. The efficacy during weeks 3 to 54 was only 26%.
This study confirmed, for the first time, the concept that capsular antibodies can afford protection against S. aureus infections. However, in these severely immuno-compromised patients a different regimen that can sustain high levels of antibodies beyond one year is needed. A confirmatory Phase III clinical trial with 3600 haemodialysis patients was conducted and included a booster immunization at 8 months following the first immunization. The confirmatory phase III study reported no significant protection against S. aureus. The failure was attributed to slight changes in manufacturing that resulted in a suboptimal antibodies generated by the vaccine. A press release by Nabi (http://www.nabi.com) dated 21 March 2006 stated : “The quality or functional characteristics of the antibodies generated by the vaccine used in the confirmatory clinical study was inferior to those antibodies generated by vaccine lots used in previous and subsequent clinical studies”. We found no report on further study of StaphVAX.
The clinical outcome from these studies and other animal model studies suggests that capsular polysaccharides are appropriate for generating protective opsonic antibodies. However, more antigens are need to be added to extend the coverage of the vaccine and to neutralize significant toxins that debilitate host immune competency.
Nabi added three more components to their original StaphVAX formula to form the five component vaccine PentaStaph [36, 37]. The new surface polysaccharide component, 336, induces antibodies against Type 336 cell wall antigen while the other two candidate component generates antibodies that neutralize Panthon Valentine Leukocydin, PVL, a unique leukocidin toxin, produced by the CA-MRSA strains and alpha toxin produced by almost all S. aureus isolates; both these debilitate host immune competency including the opsonophagocytosis process.
The vaccine was found to be immunogenic in an animal model when it was formulated with amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate adjuvant. Three phase I studies were conducted to evaluate different formulations (Liquid Aluminum –adjuvanted, Liquid non adjuvanted, and lyophilized) of V710 vaccine [28, 38]. The results of the studies showed similar immunogenecity with all formulations. A positive immune response, as defined by more than a two fold increase in antibody levels, ranges from 72% to 84% across different formulations. No serious side effects or fever were reported. The most common vaccine related adverse effects were pain at injection site and headache . Phase II clinical trials are currently underway to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a single dose of the vaccine in patients undergoing elective cardiothoracic surgery and to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate in patients with end-stage kidney disease who are receiving hemodialysis. A randomized, multicenter, double-blind, group-sequential study to evaluate the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of a single dose of V710 in adult patients scheduled for cardiothoracic surgery is currently underway (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00518687). It is too early to judge the efficacy of the new vaccine.
Based on this limited evidence, the panel of experts expressed a relatively low level of optimism (score around 40%) concerning the likelihood of efficacy of vaccines for active immunization against S. aureus to reduce childhood pneumonia mortality (Figure 5).
A multicenter double blind study was conducted in infants with very low birth weight to assess the safety profile and efficacy of INH-A21. Infants were randomized to three different dose groups (250, 500 or 750 mg/kg). The INH-A21 750 mg/kg group (N = 157) reported fewer episodes of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis [RR=0.37; P = 0.14], candidemia (RR=0.34; P = 0.09) and mortality (RR=0.64; P = 0.27) when compared with the placebo-treated cohort (N = 158). A follow up phase III double blinded placebo controlled study was conducted with 1983 infants to retest the safety and efficacy of INH-A21. The primary outcome measure was the rate of S. aureus associated late-onset sepsis (LOS) which developed in 5% and 6% of infants who received the placebo or INH-A21 respectively (P = 0.34). Disappointingly, no differences were found in the frequencies of LOS, candidemia, or overall mortality in the two groups. However, Schaffer and Lee in their review of vaccines against S.aureus suggested that as the INH-A21 product was not elicited by immunization but instead by natural exposure to staphylococci, it is possible that the antibodies might have recognised the wrong ClfA epitopes or may have been of low affinity or avidity towards their target antigens. An adequately powered, well-controlled study was recommended to further assess the efficacy and safety of INH-A21.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase II clinical trial was conducted in hospitalised patients with documented S. aureus bacteraemia to evaluate the efficacy of Tefibazumab (Aurexis). The efficacy was assessed in terms of relapse of S. aureus bacteraemia (SAB), complications related to S. aureus bacteraemia, or death. Two of 30 (6.7%) patients reached the composite clinical endpoint in the Tefibazumab group while for the placebo group the number was 4 out of 30 (13.3%) (P = 0.455). However, several limitations in this study were reported with respect to outcomes. There were differences in baseline characteristics of the study populations and the use of antibiotic in the protocol was not standardized. Moreover, adjunctive treatments, such as surgery and timing of catheter removal, were not taken into consideration in the study analysis. The most frequently reported adverse events were hypokalemia, diarrhea, anemia, and insomnia but there were no significant differences across the treatment groups. As expected for a group of patients with SAB, twelve (40%) patients in the Tefibazumab group and nine (30%) patients in the placebo group had at least one serious adverse event. The safety data from this clinical trial and preliminary clinical data support continued clinical development. More trials are needed to evaluate efficacy of this product.
A multicenter Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the safety and pharmacokinetics of AltaStaph in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants was performed. Neonates were infused twice in two weekly intervals with saline or AltaStaph at 1000mg/kg. Levels for CPS types 5 before the second infusion were 188 mcg/ml. Type 8 IgG levels were similar. Geometric mean IgG levels among placebo recipients were consistently <2 and <5 mcg/ml for types 5 and 8 respectively in both weight groups. The conclusion from this study was that infusion of AltaStaph in VLBW neonates resulted in high levels of specific S. aureus types 5 and 8 CPS IgG. The administration of this anti-staphylococcal hyperimmune globulin was well tolerated in this population . Since the study was not powered to detect clinical outcomes, the data generated did not show differences in the rate of S. aureus infection between the two study arms.
In another study in adults with culture proven bacteremia, AltaStaph was evaluated as a potential adjunctive therapeutic in adult subjects with S. aureus bacteremia and persistent fever. Administration of AltaStaph had a positive effect on the APACHE II scores of these patients compared to patients who received the placebo treatment. This was further supported by the time to hospital discharge. For all subjects, the median time to discharge excluding deaths that occurred during hospitalization, which could bias the results, were 14 and 9 days in the placebo and AltaStaph groups respectively (P=0.033). It was concluded that AltaStaph was shown to be well tolerated in subjects with S. aureus bacteremia and warranted further evaluation as an adjunct therapy against multidrug resisitant S. aureus bacteremia .
A phase I/II dose escalation, safety and pharmacokinetics study of Pagibaximab was conducted and the findings showed no difference in morbidities and mortality across study groups. All serious adverse effects were deemed unrelated or probably not related to the drug. However, no evidence of a response to Pagibaximab was detected . Another phase II randomized double-blind study of Pagibaximab in very low birth weight neonates concluded that three infusions of Pagibaximab 60 or 90 mg/kg, administered 1 week apart to high-risk neonates, appeared safe, well tolerated, demonstrated linear pharmacokinetics, and at 90 mg/kg produced potentially protective levels of antibody .
Based on these evidence, the panel expressed a low level of optimism (score around 30 percent) regarding the likelihood of efficacy of immunotherapy for passive immunization against S. aureus.
Rudan et al. estimated that the incidence of clinical pneumonia in under 5 children in developing countries was about 0.29 episodes per child year or 151.8 million new cases every year. In contrast, the number of new cases per year in developed countries was estimated to be around 4 million. The Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) estimated that around 1.6 million deaths in under five children were attributable to pneumonia in 2008 .
Results from prospective microbiology-based pneumonia etiology studies revealed that the leading bacterial cause for pneumonia is pneumococcus (isolated in 30–50% of pneumonia cases) while the second most common isolated pathogen was H. influenzae type b. Staphylococcus aureus was identified as the third most common bacterial cause [46–53]. A study in Chile using lung aspirate cultures found S. aureus to be the main pathogen . Another WHO study of hospitalised children with very severe pneumonia in seven countries found S. aureus in 42% of cases making it the second largest cause . Studies of nosocomial pneumonia and ventilator associated pneumonia have demonstrated that S. aureus was responsible for majority of the cases [55, 56]. Furthermore, MRSA has been identified as one of the most common pathogens in all forms of pneumonia . In recent years, the HIV epidemic has also led to an increase in the incidence and mortality from childhood pneumonia. Although there are limited data on the causes of neonatal pneumonia in developing countries, studies on the aetiology of neonatal sepsis suggest Klebsiella spp., Group B Streptococcus and S. aureus are the main causes of neonatal pneumonia .
Developing an effective vaccine would result in a significant reduction of disease burden from S. aureus infections. However, quantification of the maximum reduction of disease burden using the staphylococcus vaccines without any information on the burden of disease from S. aureus pneumonia and studies on vaccine effectiveness is not possible. None of the vaccine candidates have passed phase III trials. The major problem with developing staphylococcal vaccines is the lack of understanding of how virulence factors or potential antigens are expressed by bacteria in the host versus those that have been studied in vitro. However, given the pleomorphic nature of the pathogen and the failure of single component vaccines, it is anticipated that without a multi-component vaccine a significant reduction of disease burden will not be possible .
The panel was of the opinion that both types of immunizations against S. aureus were likely to have a relatively low level of maximum impact (3 to 5 percent) on disease burden due to childhood pneumonia (Figure 5 and Figure 6).
Deliverability and sustainability of any new vaccine strategy depends on the infrastructure and resources required to deliver the vaccine. Most of the vaccines need cold storage facilities. In many developing countries the cold chain system is breaking down. A study in Ethiopia found 31% of the equipment to be non-functional, with a large number of items having exceeded the manufacturer’s recommended working life . So a heat stable S. aureus vaccine could achieve a high coverage even in the hard to reach areas of the developing countries. However, we were unable to find any reports which would suggest that the candidate vaccines presently under development are using technology that can retain the potency and efficacy at elevated temperatures. Storage is another key issue which needs to be taken into consideration while designing any vaccination program. The newer vaccines are often single-dose presentation in pre-filled glass syringes and bulky packaging which need more storage space. Although none of the staphylococcal vaccines are ready for licensure at this point of time, manufacturers will need to take these factors into consideration while designing the packaging for the newer vaccines.
As discussed earlier, an effective staphylococcal vaccination strategy will require quite a different immunization program and this is likely to increase the complexity of vaccine delivery mechanism in developing countries. Some have advocated that if an effective vaccine is developed it should be used in all children to prevent any type of staphylococcal disease. The recent increase in community-associated MRSA in children with no predisposing risk factors e.g. healthy newborns and young adults, and increase in the prevalence of S. aureus colonization in the general population support such argument . However, it will remain a challenge to develop a staphylococcal vaccine that would be cross protective against multiple strains as well as strains which are of the same serotype but express antigens differently under the same conditions.
Another important factor determining the deliverability of a vaccine is cost. However, different initiatives have emerged recently to help the uptake of newer vaccines by developing countries. In 2007, WHO and PATH, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched Optimize – a global effort to help countries manage immunization logistics. The International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), a multilateral development institution, has been created to accelerate the availability of predictable long term funds for health and immunization programmes through the GAVI Alliance in 70 of the poorest countries in the world. Another similar initiative is Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Established in 2005 by the Center for Global Development and carried forward by five bilateral donor governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the GAVI Alliance, and the World Bank, the AMC aims to stimulate the development and manufacture of vaccines especially suited to developing countries. With the help of these initiatives it is hoped that the time delay between the introduction of new vaccines into developed and developing countries can be reduced.
Based on all available evidence the expert group expressed a moderate level of optimism (score about 60%) in the ability to develop a low cost intervention for active and passive immunizations against staphylococcus (Figure 5 and Figure 6). However, they expressed low levels of optimism (scores below 40%) that these interventions would have low production and implementation costs, which would have a direct impact on affordability, deliverability (more for passive immunization) and sustainability.
While assessing the impact of a new intervention on child health equity, the panel considered the following questions: given the present distribution of the disease burden from S. aureus infections, will the intervention be accessible to the underprivileged in the population and would it benefit them? And does the proposed research have the overall potential to improve equity in disease burden distribution in the long term?
Little information is available regarding the burden of disease from S. aureus infections in developing countries. It is therefore difficult to assess whether a staphylococcal vaccine will have a relatively greater impact on the poorest communities in the world. Studies which include new molecular techniques are required to provide a better knowledge base about the burden of disease from staphylococcus pneumonia in developing countries.
The panel of experts expressed a moderate level of optimism (score about 60 percent) over the impact of staphylococcal vaccines on equity compared to interventions for passive immunization (score about 40 percent). However, the panel was very optimistic (scores above 80%) that if such a vaccine were to be developed it would be acceptable to both end-users and health workers (Figure 5). They were only moderately optimistic (scores about 70%) regarding the acceptability of passive immunization against S.aureus to both health workers and end-users.
The literature review summarized in this paper presents evidence required for making an informed decision on the research priorities that should be given to emerging interventions against S. aureus. The scores for both active and passive immunization interventions against the set criteria represent the collective optimism of a panel of experts drawn from varying technical backgrounds and affiliations. Although several S. aureus vaccine candidates are currently in pre-clinical and clinical phases of development, none have yet been approved for licensure. The development of S. aureus vaccines has the potential to reduce the global burden of Staphylococcal pneumonia. However, a number of unresolved issues in S. aureus vaccine development need to be addressed properly in order to develop a successful vaccination strategy . There is little evidence that supports the argument that immunity to S. aureus infection does indeed exist. It is also clear that S. aureus has developed the capability to defend itself against human innate immunity . Imperfect animal models and the recent failure of two candidate vaccines at Phase III clinical trials has made the development process more risky and complicated.
While the collective optimism of the panel regarding vaccines against S. aureus on the CHNRI criteria was low on answerability, efficacy, maximum disease burden reduction potential, low cost of production, low cost of implementation and affordability; they were moderately optimistic that these vaccines could be developed at a low cost, and thus on the deliverability, sustainability and impact on equity; and highly optimistic that if such an intervention were to be developed, it would be highly acceptable to the end-users and health workers. While assessing the candidates for passive immunization against S.aureus, the experts were poorly optimistic regarding low production cost, low implementation cost, efficacy, deliverability, sustainability, affordability and equity; moderately optimistic regarding answerability and acceptability to health workers and end-users. They were of the opinion that these interventions would have only a modest impact (3 to 5%) on the burden of childhood pneumonia.
This is the first time that such an exercise has been conducted with the aim of predicting the future impact of emerging vaccines on morbidity and mortality due to childhood pneumonia. The CHNRI methodology was primarily designed to evaluate existing interventions and competing investment priorities for health research. Although we used the CHNRI set of criteria, we modified it by including a systematic review of available literature and not involving all stakeholders (e.g. end-users and health workers). The scores reported in this paper express the collective opinion of a panel of 20 experts. While there is always an element of error while predicting the impact of interventions which do not exist and have no clinical trial data to support them, we feel that the results would be reproducible with another panel in a different setting.
To summarize, while it is not only important that investments are made in researching new vaccines, adequate emphasis must be made and resources allocated for proper distribution of the vaccine. Additionally, there are issues relating to optimal antigenic target identification, criteria for acceptable efficacy, identification of the target population in children as well as adults, commercial development limitations, optimal timing of immunization strategy, storage and cold chain requirements, cost of development and cost effectiveness (64). There is still a great deal unknown about the complex interaction between S. aureus and the human host. All vaccine candidates that have been tested so far were found to play important roles in vivo. However, none of these candidates have been found to be essential and this raises the concern that making vaccines against antigens that are not expressed in the host might lead to ineffective vaccines. Given the nature of S. aureus and the lessons learnt from the recent failure with two emerging vaccines, it is clear that a multi-component vaccine is essential. Combating only one virulence factor is not sufficient in the human host but finding the right combination of factors will be very challenging.
Tanvir Huda, Harish Nair, Harry Campbell and Igor Rudan contributed equally to this work.
TH, HN, ET, LZ, CR, HC and IR declare that they have no competing interests. At the time of writing this paper AF was employed by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals which is involved in the development of products against Staphylococcus aureus (subsequently acquired by GSK).
TH participated in the design of the study, led the literature review, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation and prepared the initial draft of the manuscript. HN participated in the design of the study, contributed to data collection and preparation of the revised manuscript. ET participated in design of the study, data collection, statistical analysis, data interpretation and critically reviewed the manuscript. LZ participated in the design of the study, data collection, data collection and critically reviewed the manuscript. AF and CR contributed to data interpretation and critical review of the manuscript. IR and HC conceived of the study, participated in literature review, data collection, data interpretation, and critically reviewed drafts of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. | 2019-04-26T10:00:53Z | https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-11-S3-S27 |
A method of operating a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system that supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive a type user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using primary and/or secondary component carriers operating on different frequency bands and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive that type of user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment. The method includes: establishing a measurement configuration making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; making measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determining if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
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1. A terminal device configured to operate in a wireless network configured to support communications with terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless network supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the wireless network using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the wireless network, the terminal device comprising: circuitry configured to receive first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling transmitted from the wireless network to the terminal device over the radio resources within the first frequency band, the first RRC signaling indicating a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band is a licensed frequency band in the wireless network and the second frequency band is an unlicensed frequency band in the wireless network; identify the measurement configuration for making the measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band based on the first RRC signaling received from the wireless network, wherein the measurement configuration relates to at least measuring a signal strength received by the terminal device on the radio resources within the second frequency band; measure radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration; determine if the measurement of the signal strength comprising measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and each time the trigger criterion is met, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment indicating that the trigger criterion has been met.
2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the terminal device to switch from the idle mode of operation to the connected mode of operation to transmit the measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment.
3. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the measurement configuration is associated with one or more measurement objects specifying the radio resources within the second frequency band in respect of which the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made.
4. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the radio resources in respect of which the measurement of radio channel conditions is made are associated with one or more frequency channels on which the secondary component carrier may operate in the second frequency band.
5. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein determining if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets the trigger criterion comprises determining if a level of the measured signal strength exceeds a predefined threshold value.
6. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the measurement configuration comprises one or more indications selected from the group comprising: (i) an indication of the radio resources in respect of which the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made; (ii) an indication of when the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made; (iii) an indication of how the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made; and (iv) an indication of the trigger criterion.
7. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the terminal device to switch from the connected mode of operation to the idle mode of operation after establishing the measurement configuration and before making the measurement of radio channel conditions while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode.
8. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the terminal device to switch from the idle mode of operation to the connected mode of operation after making the measurement of radio channel conditions while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode and make one or more measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the connected mode.
9. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to: establish an updated measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; make a further measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the updated measurement configuration; and determine if the further measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion associated with the updated measurement configuration, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the wireless network.
10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the updated measurement configuration is established in response to the terminal device switching between the idle mode of operation and the connected mode of operation.
11. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to repeatedly perform the steps of measuring radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration; and determine if the measurement meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment in accordance with a monitoring schedule.
12. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the second frequency band comprises radio resources which are shared with wireless communication devices that are not part of the wireless network.
13. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the wireless network is configured to operate in accordance with a first wireless communications operating standard and the wireless communication devices that are not part of the wireless network are configured to operate in accordance with a second wireless communications operating standard that is different from the first wireless communications operating standard.
14. The terminal device of claim 13, wherein the first wireless communications operating standard is a cellular telecommunications operating standard and the second wireless communications operating standard is a non-cellular telecommunications operating standard.
15. A method of operating a terminal device for use in a wireless network configured to support communications with terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless network supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the wireless network, the method comprising: receiving first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling transmitted from the wireless network to the terminal device over the radio resources within the first frequency band, the first RRC signaling indicating a measurement configuration for making first measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band is a licensed frequency band in the wireless network and the second frequency band is an unlicensed frequency band in the wireless network; identifying the measurement configuration for making the measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band based on the first RRC signaling received from the wireless network, wherein the measurement configuration relates to at least measuring a signal strength received by the terminal device on the radio resources within the second frequency band; measuring radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration; determining if the measurement of the signal strength comprising measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and each time the trigger criterion is met, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment indicating that the trigger criterion has been met.
16. Circuitry for a terminal device for use in a wireless network configured to support communications with terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless network supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the wireless network using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the wireless network, the circuitry configured to: receive first Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling transmitted from the wireless network to the terminal device over the radio resources within the first frequency band, the first RRC signaling indicating a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band is a licensed frequency band in the wireless network and the second frequency band is an unlicensed frequency band in the wireless network; identify the measurement configuration for making the measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band based on the first RRC signaling received from the wireless network, wherein the measurement configuration relates to at least measuring a signal strength received by the terminal device on the radio resources within the second frequency band; measure radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration; determine if the measurement of the signal strength comprising measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and each time the trigger criterion is met, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment indicating that the trigger criterion has been met.
The present application is based on PCT filing PCT/EP2015/076170 filed Nov. 10, 2015, and claims priority to European Patent Application 14 193 068.5, filed in the European Patent Office on Nov. 13, 2014, the entire contents of each of which being incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to telecommunications apparatus and methods, for example mobile communications networks and methods for communicating data using mobile communications networks, infrastructure equipment for mobile communications networks, communications devices for communicating data via mobile communications networks and methods of communicating via mobile communications networks.
The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
It is well known in the field of wireless telecommunications for regions of the radio spectrum to be assigned to different mobile network operators (MNO) for their exclusive use through a license. A license typically grants an MNO exclusive use over a number of years of a predefined portion of the radio frequency spectrum in which to deploy a mobile communications network (e.g. GSM, WCDMA/HSPA, LTE/LTE-A). This licensing approach can help guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) and provides an operator with control of the radio resources and mobility. In particular, an operator has some degree of guarantee that no other radio services should interfere with the radio resources that have been assigned to the operator, and within the limitations of the license conditions the operator has exclusive control over what radio technology it deploys in the network. Consequently, a wireless telecommunications system that is primarily designed to operate using radio resources that have been licensed for exclusive use by the wireless telecommunications system can operate with a degree of centralized control and coordination to you a full help make most efficient use of the available radio resources. Such a wireless telecommunication system can also manage interference internally, based on standard specifications, since the licence grants it a degree of immunity from external interference sources. Coexistence of different devices deployed on an MNO's licensed band can be managed through conformance to relevant radio standards. Licensed spectrum is today usually assigned to operators via government-organized auctions, but so-called "beauty contests" continue also to be in use.
It is also well known in the field of wireless telecommunications for regions of the available radio spectrum to remain unlicensed. Unlicensed (licence exempt) radio spectrum may, at least to some extent, be freely used by a number of different technologies, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and other non-3GPP radio access technologies (RATs). Operating parameters for devices using unlicensed spectrum bands are typically stipulated by technical regulatory requirements, e.g. the FCC Part 15 rule for 2.4 GHz ISM band. Coexistence of different devices deployed on an unlicensed band generally lacks centralized coordination and control and so is usually based on such technical rules and various politeness protocols.
However, in contrast to licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum can be shared and used among different technologies, or different networks using the same technology, without any co-ordinated/centralised control, for example to provide protection against interference. As a consequence of this, the use of wireless technologies in unlicensed spectrum can be subject to unpredictable interference with no guarantees of spectrum resource availability and radio connections taking place on a best effort basis. Thus the operation of wireless network technologies on shared radio resource spectrum (such as unlicensed spectrum) can be impacted by the operation of other radio access technologies, such as wireless local area networks, and conversely the operation of such other radio access technologies can be impacted by the operation of the wireless network technologies on the shared portions of the radio spectrum.
For example, an LTE-based wireless telecommunications network that is able to make use of radio resources shared with a wireless local area network radio access technology (WLAN) could potentially prevent a WLAN access point from operating properly, at least temporarily. For example, certain WLAN radio access technologies, such as Wi-Fi, operate on a "listen-before-talk" basis to help manage access to the shared resources. Basically, a device operating on the WLAN that wishes to access certain radio resources will first monitor the radio resources to determine if they are currently available or already in use. An LTE-based wireless telecommunications network may be configured to adopt a similar "listen-before-talk" approach in respect of its communications on shared radio resources to seek to avoid making transmissions on resources currently being used for WLAN communications. However, an issue with this approach can arise because of differences in typical coverage areas associated with WLAN access points and LTE base stations. For example, an LTE base station may be too far from a WLAN access point to be able to detect ongoing WLAN communications associated with the WLAN access point but the WLAN access point may nonetheless be within the coverage area of the LTE base station downlink signals. Accordingly, a base station implementing a "listen-before-talk" approach to help govern its access to shared radio resources may not be able to detect communications associated with the WLAN access point when the base station is monitoring the relevant radio resource usage by other devices ("listen"). Accordingly, the base station may conclude it is free to transmit ("talk") on radio resources which are being used by the WLAN access point, thereby interfering with the WLAN access point and potentially making it unavailable while the LTE base station is transmitting. In some respects this may be referred to as a "hidden node" issue.
These types of issue mean that wireless network technologies, such as LTE, which are generally designed to operate using licensed radio resources, may benefit from modified approaches to allow them to efficiently use shared radio resources, and in particular to co-exist reliably and fairly with other radio access technologies accessing the shared resources. Therefore, deploying a mobile radio access technology system primarily designed to operate in licensed spectrum bands (i.e. having exclusive access to, and hence a level of control over, the relevant radio resources) in a manner which is required by operation in a shared/unlicensed spectrum band (i.e. without having exclusive access to at least some of the relevant radio resources), gives rise to new technical challenges.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the method comprises: establishing a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; making a measurement (assessment) of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determining if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the terminal device comprises a controller unit and a transceiver unit configured to operate together to: establish a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided circuitry for a terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the circuitry comprises a controller element and a transceiver element configured to operate together to: establish a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating network infrastructure equipment in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between the network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the method comprises: communicating user plane-data with a first terminal device operating in the connected mode using the primary and/or secondary component carrier; configuring a second terminal device to make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band while the second terminal device is operating in the idle mode and to determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met; receiving a measurement report from the second terminal device indicating the second terminal device has determined the measurement of radio channel conditions met the trigger criterion; and modifying the communication of user-plane data with the first terminal device using the primary and/or secondary component carrier in response thereto.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided network infrastructure equipment for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between the network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment; wherein the network infrastructure equipment comprises a controller unit and a transceiver unit configured to operate together to: communicate user plane-data with a first terminal device operating in the connected mode using the primary and/or secondary component carrier; configure a second terminal device to make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band while the second terminal device is operating in the idle mode and to determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met; receive a measurement report from the second terminal device indicating the second terminal device has determined the measurement of radio channel conditions met the trigger criterion; and modify the communication of user-plane data with the first terminal device using the primary and/or secondary component carrier in response thereto.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided circuitry for a network infrastructure equipment for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between the network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment; wherein the circuitry comprises a controller element and a transceiver element configured to operate together to: communicate user plane-data with a first terminal device operating in the connected mode using the primary and/or secondary component carrier; configure a second terminal device to make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band while the second terminal device is operating in the idle mode and to determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met; receive a measurement report from the second terminal device indicating the second terminal device has determined the measurement of radio channel conditions met the trigger criterion; and modify the communication of user-plane data with the first terminal device using the primary and/or secondary component carrier in response thereto.
FIG. 6 is a signalling ladder diagram representing some operating aspects of a base station and a terminal device in accordance with some other embodiments of the disclosure.
FIG. 1 provides a schematic diagram illustrating some basic functionality of a mobile telecommunications network/system 100 operating in accordance with LTE principles and which may be adapted to implement embodiments of the disclosure as described further below. Various elements of FIG. 1 and their respective modes of operation are well-known and defined in the relevant standards administered by the 3GPP.RTM. body, and also described in many books on the subject, for example, Holma H. and Toskala A . It will be appreciated that operational aspects of the telecommunications network which are not specifically described below may be implemented in accordance with any known techniques, for example according to the relevant standards.
The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations 101 connected to a core network 102. Each base station provides a coverage area 103 (i.e. a cell) within which data can be communicated to and from terminal devices 104. Data is transmitted from base stations 101 to terminal devices 104 within their respective coverage areas 103 via a radio downlink. Data is transmitted from terminal devices 104 to the base stations 101 via a radio uplink. The core network 102 routes data to and from the terminal devices 104 via the respective base stations 101 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, charging and so on. Terminal devices may also be referred to as mobile stations, user equipment (UE), user terminal, mobile radio, communications device, and so forth. Base stations, which are an example of network infrastructure equipment, may also be referred to as transceiver stations/nodeBs/e-nodeBs, and so forth.
The example subframe shown in FIG. 3 comprises 14 symbols and 1200 subcarriers spread across a 20 MHz bandwidth licenced for use by the operator of the network 100, and this example is the first subframe in a frame (hence it contains PBCH). The smallest allocation of physical resource for transmission in LTE is a resource block comprising twelve subcarriers transmitted over one subframe. For clarity, in FIG. 3, each individual resource element is not shown, instead each individual box in the subframe grid corresponds to twelve subcarriers transmitted on one symbol.
Further information on the operation of carrier aggregation in the context of LTE-based wireless telecommunications systems can be found in the relevant standards documents, such as ETSI TS 136 211 V 11.5.0 (2014-01)/3GPP TS 36.211 version 11.5.0 Release 11 , ETSI TS 136 212 V 11.4.0 (2014-01)/3GPP TS 36.212 version 11.4.0 Release 11 ; ETSI TS 136 213 V 11.6.0 (2014-03)/3GPP TS 36.213 version 11.6.0 Release 11 ; ETSI TS 136 321 V 11.5.0 (2014-03)/3GPP TS 36.321 version 11.5.0 Release 11 ; and ETSI TS 136 331 V 11.7.0 (2014-03)/3GPP TS 36.331 version 11.7.0 Release 11 .
Although known carrier aggregation schemes can form a basis for using unlicensed radio spectrum resources (or other forms of shared radio resources) in conjunction with licensed radio spectrum resources, some modifications to known carrier aggregation techniques may be appropriate to help optimise performance. This is because radio interference in the unlicensed radio spectrum can be expected to be subject to a wider range of unknown and unpredictable variations in time and frequency than might be seen within a region of the radio spectrum which has been licensed for use by a particular wireless applications system. For a given wireless telecommunications system operating in accordance with a given technology, such as LTE-A (Long Term Evolution Advanced), interference in the unlicensed radio spectrum may arise from other systems operating using the same technology, or from systems operating according to different technologies, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
The telecommunications system 400 comprises a core network part (evolved packet core) 402 coupled to a radio network part. The radio network part comprises a base station (evolved-nodeB) 404, a first terminal device 406a, a second terminal device 406b and a third terminal device 406c (which may be referred to collectively as terminal devices 406). It will of course be appreciated that in practice the radio network part may comprise a plurality of base stations serving a larger number of terminal devices across various communication cells. However, only a single base station 404 and three terminal devices 406 are shown in FIG. 4 in the interests of simplicity.
Although not part of the telecommunications system 400 itself, also shown in FIG. 4 are some other devices which are operable to wirelessly communicate with one another and which are operating within the radio environment of the telecommunications system 400. In particular, there is a pair of wireless access devices 416 communicating with one another via radio link 418 operating in accordance with a Wi-Fi standard and a pair of Bluetooth devices 420 communicating with one another via radio link 422 operating in accordance with a Bluetooth standard. These other devices represent a potential source of radio interference and competition for resources for the telecommunications system 400 and vice versa. It will be appreciated that in practice there will typically be many more such devices operating in the radio environment of the wireless telecommunications system 400, and only two pairs of devices 416, 418 are shown in FIG. 4 for simplicity.
As with a conventional mobile radio network, the terminal devices 406 are arranged to wirelessly communicate data to and from the base station (transceiver station) 404. The base station is in turn communicatively connected to a serving gateway, S-GW, (not shown) in the core network part which is arranged to perform routing and management of mobile communications services to the terminal devices 406 in the telecommunications system 400 via the base station 404. In order to maintain mobility management and connectivity, the core network part 402 also includes a mobility management entity (not shown) which manages the enhanced packet service, EPS, connections with the terminal devices 406 operating in the communications system based on subscriber information stored in a home subscriber server, HSS. Other network components in the core network (also not shown for simplicity) include a policy charging and resource function, PCRF, and a packet data network gateway, PDN-GW, which provides a connection from the core network part 402 to an external packet data network, for example the Internet. As noted above, the operation of the various elements of the communications system 400 shown in FIG. 4 may be broadly conventional apart from where modified to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure as discussed herein.
The terminal devices 406a, 406b, 406c each comprise a respective transceiver unit 407a, 407b, 407c (which may be collectively referred to as transceiver units 407) for transmission and reception of wireless signals and respective controller units 408a, 408b, 408c (which may be collectively referred to as controller units 408) configured to control the operation of the respective devices 406 in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. The respective controller units 408 may each comprise a processor unit which is suitably configured/programmed to provide the desired functionality described herein using conventional programming/configuration techniques for equipment in wireless telecommunications systems. For each of the terminal devices 406, their respective transceiver units 407 and controller units 408 are schematically shown in FIG. 4 as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it will be appreciated that for each terminal device 406 the functionality of these units can be provided in various different ways, for example using a single suitably programmed general purpose computer, or suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry, or using a plurality of discrete circuitry/processing elements for providing different elements of the desired functionality. It will be appreciated the terminal devices 406 will in general comprise various other elements associated with their operating functionality in accordance with established wireless telecommunications techniques (e.g. a power source, possibly a user interface, and so forth).
As has become commonplace in the field of wireless telecommunications, terminal devices may support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality in addition to cellular/mobile telecommunications functionality. Thus the transceiver units 407 of the respective terminal devices may comprise functional modules operable according to different wireless communications operating standards. For example, the terminal devices' respective transceiver units 407 may each comprise an LTE transceiver module for supporting wireless communications in accordance with an LTE-based operating standard, a WLAN transceiver module for supporting wireless communications in accordance with a WLAN operating standard (e.g. a Wi-Fi standard), and a Bluetooth transceiver module for supporting wireless communications in accordance with a Bluetooth operating standard. The underlying functionality of the different transceiver modules may be provided in accordance with conventional techniques. For example, a terminal device may have separate hardware elements to provide the functionality of each transceiver module, or alternatively, a terminal device might comprise at least some hardware elements which are configurable to provide some or all functionality of multiple transceiver modules. Thus the transceiver units 407 of the terminal devices 406 represented in FIG. 4 are assumed here to provide the functionality of an LTE transceiver module, a Wi-Fi transceiver module and a Bluetooth transceiver module in accordance with conventional wireless communications techniques.
The base station 404 comprises a transceiver unit 403 for transmission and reception of wireless signals and a controller unit 405 configured to control the base station 404. The controller unit 405 may comprise a processor unit which is suitably configured/programmed to provide the desired functionality described herein using conventional programming/configuration techniques for equipment in wireless telecommunications systems. The transceiver unit 403 and the controller unit 405 are schematically shown in FIG. 4 as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these units can be provided in various different ways, for example using a single suitably programmed general purpose computer, or suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry or using a plurality of discrete circuitry/processing elements for providing different elements of the desired functionality. It will be appreciated the base station 404 will in general comprise various other elements associated with its operating functionality. For example, the base station 404 will in general comprise a scheduling entity responsible for scheduling communications. The functionality of the scheduling entity may, for example, be subsumed by the controller unit 405.
Thus, the base station 404 is configured to communicate data with the terminal devices 406a, 406b, 406c over respective radio communication links 410a, 410b, 410c (which may be collectively referred to as radio communication links 410). The wireless telecommunications system 400 supports a carrier aggregation mode of operation in which radio communication links 410 comprise a wireless access interface provided by multiple component carriers. For example, each radio communication link may comprise a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. Furthermore, the elements comprising the wireless telecommunications system 400 in accordance with this embodiment of the disclosure are assumed to support carrier aggregation in an unlicensed spectrum mode. In this unlicensed spectrum mode the base station 404 communicates with terminal devices 406 using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band that has been licensed for use by the wireless telecommunications system and one or more secondary component carriers operating on radio resources within a second frequency band that has not been licensed for exclusive use by the wireless telecommunications system. The first frequency band may sometimes be referred to herein as a licensed frequency band and the second frequency band may sometimes be referred to herein as an unlicensed (U) frequency band. In the context of an LTE-based wireless telecommunications system, such as that represented in FIG. 4, operation in the unlicensed frequency band may sometimes be referred to as an LTE-U mode of operation. The first (licenced) frequency band may be referred to as an LTE band (or more particularly an LTE-A band) and the second (unlicensed) frequency band may be referred to as an LTE-U band. Resources on the LTE-U band may be referred to as U-resources. A terminal device able to make use of U-resources may be referred to as a U-terminal device (or U-UE). More generally, the qualifier "U" may be used herein to conveniently identify operations in respect of a frequency band comprising radio resources that may be accessed by a plurality of wireless communications systems (i.e. what might frequently be an unlicensed frequency band). Using shared radio resources to support communications in a wireless telecommunications system in this way may also be sometimes referred to as licensed assisted access, LAA.
It will be appreciated that the use of carrier aggregation techniques and the use of unlicensed spectrum resources (i.e. resources that may be used by other devices without centralised coordination) in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure may be based generally around previously proposed principles for such modes of operation, for example as discussed above, but with modifications as described herein to provide additional functionality in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, aspects of the carrier aggregation and shared spectrum (e.g. licensed assisted access) operation which are not described in detail herein may be implemented in accordance with known techniques.
Modes of operation for the wireless telecommunications network 400 represented in FIG. 4 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure will now be described. Two main scenarios will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. However, it will be appreciated the various aspects and features of the scenarios represented in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be combined in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. That is to say, wireless telecommunications systems in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure may incorporate the functionality described herein with reference to both FIGS. 5 and 6 while certain other embodiments may not incorporate some aspects of the functionality described herein with reference to FIGS. 5 and/or 6.
The general scenario represented in FIG. 5 is one in which the wireless telecommunications system 400 is configured to support LAA (LTE-U) operations. The LLA operation may be based on any previously proposed scheme but with modifications to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure as described herein. Thus the system 400 supports communications between the base station 404 and carrier aggregation capable terminal devices 406 using a primary component carrier (LTE-A carrier) operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier (LTE-U/LAA carrier) operating on radio resources within a second frequency band. In accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, the terminal devices 406 are configured for measurement reporting in respect of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band which the base station is using (or may wish to use) for communicating on the secondary component carrier with one or more of the terminal devices in an unlicensed (shared) portion of the radio spectrum. The base station may thus, for example, take account of the measurement reporting obtained from terminal devices in accordance with the principles described herein when determining whether, and if so how, to operate one or more secondary carriers supporting communications with one or more terminal devices in the unlicensed band--i.e. the base station may take account of the measurement reports it receives to establish operating characteristics for communications on the secondary component carrier.
Thus, the LTE-A (primary) carrier provides a Pcell for the terminal devices 406 and LTE-U resources support an Scell that may be configured for use by the terminal devices 406 and in respect of which the terminal devices 406 are configured to provide measurement reports. It will be appreciated that radio resources in the second frequency band may be used to provide component carriers associated with multiple Scells in accordance with conventional carrier aggregation techniques. It will also be appreciated that while the present examples primarily focus on implementations in which the LTE-A transmissions in the licenced frequency band and the LAA transmissions in the shared frequency band are made from the same base station 404, this need not be the case in other example implementations. Furthermore, it will be appreciated the LTE-U carrier could in general be utilised with a TDD (time division duplex) or FDD (frequency division duplex) frame structure.
One significant aspect of the approach represented in FIG. 5 in accordance with certain embodiments is that one or more of the terminal devices 406 may be configured for measurement and event reporting in respect of radio resources within the second frequency band (i.e. radio resources which are, or may be, configured to support LAA operations on the secondary carrier) even if the terminal device is operating in an RRC idle mode. That is to say, terminal devices may in accordance with certain embodiments be configured to provide measurement reporting in respect of radio resources associated with LAA operations supported by a base station even if the terminal devices are not themselves involved in the LAA operations.
As is well understood, terminal devices in wireless telecommunications systems may be supported in different operating modes having regard to the extent to which they are able to receive certain types of data, such as user-plane data. For example, in an LTE-based network, such as represented in FIG. 4, there are two Radio Resource Control (RRC) modes for terminal devices, namely: (i) RRC idle mode (RRC_IDLE); and (ii) RRC connected mode (RRC_CONNECTED). To receive user-plane data, or at least a certain type of user plane data, terminal devices must be in RRC connected mode while terminal devices in RRC idle mode do not receive such data. In RRC idle mode, the core network (CN) part of the wireless telecommunications system recognizes the terminal device is present within the system, but the radio access network (RAN) part of the wireless telecommunications system does not. In effect, in an RRC idle mode the terminal device is not connected to the base station. The process of going from RRC idle mode to RRC connected mode may be referred to as connecting to a cell/base station and the process of going from RRC connected mode to RRC idle mode may be referred to as releasing a connection to a cell.
FIG. 5 is a signalling ladder diagram schematically representing example modes of operation for the base station (eNB) 404 and the first terminal device 406a (UEa), second terminal device 406b (UEb) and third terminal device 406c (UEc) represented in FIG. 4 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. To broadly summarise, FIG. 5 represents a measurement reporting approach for a wireless telecommunications system that supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from network infrastructure equipment, such as a base station, using a primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment on the primary or secondary component carrier. In accordance with the principles disclosed herein, and described further below, one or more terminal devices operating in the idle mode is configured to make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with a measurement configuration that is established for the measurement, and to then determine if the measurement meets a predefined trigger criterion (e.g. determining if more than a predefined threshold level of radio interference is detected on the radio resources in respect of which the measurement made). If so, the terminal device may transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met, thereby allowing the base station to consider whether, and if so how, to modify any aspects of how it supports LAA operations on the secondary carrier (for example in terms of whether the LAA carrier should be used, and if so, which radio resources within the unlicensed band should be used to support the secondary carrier).
The processing represented in FIG. 5 starts from a point in which the first terminal device 406a, UEa, is operating in the RRC connected mode (as schematically indicated step S1a in FIG. 5) while the second terminal device 406b, UEb, and third terminal device 406b, UEc, are operating in the RRC idle mode (as schematically indicated in step S1b and S1c in FIG. 5). Thus, the terminal devices UEb and UEc are not involved in receiving user-plane data from the base station 404 on the primary or secondary component carriers associated with LAA operation. However, the terminal device UEa is assumed to be involved in ongoing communications with the base station and receiving data on the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier in accordance with the principles of any known schemes for LAA operation (as schematically indicated step S2a in FIG. 5). This situation may be assumed to have arisen in accordance with conventional operating procedures within the wireless telecommunications system, for example having regard to whether or not the respective terminal devices have a need to communicate user-plane data at the corresponding time. Although in this particular scenario the first terminal device UEa is assumed to be involved in ongoing LAA communications and, as described herein, terminal devices in idle mode may be configured to provide measurement reporting to support the base station's LAA operation, the operating status of the first terminal device in this regard is not significant to the process of measurement reporting in accordance with the principles described herein. For example, even when the base station is not supporting LAA operations with the first terminal device UEa (or indeed with any other terminal devices), measurement reporting in accordance with the principles described herein may still be employed to allow the base station to determine an appropriate configuration for subsequent LAA operation. For example, a wireless telecommunications system may be configured to employ measurement reporting in respect of radio resources in an LAA band using idle mode terminal devices as described herein to determine whether or not LAA operations should be initiated, for example in response to an increase in traffic load, even when LAA operation is not currently configured for use.
As is well known, base stations in wireless telecommunications systems broadcast information that allows terminal devices to operate within the base station's cell. In an LTE-based wireless telecommunications system some of the fundamental information required for a terminal device to operate in a cell is transmitted on PBCH in the Master Information Block (MIB). Other information regarding the system configuration is divided among System Information Blocks (SIBs) referred to as SIB1, SIB2, SIB3, . . . etc. (there are 16 SIBs defined as of Release 11 LTE). The SIBs are transmitted in system information (SI) messages, which, apart from SIB1, may contain multiple SIBs. There may be one or several SI messages transmitted at different periodicities. Each SI message may convey multiple SIBs suitable for scheduling with the same periodicity. The timings for SIB1 transmissions are fixed on an 80 ms period and they occur in the fifth subframe of radio frames when System Frame Number (SFN) is a multiple of 8 (i.e. SFN mod 8=0). There are retransmissions of SIB1 provided in every other radio frame within the 80 ms period. The timings for other SIB transmissions are configured in SIB1. The transmission resource allocations for the SI messages on PDSCH within a subframe are provided to terminal devices using PDCCH allocation messages addressed to SI-RNTI (System Information Radio Network Temporary Identifier--currently 0xFFFF in LTE). At higher layers, SI is carried on the logical broadcast control channel (BCCH). Thus, system information signalling provides an established mechanism for allowing base stations to convey configuration information to terminal devices.
In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, the base station 404 is adapted to transmit system information which includes measurement configuration information defining how terminal devices should monitor radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band, and this may be regardless of whether the terminal devices are operating in the connected mode or the idle mode. In one implementation, the measurement configuration conveyed by the information in system information may define one or more measurement objects which the base station would like the terminal devices to monitor and report on if a corresponding trigger condition is met.
Thus, as represented in step S3 in FIG. 5, the base station transmits system information which comprises a LAA measurement configuration, for example conveying information with regard to which radio resources should be monitored by the terminal devices in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure and characteristics relating to the criterion/criteria which, when met, give rise to a measurement report. For example, the measurement configuration may indicate the terminal devices should measure radio channel conditions on radio resources corresponding to a frequency channel which the base station is currently using for LAA operation in the second frequency band, for example to support communications with the first terminal device UEa as represented in step S2a of FIG. 5. The measurement configuration may further indicate the nature of the measures to be made, for example whether the measurement should comprise a measurement of a received power for reference signalling from the base station on the relevant radio resources, e.g. RSRP in an LTE context, and/or a measurement of a received quality for reference symbol signalling on the relevant radio resources, e.g. RSRQ in an LTE context, and/or a measurement of a received signal strength on the relevant radio resources, e.g. RSSI in an LTE context. In this regard, the measurements themselves may broadly correspond with conventional measurements made in wireless telecommunications systems. The measurement configuration may further provide an indication of when the measurement should be made, for example by defining a monitoring schedule for the measurements.
In steps S4a, S4b and S4c represented in FIG. 5 the respective terminal devices UEa, UEb, UEc begin monitoring for an event trigger condition in accordance with the measurement configuration received in step S3. A significant aspect of this is that the terminal devices UEb and UEc operating in the idle mode monitor for the event trigger condition in much the same way as the terminal device UEa operating in the connected mode. Apart from this, the step of monitoring for the event trigger condition may be based on generally established techniques of the kind performed by RRC connected terminal devices in wireless telecommunications systems. For example, the respective terminal devices may each be configured to measure a characteristic of radio channel conditions on the relevant radio resources within the second frequency band, for example in an LTE context this may be RSRP, RSRQ or RSSI, and determine whether or not their measurements indicate a predefined condition for triggering a measurement report is met. For example, the terminal devices may be configured to trigger a measurement report if RSRP or RSRQ measurements fall outside a range defined by a threshold value. More generally, the terminal devices may be configured to trigger a measurement report if they determine that a level of interference on the radio resources with which their current measurement configuration is associated is determined to exceed a predefined threshold (potentially also requiring this to occur for at least a certain amount of time--i.e. a "time-to-trigger"). In this regard, aspects of the trigger conditions (e.g. threshold value and/or time-to-trigger) may be selected in accordance with established techniques for setting measurement report trigger conditions in wireless telecommunications systems. Characteristics defining the trigger condition may be specified in an operating standard for the wireless telecommunications systems or may be selectable by the base station and conveyed to the terminal devices in prior signalling, for example in conjunction with the LAA measurement configuration of step S3. It is assumed here the respective terminal devices are configured to monitor for the event trigger condition by making a measurement of the relevant radio channel conditions and determining if the measurement meets the pre-defined trigger condition in a repeated manner in accordance with a monitoring schedule. For example, the terminal devices may be configured to perform the measurements on a regular basis.
In step S5b represented in FIG. 5 it is assumed the second terminal device UEb determines that it has made a measurement of radio channel conditions that meets the condition for triggering a measurement report. This may be, for example, because the terminal device UEb is located relatively near to a WLAN access point that has begun operating on radio resources and so increases the interference measured by the terminal device UEb (in principle this increased interference could be associated with activation of a Wi-Fi module of the second terminal device itself). It is assumed here the first terminal device UEa involved in LAA communications with the base station 404 does not see any increase in interference because it is too far from the WLAN access point to receive it signalling. Accordingly, and as already discussed above, this can give rise to an issue with conventional measurement reporting approaches restricted to RRC connected terminal devices because the terminal device UEa that is operating on the LAA resources is not aware of the interference issue associated with the LAA operation. This means that in accordance with existing schemes the base station might simply continue making LAA transmissions that interfere with the WLAN access point. However, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, the second terminal device UEb which is currently in idle mode and not involved in any user-plane communications with the base station on the secondary component carrier, is nonetheless made aware of the interference issue and may report this to the base station.
Having determined that a measurement report should be communicated to the base station in Step S5b, the second terminal device UEb proceeds to establish an RRC connection with the base station (as indicated in FIG. 5 in step S6b) so that it becomes RRC connected (as indicated in step S7b). This process of switching from idle mode to connected mode may be performed in accordance with any conventional techniques.
Having transitioned to connected mode, and as indicated in step S8b in FIG. 5, the second terminal device UEb transmits a measurement report to the base station to indicate the relevant trigger criterion has been met. The transmission of the measurement report may be made in accordance with conventional measurement reporting techniques.
After transmitting the measurement report to the base station in step S8b terminal device UEb releases its RRC connection and returns to idle mode, as schematically represented in step S9b in FIG. 5. This process of RRC connection release and switching from connected mode to idle mode may be performed in accordance with conventional techniques. Having returned to RRC idle mode, and as represented in Step S10b, the second terminal device UEb continues to monitor for the event trigger condition. This may be performed in the same way as described above with reference to step S4b. In some example implementations the terminal device may be configured to delay transmitting any further measurement reports for a period of time after it has already done so. This may be to allow time for the base station to take action to seek to resolve the interference issue. In some cases the terminal device may remain in RRC connected mode for a period of time to allow it to more readily send further measurement reports in respect of further measurements of radio channel conditions so as to provide ongoing feedback to the base station as to whether the issue has been resolved without needing to repeatedly switch between RRC connected mode and RRC idle mode.
Having received the measurement report in step S8b, the base station 404 proceeds to determine whether it should modify any aspects of its LAA operation. For example, the base station may determine whether it should cease LAA operation on the relevant radio resources, for example by switching the secondary component carrier to other radio resources, or deactivating the secondary carrier for a period of time to allow the WLAN access point to access the radio resources without interference (or at least with reduced interference) from the base station transmissions. This decision-making may in general be performed in accordance with conventional measurement report based decision-making techniques, and in particular those proposed for use in LAA scenarios. That is to say, what is significant in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure is the manner in which terminal devices in idle mode may be configured to measure radio channel conditions on radio resources associated with LAA operation even though they are not involved in the LAA operation and not how the measurement reports are handled. Once the base station receives the measurement report it may be handled in a conventional manner with regard to the base station determining whether, and if so how, it should modify its LAA operation taking account of the measurement report. In the example represented in FIG. 5, it is assumed the base station 404 determines in step S9 that it should modify an operating characteristic of its LAA operation I view of the measurement report received from the second terminal device UEb. For example, the base station may determine that it should modify one or more characteristics of the secondary component carrier being used to support communications with the first terminal device UEa, such as the radio resources within the second frequency band used for the secondary component carrier, or a determination that the secondary component carrier should be deactivated, or a determination that downlink communications on the secondary carrier should not be scheduled for a period of time, e.g. as defined in accordance with established fairness/politeness protocols.
As schematically represented in FIG. 5 in step S5a, after determining that it should modify an operating characteristic of its LAA communications in step S9, the base station communicates the modified LAA configuration information to the first terminal device UEa and commences LAA operation in accordance with the modified LAA configuration (for example using different frequency resources within the second frequency band from those used for the LAA operation of step S2a). This aspect of the processing represented in FIG. 5 may be performed in accordance with previously proposed techniques for supporting changes in LAA operating characteristics in wireless telecommunications systems.
Thus, the processing described above with respect to the first and second terminal devices UEa, UEb show how a terminal device operating in an idle mode can be configured to provide measurement reports in respect radio resources supporting LAA operation for another terminal device operating in a connected mode. In effect, this means that terminal devices which are not involved in ongoing LAA operations can nonetheless provide the base station with information regarding how the LAA transmissions are interacting with transmissions for other wireless communications devices associated with a different wireless access technology (or a different telecommunications network operating according to the same wireless access technology) within the same radio environment.
Another aspect of operations in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure will now be described with reference to the processing steps associated with the first terminal device UEc represented in FIG. 5.
As already discussed above, in step S4c the terminal device UEc begins monitoring for the event trigger condition. It is assumed here the third terminal device UEc continues doing this without determining the trigger condition has occurred (e.g. because it is also too far from the WLAN access point interfering with the measurements made by the second terminal device as described above) until a point in time at which it wishes to establish RRC connection to the base station (as indicated in FIG. 5 in step S5c) so that it becomes RRC connected (as indicated in step S6c). This process of switching from idle mode to connected mode may be performed in accordance with conventional techniques and the reason why the switch is made is not significant here. For example, the switch to connected mode may be made because the terminal device UEc has data it needs to transmit to the base station or because the base station has paged the terminal device UEc.
When the base station modifies its LAA operation, it may be appropriate to reconfigure the measurements performed by terminal devices to suit the modified LAA configuration (e.g. because there has been a change in radio resources used to support the LAA carrier). Such a change may be conveyed by updating system information to reflect the new configuration in accordance with conventional techniques. In this regard, it will be appreciated that for changes of system information other than those related to EAB (Extended Access Barring), ETWS (Earthquake Tsunami Warning System) and CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert System), there is a BCCH modification period defined (which may be referred to as a "SI modification period"). SI modification period boundaries are defined on radio frames for which SFN mod q=0, for a cell-specific value of q. When there is a change in system information, the new system information is transmitted from the start of a new SI modification period.
The general process for implementing a change in system information in an LTE-based network is described, for example, in ETSI TS 136 331 V 11.7.0 (2014-03)/3GPP TS 36.331 version 11.7.0 Release 11 . In summary, a base station indicates a change of system information as follows.
1. When the network changes system information it notifies terminal devices about the change by transmitting a PDCCH resource allocation message addressed to the paging RNTI (P-RNTI). This directs the terminal devices to decode PDSCH resources containing a Paging message with a SystemInfoModification flag set to true. This may be done, for example, throughout one SI modification period. Both RRC_IDLE and RRC_CONNECTED terminal devices check for paging messages periodically. It may be noted that EAB alterations, ETWS and CMAS notifications may be separately modified with separate flags in a paging message (but can also be modified along with other SIBs).
2. In a following SI modification period, the network transmits the modified system information, and may increment a SystemInfoValueTag in SIB1. This value tag can indicate changes in any SIB, but it might not be used for EAB, ETWS, CMAS and some regularly changing SI parameters such as CDMA2000 system time. Terminal devices can use SystemInfoValueTag to verify if currently stored system information is still valid, for example on return from being out of coverage when the UE may have missed a system information change notification in paging.
The terminal devices may thus be advised of the need to acquire new system information reflecting a change in LAA configuration in signalling received from the base station. This may be performed in accordance with conventional techniques. For example in the same way as existing schemes associated with non-EAB, non-ETWS, and non-CMAS system information update approaches, or where a faster response is desired, using existing schemes based on EAB, ETWS, CMAS system information update approaches.
More details on system information and changes in system information in an LTE-based system can be found in ETSI TS 136 331 V 11.7.0 (2014-03)/3GPP TS 36.331 version 11.7.0 Release 11 .
As noted above, in some implementations, a base station may alternatively, or in addition, convey LAA measurement configuration information to individual terminal devices through dedicated signalling, and an example of this is schematically represented in step S8c which shows the base station conveying an updated LAA measurement configuration to the first terminal device (in practice it may be expected the base station will also convey the indication of the updated LAA measurement configuration to the other terminal devices, e.g. through updated system information or dedicated signalling corresponding to that represented step S8c, but this is not shown in FIG. 5 for simplicity).
As schematically represented in step S9c, the terminal device UEc receiving the updated LAA measurement configuration proceeds to monitor for the event trigger condition in accordance with the updated measurement configuration (as will other terminal devices receiving the updated measurement configuration, whether in idle mode or connected mode). Apart from the different measurement configuration (e.g. different radio resources and/or different trigger criterion) the terminal device UEc may monitor for the updated event trigger condition in the same manner as described above (albeit with the terminal device currently in RRC connected mode).
It is assumed here this third terminal device UEc continues doing this without determining the updated trigger condition has occurred until a point in time at which it releases its RRC connection and returns to RRC idle mode, as schematically indicated in FIG. 5 in step S10c. This process of switching from connected mode to idle mode may be performed in accordance with conventional techniques and the reason why the switch is made is not significant here. For example, the switch to idle mode may be made because the terminal device UEc.
After switching to RRC idle mode, the terminal device UEc continues to monitor for the event trigger condition in accordance with the updated LAA measurement configuration received in step S8c while in the idle mode, as schematically represented in step S11c. In this regard, and as already noted, a significant aspect of the processing represented in FIG. 5 is that a terminal device may continue monitoring for a trigger event in accordance with a current LAA measurement configuration after switching from connected mode to idle mode (i.e. an RRC state transition). In this regard a terminal device may thus perform measurements in accordance with a measurement configuration received by the terminal device when in a connected mode after it has switched to an idle mode. Conversely, a terminal device may perform measurements in accordance with a measurement configuration received by the terminal device when in an idle mode after it has switched to a connected mode.
Although not shown in FIG. 5, if a terminal device determines from a measurement of the relevant radio channel conditions that the criterion for triggering a measurement report is met when the terminal device happens to be operating in RRC connected mode, the terminal device may proceed to transmit a measurement report to the base station to indicate this has happened in accordance with conventional measurement reporting techniques.
It will be appreciated there are various aspects of the processing represented in FIG. 5 that may be different for other implementations of embodiments of the disclosure. For example, rather than have the measurement configuration information conveyed by the base station to the terminal devices in system information, other techniques may be adopted. For example, the LAA measurement configuration may be communicated to individual terminal devices through dedicated signalling.
Furthermore, whereas the description of the processing represented in FIG. 5 has primarily focused on a situation in which the trigger condition is associated with determining a level of interference measured in respect of the relevant radio resources exceeds a threshold amount, in another example the trigger condition may be associated with a terminal device determining that the secondary component carrier is configured for use on radio resources which are known by the terminal device to be in use by another radio access technology. This may be, for example, because the terminal device itself wishes to use the relevant radio resources for communicating in accordance with another radio access technology (e.g. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth), or because the terminal device recognises that another wireless communications device is already using those resources, for example from Wi-Fi channel configuration information being transmitted in association with the other wireless communications device. In this regard, determining whether the trigger criterion is met may comprise determining if the base station is transmitting on radio resources which overlap with radio resources being used by another wireless communications device operating within a coverage area of the base station. That is to say, in accordance with the terminology used herein the process of making a measurement of radio channel conditions in accordance with a measurement configuration should be interpreted broadly to include determining if a measurement configuration is associated with radio resources which are known to be in use by another radio access technology without necessarily requiring any actual physical channel measurements to be made. In this regard making a measurement of radio channel conditions in accordance with the principles described herein may also be referred to as assessing radio channel conditions.
In some implementations, there may be some aspects of measurement configuration which are automatically modified on transition between idle and connected mode. For example, in idle mode a terminal device may be configured to trigger measurement of supporting only if its own WLAN module starts a communication session on radio resources corresponding to the LAA channel configured for measurement, whereas in connected mode the terminal device may automatically become configured to trigger measurement reporting based upon detection of an interference level being above a threshold.
Thus the approaches described above with reference to FIG. 5 represent new ways of providing measurement reports in wireless telecommunications systems supporting LAA operation. These approaches show how any terminal device, even those not currently configured to use LAA, operating in a wireless telecommunications system can be utilized to perform radio channel measurements in real-time and to report if it is observing interference issues. This can help address the hidden node problem discussed above by in effect providing the base station with more measurements of radio channel conditions. Furthermore, these approaches can be adopted in some implementations without significant overhead signalling because only terminal devices which observe an interference issue may be configured to report corresponding measurements. Furthermore, in some implementations the measurement configuration may be communicated by broadcast signalling (i.e. signalling transmitted to a plurality of terminal device), thereby avoiding the need to individually configure terminal devices (although in some implementations this may be done).
FIG. 6 is a signalling ladder diagram schematically representing example modes of operation for the base station (eNB) 404 and the first terminal device 406a (UEa), second terminal device 406b (UEb) and third terminal device 406c (UEc) represented in FIG. 4 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As with FIG. 5, the general scenario represented in FIG. 6 is one in which the wireless telecommunications system 400 is configured to support LAA (LTE-U) operations based on previously proposed schemes with modifications to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure described herein. In particular, in accordance with certain implementations, terminal devices (whether in idle or connected mode) may be requested to perform measurements (and corresponding measurement reporting based on the measurements as appropriate) in respect of radio resources in the second frequency band which are being used (or may be used) for LAA operation. The base station may then take account of the measurement reporting obtained from terminal devices in accordance with the principles described herein when determining whether, and if so how, to operate one or more secondary carriers supporting communications with one or more terminal devices in the unlicensed band--i.e. the base station may take account of the measurement reports it receives to establish operating characteristics for communications on the secondary component carrier.
The measurements may be requested (triggered) by the base station transmitting a request message to a plurality of terminal devices to request that at least some of the plurality of terminal devices make measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with a measurement configuration associated with the request message. The request message may, for example, comprise group paging addressed to (i.e. comprising an identifier associated with) a plurality of terminal devices.
The request message may comprise measurement configuration information for the measurement to be made. In some examples this may comprise an indication of specific measurement configuration parameters (for example in terms which radio resources to measure and/or when to measure and/or what radio channel condition to measure and/or a measurement report trigger condition). In other examples the measurement configuration information may comprise an indication of a previously established/semi-static measurement configuration to use, for example by reference to an identifier for one or more predefined potential measurement configurations. For this approach the predefined potential measurement configurations may, for example, be defined by system information signalling transmitted by the base station in advance of the request message, or may be defined in accordance with an operating specification for the wireless telecommunications system. In yet other examples the system may be associated with a single measurement configuration for the terminal devices to use when they receive a request to make measurements. In this case the request message may not comprise any express indication of the measurement configuration to use and the terminal devices may simply use whichever measurement configuration is currently defined, for example based on previously received measurement configuration information or measurement configuration information defined in accordance with an operating standard for the wireless telecommunications system. For the example implementation represented in FIG. 6, and as described further below, it is assumed a plurality of potential LAA measurement configurations are communicated to terminal devices in system information and a subsequent request message indicates which of these plurality of potential measurement configurations are to be used for the corresponding measurements.
On receiving a measurement report from one or more terminal devices in accordance with the principles described herein, the base station may take account of the measurement report(s) when determining whether, and if so how, to operate one or more secondary carriers supporting communications with one or more terminal devices in the unlicensed band--i.e. the base station may take account of the measurement reports it receives to establish operating characteristics for communications on the secondary component carrier. In this regard the base station may respond to the measurement reports in much the same way as described above for the processing represented in FIG. 5.
The processing schematically represented in FIG. 6 starts with the transmission of system information from the base station 404 which is received by the respective terminal devices 406a, 406b and 406c as schematically indicated in step T1. The system information may be received by the terminal devices in accordance with conventional techniques. However, the system information is modified to include information relating to a plurality of potential LAA measurement configurations. The different potential measurement configurations may, for example, correspond with different potential LAA channel configurations that may be supported by the base station. For example, there may be a number of potential LAA configurations that the base station may adopt, and with different LAA configurations may be associated with different radio resources within the second frequency band being used for the secondary component carrier. In this case there may be a corresponding number of potential measurement configurations established, with each potential measurement configuration providing a measurement in respect of the radio resources associated with a corresponding one of the potential LAA configurations. In some implementations, different measurement configurations may additionally or alternatively provide different threshold levels or criteria for triggering a measurement report, different valuation periods (times-to-trigger) or different reporting quantities/parameters (e.g. from among RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI). It will be appreciated there are other ways in which the base station may communicate the relevant LAA measurement configuration information to the terminal devices. For example, instead of, or in addition to, using system information the potential measurement configurations may be associated with respective measurement objects configured for the respective terminal devices through radio resource control signalling transmitted by the network infrastructure equipment to the respective terminal devices when in connected mode.
The measurement configuration(s) may broadly correspond with those discussed above. For example, the movement configuration(s) may comprise information with regard to which radio resources should be measured by the terminal devices and the nature of the measurements to be made (for example whether the measurement should comprise a measurement of a received power for reference signalling from the base station on the relevant radio resources and/or a measurement of a received power for reference symbol signalling on the relevant radio resources and/or a measurement of a received signal strength on the relevant radio resources (e.g. if there are no reference symbols being transmitted on the relevant radio resources, for example because the secondary component carrier is not currently activated on those resources)).
In step T2 the base station decides to establish radio channel condition measurements in accordance with one (or more) of the measurement configurations defined by the signalling of Step T1. The exact reason why the base station wishes to establish these measurements is not significant. For example, it may be that the base station is currently supporting a secondary component carrier on particular radio resources within the second frequency band, and wishes to obtain an overview of the radio channel conditions associated with the secondary carrier seen by various terminal devices operating in the wireless telecommunications network within the base station's coverage area. This may be because the base station is considering modifying its current LAA operation, for example in response to changing data traffic requirements, or simply because the base station is configured to request measurements on a regular basis as part of an ongoing monitoring process. In another example, the base station might not currently be operating a secondary component carrier on particular radio resources within the second frequency band, but may wish to determine if it is able to start operating a secondary carrier on these resources without unduly interfering with ongoing communications associated with other radio access technologies or another operator's wireless telecommunications network operating in the shared band in the radio environment of the base station.
Thus, in step T3 the base station transmits a request message to a plurality of terminal devices to request that the plurality of terminal devices make measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with a measurement configuration associated with the request message and provide a corresponding measurement report to the base station. In this respect, one significant aspect of certain embodiments of the disclosure is that a base station may ask multiple terminal devices operating in the wireless telecommunications system for a measurement report. The request message may be transmitted in the form of a paging message addressed to those terminal devices which the base station would like to perform measurement reporting. In principle this could be every terminal device operating in the cell of the base station, or at least those having the capability of making measurements within the second frequency band, but in other cases the request message may be addressed only to a subset of the terminal devices. For example, the base station could address the paging message to a selected number of terminal devices which are explicitly identified in the paging message. Alternatively, a single group paging identity could be used which is associated with a plurality of terminal devices. Membership of the group could be established in prior signalling, for example terminal devices may be provided with an indication of one or more paging group identities with which they are associated during an earlier connection to the network. Membership of a paging group could also be established based on identifiers already associated with the terminal device, such as an IMSI or IMEI. For example, in order to request that 10% (statistically) of terminal devices react to a paging message, the paging message may indicate that any terminal devices associated with an IMSI/IMEI (or other identifier) ending in a specific single digit provided in the paging message should respond. Similar approaches can be used to request responses from different proportions of terminal devices. For example, if the base station would like one in eight terminal devices to respond, the paging message may indicate that any terminal devices having no remainder when dividing their identifier by eight should respond. Another approach to establishing which of the terminal devices should respond would be to provide an indication of the specific terminal devices (for example by reference to their IMSI/IMEI or other identifier) in system information broadcast by the base station. Terminal devices receiving the paging message may thus be configured to acquire this aspect of system information to see if they should react to the paging message. Yet another way to address a paging message to only a certain subset of terminal devices would be to send the paging message in only some paging occasions (paging occasions are a function of terminal device identity). In some situations the base station may be interested in responses from one or more specific terminal devices (for example because of an aspect of their previous measurement reporting or their location within the cell) and may target the paging request accordingly, whereas in other cases the subset of terminal devices may in effect be established randomly by the base station.
The request message further includes an indication of which of the plurality of potential LAA measurement configurations previously conveyed to the terminal devices in step T1 are to be used for the measurement in respect of which the request is made. For example, the request message may include a reference/index/identifier which indicates the relevant LAA measurement configuration which the base station would like the terminal devices to use. Accordingly, terminal devices receiving the request message are able to determine the nature of the measurement they are being requested to make (e.g. in terms of the radio resources in the second frequency band for which channel conditions are to be measured) from the request message.
In steps T4a, T4b and T4c represented in FIG. 6 the respective terminal devices UEa, UEb, UEc perform the requested measurement in accordance with the relevant measurement configuration. In this regard the measurements themselves may be based on generally established techniques for radio channel condition measurement and measurement reporting in wireless telecommunications systems. Thus, the respective terminal devices may each measure a characteristic of radio channel conditions on the relevant radio resources within the second frequency band, which may, for example in an LTE context, be RSRP, RSRQ or RSSI depending on the specific measurement configuration. This measurement may be performed by terminal devices regardless of whether or not they are in idle or connected mode when they receive the request message. A terminal device operating in idle mode when it receives the request message may transition to connected mode before making the measurement, or may make the measurement in idle mode, and then transition to the connected mode to make a measurement report (to the extent a measurement report is to be transmitted by that terminal device, for example having regard to whether its measurement meets a measurement report trigger condition). The measurements undertaken by the terminal devices may also be associated with a validity time. For example the terminal device may make measurements to monitor for the trigger condition, and determine if the trigger condition is not met within a specified period, it may cease making measurements.
In steps T5a, T5b and T5c represented in FIG. 6 the respective terminal devices UEa, UEb, UEc transmit measurement reports to the base station indicating the results of their respective measurements of radio channel conditions in accordance with the measurement request received in step T3. Any terminal devices making their measurement in idle mode may transition to RRC connected mode before doing this, for example in the manner described above with reference to the measurement reporting approach represented in FIG. 5. The transmission of the measurement reports from the respective terminal devices to the base station may be made in accordance with conventional measurement reporting techniques.
As schematically indicated in step T6, and having received the measurement reports in steps T5a, T5b and T5c, the base station 404 proceeds to determine whether it should modify any aspects of its LAA operation, i.e. modify any operating characteristic(s) for the secondary component carrier based on the measurement reports. For example, if the measurement reports indicate an undesirable degree of radio interference is observed by one or more terminal devices on the measured radio resources in the second frequency band, the base station may determine it should cease LAA operation on the relevant radio resources, for example by switching the secondary component carrier to other radio resources, or deactivating the secondary carrier for a period of time. As with the processing represented in FIG. 5, this decision-making may in general be performed in accordance with conventional measurement report based decision-making techniques, and in particular those that have been proposed for LAA scenarios. That is to say, what is significant in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure is the manner in which a plurality of terminal devices may be requested to make measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with a measurement configuration associated with a request message rather than how the measurement reports are handled. Accordingly, once the base station receives the measurement reports they may be handled in a conventional manner with regard to the base station determining whether, and if so how, it should modify its LAA operation taking account of the measurement reports. If based on the measurement reports the base station determines that it should modify an aspect of its LAA operations, it may proceed to do so accordingly. This aspect of the processing may be performed in any conventional manner and is not represented in FIG. 6.
Thus, the processing represented in FIG. 6 in steps T1 to T6 provides a mechanism for a base station to readily ask a plurality of terminal devices for measurement reports in respect of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band based on a measurement configuration associated with the request message. This can allow the base station to obtain information regarding radio channel conditions within its coverage area when determining an operating characteristic of its LAA operation. For example, the measurement reports may be used when determining one or more operating characteristics such as a selection of radio resources within the second frequency band to be used for the secondary component carrier, a determination as to whether or not the secondary component carrier should be activated for use, and a determination as to whether or not the secondary component carrier should be deactivated.
If the base station wishes to establish radio resource measurements for different LAA resources corresponding to another of the predefined potential measurement configurations established in the signalling of step T1, the base station may simply send a request message similar to that described above in association with step T3, but indicating the different measurement configuration to be used.
However, there may be some situations where the base station determines that it wishes is to establish radio channel conditions for LAA resources which do not correspond with one of the currently-defined potential measurement configurations. In this context, another aspect of operations in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure will now be described with reference to the processing steps T7 to T12 represented in FIG. 6.
Thus in step T7 the base station determines that it should establish radio channel condition measurements in respect of radio resources which do not correspond with one of the potential measurement configurations established in association with step T1. As discussed above in relation to step T2, the exact reason why the base station wishes to establish these measurements is not significant.
In order to convey the new LAA measurement configuration information to the terminal devices the base station may update the system information being transmitted in the cell to reflect the new LAA measurement configuration. Accordingly, in step T8 the base station pages the terminal devices to indicate they should acquire updated system information. In this regard, the process of indicating the terminal devices should acquire updated system information may be performed in accordance with conventional techniques, such as discussed above, for example using the existing schemes associated with non-EAB, non-ETWS, and non-CMAS system information update approaches, or where a faster response is desired, using existing schemes based on EAB, ETWS, CMAS system information update approaches.
Having indicated to the terminal devices that they should acquire the updated system information, the base station transmits the updated system information, as schematically indicated in step T9. Step T9 may be performed in the same way as step T1 discussed above, except the information content of the system information signalling will reflect the different measurement configuration information (e.g. specifying a new potential LAA measurement configuration associated with a new set of radio resources to measure).
As schematically indicated in step T10, and after having provided the terminal devices with the updated measurement configuration information in step T9, the base station transmits a request message to the plurality of terminal devices to request they make measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the newly established measurement configuration. Step T10 may be performed in the same manner as step T3 described above with the request message (paging message) comprising an indication of the relevant one of the potential measurement configurations defined in the system information of step T9.
In a variation of the approach represented in FIG. 6, terminal devices may be configured to assume that whenever they acquire updated system information with different LAA measurement configuration information (such as in step T9 presented in FIG. 6) they should also interpret this as a request message to undertake a measure reporting process in accordance with the principles described herein. That is to say, in some implementations the signalling of step T10 may in effect be implicit signalling and not comprise any explicit transmissions from the base station.
In steps T11a, T11b and T11c represented in FIG. 6 the respective terminal devices UEa, UEb, UEc perform the requested measurement in accordance with the relevant measurement configuration. These steps may be performed in the same manner as steps T4a, T4b and T4c discussed above.
In steps T12a, T12b and T12c represented in FIG. 6 the respective terminal devices UEa, UEb, UEc transmit measurement reports to the base station indicating the results of their respective measurements of radio channel conditions in accordance with the measurement request received in step T10. These steps may be performed in the same manner as steps T5a, T5b and T5c discussed above.
Having received the measurement reports in steps T12a, T12b and T12c, the base station 404 may proceed to determine whether it should modify any aspects of its LAA operation in the same manner as discussed above with reference to step T6.
Accordingly, the processing of FIG. 6 demonstrates how a plurality of terminal devices can be paged to provide measurement reports in respect of selected ones of different potential measurement configurations, and how the potential measurement configurations may be changed.
It will be appreciated the processing represented in FIG. 6 may be modified in accordance with other example implementations. For example, in the processing of FIG. 6 it is assumed that all terminal devices which receive a request to make measurements send a measurement report to the base station in respect of their measurements. However, in other implementation only a subset of the terminal devices receiving the measurement request may send a report.
For example, in some implementations the respective terminal devices may only send a measurement report if their respective measurements meet a trigger condition, for example of the type discussed above with regards to the approach of FIG. 5. For example, the terminal devices may be configured to only trigger a measurement report if they determine that a level of interference on the radio resources they are requested to measure is determined to exceed a predefined threshold (potentially also requiring this to occur for at least a certain amount of time--i.e. a "time-to-trigger"). In this regard, and as already mentioned above in relation to the FIG. 5 approach, aspects of the trigger conditions (e.g. threshold value and/or time-to-trigger) may be selected in accordance with established techniques for setting measurement report trigger conditions in wireless telecommunications systems. Characteristics defining the trigger condition may be specified in an operating standard for the wireless telecommunications systems or may be selectable by the base station and conveyed to the terminal devices, for example in association with the request message. In cases where the terminal devices may be configured to selectively respond to the request for measurement based on the results of the measurement, this may always be the case, or the request message may provide an indication that this approach is to be adopted in respect of a specific request.
Furthermore in some implementations only a subset of terminal devices to which the request message is addressed may be expected to respond by making measurements. This is to help reduce the risk of large numbers of measurement reports being transmitted at around the same time from impacting the performance of the wireless telecommunications system.
In cases where only a subset of the terminal devices to which the request message is addressed are requested to undertake measurement reporting in accordance with the principles described herein, the request message may comprise information indicating this is the case. For example, the request message may comprise an indication that a given percentage of terminal devices are requested to undertake measurement reporting. The terminal devices may then individually decide whether or not to undertake measurement reporting on a statistical basis in accordance with the desired percentage of respondents. For example, the request message might indicate the base station would like only 10% of terminal devices receiving the message to respond by undertaking measurements/measurement reporting. The terminal devices receiving the request message may thus generate a random number between 0 and 1, and determine that they should proceed with measurement reporting only if their random number is between 0 and 0.1. Of course it will be appreciated there are many other ways in which the number of responses can be restricted in this sort of way. For example, each terminal device operating in a wireless telecommunications system will typically be associated with some form of identifier, such as an IMSI, and the request message may indicate a two-digit number, or multiple two-digit numbers such as a range of numbers, whereby only terminal devices whose identifier comprises two digits at the end that match the number(s) identified in the request message will response to the request.
In some cases the subset of terminal devices which respond to the request message may be based on their locations. For example, it is commonplace for terminal devices to have an understanding of their current geographic location, e.g. using GPS receiver technology. Accordingly, the base station may transmit a request message that indicates only terminal devices within a certain region are requested to respond. This can help the base station understand the geographic location of areas of interference within its coverage area, for example to help identify the location of a "hidden node". In another example, the base station itself may have knowledge of the locations of terminal devices and may address the request message only to those in a desired geographic location. In another approach, the terminal device reports may themselves contain location information for the reporting terminal device to again help the base station map where interference is occurring within its coverage area.
It will be appreciated there are various modifications of the processing represented in FIG. 6 that may be adopted in accordance with other example implementations. For example, rather than establish a plurality of potential measurement configurations with the request message indicating which measurement configuration is to be used, the request message may itself comprise the information defining the measurement configuration to be used. This provides the base station with a higher degree of flexibility in which measurements can be configured but increases the amount of signalling required for the request message.
It will be appreciated the principles described above may be applied in respect of a wireless telecommunications system supporting carrier aggregation with secondary component carriers operating in a frequency band over which the wireless telecommunications system does not have exclusive control irrespective of whether or not the wireless telecommunications system requires an administrative license to operate in the secondary frequency band. That is to say, it will be appreciated the terminology "unlicensed" is used herein for convenience to refer to operation in a band over which the wireless telecommunications system does not have exclusive access. In many implementations this will correspond with a licence exempt frequency band. However, in other implementations the operation may be applied in a frequency band which is not unlicensed in the strict administrative sense, but which is nonetheless available for shared/opportunistic use by devices operating according to different wireless access technologies (e.g. LTE-based, Wi-Fi-based and/or Bluetooth-based technologies) and/or multiple networks operating according to the same technology (e.g. LTE-based wireless communication systems provided by different network operators). In this regard the terminology such as "unlicensed frequency band" may be considered to refer generally to a frequency band in which resources are shared by different wireless communications systems. Accordingly, while the term "unlicensed" is commonly used to refer to these types of frequency bands, in some deployment scenarios an operator of a wireless telecommunications system may nonetheless be required to hold an administrative license to operate in these frequency bands. Operation of the kind described herein is sometimes referred to as being Licence Assisted Access (LAA) as opposed to being unlicensed. For example, the term LTE-LAA may be used in place of LTE-U, and so on. This terminology reflects the nature of the operation in using communications on frequencies which are licensed for use by an operator to assist access on other frequencies which are not exclusively licensed for use by the operator.
Thus there has been described a method of operating a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system. The system is configured to support communications between network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band. The system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive a type user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive that type of user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment. The method comprises: establishing a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; making a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determining if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
There has also been described a method of operating network infrastructure equipment in a wireless telecommunications system. the system is configured to support communications between the network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band. The method comprises: transmitting a request message to a plurality of terminal devices to request that at least some of the plurality of terminal devices make measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with a measurement configuration associated with the request message; receiving measurement reports from at least some of the plurality of terminal devices indicating their respective measurements of radio channel conditions; and establishing an operating characteristic for the secondary component carrier based on the measurement reports.
Paragraph 1. A method of operating a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the method comprises: establishing a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; making a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determining if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
Paragraph 2. The method of paragraph 1, wherein the measurement configuration is established from signalling received from the network infrastructure equipment.
Paragraph 3. The method of paragraph 2, wherein the measurement configuration is established from system information signalling broadcast by the network infrastructure equipment to a plurality of terminal devices.
Paragraph 4. The method of paragraph 2, wherein the measurement configuration is established from dedicated signalling transmitted from the network infrastructure equipment to the terminal device.
Paragraph 5. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, further comprising the terminal device switching from the idle mode of operation to the connected mode of operation to transmit the measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment.
Paragraph 6. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, wherein the measurement configuration is associated with one or more measurement objects specifying the radio resources within the second frequency band in respect of which the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made.
Paragraph 7. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, wherein the radio resources in respect of which the measurement of radio channel conditions is made are associated with one or more frequency channels on which the secondary component carrier may operate in the second frequency band.
Paragraph 8. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, wherein the measurement of radio channel conditions comprises one or more measurements selected from the group comprising: (i) a measurement of a received power for reference signals transmitted by the network infrastructure equipment on the secondary component carrier; (ii) a measurement of a received quality for reference signals transmitted by the network infrastructure equipment on the secondary component carrier; and (iii) a measurement of a signal strength received by the respective terminal devices on the radio resources.
Paragraph 9. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein determining if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets the trigger criterion comprises determining if a level of radio interference determined from the measurement of radio channel conditions exceeds a predefined threshold value.
Paragraph 10. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, wherein determining if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets the trigger criterion comprises determining if the network infrastructure equipment is transmitting on radio resources which overlap with radio resources being used by a wireless communications device operating within a coverage area of radio transmissions from the network infrastructure equipment.
Paragraph 11. The method of paragraph 10, wherein the wireless communications device is the terminal device itself.
Paragraph 12. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 11, wherein the measurement configuration comprises one or more indications selected from the group comprising: (i) an indication of the radio resources in respect of which the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made; (ii) an indication of when the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made; (iii) an indication of how the measurement of radio channel conditions is to be made; and (iv) an indication of the trigger criterion.
Paragraph 13. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 12, further comprising the terminal device switching from the connected mode of operation to the idle mode of operation after establishing the measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions and before making the measurement of radio channel conditions while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode.
Paragraph 14. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 13, further comprising the terminal device switching from the idle mode of operation to the connected mode of operation after making the measurement of radio channel conditions while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode and making one or more measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the connected mode.
Paragraph 15. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 14, further comprising the terminal device establishing an updated measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; making a further measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the updated measurement configuration; determining if the further measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion associated with the updated measurement configuration, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate this.
Paragraph 16. The method of paragraph 15, wherein the updated measurement configuration is established in response to the terminal device switching between the idle mode of operation and the connected mode of operation.
Paragraph 17. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 16, further comprising repeatedly performing the steps of making a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration and determining if the measurement meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmitting a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment in accordance with a monitoring schedule.
Paragraph 18. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 17, wherein the second frequency band comprises radio resources which are shared with wireless communication devices that are not part of the wireless telecommunications system.
Paragraph 19. The method of paragraph 18, wherein the wireless telecommunications system is configured to operate in accordance with a first wireless communications operating standard and the wireless communication devices that are not part of the wireless telecommunications system are configured to operate in accordance with a second wireless communications operating standard that is different from the first wireless communications operating standard.
Paragraph 20. The method of paragraph 19, wherein the first wireless communications operating standard is a cellular telecommunications operating standard and the second wireless communications operating standard is a non-cellular telecommunications operating standard.
Paragraph 21. A terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the terminal device comprises a controller unit and a transceiver unit configured to operate together to: establish a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
Paragraph 22. Circuitry for a terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the circuitry comprises a controller element and a transceiver element configured to operate together to: establish a measurement configuration for making measurements of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band; make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band in accordance with the measurement configuration while the terminal device is operating in the idle mode; determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met.
Paragraph 23. A method of operating network infrastructure equipment in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between the network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the method comprises: communicating user plane-data with a first terminal device operating in the connected mode using the primary and/or secondary component carrier; configuring a second terminal device to make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band while the second terminal device is operating in the idle mode and to determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met; receiving a measurement report from the second terminal device indicating the second terminal device has determined the measurement of radio channel conditions met the trigger criterion; and modifying the communication of user-plane data with the first terminal device using the primary and/or secondary component carrier in response thereto.
Paragraph 24. Network infrastructure equipment for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between the network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment; wherein the network infrastructure equipment comprises a controller unit and a transceiver unit configured to operate together to: communicate user plane-data with a first terminal device operating in the connected mode using the primary and/or secondary component carrier; configure a second terminal device to make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band while the second terminal device is operating in the idle mode and to determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met; receive a measurement report from the second terminal device indicating the second terminal device has determined the measurement of radio channel conditions met the trigger criterion; and modify the communication of user-plane data with the first terminal device using the primary and/or secondary component carrier in response thereto.
Paragraph 25. Circuitry for a network infrastructure equipment for use in a wireless telecommunications system configured to support communications between the network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices using a primary component carrier operating on radio resources within a first frequency band and a secondary component carrier operating on radio resources within a second frequency band, wherein the wireless telecommunications system supports a connected mode of operation in which terminal devices receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment using the primary and/or secondary component carrier and an idle mode of operation in which terminal devices do not receive user-plane data from the network infrastructure equipment; wherein the circuitry comprises a controller element and a transceiver element configured to operate together to: communicate user plane-data with a first terminal device operating in the connected mode using the primary and/or secondary component carrier; configure a second terminal device to make a measurement of radio channel conditions for radio resources within the second frequency band while the second terminal device is operating in the idle mode and to determine if the measurement of radio channel conditions meets a trigger criterion, and if so, transmit a measurement report to the network infrastructure equipment to indicate the trigger criterion has been met; receive a measurement report from the second terminal device indicating the second terminal device has determined the measurement of radio channel conditions met the trigger criterion; and modify the communication of user-plane data with the first terminal device using the primary and/or secondary component carrier in response thereto. | 2019-04-26T13:44:59Z | http://patents.com/us-10117122.html |
What a week. We had stop-and-start sessions as the House and Senate worked to reconcile their bills, which made the days longer than usual as we tried to wrap up our legislative business before adjournment today. We were more successful on some efforts than others.
Budget: Unfortunately, the House and Senate were unable to resolve their budget disagreement due in large part to the debate over Medicaid expansion – which is included in the House but not the Senate budget. The General Assembly will have to reconvene in a Special Session in the next couple of months once budget conferees work out their differences.
Metro funding: As a conferee on the Metro funding bill, I understood that failure was not an option. We had to reach $154 million in funding to fulfill Virginia’s portion of the $500 million that the Metro system needs. For every dollar that Virginia funded Metro below $154 million, D.C. and Maryland would have dropped their funding levels by their proportionate amount.
The Metro system is not only an asset to Northern Virginia, but to the entire Commonwealth. It enables us to attract and retain businesses and workers, support tourism in the region, and allow people to get to work and school in a more environmentally friendly and efficient way. For example, the tourism dollars from a family staying in Rosslyn, visiting the Iwo Jima Memorial, and eating at a local restaurant – of which there are many great spots in the 48th District – don’t just stay in Northern Virginia, but help to fund public schools in Southwest Virginia.
The conference bill is not perfect, but we reached the much-needed $154 million funding level that was in my original bill, thus signaling to our regional partners that it’s time they do their part to fund Metro.
BYOB Bill: I am happy to report that my BYOB bill, HB 1520, was signed into law on Monday, March 5 by Governor Northam. Virginia neighborhood swim clubs have a long-standing summer tradition of members bringing a picnic dinner to the club, perhaps including a beer or a bottle of wine. For decades, community swim club members throughout Virginia believed they were well within the law. But it was recently discovered that they – and I – had been breaking the law the whole time. The problem has now officially been solved, and I for one cannot wait to try out this newly legal activity.
Gun Safety: This week, Florida’s Republican Governor Rick Scott signed into law a version of my bill, HB 198, to create Violent Threat Restraining Orders in his state in response to the recent massacre in Parkland. Marco Rubio, the National Review, and even Mike Pence support the idea. Meanwhile, in Virginia, no action was taken on my HB 198, which would create a risk warrant procedure just like the new procedure in Florida. When I called on Republican leaders to bring up my bill, they claimed it was too late. Yet this past Monday, a Republican Senator introduced a bill related to drugs in animal shelters, which passed today. Four days. In response, I issued a press release, linked here, calling out Republicans for their inaction on a bipartisan measure that has the potential to save lives in Virginia.
Resolutions: I introduced several resolutions honoring outstanding people and organizations this session. I recommend taking a moment to read the linked resolution text if you have a moment to learn more.
HJ 251 Celebrating the life of Senta Amon Raizen.
HR 68 Celebrating the life of Abraham Alfred Raizen.
HJ 354 Commending the McLean High School band.
HJ 355 Commending the McLean High School boys' tennis team.
HJ 356 Commending the McLean High School Highlander marching band.
HJ 357 Commending The Highlander.
HJ 359 Commending the Longfellow Middle School Rubik's Cube team.
HJ 360 Commending the Longfellow Middle School Science Olympiad team.
HJ 382 Commending Reuse and Replay.
HJ 383 Commending Justin Young.
HJ 384 Commending Melanie Pincus.
HJ 471 Commending Allison Stocks.
HJ 472 Commending Wheels to Africa.
HJ 475 Celebrating the life of Irving Comer.
HJ 476 Celebrating the life of Patrick William McDonough.
It has been a successful session this year so far, but with a Special Session coming soon, be sure to stay posted for further updates. For now, we are adjourned Sine Die.
It has been a very busy week. With just six days remaining in the 2018 session – we are scheduled to adjourn on March 10 – the General Assembly is embroiled in the process of determining how similar House and Senate bills can be reconciled through floor amendments or conference committees. We had a marathon day on Wednesday because the House and Senate each had to stop and start session several times, to communicate back and forth about whether one chamber’s version of its bill would be accepted by the other.
Metro bill: As I had hoped, I was named Wednesday to be one of three House conferees – the only Democrat – on the Metro funding bill. There are two very complex bills that need to be reconciled in conference. Failure is simply not an option on an issue this critical to Virginia’s economy and transportation infrastructure. Funding sources and levels are two of the most contentious topics we have to find a way to agree on, but I am confident that we can achieve a bipartisan solution ensuring Virginia finally provides a much-needed dedicated funding stream for Metro. Washington D.C.’s and Maryland’s legislators are waiting for Virginia to act first, so the pressure is on.
Gun Safety: Even more Republicans have come out in support of the idea behind my bill, HB 198, which would create “risk warrants” in Virginia to keep guns out of the hands of people found by a judge to be a risk to themselves or others. Since my last report to you, a number of Republicans, including Senator Marco Rubio, Florida Governor Rick Scott, and even Vice President Mike Pence have come out in support of risk warrant bills, which are sometimes called Gun Violence Restraining Orders or Emergency Risk Protection Orders.
I participated Thursday in a gun safety press conference with a large group of my Democratic colleagues, where we highlighted a number of bills that were stymied by Republicans in subcommittee early in the session. That was before the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that has since galvanized public support for immediate action on gun safety. There is still time before we adjourn to take up bills like HB 198, which has not yet received a subcommittee assignment, let alone a hearing. We implored our Republican colleagues to join us to take action on gun safety before we adjourn for the year. As I noted in my remarks, “inaction is indifference” and “complacency is complicity.” The time to act is now, and lives are at stake.
Click here for full news coverage of HB 198.
Black History Month: I spoke on the House floor Monday about Arlington County’s first African-American police officer, Irving Comer, who passed away last November. He was a trailblazer for black law enforcement officers in Arlington and made lasting and important contributions to our community.
It was a privilege to meet with several members of his family, including his mother and two daughters, before and after the speech – they all received a lengthy and well-deserved standing ovation from the House of Delegates following the speech. To view the tribute to Officer Comer, click here. To read the transcript of the speech, click here.
Stay tuned for updates next week – the last six days of the 2018 session will be action-packed.
This week was action-packed, highlighted by passage of Medicaid expansion in the House budget. Voters made their message clear last November and, for once, it appears Republicans were listening. The expansion is limited, and the Senate is not yet on board, but it’s a start. It was an historic day.
BYOB Bill: I am happy to report that my BYOB bill, HB 1520, passed the Senate this week and is awaiting Governor Northam’s signature. Virginia neighborhood swim clubs have a long-standing summer tradition of members bringing a picnic dinner to the club, perhaps including a beer or a bottle of wine. For decades, community swim club members throughout Virginia believed they were well within the law. But it was recently discovered that they – and I – had been breaking the law the whole time.
My bill will fix this anomaly in ABC law, and permit members to BYOB to their swim clubs.
Gun Safety: After last week’s tragedy in Parkland, Florida, the national conversation has shifted markedly on gun safety. David French, a senior editor at the conservative National Review, wrote a piece titled “A Gun-Control Measure Conservatives Should Consider” supporting the idea at the heart of my bill, HB 198, which would create a risk warrant in Virginia. Soon after, A. Barton Hinkle of the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote a column, “A gun-control proposal that protects gun rights,” that echoed French’s call for reform through bills like HB 198.
On Wednesday night, Senator Marco Rubio said at that remarkable CNN town hall in Broward County: "I've already announced ... a concept called a gun violence restraining order that allows authorities – and it has to be someone in your immediate family, it has to be somebody you live with, it has to be a parent, it has to be an administrator – can go to authorities and allow someone to not just be prevented from purchasing any firearm and allow those to be taken from them – and the person will have due process," he said. "I support that and I hope they will pass that."
Just an hour ago, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) endorsed the idea as well. He calls it a "Violent Threat Restraining Order."
Conservatives are finally beginning to recognize the potential of bills like HB 198 to save lives. But time is running out – the 2018 session will adjourn on March 10. I hope that if my bill is not considered this year, Republicans will at least come to the table for a meaningful discussion on gun safety so we can pass HB 198 next session. Inaction is not an option.
I also want to recognize the efforts of the students who participated in Wednesday’s walkout at McLean High School and H.B. Woodlawn and those who attended vigils – including Friday’s gathering outside of NRA headquarters in Fairfax – in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The solidarity, eloquence, determination, passion, and civic mindedness that these young people have shown gives us all hope for the future.
Budget: Thursday the House first considered amendments, and then passed the budget bills, HB 29 and HB 30. It is not a perfect budget, but its inclusion of Medicaid expansion, raises for state employees, and increases in K-12 funding, among many other positives, drew an interesting bipartisan 68 votes in the House. The House budget will now go to conference with the Senate version, which passed that chamber on Thursday.
The budget contains some, though not enough, funding for Metro. Metro is vital to the economy of the entire Commonwealth, and we simply must solve the dedicated funding issue. Moreover, as I noted in this Washington Post article, “Surely we will not get the Amazon headquarters if we allow Metro to wither on the vine.” Fully funding Metro means fully supporting economic growth in Virginia for decades to come. It is my hope to serve as a conferee as the House and Senate reconcile their respective Metro funding bills in conference.
Two weeks to go. Two important weeks. Stay tuned.
Crossover: This week kicked off with a rush to finish consideration of all House bills before “Crossover” on Tuesday. Crossover is the day by which all House and Senate bills must be acted on by their respective chambers (except for budget bills). The approximate half-way mark of the 2018 session provides an opportunity to reflect on the effect last November’s stunning results have had on the House of Delegates.
As I have said over and over this session, “everything is different, but nothing has changed.” The Republicans continue to use their 51-49 “mandate” (they actually use that word – no kidding! A mandate built on a drawing by lot and a calamitous election day mistake…) to kill good Democratic bills at will, just as they’ve done for years. We are, however, beginning to see the power of 49. This year we didn’t see bathroom bills, 20-week abortion bills, or other similarly outrageous bills. The Republicans might be continuing to shoot down our good ideas, but they seem to at last be acknowledging that some of theirs are far too extreme for Virginia.
Even other terrible bills that Republican members did introduce, and passed out of committees, were pulled from the floor by Republican leadership before the majority had to embarrass itself and cast votes for clearly unpopular and misguided bills. Bills that would allow guns in places of worship, for example, and allow application for a concealed carry permit by mail, were ultimately killed because Republicans recognized the potential consequences.
There still have been some of the awful votes we are used to seeing from the Republican majority. They refused, for instance, to change the House rules to prohibit guns in the gallery of the House. And they passed that silly “sanctuary city” bill – despite there being no sanctuary cities in Virginia.
My bills: I was pleased when a bill I co-patroned (HB 793) and worked hard on with its patron, Delegate Roxann Robinson (R-Chesterfield), passed the House of Delegates on Monday. The bill would lift a number of unnecessary restrictions on Nurse Practitioners and allow them to practice to the full extent of their training, and lead to increased access to health care across the Commonwealth.
Two of my bills passed the House unanimously, HB 1451 and HB 1520. The first would create a pilot program to enable public schools that produce more energy than they consume – like Arlington’s zero energy Discovery School – to credit the value of that energy back to other public schools in the same district. The second would preserve members’ ability to “BYOB” at private swim clubs, a time-honored Virginia summer tradition. HB 1520 was successfully reported out of the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee this morning.
Unfortunately, most of my legislative agenda was thwarted by Republicans in subcommittees. From implementing redistricting reform to promoting renewable energy to making voting easier, my bills reflected many of the principles on which Democrats ran and won last November. If the majority won’t listen to Virginians on the issues most important to them, we need a new party in the majority.
Gun safety: On Wednesday morning I issued a press release taking the Republicans to task for refusing to even hold hearings on a number of gun safety bills. Just hours later, a gunman with an AR-15 killed 17 people and wounded dozens more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Another heartbreaking day. This marks the 18th school shooting in 2018. Thoughts and prayers are simply not enough. It is time for action, and I will keep fighting until we pass gun safety laws that make Virginia safer.
HB 1558: One of the most complex and controversial bills this session is HB 1558, also known as “the Dominion bill.” The bill has come a long way from when it was first introduced by Delegate Terry Kilgore. For example, the Ratepayer Impact Measure (RIM) test for energy efficiency projects is likely to be eliminated if HB 1558 becomes law. The RIM test has too often been used by the State Corporation Commission to reject energy efficiency programs that would create energy savings for ratepayers. I introduced a bill this session, HB 964, which I have been pushing since I came to the House of Delegates, which would have thrown out the RIM test. I am glad to see that this important concept was incorporated into the Dominion bill.
In a massive win for Democrats, Democratic Leader David Toscano introduced an amendment on the House floor that put significant checks on Dominion’s power – six Republicans joined all 49 Democrats to support the amendment. The amendment would prohibit Dominion from “double dipping” to boost profits, a major blow to Dominion, a company not used to losing votes like that. Again, the power of 49.
Metro funding: As I noted last week, my bill to provide a reliable funding stream for Metro was killed in favor of a Republican version with reduced funding. That bill, HB 1539, remains a work in progress, so I supported it when it came up for a vote on Tuesday in order to enable the House (and hopefully me) to have a seat at the table when the bill goes to conference. I look forward to helping craft the final bill and will keep you posted on its progress.
The full House Democratic Caucus – 49 strong!
2018 Governor’s Fellow Program: Yesterday, Governor Northam launched the Governor’s Fellows Program for 2018. The program offers graduate students, rising college seniors, and graduating college seniors the opportunity to experience firsthand the administration of state government in the Commonwealth. The deadline to apply is March 18, 2018. If you know anyone who might be interested, click here for more information.
This week was a busy one – I presented four different bills to five different committees. I began with HB 205 at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning at a House Privileges and Elections subcommittee meeting. HB 205 would have laid out specific criteria by which the General Assembly would draw legislative and congressional district maps in case the current map is found to be unconstitutional by a federal court currently considering the question in a case named Bethune-Hill. It is possible we will have to redraw several districts – and hold special elections – this year. In that event, HB 205 would control. Importantly, the bill would forbid the use of political data. The bill was tabled indefinitely (killed) 4-2, but I will not stop fighting for redistricting reform in the House of Delegates until we have district maps that empower voters, not silence them.
On Thursday morning I presented my Metro funding bill to the House Committee on Transportation. HB 1319 would provide a dedicated, bondable funding stream for Metro, and make meaningful reforms. There were dozens of supporters from across Virginia in attendance, and Transportation Secretary Shannon Valentine even noted in her remarks to the committee that Metro is the top transportation priority for the Northam Administration. Notably, the Senate Metro funding bill, which is identical to mine, is on the move, having been reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday evening.
My HB 1319, however, was ultimately rolled into Delegate Tim Hugo’s HB 1539, a bill that would not only drastically reduce the amount of funding allocated for Metro, but also change the mechanisms by which those funds are collected. While it is frustrating that the Republicans killed my bill despite the massive amount of stakeholder input it included, I am hopeful that their reporting of HB 1539 to the House Appropriations Committee is a sign that the majority understands the importance of Metro to Virginia and its economy. It appears that the issue is how much and how to fund Metro, not whether to do so at all, so I look forward to engaging on this subject moving forward, shepherding the Senate version in the House, and ensuring that a sustainable, smart solution is reached this session.
Thursday afternoon was more successful. My bill, HB 1451, passed 20-0 out of the House Commerce and Labor Committee. HB 1451 would create a pilot program to enable public schools that produce more energy than they consume – like Arlington’s zero energy Discovery School – to credit the value of that energy back to other public schools in the same district. This would not only incentivize school systems to become more energy efficient and install renewable energy sources, but would also save school districts (and taxpayers) money on energy bills.
I had several great meetings with constituents this week, including with representatives from Equality Virginia and the Arlington Chapter of Indivisible. Be sure to stop by Room 220E in the Pocahontas Building to say hello if you happen to be in Richmond during session.
For those who are tracking the session from home, the floor schedule next Monday and Tuesday will be packed, and will begin at 10 am instead of noon. Tuesday, February 13th, is called “Crossover” – it is the day by which all House and Senate bills must be acted on by their respective chambers (except for budget bills). Then, starting next Wednesday, the House and Senate will begin considering all of the bills that the other chamber has passed.
That’s all for this week. Stay tuned for further updates, and thank you for reading.
Tuesday was packed with legislative action – I had ten bills up for consideration in three different committees, plus I led a gun safety press conference with my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus. At the press conference I spoke about a bill I have introduced with Delegate Chris Hurst, HB198, which I consider more of a mental health/suicide prevention bill than a gun bill. The bill would allow concerned family members and individuals close to a gun owner whom they believe to be a risk to himself (or others) to go to a Commonwealth’s Attorney or law enforcement officer and request that they seek a “risk warrant” from a circuit court. The Commonwealth’s Attorney or law enforcement officer would then go before a judge to ask for a risk warrant to authorize temporary removal of the person’s firearms. The gun owner could then, if he or she so chooses, appeal the judge’s ruling, ensuring there is always full due process. Click here for coverage of the event by Richmond’s local NPR station and here for the press release by the House Democratic Caucus.
The majority of bills I presented on Tuesday were related to promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy in Virginia. While most of the bills were unfortunately killed in a Commerce and Labor Subcommittee, I was impressed by how far the conversation surrounding these issues has progressed since I first came to the General Assembly. During the same hearing at which I presented my bills, Delegate Terry Kilgore spoke on a bill he introduced to repeal the Dominion Power rate freeze. A sizeable portion of his argument for the bill highlighted its requirements that utilities invest in renewable energy and improved efficiency. While the bill’s details are still being negotiated, and I am a long way from being able to support it, I will continue to push for the inclusion of meaningful language which will propel Virginia forward on 21st Century energy issues.
On Friday afternoon, I presented to a House Courts of Justice Subcommittee a bill, HB522, that would protect victims of sexual assault from prosecution for underage drinking or drug use they engaged in at the time of the attack. Other states including Texas, Indiana, and Wisconsin have similar legislation to provide some form of a “safe harbor” for sexual assault victims to address fears of “getting in trouble” with police for underage drinking or drug use if they come forward. The bill was killed in subcommittee, but I am committed to fighting for survivors of sexual assault moving forward.
I had a number of great groups visit this week, including folks from a variety of Chambers of Commerce from Northern Virginia, the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Feel free to write, call, or come by as the session continues to accelerate.
As expected, the temperature and the pace turned up in Richmond this week. The days are long, packed with subcommittee and committee hearings, floor session, constituent meetings, press conferences, and more. With just two and a half weeks until “crossover” – when the House sends to the Senate all the bills it has passed and vice-versa – there are still hundreds of bills that must be considered in subcommittee, including must-pass items related to Metro funding and Medicaid expansion. I am carrying the Metro funding bill in the House. That one will be, pardon the pun, a wild ride.
Bill Updates: Several of my bills were considered this week, including one (HB 204) that would allow localities to “benchmark” commercial buildings’ energy efficiency, and another that would create a tax credit for renewable energy property (HB 54). Both were killed in subcommittee, but the broader conversations about energy are getting more thoughtful as more members of both parties have come to understand the importance of passing legislation to boost renewable energy and energy efficiency.
A special thank you to Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, who highlighted a bill I have introduced (HB 522) that would protect those reporting a sexual assault from prosecution for underage drinking, public intoxication, or drug use. You can watch the press conference here.
On Thursday, I emceed the Democratic Caucus press conference on education issues. I spoke briefly about my own bill (HB 199) that focuses on how we prepare our students to navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of the internet and social media, and then introduced several of my colleagues, who presented their respective pieces of the Democratic agenda on education. You can view the full press conference here.
Constituent Visits: Thank you to all my constituents who stopped by this week to discuss their legislative priorities, including Caroline Tornquist, an H-B Woodlawn senior who will serve this year as the Speaker for the Model General Assembly in March, and the fabulous women of the Equal Rights Coalition.
The streets are not the only thing frozen in Richmond – this week was an unusually slow one in the House of Delegates. Recounts, lawsuits, and elections won by chance delayed the start of our business. And between cancellations due to snow here in Richmond, and many bills not yet being assigned to subcommittees, Delegates and staff are eager to finally get into the full swing of things.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Believe it or not, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the day on which pro-gun and gun safety activists come to Richmond to lobby lawmakers. As a strong supporter of gun safety reform in the General Assembly, I was heartened to see the massive crowd that attended the 26th Annual Vigil and Advocacy Day to end gun violence. We heard powerful speeches from family members of victims of gun violence, different faith groups, Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring. Frustratingly, a Senate Committee killed a slew of common sense gun safety bills that very morning, but the message from rally attendees was clear – we are not losing hope and we are not giving up. I have introduced two gun safety bills this session, HB198 and HB629, and I plan to push hard for these and all bills that will make Virginia a safer place.
Governor Northam’s Address: Over just a few days, we have had the privilege of hearing from both the 72nd and 73rd Governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia. On Monday evening, newly sworn-in Governor Northam addressed a joint meeting of the General Assembly. He reiterated his agenda, including his G3 program (short for “Get Skilled, Get a Job, and Give Back”), Medicaid expansion, environmental protection, and criminal justice reform.
The following day, Majority Leader Delegate Todd Gilbert delivered the Republican response to Governor Northam’s speech, and it was both bitter and partisan. Claiming the Governor’s speech was too partisan (one wonders if he had listened to any of candidate-Northam’s campaign speeches), Del. Gilbert waived a piece of paper on which he claimed to have a list of “twenty things” that the GOP had “just thought of this morning” on which the two parties could find common ground. I look forward to the day when he actually reads that list for Virginia citizens to hear.
Committee Assignments: I will be serving on the same committees on which I have served since first being elected: the Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Committee on Finance. The Agriculture Committee handles bills related to a vast array of topics from battlefield properties to endangered species to stormwater management. Click here for a full list of the bills referred to this committee. The Finance Committee is tasked with all tax-related bills. One of my bills, HB54, which would provide a tax credit for the purchase of renewable energy property, has been assigned to this committee for consideration. Click here for a full list of bills that will be voted on by the Committee on Finance.
Next week will likely be much busier, so stay tuned for further updates.
The 2018 General Assembly session began a bit slowly this year, as Delegates, Senators and staff had to figure out where everything is in our new location, the Pocahontas Building. Come visit us, but be prepared to have to wander a bit to find me!
On Wednesday, we welcomed nineteen new Delegates, including sixteen Democrats. Considering the House Democratic Caucus was a merry band of just thirty-four last year, having rocketed to forty-eight fellow Democrats is a remarkable and exciting new experience. And full of potential. There were also several other significant firsts. On Wednesday: the first transgender lawmaker, Delegate Danica Roem; the first openly gay woman, Delegate Dawn Adams; the first Latina Delegates, Delegates Hala Ayala and Elizabeth Guzman; and the first Asian-American woman, Delegate Kathy Tran, were all sworn in.
The House also now includes a record twenty-eight women. This is an important milestone toward gender equality in the Commonwealth, and as a copatron of two bills – HJ2 and HJ4 – that would ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, I am hopeful that we can finally make real progress on these critical issues.
Governor Terry McAuliffe’s State of the Commonwealth Speech: Governor McAuliffe gave his final State of the Commonwealth speech to the General Assembly on Wednesday evening. He reflected on his Administration’s many achievements over the last four years, including reforming Standards of Learning (SOL) testing, taking executive action to reduce carbon emissions, restoring voting rights for felons, and attracting business to the Commonwealth. He urged legislators to move forward with bipartisanship and civility to continue making progress in Virginia, noting that work still needs to be done on Medicaid expansion, gun safety, and more.
House of Delegates’ Rules: As I have personally experienced in past sessions, bills on subjects ranging from redistricting reform to energy efficiency have too often been quietly killed in subcommittees without recorded votes. This year, leaders of the House Democratic Caucus negotiated changes to the rules that will increase transparency and accountability in the House. We will finally have recorded votes in both subcommittees and committees so Virginians can see how their representatives voted on the issues important to them, and committees and subcommittees will finally have proportional representation to better reflect the will of Virginia voters.
My Legislative Package: I expect to have a very busy session, having introduced twenty bills (and counting…). Many reflect priorities that I have pushed in past sessions, such as implementing nonpartisan redistricting reform, making it easier to vote, promoting energy efficiency, and reducing gun violence. I am carrying the Administration’s bill to provide a dedicated – and desperately needed – funding stream for Metro. Additionally, I introduced a bill that would create a Digital Citizenship, Internet Safety, and Media Literacy Advisory Council. A 2016 Stanford study found that "when it comes to evaluating information that flows through social media channels, [students] are easily duped." My bill would establish a Council to help our State Superintendent of Schools develop best practices to help students learn to distinguish fact from fiction online. Finally, I authored a bill that would create a “safe harbor” for sexual assault survivors and witnesses who were underage drinking or using illegal drugs at the time of an attack – no twenty-year-old woman, for example, should fear reporting an assault to the police because of potential prosecution for underage drinking. For a full list of all the legislation I introduced this session please click here.
Inauguration Ceremony: I am very much looking forward to Governor-Elect Ralph Northam’s swearing in ceremony tomorrow. He has been an outstanding Lieutenant Governor and I know he will be a terrific Governor. Governor-Elect Northam is wasting no time working to fulfill his campaign promises. Just this week, he demanded that President Trump not permit offshore drilling in Virginia, and joined Governor McAuliffe in releasing a series of legislative priorities that include Medicaid expansion and greenhouse gas regulation. You can read the full list here.
Visiting My Office in Richmond: I am always happy to meet with constituents while in session, whether you’re coming by about a specific topic or bill, in the area for vacation, or just want to say hello. My office in the Pocahontas Building is Room E220 – if you would like to schedule an appointment ahead of time, please email DelRSullivan@house.virginia.gov.
Stay tuned for further updates every Friday. | 2019-04-24T14:35:00Z | http://www.ripsullivan.com/2018-session-updates |
Choosing a unique font that’s right for your design can be difficult! Sometimes you’ll just know a font is right when you see it, but most of the time it’s not that simple.
It can be tough to find that perfect font, no matter how experienced a designer you are. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on unique fonts and how to use them. This guide shows you everything you need to consider when trying to find that ideal font.
There are a number of reasons why choosing the correct font for your design is so crucial. If you’re a business, the font that you decide to use will give people a certain impression of your company, and you want that impression to be the right one. The same applies for a personal project or design, you want to choose a font that suits what you’re trying to create and is consistent with the style you want to convey.
If you’re a young, hip start-up company, chances are that you won’t want to use an old-fashioned font that adds years to your brand image. However, if you’re a well-established company, a more formal font could suit your branding style.
You also don’t want a font to be jarring for anyone reading it. It should complement the overall design and not detract from it. You should always be able to communicate information effectively with your chosen font.
When a brand choses to use a certain font, it will often continue using that font for a considerable period of time. Changing fonts can confuse people and damage a brand’s image. That’s why it’s important to pick a suitable font and stick with it.
When making the final decision on your font, try and think of all the different situations where it could potentially be displayed.
Consider what your content is going to look like and what it will be about. If you allow for variations in copy size, your font can become very flexible.
What will be the role of the font in your design? Will it make it look formal, add energy to it, inspire people or evoke certain emotions.
The following fonts and font combinations have been chosen, not only because they are unique, but because they were used so appropriately in the designs they feature in - whether used in next marketing campaign or choosing the best font for your resume. So without further ado, here is our list of 75 unique fonts and some advice on how to use them.
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A truly modern creation, Advent Pro has some of the characteristics of a sans-serif font, but adds a new and exciting twist. When combined with Caveat, both fonts complement each other brilliantly. Caveat is perfect for short annotations, but can be just as easily used in a body of text. Seen here on a 21st birthday card template, Advent Pro aims for a serious tone, while Caveat breaks through that with its fun nature. The word ‘legal’ is written in Caveat and this symbolises the new and exciting opportunities that await the birthday girl or boy.
Alegreya is an easily legible font that has its origins in literature. Due to the ease at which it can be read, it can be a superb font for longer sections of text, but it is equally at home in shorter ones. Its varied rhythm allows a reader to move swiftly along a page without the need to pause. While Alegreya can be perfect for conveying a serious tone, it can also stray into more light-hearted territory. In this cactus card template, its orange colouration completely transforms the font. It becomes youthful and fun, adding vibrancy to the design.
This small caps font gives a really professional look to any design that it features in. It’s a clean font and like other forms of the Alegreya typeface, it’s straightforward to read. A savvy way to use this font is to make it a prominent feature of your design. While it leans more towards a reserved style, its clarity can work wonders for you. For example, using Alegreya Sans SC in such a manner on this Facebook post template lets people know exactly who the company is and what they do.
Embrace the elegance of Alex Brush when creating aesthetically pleasing designs. It’s not as functional as some fonts, but it’s beauty can be truly magnificent when applied correctly. The flowing brush script conveys closeness and warmth, making it perfect for personal messages. It looks gorgeous on this Spring sale template, as the white font effortlessly combines with the soft pink background. The Mallanna font is a completely different style of font, but the contrast works well. Alex Brush serves the illustration best, but Mallanna is much better for getting across information. It’s a very practical font that looks great even at smaller point sizes.
Even the names of these fonts suggest their style. Alfa Slab One is a strong and heavy font, taking centre stage in this happy birthday boyfriend design. While Sue Ellen Francisco is a tall, ladylike font. ‘Handsome’ is intended to be the standout word in this design and using Alfa Slab One ensures this. The same tactic can be used for any word you want to emphasise in your design. However, you don’t want the rest of your text to be ignored either. Sue Ellen Francisco is light and thin, but it is still capable of holding the reader’s attention.
Amatic is a small caps font that can be used in a whole host of different places. It’s a relatively simple handwritten font that conveys a real sense of freedom and unlimited possibilities. It’s a font that is best used on light-hearted designs that display fun and youthful imagery. This inspirational quote template is a great example of this. The image of the woman enjoying herself on the beach is a very suitable background for the Amatic SC font.
Despite what the name suggests, Anonymous Pro is anything but anonymous. Using black and white tones in your design helps accentuate this font and make it a huge addition to the final creation. It’s professional, clean and takes a minimalistic approach. In this CD cover template, the text is nicely balanced on the left and right sides of the design. Anonymous Pro gives off a professional feel. It’s an assured font that commands respect while still retaining an element of exuberance.
One of the most noticeable aspects of Anton is the uniformity of its letters. Every letter is of a similar height and width. This makes for a highly structured display font. Anton has its roots in many older sans serif fonts, but it has been adapted for use on the web. In this inspirational quote template, the text needs to be clear and legible. There are so many colours in the design that lesser fonts might get lost in their shadow. The stark white Anton draws the eye away from the image just enough so that the message is conveyed effectively.
A slab-serif font that can be used in both print and screen, Arvo can fill a wide variety of roles. Here we see it featured on a Facebook post template, where the strong typography emphasises the strength of the word ‘love’. Arvo gives off an aura of importance and and is well-suited for enhancing impactful messages.
Assistant is a simple, sensible and easily legible font that can be used for many different purposes. It forsakes elegance for practicality and this makes Assistant a great choice when it’s imperative that you get your message across. A perfect example of this is the text on this Facebook post template. It’s in no way flamboyant, but it gets the job done. If the font was script, the information might not be as clearly displayed.
If you’re looking for a warm, personable and welcoming font, Averia Sans Libre is a superb choice. While it’s fantastic for personal use, you could also consider using this font if you’re a business that wishes to make a stronger connection with its customers. The heartfelt text is perfectly displayed in this housewarming invitation template, as it appears handwritten and matches up perfectly with the featured image.
Have tons of fun with the vibrant and vivacious Bangers font. It’s a font that looks like it’s come straight off the pages of a comic book. As seen in this babysitting flyer; yellow, red and blue is a great colour scheme to use with the Bangers font. It’s a natural choice to put alongside superhero imagery. Bangers manages to be a clear and easily legible font, retaining its informal style all the while. It’s a font that you can get a lot of enjoyment out of.
The tight spacing and wafer thin typography of Bench Nine give it a fantastically streamlined look. It works best for short annotations and small sections of text. Here the sharp appearance of the font is very fitting with the style of this happy birthday cat template. A dark colouration on a light background is a great way to use this font. It can be great for web headlines, flyers and birthday cards.
Boogaloo adds a light-hearted flavour to your text with bold letters of varying shapes. It harks back to the 1960s in style and attempts to bring back memories of the coolness and happiness from that decade. On this thank you card, the text holds the reader's attention easily. Boogaloo is superb for catching people’s eyes and it could be used on promotional material for events and fundraisers too.
The combination of Boogaloo and Handlee is excellent for capturing a reader’s attention. The bold, clear display of Boogaloo is complemented by the smaller, more precise, Handlee. Handlee is a carefully created font that is designed to be read easily, even when at smaller sizes. This makes it very useful for a whole host of purposes. Open Sans is another friendly font that has sensibility as one of its defining characteristics. On a digital marketing plan template like this, some font combinations wouldn’t work as the design could get cluttered and unsightly. However, Boogaloo/Handlee/Open Sans retains a simple and sensible look.
Offering a reserved, yet trendy look, Bowlby One SC is ideal for drawing attention to upcoming parties and gigs. It’s big and bold, but also welcoming and fun. It combines well with Khula, which is a far more reserved font. Here we see Bowlby One SC being used for the headline of a party flyer, while Khula is used for the smaller text that contains information.
The futuristic typography of Bungee Inline makes it a great candidate for tech-based designs. It has an unconventional look that makes it a good option for those who are looking to use a really unique font. Bungee Inline is perfect for the content of this Cyber Monday template. Libre Franklin is more discreet and fits nicely between the two words in this instance. It effectively provides information, but it’s not obtrusive enough to detract from the impact of the initial impression.
The ever-reliable Boogaloo pops up again here in an effective combination with bungee shade. Notice how Boogaloo still manages to stand out, despite its smaller size in this housewarming invitation template. It serves its role well as the vehicle for the template’s punchline. The shaded letters gives Bungee Shade a 3D appearance. Replacing the ‘a’ with an illustration works here because the font is so unusual. You could use Bungee Shade for comic books, party invitations and birthday cards.
Two fonts effortlessly combine here and this results in a professional and structured look. Catamaran and Lato are both quite similar, with each font being easy to read and helping to establish a serious tone in the design. A business-themed social media post such as this one serves as the ideal canvas for Catamaran and Lato. You could also use this font on B2B marketing materials, email headers and loyalty cards.
Ceviche One is a bold sans that takes its inspiration from the 1960s. It’s a font that stands out loud and proud. When you’re looking to get noticed, Ceviche One is a reliable choice. Try experimenting with Ceviche One on posters and other large displays. It can also be combined with Shrikhand to great effect. Shrikhand has many similar characteristics to Ceviche One, such as its prominence and roundness. Here they can be seen on a Black Friday template and their eye-catching style is ideal for raising awareness about upcoming sales.
The careful strokes of the Cinzel Decorative font lends itself well to a fashion-themed design. It can look really good on Black Friday designs or on general sale posters. It’s an elegant font that commands attention. Combining Cinzel Decorative with the humble Work Sans allows it to take on an even bigger role in a design. Work Sans is reliable for getting across more detailed information, while Cinzel Decorative attracts the attention.
A Great Gatsby party invitation demands the highest level of elegance. So whatever font you choose to use will have to fit the bill. The beautiful descending strokes of the ‘G’ and ‘A’ in the Cinzel Decorative font is a good start on this front. Clicker script takes it up another notch. It’s a glorious font that really bounces off the page. Alegreya SC is by no means an overly serious font, but it is suitable for smaller text and information in a design like this.
A refined font, the exquisite Cormorant Garamond is great for inspirational and eloquent text. It can be seen here adorning a travel template, where the white colour of the text stands out clearly when placed upon the powerful nature scene in the background. Cormorant Garamond is clean, crisp and easily legible. It can add real texture to a wide variety of designs.
If you’re looking for a font that would suit your Halloween designs, look no further than the unique Creepster. It’s fun, alternative and allows ample room for creativity. Creepster is a font that doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite the fact that the letters almost appear as though they are trembling in fear. Strike fear into your family and friends by using Creepster on your Halloween cards and Halloween party invitations.
A fashionable, clean font, Crimson Text often signifies the high quality of the design that it adorns. It looks great in minimalistic styles, which emphasise the class and elegance of the font. Crimson Text can be ideal for marketing luxury products of any kind. It’s a superb choice for this fashion logo. It’s an uncluttered design that strives for quality over quantity, which is what suits Crimson Text the best.
Cutive Mono is a font that’s extremely pleasing on the eye. It’s a decorative script that’s great for using for event invitations and birthday cards. It combines well with the more practical Mr. Dafoe in this baptism invitation. Mr. Dafoe is a classical font that’s easily legible, even at smaller sizes. Due to the personal nature of this template, the feeling of closeness evoked by the connected letters of Cutive Mono makes it the perfect pick.
Living up to its name, Dancing Script gives off the impression that it’s bouncing off the page. It’s great for adding some fun to a design and can make it more engaging. Its friendly and carefree nature is complemented by Alegreya SC in this romance book cover template. Like other members of its typeface, Alegreya SC has its roots in literature. The designer knew that this design required fonts that combined aspects of love and professionalism, and they chose accordingly.
Being similar to brush strokes, the carefree and unique Finger Paint works well on light-hearted artistic designs. It’s experimental style can be fantastic for adding an authentic handwritten touch. Embrace Finger Paint on holidays such as Christmas. It features in this Christmas card template and makes it appear that the text was written with snow.
The tall and legible letters of Fjalla One makes it a solid candidate for text that needs to be displayed clearly. The stark white colouration of the central message in this Facebook post template helps to make it even more distinguishable. Even at smaller sizes, the text still looks pleasing. So you wouldn’t necessarily have to use this font for only display purposes.
Fredericka the Great achieves the incredibly difficult feat of appearing as if it was scrawled onto the page and looking highly professional at the same time. It’s a beautifully hand-drawn style font that suits fashion branding and birthday cards and sits well alongside animations. It gives a youthful touch to this 50th birthday card and its selection shows an awareness of the cheerful tone of the event.
Frijole is a unique font that almost seems to be moving, such is its trembling aesthetic. It appropriately captures the energy and excitement of being a child and is a perfect choice for this children’s day template. Quicksand is a rounded font that works well alongside Frijole. Its discreet look places the focus on the word ‘children’s’.
Grand Hotel is a warm font that has a nice weight to it. It’s a script style that can be a fitting choice for seasonal and bakery-themed designs. The typography of Grand Hotel evokes a certain calmness and familiarity that can often get lost with other fonts. Cormorant is used as a secondary font on this Christmas card template to provide clear and legible information.
Give off some great vibes with this fluid, attractive script. It’s an elegant selection that incorporates looping ascenders and descenders. The font has a classical appearance that helps to create a retro feel in the design that it’s used in. This cactus-themed template is enhanced by the presence of Great Vibes, giving the design a distinctly Western feel.
Heebo is a dominant, striking and easily legible font. The size of the text in this expo template helps to further emphasise its grandeur. It has the ideal weight for its purpose and is an outstanding font for raising awareness about events and causes. You can’t go wrong with Work Sans when you need to showcase information and it dutifully performs its task once again here.
If you’re searching for a stable, traditional font that has a formal tone, yet subtle lightness to it, Josefin Slab is the font for you. It’s a unique font with flat serifs that works best on an uncluttered palette. As is the case in this superfoods template. The red coloured Josefin Slab beautifully complements the raspberries and strawberries, while the equally balanced Lora matches with the blueberries in the design.
Josefin Slab is used effectively once again on this party flyer. The precision of the font gives it a touch of class that is fitting for this design. Quicksand is a rounded sans-serif font that flows nicely across a page. It offers a nice balance between formality and fun. The contrast between the straight and rounded edges of each font break up the text nicely for a reader.
Khula offers a unique, forward thinking and ultra-legible font. The thin and somewhat rounded characters gives it a really distinguished look. It’s used very appropriately in this art expo template. It’s a font that shows innovation, something that is intrinsic to art. Libre Franklin is a simple and functional font that doesn’t try to steal the attention away from the main title of the design.
Recreate hand painted signs and posters with the unique Knewave font. It’s a casual and welcoming font that leaves lots of room to play around with. It gives a personal touch to any design it’s used in, making it ideal for birthday cards, party invitations and social media posts. Paired alongside funky flamingos, Knewave doesn’t look out of place. It gleefully embraces the pink colouration and enhances the design.
Lato caters for a slick, professional look here. The border of this Facebook post template completes the structured layout. The italicisation of the word ‘stay’ accentuates the comforting attributes of the design. Not every font has the capacity to be serious and relaxing at once. Lato could also be utilised on promotional material for a café or for the text on a book cover.
Normally a toned down font that’s used for displaying information through smaller text, Libre Franklin breaks free on this inspirational business quotes template. It commands attention with large, bold text that effectively conveys its message in a straightforward manner. The composition of the text serves to break monotony and add creativity to the design. It’s apt that the two words are ‘talent’ and ‘passion’, which are often cornerstones of creativity.
Lilita One is a thick display font, making it ideal for large text. It also has a soft, personal side too. This personal touch makes it a fitting choice for raising awareness for good causes, as can be seen in this breast cancer awareness template. Caveat can be used for both short annotations and the body of a text. Its style is similar to that of handwritten letters.
To mix things up, you could use two large fonts in your design. And it doesn’t get much beefier than a combination of Lilita One and Leckerli One. They’re happy, joyful fonts that are ideal for celebratory designs, such as this Diwali sale template. The text has a fun aesthetic and while its role is advertising products, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Placed appropriately on a surfboard, Lobster Two is well-suited to being featured alongside seaside imagery. The rounded shapes of the font repeatedly rise up and drop down, giving it a flowing look. A summer cover photo such as this is a great use for Lobster Two and it could also be an excellent addition to a birthday card or a party invitation.
Often a flamboyant font, Lobster Two takes a backseat in a business card that exudes style. Ubuntu, a refined and classy font, adds additional substance to this style. The combo is a fantastic selection for a fashion-themed design such as this one. Razor sharp and easy to read, the text in the design entices customers to discover more about the business.
Love Ya Like A Sister is a playful and unique font that’s inspired by the writing of teenagers, but includes a classic serif edge. The letters are irregular and look handwritten, giving the text a personal touch. In this Facebook post template, the irregularity of the letters suit the pizza-themed design very well.
Luckiest Guy is a big and boisterous sans serif font that has its roots in 1950s advertising. The letters are fun and friendly, and have some resemblance to the typography used for cartoon drawings. The alternating shapes and positions of the letters help to show this fun side and gives the impression that they are moving. It helps to emphasise the comedic text in this 80th birthday template.
Meddon is a unique handwritten font with intricate letters. It embraces imperfection to create a distinct aesthetic. While Meddon can be difficult to read, it can provide an abstract, personal touch to your design. In this Easter card template, the shape of the letters match those of the adjacent lines. Assistant is far more legible and is used to support the central text.
The letters of Monoton have an almost neon quality about them. It reminds a reader of bright lights illuminating a city at night. The swift, sweeping lines that make up the font are interesting to look at and add purpose to any text it’s used alongside. Heebo is striking sans-serif that is used for the event details in this party flyer. The rounded shapes of the letters ensure that it doesn’t become too formal.
Montez uses beautiful long strokes that can make a design look classy and elegant in an instant. It’s a font that’s pleasing to the eye and each letter is treated with special care. It brings emotion to any text it’s used with, as can be seen in this bridal shower invitation. The modern Quicksand offers a nice contrast and is an effective font for showing information.
Rochester takes centre stage here with its graceful calligraphy. It majestically transforms the word ‘sweat’, turning what might not be the most pleasing word to read into something visually appealing. Montserrat is a bold, but slim, sans-serif font that displays the rest of the message clearly. It’s also one of the best fonts out there when it comes to screen display. Quicksand is again employed for secondary information and the smaller text in this workout motivation template.
A fast-paced font that’s fitting for the superhero it accompanies, Mr. Dafoe is a fun and entertaining script. Its handwritten qualities make it great for party invitations, birthday cards and moments that deserve to be cherished. The italicisation of the text in this design serve to further enhance its already swift aesthetic.
Mrs. Sheppards is composed of thick brush strokes that add artistic characteristics to a design. Its creative style is perfect for this Facebook ad. The imagery in the template is art-themed and the placement of the text helps to create a dripping paint look. You could also use this font that add decoration to your party invitations, wedding invitations and engagement announcements.
A large point Quicksand shows its flexibility here as a multi-purpose font. The slanted display gives the text an appearance akin to that of something on a billboard or a movie poster. Niconne is more artful and decorative. It suits the word ‘happiness’ well, as it has a warm and welcoming style. It’s important when your design is talking about a good hair day that you don’t use a messy font!
Nosifer is another unique font that’s similar to Creepster in style. Both fonts use exaggerated typography to create a scary look. Red is the ideal colour for Nosifer in this Wattpad cover, as it gives the appearance that that the text is dripping blood. To display the author’s name, the more practical Raleway is utilised. As good as Nosifer looks, it wouldn’t be as effective at making this kind of information clear for a reader.
A visually appealing brush script like Pacifico looks great on many different kinds of designs. It has a nice weight to it that creates a strong and emotive look, making it a great fit for a 4th of July party invitation. Advent Pro is sufficiently decorative for the design, but also stable enough to get its message across well.
Parisienne has a certain elegance about it that is befitting of the French city from which it takes its name. It’s a free flowing script that adds class to a design, making it a great option for wedding invites and engagement parties. Quicksand is an effective info font here, with the information about the Quinceañera invitation being easily legible.
A delightfully robust font, Passion One is always effective for getting your message across. Use Passion One for clear and impactful statements or for social media posts that require only a few words of text. The black and white contrast in the design would not work as well if the font wasn’t so bold and dominant.
As the name suggests, Playfair Display SC is a playful display font. In this design, its letters are scattered in an irregular pattern. It adds a new dimension to this 80th birthday card and works very well with the image. The font has lots of flexibility both visually and usage wise. It could work just as well on a more serious backdrop.
Prompt customers into buying your products with this engaging font. Prompt is easily legible and is great for call-to-actions. It’s an all caps font and gives your text the utmost clarity. For a flash sale design, it can be very effective. When you have very little imagery in your design and you need your text to be highly noticeable, there are few better choices than Prompt.
Raleway is a professional-looking font that’s ideal for any of your business needs. It could be used on some of your marketing material, your customer service designs or your website. It’s slim and sleek, and looks very good when the text is overlaid on a bright background.
Using thin lines to create a wider appearance, Ribeye Marrow is a unique font that looks great for many types of text and is easy for a young audience to read. It could be used on the cover of a children’s book, on a party invitation or on a birthday card. On this pug birthday design, the cute imagery is nicely complemented by the soft and friendly nature of the Ribeye Marrow font.
Yantramanav mixes the mechanical with the natural. Structure is combined with curved features to create a unique look. This diverse pool of inspiration ensures that Yantramanav can be used in lots of different places. In this case, it’s featured on a friendsgiving card. It provides a cool and alternative font, which suits such a modern occasion.
Rochester is inspired by elegant classical fonts and adds a touch of class to any design that it features in. This makes it ideal for formal invitations. In this winter holiday template, its graceful nature is befitting of the beautiful imagery of the winter months. Despite its formal inclinations, Rochester also has the capacity to be a warm and welcoming font. It would be well-suited to a Christmas design.
A well-rounded script font, Sacramento is stylish and handwritten in appearance. It perfectly suits this babysitting flyer design, where the curves of the letters almost seem to match the clouds and the wool of the sheep. Its soft look is also great for using on material that is related to children. Sue Ellen Francisco maintains the childlike tone, but it’s not as elaborate as Sacramento.
Occupying a large part of the design, Satisfy appears as a mixture of classical styles and modern creativity. The ‘J’ in ‘Jane’ gets a lovely sharp look from the Yellowtail font. Its swift slant gives it a fast and flowing appearance. Pacifico caters for the bulk of the text in this exam congratulations design. The closeness of the text helps to add to the goodwill conveyed by its message.
Source Sans Pro and Dancing Script combine here to form a beautiful autumnal creation. Dancing Script is used for the larger text in this thanksgiving card. Its free flowing look gives the text a handwritten quality. Sources Sans Pro is easy to read at small sizes and can be used for both short annotations and larger bodies of text.
Special Elite is a fantastic choice if you want to go for a rugged, hand drawn look in your designs. In this wanted poster, it fits seamlessly into a design where other fonts would look out of place. You could also use this unique font for birthday cards, social media posts and party invitations.
Spirax is a truly unique font that has an almost ethereal beauty to it. It’s a really good fit for this St. Patrick’s Day card design. It has a delicate, ladylike touch to it and it gives the text ‘Irish Girl’ a feminine appearance. Despite its detailed form, the font is easy to read and can be effective for displaying longer text in a more eloquent way too.
The Stalemate font is anything but stale. It’s vintage in origin, but has an abundance of modern flair to match. The tall appearance of the letters conveys quickness and lightness and their delicate features have a peaceful quality to them. An inspirational quote image like this one is a perfect companion for such a stylish font.
The tall and slender Sue Ellen Francisco is a unique font that looks well alongside illustrations and animation. It may be slender in appearance, but it certainly packs a punch. It can look good as a large display font and is easily legible. The font helps put the warm into housewarming in this housewarming party invitation template. It gives the text a homely, hand drawn look.
Teko is a thick font that is great for clearly displaying large text. Its broad typography is evenly created and this contributes to a structured appearance. The nature of the Facebook post design is reflected in the choice of font. When you’re providing tips to people, the information has to be clear. Teko sets the tone for what’s to come by encouraging the reader that these tips will be easy to understand.
Work Sans is one of the most legible and dependable fonts in the business. Alongside Lato, it serves a very functional role in this business technology design. They are not flashy fonts by any means, but both are highly effective for getting across your message and displaying call-to-actions.
The inclining text of Yanone Kaffeesatz gives a sense of speed here and ironically, adds freshness to the words ‘stay fresh’. It’s relatively thin and takes on a streamlined, modern look that makes it very easy to read. A pineapple, the quintessential summer fruit, reinforces the fresh feeling that the text imbues the design with.
Yantramanav looks glamorous yet formal at the same time. Even at smaller sizes it manages to stand out. Yanone Kaffeesatz features again in this masquerade ball design. It’s a lot less eye-catching in this template, but it still looks good and is easy to read. Together, the two fonts combine effortlessly to create a sleek and assured design. The information is well displayed and easy to understand.
The way you should combine fonts is dependant on the message you need to get across. But more often than not, the best combination is often a large, unique font that attracts attention accompanied by an easy-to-read font that provides information.
If you play it too safe, you might fail to engage with your audience. If it’s a non-commercial design, then of course you can get away with mixing extravagant fonts together, but you run the risk of damaging its readability.
From the above list, you can see the trend of an informative and a bold or attractive font being blended together. Many companies will often go for this look in an effort to achieve the balance needed to portray their content in the best possible light.
There are so many great fonts out there that you may find it difficult to choose which one suits you best. However, you can’t go wrong with the unique fonts that are included in this list. There are some fonts that give a thoroughly professional look while others take a more fun approach, but each one is highly suitable for its specific purpose. Which of these unique fonts is your favourite? Let us know by tweeting @getdesignwizard. | 2019-04-18T22:41:23Z | https://www.designwizard.com/blog/unique-fonts/ |
Copyright 1998, 1999 by Mark J. Kilgard. Last Updated July 10, 2000 Commercial publication in written, electronic, or other forms without expressed written permission is prohibited. Electronic redistribution for educational or private use is permitted.
Every software engineer who has programmed long enough has a war story about some insidious bug that induced head scratching, late night debugging, and probably even schedule delays. More often than we programmers care to admit, the bug turns out to be self-inflicted. The difference between an experienced programmer and a novice is knowing the good practices to use and the bad practices to avoid so those self-inflicted bugs are kept to a minimum.
A programming interface pitfall is a self-inflicted bug that is the result of a misunderstanding about how a particular programming interface behaves. The pitfall may be the fault of the programming interface itself or its documentation, but it is often simply a failure on the programmers part to fully appreciate the interfaces specified behavior. Often the same set of basic pitfalls plagues novice programmers because they simply have not yet learned the intricacies of a new programming interface.
You can learn about the programming interface pitfalls in two ways: The hard way and the easy way. The hard way is to experience them one by one, late at night, and with a deadline hanging over your head. As a wise main once explained, Experience is a good teacher, but her fees are very high. The easy way is to benefit from the experience of others.
This is your opportunity to learn how to avoid 19 software pitfalls common to beginning and intermediate OpenGL programmers. This is your chance to spend a bit of time reading now to avoid much grief and frustration down the line. I will be honest; many of these pitfalls I learned the hard way instead of the easy way. If you program OpenGL seriously, I am confident that the advice below will make you a better OpenGL programmer.
If you are a beginning OpenGL programmer, some of the discussion below might be about topics that you have not yet encountered. This is not the place for a complete introduction to some of the more complex OpenGL topics covered such as mipmapped texture mapping or OpenGL's pixel transfer modes. Feel free to simply skim over sections that may be too advanced. As you develop as an OpenGL programmer, the advice will become more worthwhile.
Enabling lighting in OpenGL is a way to make your surfaces appear more realistic. Proper use of OpenGL's lighting model provides subtle clues to the viewer about the curvature and orientation of surfaces in your scene.
For OpenGL's lighting equations to operate properly, the assumption OpenGL makes by default is that the normals passed to it are vectors of length 1.0.
The above call causes subsequent vertices to be enlarged by a factor of three in each of the x, y, and z directions by scaling OpenGL's modelview matrix. glScalef can be useful for enlarging or shrinking geometric objects, but you must be careful because OpenGL transforms normals using a version of the modelview matrix called the inverse transpose modelview matrix. Any enlarging or shrinking of vertices during the modelview transformation also changes the length of normals.
Here is the pitfall: Any model view scaling that occurs is likely to mess up OpenGL's lighting equations. Remember, the lighting equations assume that normals have a length of 1.0. The symptom of incorrectly scaled normals is that the lit surfaces appear too dim or too bright depending on whether the normals enlarged or shrunk.
This mode is not enabled by default because it involves several additional calculations. Enabling the mode forces OpenGL to normalize transformed normals to be of unit length before using the normals in OpenGL's lighting equations. While this corrects potential lighting problems introduced by scaling, it also slows OpenGL's vertex processing speed since normalization requires extra operations, including several multiplies and an expensive reciprocal square root operation. While you may argue whether this mode should be enabled by default or not, OpenGL's designers thought it better to make the default case be the fast one. Once you are aware of the need for this mode, it is easy to enable when you know you need it.
There are two other ways to avoid problems from scaled normals that may let you avoid the performance penalty of enabling GL_NORMALIZE. One is simply to not use glScalef to scale vertices. If you need to scale vertices, try scaling the vertices before sending them to OpenGL. Referring to the above example, if the application simply multiplied each glVertex3f by 3, you could eliminate the need for the above glScalef without having the enable the GL_NORMALIZE mode.
Note that while glScalef is problematic, you can safely use glTranslatef and glRotatef because these routines change the modelview matrix transformation without introducing any scaling effects. Also, be aware that glMatrixMultf can also be a source of normal scaling problems if the matrix you multiply by introduces scaling effects.
The other option is to adjust the normal vectors passed to OpenGL so that after the inverse transpose modelview transformation, the resulting normal will become a unit vector. For example, if the earlier glScalef call tripled the vertex coordinates, we could correct for this corresponding thirding effect on the transformed normals by pre-multiplying each normal component by 3.
OpenGL 1.2 adds a new glEnable mode called GL_RESCALE_NORMAL that is potentially more efficient than the GL_NORMALIZE mode. Instead of performing a true normalization of the transformed normal vector, the transformed normal vector is scaled based on a scale factor computed from the inverse modelview matrix's diagonal terms. GL_RESCALE_NORMAL can be used when the modelview matrix has a uniform scaling factor.
OpenGL's lighting calculations are done per-vertex. This means that the shading calculations due to light sources interacting with the surface material of a 3D object are only calculated at the object's vertices. Typically, OpenGL just interpolates or smooth shades between vertex colors. OpenGL's per-vertex lighting works pretty well except when a lighting effect such as a specular highlight or a spotlight is lost or blurred because the effect is not sufficiently sampled by an object's vertices. Such under-sampling of lighting effects occurs when objects are coarsely modeled to use a minimal number of vertices.
Figure 1 shows an example of this problem. The top left and top right cubes each have an identically configured OpenGL spotlight light source shining directly on each cube. The left cube has a nicely defined spotlight pattern; the right cube lacks any clearly defined spotlight pattern. The key difference between the two models is the number of vertices used to model each cube. The left cube models each surface with over 120 distinct vertices; the right cube has only 4 vertices.
Figure 1: Two cubes rendered with identical OpenGL spotlight enabled.
At the extreme, if you tessellate the cube to the point that each polygon making up the cube is no larger than a pixel, the lighting effect will essentially become per-pixel. The problem is that the rendering will probably no longer be interactive. One good thing about per-vertex lighting is that you decide how to trade off rendering speed for lighting fidelity.
Smooth shading between lit vertices helps when the color changes are gradual and fairly linear. The problem is that effects such as spotlights, specular highlights, and non-linear light source attenuation are often not gradual. OpenGL's lighting model only does a good job capturing these effects if the objects involved are reasonably tessellated.
Novice OpenGL programmers are often tempted to enable OpenGL's spotlight functionality and shine a spotlight on a wall modeled as a single huge polygon. Unfortunately, no sharp spotlight pattern will appear as the novice intended; you probably will not see any spotlight affect at all. The problem is that the spotlight's cutoff means that the extreme corners of the wall where the vertices are specified get no contribution from the spotlight and since those are the only vertices the wall has, there will be no spotlight pattern on the wall.
If you use spotlights, make sure that you have sufficiently tessellated the lit objects in your scene with enough vertices to capture the spotlight effect. There is a speed/quality tradeoff here: More vertices mean better lighting effects, but also increases the amount of vertex transformation required to render the scene.
Specular highlights (such as the bright spot you often see on a pool ball) also require sufficiently tessellated objects to capture the specular highlight well.
Keep in mind that if you use more linear lighting effects such as ambient and diffuse lighting effects where there are typically not sharp lighting changes, you can get good lighting effects with even fairly coarse tessellation.
If you do want both high quality and high-speed lighting effects, one option is to try using multi-pass texturing techniques to texture specular highlights and spotlight patterns onto objects in your scene. Texturing is a per-fragment operation so you can correctly capture per-fragment lighting effects. This can be involved, but such techniques can deliver fast, high-quality lighting effects when used effectively.
OpenGL has a number of 4 by 4 matrices that control the transformation of vertices, normals, and texture coordinates. The core OpenGL standard specifies the modelview matrix, the projection matrix, and the texture matrix.
Most OpenGL programmers quickly become familiar with the modelview and projection matrices. The modelview matrix controls the viewing and modeling transformations for your scene. The projection matrix defines the view frustum and controls the how the 3D scene is projected into a 2D image. The texture matrix may be unfamiliar to some; it allows you to transform texture coordinates to accomplish effects such as projected textures or sliding a texture image across a geometric surface.
A single set of matrix manipulation commands controls all types of OpenGL matrices: glScalef, glTranslatef, glRotatef, glLoadIdentity, glMultMatrixf, and several other commands. For efficient saving and restoring of matrix state, OpenGL provides the glPushMatrix and glPopMatrix commands; each matrix type has its own a stack of matrices.
A common pitfall is forgetting the current setting of the matrix mode and performing operations on the wrong matrix stack. If later pre assumes the matrix mode is set to a particular state, you both fail to update the matrix you intended and screw up whatever the actual current matrix is.
If this can trip up the unwary programmer, why would OpenGL have a matrix mode? Would it not make sense for each matrix manipulation routine to also pass in the matrix that it should manipulate? The answer is simple: lower overhead. OpenGL's design optimizes for the common case. In real programs, matrix manipulations occur more often than matrix mode changes. The common case is a sequence of matrix operations all updating the same matrix type. Therefore, typical OpenGL usage is optimized by controlling which matrix is manipulated based on the current matrix mode. When you call glMatrixMode, OpenGL configures the matrix manipulation commands to efficiently update the current matrix type. This saves time compared to deciding which matrix to update every time a matrix manipulation is performed.
In practice, because a given matrix type does tend to be updated repeatedly before switching to a different matrix, the lower overhead for matrix manipulation more than makes up for the programmer's burden of ensuring the matrix mode is properly set before matrix manipulation.
A simple program-wide policy for OpenGL matrix manipulation helps avoid pitfalls when manipulating matrices. Such a policy would require any premanipulating a matrix to first call glMatrixMode to always update the intended matrix. However in most programs, the modelview matrix is manipulated quite frequently during rendering and the other matrices change considerably less frequently overall. If this is the case, a better policy is that routines can assume the matrix mode is set to update the modelview matrix. Routines that need to update a different matrix are responsible to switch back to the modelview matrix after manipulating one of the other matrices.
If this code fragment is from a typical OpenGL program, doResize is one of the few times or even only time the projection matrix gets changed after initialization. This means that it makes sense to add to a final glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW)call to doResize to switch back to the modelview matrix. This allows the window's redraw code safely assume the current matrix mode is set to update the modelview matrix and eliminate a call to glMatrixMode. Since window redraws often repeatedly update the modelview matrix, and redraws occur considerably more frequently than window resizes, this is generally a good approach.
A tempting approach might be to call glGetIntegerv to retrieve the current matrix mode state and then only change the matrix mode when it was not what you need it to be. After performing its matrix manipulations, you could even restore the original matrix mode state.
This is however almost certainly a bad approach. OpenGL is designed for fast rendering and setting state; retrieving OpenGL state is often considerably slower than simply setting the state the way you require. As a rule, glGetIntegerv and related state retrieval routines should only be used for debugging or retrieving OpenGL implementation limits. They should never be used in performance critical code. On faster OpenGL implementations where much of OpenGL's state is maintained within the graphics hardware, the relative cost of state retrieval commands is considerably higher than in largely software-based OpenGL implementations. This is because state retrieval calls must stall the graphics hardware to return the requested state. When users run OpenGL programs on high-performance expensive graphics hardware and do not see the performance gains they expect, in many cases the reason is invocations of state retrieval commands that end up stalling the hardware to retrieve OpenGL state.
In cases where you do need to make sure that you restore the previous matrix mode after changing it, try using glPushAttrib with the GL_TRANSFORM_BIT bit set and then use glPopAttrib to restore the matrix mode as needed. Pushing and popping attributes on the attribute stack can be more efficient than reading back the state and later restoring it. This is because manipulating the attribute stack can completely avoid stalling the hardware if the attribute stack exists within the hardware. Still the attribute stack is not particularly efficient since all the OpenGL transform state (including clipping planes and the normalize flag) must also be pushed and popped.
The advice in this section is focused on the matrix mode state, but pitfalls that relate to state changing and restoring are common in OpenGL. OpenGL's explicit state model is extremely well suited to the stateful nature of graphics hardware, but can be an unwelcome burden for programmers not used to managing graphics state. With a little experience though, managing OpenGL state becomes second nature and helps ensure good hardware utilization.
The chief advantage of OpenGL's stateful approach is that well-written OpenGL rendering code can minimize state changes so that OpenGL can maximize rendering performance. A graphics- interface that tries to hide the inherently stateful nature of well-designed graphics hardware ends up either forcing redundant state changes or adds extra overhead by trying to eliminate such redundant state changes. Both approaches give up performance for convenience. A smarter approach is relying on the application or a high-level graphics library to manage graphics state. Such a high-level approach is typically more efficient in its utilization of fast graphics hardware when compared to attempts to manage graphics state in a low-level library without high-level knowledge of how the operations are being used.
If you want more convenient state management, consider using a high-level graphics library such as Open Inventor or IRIS Performer that provide both a convenient programming model and efficient high-level management of OpenGL state changes.
OpenGL's glPushMatrix and glPopMatrix commands make it very easy to perform a set of cumulative matrix operations, do rendering, and then restore the matrix state to that before the matrix operations and rendering. This is very handy when doing hierarchical modeling during rendering operations.
For efficiency reasons and to permit the matrix stacks to exist within dedicated graphics hardware, the size of OpenGL's various matrix stacks are limited. OpenGL mandates that all implementations must provide at least a 32-entry modelview matrix stack, a 2-entry projection matrix stack, and a 2-entry texture matrix stack. Implementations are free to provide larger stacks, and glGetIntergerv provides a means to query an implementation's actual maximum depth.
Calling glPushMatrix when the current matrix mode stack is already at its maximum depth generates a GL_STACK_UNDERFLOW error and the responsible glPushMatrix is ignored. OpenGL applications guaranteed to run correctly on all OpenGL implementations should respect the minimum stack limits cited above (or better yet, query the implementation's true stack limit and respect that).
This can become a pitfall when software-based OpenGL implementations implement stack depth limits that exceed the minimum limits. Because these stacks are maintained in general purpose memory and not within dedicated graphics hardware, there is no substantial expense to permitting larger or even unlimited matrix stacks as there is when the matrix stacks are implemented in dedicated hardware. If you write your OpenGL program and test it against such implementations with large or unlimited stack sizes, you may not notice that you exceeded a matrix stack limit that would exist on an OpenGL implementation that only implemented OpenGL's mandated minimum stack limits.
The 32 required modelview stack entries will not be exceeded by most applications (it can still be done so be careful). However, programmers should be on guard not to exceed the projection and texture matrix stack limits since these stacks may have as few as 2 entries. In general, situations where you actually need a projection or texture matrix that exceed two entries are quite rare and generally avoidable.
The window renders a 3D scene with a 3D perspective projection matrix (initialization not shown), then switches to a simple 2D orthographic projection matrix to draw a 2D overlay.
Be careful because if the render2Doverlay tries to push the projection matrix again, the projection matrix stack will overflow on some machines. While using a matrix push, cumulative matrix operations, and a matrix pop is a natural means to accomplish hierarchical modeling, the projection and texture matrices rarely require this capability. In general, changes to the projection matrix are to switch to an entirely different view (not to make a cumulative matrix change to later be undone). A simple matrix switch (reload) does not need a push and pop stack operation.
If you find yourself attempting to push the projection or texture matrices beyond two entries, consider if there is a simpler way to accomplish your manipulations that will not overflow these stacks. If not, you are introducing a latent interoperability problem when you program is run on high-performance hardware-intensive OpenGL implementations that implement limited projection and texture matrix stacks.
When you desire high-quality texture mapping, you will typically specify a mipmapped texture filter. Mipmapping lets you specify multiple levels of detail for a texture image. Each level of detail is half the size of the previous level of detail in each dimension. So if your initial texture image is an image of size 32x32, the lower levels of detail will be of size 16x16, 8x8, 4x4, 2x2, and 1x1. Typically, you use the gluBuild2DMipmaps routine to automatically construct the lower levels of details from you original image. This routine re-samples the original image at each level of detail so that the image is available at each of the various smaller sizes.
Mipmap texture filtering means that instead of applying texels from a single high-resolution texture image, OpenGL automatically selects from the best pre-filtered level of detail. Mipmapping avoids distracting visual artifacts that occur when a distant textured object under-samples its associated texture image. With a mipmapped minimization filter enabled, instead of under-sampling a single high resolution texture image, OpenGL will automatically select the most appropriate levels of detail.
One pitfall to be aware of is that if you do not specify every necessary level of detail, OpenGL will silently act as if texturing is not enabled. The OpenGL specification is very clear about this: "If texturing is enabled (and TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER is one that requires a mipmap) at the time a primitive is rasterized and if the set of arrays 0 through n is incomplete, based on the dimensions of array 0, then it is as if texture mapping were disabled."
The problem is that you have changed the minification filter, but not supplied a complete set of mipmap levels. Not only do you not get the filtering mode you requested, but also subsequent rendering happens as if texture mapping were not even enabled.
The above code uses a mipmap filter and uses gluBuild2DMipmaps to make sure all the levels are populated correctly. Subsequent rendering is not just textured, but properly uses mipmapped filtering.
Also, understand that OpenGL considers the mipmap levels incomplete not simply because you have not specified all the mipmap levels, but also if the various mipmap levels are inconsistent. This means that you must consistently specify border pixels and each successive level must be half the size of the previous level in each dimension.
You can use OpenGL's glReadPixels command to read back rectangular regions of a window into your program's memory space. While reading back a color buffer as RGB or RGBA values is straightforward, OpenGL also lets you read back luminance values, but it can a bit tricky to get what you probably expect. Retrieving luminance values is useful if you want to generate a grayscale image.
When you read back luminance values, the conversion to luminance is done as a simple addition of the distinct red, green, and blue components with result clamped between 0.0 and 1.0. There is a subtle catch to this. Say the pixel you are reading back is 0.5 red, 0.5 green, and 0.5 blue. You would expect the result to then be a medium gray value. However, just adding these components would give 1.5 that would be clamped to 1.0. Instead of being a luminance value of 0.5, as you would expect, you get pure white.
A naive reading of luminance values results in a substantially brighter image than you would expect with a high likelihood of many pixels being saturated white.
The right solution would be to scale each red, green, and blue component appropriately. Fortunately, OpenGL's pixel transfer operations allow you to accomplish this with a great deal of flexibility. OpenGL lets you scale and bias each component separately when you send pixel data through OpenGL.
With OpenGL's state set this way, glReadPixels will have cut each color component by a third before adding the components during luminance conversion. In the previous example of reading back a pixel composed of 0.5 red, 0.5 green, and 0.5 blue, the resulting luminance value is 0.5.
If you are reading back a luminance version of an RGB image that is intended for human viewing, you probably will want to use the NTSC scale factors.
Something to appreciate in all this is how OpenGL itself does not mandate a particular scale factor or bias for combining color components into a luminance value; instead, OpenGL's flexible pixel path capabilities give the application control. For example, you could easily read back a luminance image where you had suppressed any contribution from the green color component if that was valuable to you by setting the green pixel transfer scale to be 0.0 and re-weighting red and blue appropriately.
That will add 0.1 to each red component as it is read back.Please note that the default scale factor is 1.0 and the default bias is 0.0. Also be aware that these same modes are not simply used for the luminance read back case, but all pixel or texture copying, reading, or writing. If you program changes the scales and biases for reading luminance values, it will probably want to restore the default pixel transfer modes when downloading textures.
OpenGL's pixel store state controls how a pixel rectangle or texture is read from or written to your application's memory. Consider what happens when you call glDrawPixels. You pass a pointer to the pixel rectangle to OpenGL. But how exactly do pixels in your application's linear address space get turned into an image?
The answer sounds like it should be straightforward. Since glDrawPixels takes a width and height in pixels and a format (that implies some number of bytes per pixel), you could just assume the pixels were all packed in a tight array based on the parameters passed to glDrawPixels. Each row of pixels would immediately follow the previous row.
In practice though, applications often need to extract a sub-rectangle of pixels from a larger packed pixel rectangle. Or for performance reasons, each row of pixels is setup to begin on some regular byte alignment. Or the pixel data was read from a file generated on a machine with a different byte order (Intel and DEC processors are little-endian; Sun, SGI, and Motorola processors are big-endian).
Figure 2: Relationship of the image layout pixel store modes.
So OpenGL's pixel store state determines how bytes in your application's address space get unpacked from or packed to OpenGL images. Figure 2 shows how the pixel state determines the image layout. In addition to the image layout, other pixel store state determines the byte order and bit ordering for pixel data.
One likely source of surprise for OpenGL programmers is the default state of the GL_PACK_ALIGNMENT and GL_UNPACK_ALIGNMENT values. Instead of being 1, meaning that pixels are packed into rows with no extra bytes between rows, the actual default for these modes is 4.
Unfortunately, the above code is wrong since it does not account for OpenGL's default 4-byte row alignment. Each row of pixels will be 33 bytes wide, but then each row is padded to be 4 byte aligned. The effective row width in bytes is then 36. The above malloc call will not allocate enough space; the result is that glReadPixels will write several pixels beyond the allocated range and corrupt memory.
Be extra cautious when your program is written assuming a 1 byte row alignment because bugs caused by OpenGL's initial 4 byte row alignment can easily go unnoticed. For example, if such a program is tested only with images and textures of width divisible by 4, no memory corruption problem is noticed since the test images and textures result in a tight row packing. And because lots of textures and images, by luck or design, have a width divisible by 4, such a bug can easily slip by your testing. However, the memory corruption bug is bound to surface as soon as a customer tries to load a 37 pixel width image.
Unless you really want a row alignment of 4, be sure you change this state when using pixel rectangles, 2D and 1D textures, bitmaps, and stipple patterns. And remember that there is a distinct pack and unpack row alignment.
Keep in mind that your pixel store state gets used for textures, pixel rectangles, stipple patterns, and bitmaps. Depending on what sort of 2D image data you are passing to (or reading back from) OpenGL, you may need to load the pixel store unpack (or pack) state.
Not properly configuring the pixel store state (as described in the previous section) is one common pitfall. Yet another pitfall is changing the pixel store modes to those needed by a particular OpenGL commands and later issuing some other OpenGL commands requiring the original pixel store mode settings. To be on the safe side, it is usually a good idea to save and restore the previous pixel store modes when you need to change them.
Similar code could be written to save and restore OpenGL's pixel store pack modes (change UNPACK to PACK in the code above).
The above routines (introduced in OpenGL 1.1) save and restore the pixel store state by pushing and popping the state using a stack maintained within the OpenGL library.
Observant readers may wonder why glPushClientAttrib is used instead of the shorter glPushAttrib routine. The answer involves the difference between OpenGL client-side and server-side state. It is worth clearly understanding the practical considerations that surround the distinction between OpenGL's server-side and client-side state.
There is not actually the option to use glPushAttrib to push the pixel store state because glPushAttrib and glPopAttrib only affects the server-state attribute stack and the pixel pack and unpack pixel store state is client-side OpenGL state.
Think of your OpenGL application as a client of the OpenGL rendering service provided by the host computer's OpenGL implementation.
The pixel store modes are client-side state. However, most of OpenGL's state is server-side. The term server-side state refers to the fact that the state actually resides within the OpenGL implementation itself, possibly within the graphics hardware itself. Server-side OpenGL state is concerned with how OpenGL commands are rendered, but client-side OpenGL state is concerned with how image or vertex data is extracted from the application address space.
Server-side OpenGL state is often expensive to retrieve because the state may reside only within the graphics hardware. To return such hardware-resident state (for example with glGetIntegerv) requires all preceding graphics commands to be issued before the state is retrievable. While OpenGL makes it possible to read back nearly all OpenGL server-side state, well-written programs should always avoid reading back OpenGL server-side state in performance sensitive situations.
Client-side state however is not state that will ever reside only within the rendering hardware. This means that using glGetIntegerv to read back pixel store state is relatively inexpensive because the state is client-side. This is why the above code that explicitly reads back each pixel store unpack mode can be recommended. Similar OpenGL code that tried to save and restore server-side state could severely undermine OpenGL rendering performance.
Consider that whether it is better to use glGetIntegerv and glPixelStorei to explicitly save and restore the modes or whether you use OpenGL 1.1's glPushClientAttrib and glPopClientAttrib will depend on your situation. When pushing and popping the client attribute stack, you do have to be careful not to overflow the stack. An advantage to pushing and popping the client attribute state is that both the pixel store and vertex array client-side state can be pushed or popped with a single call. Still, you may find that only the pack or only the unpack modes need to be saved and restored and sometimes only one or two of the modes. If that is the case, an explicit save and restore may be faster.
OpenGL's raster position determines where pixel rectangles and bitmaps will be rasterized. The glRasterPos2f family of commands specifies the coordinates for the raster position. The raster position gets transformed just as if it was a vertex. This symmetry makes it easy to position images or text within a scene along side 3D geometry. Just like a vertex, the raster position is logically an (x,y,z,w) coordinate. It also means that when the raster position is specified, OpenGL's modelview and projection matrix transformations, lighting, clipping, and even texture coordinate generation are all performed on the raster position vertex in exactly the same manner as a vertex coordinate passed to OpenGL via glVertex3f.
While this is all very symmetric, it rarely if ever makes sense to light or generate a texture coordinate for the raster position. It can even be quite confusing when you attempt to render a bitmap based on the current color and find out that because lighting is enabled, the bitmap color gets determined by lighting calculations. Similarly, if you draw a pixel rectangle with texture mapping enabled, your pixel rectangle may end up being modulated with the single texel determined by the current raster texture coordinate.
Still another symmetric, but generally unexpected result of OpenGL's identical treatment of vertices and the raster position is that, just like a vertex, the raster position can be clipped. This means if you specify a raster position outside (even slightly outside) the view frustum, the raster position is clipped and marked "invalid". When the raster position is invalid, OpenGL simply discards the pixel data specified by the glBitmap, glDrawPixels, and glCopyPixls commands.
Figure 3: The enclosing box represents the view frustum and viewport. Each line of text is preceded by a dot indicating where the raster position is set before rendering the line of text. The dotted underlining shows the pixels that will actually be rasterized from each line of text. Notice that none of the pixels in the lowest line of text are rendered because the line's raster position is invalid.
Consider how this can surprise you. Say you wanted to draw a string of text with each character rendered with glBitmap. Figure 3 shows a few situations. The point to notice is that the text renders as expected in the first two cases, but in the last case, the raster position's placement is outside the view frustum so no pixels from the last text string are drawn.
It would appear that there is no way to begin rendering of a string of text outside the bounds of the viewport and view frustum and render at least the ending portion of the string. There is a way to accomplish what you want; it is just not very obvious. The glBitmap command both draws a bitmap and then offsets the raster position in relative window coordinates. You can render the final line of text if you first position the raster position within the view frustum (so that the raster position is set valid), and then you offset the raster position by calling glBitmap with relative raster position offsets. In this case, be sure to specify a zero-width and zero-height bitmap so no pixels are actually rendered.
This code fragment assumes that the glRasterPos2i call will validate the raster position at the origin. The code to setup the projection and modelview matrix to do that is not show (setting both matrices to the identity matrix would be sufficient).
Figure 4: Various raster position scenarios. A, raster position is within the view frustum and the image is totally with the viewport. B, raster position is within the view frustum but the image is only partially within the viewport; still fragments are generated outside the viewport. C, raster position is invalid (due to being placed outside the view frustum); no pixels are rasterized. D, like case B except glPixelZoom(1,-1) has inverted the Y pixel rasterization direction so the image renders top to bottom.
It is a very common misconception that pixels cannot be rendered outside the OpenGL viewport. The viewport is often mistaken for a type of scissor. In fact, the viewport simply defines a transformation from normalized device coordinates (that is, post-projection matrix coordinates with the perspective divide applied) to window coordinates. The OpenGL specification makes no mention of clipping or culling when describing the operation of OpenGL's viewport.
Part of the confusion comes from the fact that, most of the time, the viewport is set to be the window's rectangular extent and pixels are clipped to the window's rectangular extent. But do not confuse window ownership clipping with anything the viewport is doing because the viewport does not clip pixels.
Another reason that it seems like primitives are clipped by the viewport is that vertices are indeed clipped against the view frustum. OpenGL's view frustum clipping does guarantee that no vertex (whether belonging to a geometric primitive or the raster position) can fall outside the viewport.
So if vertices cannot fall outside the view frustum and hence cannot be outside the viewport, how do pixels get rendered outside the viewport? Might it be an idle statement to say that the viewport does not act as a scissor if indeed you cannot generate pixels outside the viewport? Well, you can generate fragments that fall outside the viewport rectangle so it is not an idle statement.
The last section has already hinted at one way. While the raster position vertex must be specified to be within the view frustum to validate the raster position, once valid, the raster position (the state of which is maintained in window coordinates) can be moved outside the viewport with the glBitmap call's raster position offset capability. But you do not even have to move the raster position outside the viewport to update pixels outside of the viewport rectangle. You can just render a large enough bitmap or image so that the pixel rectangle exceeds the extent of the viewport rectangle. Figure 4 demonstrates image rendering outside the viewport.
The other case where fragments can be generated outside the viewport is when rasterizing wide lines and points or smooth points, lines, and polygons. While the actual vertices for wide and smooth primitives will be clipped to fall within the viewport during transformation, at rasterization time, the widened rasterization footprint of wide or smooth primitives may end up generating fragments outside the boundaries of the viewport rectangle.
What happens when a point slowly slides off the edge of the window? If the viewport matches the window's extents as indicated by the glViewport call above, you will notice that a point will disappear suddenly at the moment its center is outside the window extent. If you expected the wide point to gradually slide of the screen, that is not what happens!
With this new viewport, wide points can still be rasterized even if the hang off the window edge. Note that this will also slightly narrow your rectangular region of view, so if you want the identical view as before, you need to compensate by also expanding the view frustum specified by the projection matrix.
Note that if you really do require a rectangular 2D scissor in your application, OpenGL does provide a true window space scissor. See glEnable(GL_SCISSOR_TEST)andglScissor.
Before you specify a vertex, you first specify the normal, texture coordinate, material, and color and then only when glVertex3f (or its ilk) is called will a vertex actually be generated based on the current per-vertex state. Calling glColor3f just sets the current color state. glColor3f does not actually create a vertex or any perform any rendering. The glVertex3f call is what binds up all the current per-vertex state and issues a complete vertex for transformation.
The raster position is updated similarly. Only when glRasterPos3f (or its ilk) is called does all the current per-vertex state get transformed and assigned to the raster position.
Unfortunately, glBitmap's relative offset of the raster position just updates the raster position location. The raster color (and the other remaining raster state values) remain unchanged.
The designers of OpenGL intentionally specified that glBitmap should not latch into place the current per-vertex state when the raster position is repositioned by glBitmap. Repeated glBitmap calls are designed for efficient text rendering with mono-chromatic text being the most common case. Extra processing to update per-vertex state would slow down the intended most common usage for glBitmap.
If you do want to switch the color of bitmaps rendered with glBitmap, you will need to explicitly call glRasterPos3f (or its ilk) to lock in a changed current color.
Given a sheet of paper, people write from the top of the page to the bottom. The origin for writing text is at the upper left-hand margin of the page (at least in European languages). However, if you were to ask any decent math student to plot a few points on an X-Y graph, the origin would certainly be at the lower left-hand corner of the graph. Most 2D rendering APIs mimic writers and use a 2D coordinate system where the origin is in the upper left-hand corner of the screen or window (at least by default). On the other hand, 3D rendering APIs adopt the mathematically minded convention and assume a lower left-hand origin for their 3D coordinate systems.
If you are used to 2D graphics APIs, this difference of origin location can trip you up. When you specify 2D coordinates in OpenGL, they are generally based on a lower left-hand coordinate system. Keep this in mind when using glViewport, glScissor, glRasterPos2i, glBitmap, glTexCoord2f, glReadPixels, glCopyPixels, glCopyTexImage2D, glCopyTexSubImage2D, gluOrtho2D, and related routines.
Another common pitfall related to 2D rendering APIs having an upper left-hand coordinate system is that 2D image file formats start the image at the top scan line, not the bottom scan line. OpenGL assumes images start at the bottom scan line by default. If you do need to flip an image when rendering, you can use glPixelZoom(1,-1) to flip the image in the Y direction. Note that you can also flip the image in the X direction. Figure 4 demonstrates using glPixelZoom to flip an image.
Note that glPixelZoom only works when rasterizing image rectangles with glDrawPixels or glCopyPixels. It does not work with glBitmap or glReadPixels. Unfortunately, OpenGL does not provide an efficient way to read an image from the frame buffer into memory starting with the top scan line.
A common task in OpenGL programming is to render in window coordinates. This is often needed when overlaying text or blitting images onto codecise screen locations. Often having a 2D window coordinate system with an upper left-hand origin matching the window system's default 2D coordinate system is useful.
Note that the bottom and top parameters (the 3rd and 4th parameters) to glOrtho specify the window height as the top and zero as the bottom. This flips the origin to put the origin at the window's upper left-hand corner.
One pitfall associated with setting up window coordinates is that switching to window coordinates involves loading both the modelview and projection matrices. If you need to "get back" to what was there before, use glPushMatrix and glPopMatrix (but remember the pitfall about assuming the projection matrix stack has more than two entries).
Note all the extra work the emulation routines go through to ensure that no OpenGL state is disturbed in the process of setting the raster position. Perhaps commercial OpenGL vendors will consider implementing this extension.
OpenGL's color material feature provides a less expensive way to change material parameters. With color material enabled, material colors track the current color. This means that instead of using the relatively expensive glMaterialfv routine, you can use the glColor3f routine.
What state will the front ambient and diffuse material colors be after executing the above code fragment? While the programmer may have intended the ambient material state to be (0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 1.0) and the diffuse material state to be (0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 1.0), that is not quite what happens.
The resulting diffuse material state is what the programmer intended, but the resulting ambient material state is rather unexpectedly (1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0). How did that happen? Well, remember that the color material mode immediately begins tracking the current color when enabled. The initial value for the color material settings is GL_FRONT_AND_BACK and GL_AMBIENT_AND_DIFFUSE (probably not what you expected!).
Since enabling the color material mode immediately begins tracking the current color, both the ambient and diffuse material states are updated to be (1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0). Note that the effect of the initial glMaterialfv is lost. Next, the color material state is updated to just change the front diffuse material. Lastly, the glColor3f invocation changes the diffuse material to (0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 1.0). The ambient material state ends up being (1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0).
The problem in the code fragment above is that the color material mode is enabled before calling glColorMaterial. The color material mode is very effective for efficient simple material changes, but to avoid the above pitfall, always be careful to set glColorMaterialbefore you enable GL_COLOR_MATERIAL.
A fragment is OpenGL's term for the bundle of state used to update a given pixel on the screen. When a primitive such as a polygon or image rectangle is rasterized, the result is a set of fragments that are used to update the pixels that the primitive covers. Keep in mind that all OpenGL rendering operations share the same set of per-fragment operations. The same applies to OpenGL's fog and texturing rasterization state.
For example, if you enabled depth testing and blending when you render polygons in your application, keep in mind that when you overlay some 2D text indicating the application's status that you probably want to disable depth testing and blending. It is easy to forget that this state also affects images drawn and copied with glDrawPixels and glCopyPixels.
You will quickly notice when this shared state screws up your rendering, but also be aware that sometimes you can leave a mode enabled such as blending without noticing the extra expense involved. If you draw primitives with a constant alpha of 1.0, you may not notice that the blending is occurring and simply slowing you down.
This issue is not unique to the per-fragment and rasterization state. The pixel path state is shared by the draw pixels (glDrawPixels), read pixels (glReadPixels), copy pixels (glCopyPixels), and texture download (glTexImage2D) paths. If you are not careful, it is easy to get into situations where a texture download is screwed up because the pixel path was left configured for a pixel read back.
If you intend to use an ancillary buffer such as a depth, stencil, or accumulation buffer, be sure that you application actually requests all the ancillary buffers that you intend to use. A common interoperability issue is developing an OpenGL application on a system with only a few frame buffer configurations that provide all the ancillary buffers that you use. For example, your system has no frame buffer configuration that advertises a depth buffer without a stencil buffer. So on your development system, you "get away with" not explicitly requesting a stencil buffer.
The problem comes when you take your supposedly debugged application and run it on a new fancy hardware accelerated OpenGL system only to find out that the application fails miserably when attempting to use the stencil buffer. Consider that the fancy hardware may support extra color resolution if you do not request a stencil buffer. If you application does not explicitly request the stencil buffer that it uses, the fancy hardware accelerated OpenGL implementation determines that the frame buffer configuration with no stencil but extra color resolution is the better choice for your application. If your application would have correctly requested a stencil buffer things would be fine. Make sure that you allocate what you use.
I hope that this review of various OpenGL pitfalls saves you much time and debugging grief. I wish that I could have simply read about these pitfalls instead of learning most of them the hard way.
Visualization has always been the key to enlightenment. If computer graphics changes the world for the better, the fundamental reason why is that computer graphics makes visualization easier.
OpenGL is a registered trademark of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Website Copyright ©1997-2019 The Khronos™ Group Inc.. All rights reserved. | 2019-04-20T06:25:18Z | https://www.opengl.org/archives/resources/features/KilgardTechniques/oglpitfall/ |
A host device is disclosed. The host device includes a processor and a control mechanism. The processor operates to receive primary and associated data, decode and separate the associated data from the primary data, and cause the associated data to be rendered on a separate hand held device. The processor also operates the control mechanism to control a separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/003,095, filed on Jan. 6, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,132, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/490/822, filed on Jun. 15, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,441.
This invention relates to enhancing one-way broadcast data transmissions. More particularly, it relates to enhancing the quality and content of a primary information stream by creating and transmitting associated data which provides the appearance of an interactive connection to secondary sources of information.
One of the limitations of nearly all forms of electronic mass media such as radio, television, audio CD's and video cassettes is that the communication of information or data is one-way from provider to the consumer. The characteristics of one-way sources of data are that the data is sent sequentially and is fleeing or at best can be recorded for later playback. And a consumer cannot interact with the data provided to seek additional information or services.
There is a desire by electronic mass media consumers for additional services, and provider of television and radio broadcast services are looking for new sources of revenue. In particular, consumers are looking for information or data that is related to what they are viewing in the media. The additional information may be in the form of details on the content of the current program such as the recipe of a meal being demonstrated on a cooking show or biographies of actors in a drama or historical background information on events depicted in a program. Or, it could be program highlights such as key plays from the baseball game. In addition, consumers would like access to real time data such as stock price, updated baseball scores as they occur, traffic and weather conditions. Also, consumers would like to have access to special services associated with product advertising such as information on where to buy nationally advertised products—possible with a map to the nearest location, or the ability to instantly receive coupons.
Recently, on-line services such as provided by the World Wide Web of the Internet have become available. Such services provide access to immense amounts of data on an interactive basis by linking digital computers together over sophisticated communications networks. At the same time, the cost of digital computing power is falling rapidly. For example, many homes now have one or more computers. And home computers have displays capable of showing television as well as audio capability. They also have memory and computing power.
But while such services are generally available and computers are becoming more widespread, finding relevant information is an arduous task that may take hours of searching even for an experienced user.
In addition, these services require a 2-way connection from a consumer's location to the on-line network. In the consumer market, prolonged utilization of a single phone line for 2-way digital communications is expensive.
Up until now, there has been no way for producers of mass market broadcast programming to deliver data associated by its relevancy to its subject matter that could be interactively displayed and manipulated by consumers on a real time basis. What is meant by real time is that the consumer receives and has access to the relevant data during the process of program reception. Therefore the data becomes an integral part of the experience desired by the program producers.
Although received during a program, the information is retained and may be traversed by the consumer at a later time, as if they were connected in a 2-way fashion to an on-line service.
Perhaps the earliest effort to address the foregoing needs is for program content providers to include a telephone number in either the radio of television broadcast. The consumer is invited to dial a number for additional information. However, this telephone number is part of the primary data stream which is transitory.
A second attempt is the provision of closed caption programming for the hearing impaired on television. This takes the form of written text appearing somewhere on the television screen typically at the bottom and requires a special decoder on the television. The text is a written rendition of the audio portion of the television program. That is, it is a recapitulation of the information supplied by the primary data provider and is not stored or saved for later access by the consumer.
Television networks also use a part of the unused bandwidth in the video signal to send the schedule of programs coming up on that network. One network is sending a comprehensive program listing in digital format over an unused section of the NTSC bandwidth. This is called an electronic program guide (“EPG”). A second network uses a portion of the unused NTSC bandwidth to send digitally encoded stock quotes and the subject matter of the topics covered in the news broadcast, and extended data services (“XDS”) sends the date, time, name of a scheduled program, type of program and how much of the program remains. Cable services provide additional detail about songs being played on subscriber digital audio services such as digital music express (“DMX(tm)”); The detail typically consists of the name of the artist, the name of the song and the album. A system called Gemstar(tm), provides information in digital format that enables consumers to record programs by referencing a number in a program guide.
Many of the foregoing services are provided on broadcast television only over what is called the vertical blanking interval (the “VBI”). The VBI is a portion of the bandwidth defined for broadcast television and in the case of NTSC, for example, consists of the first 21 of the 525 raster lines that define a video frame. SECAM and PAL have a similar arrangement. Of the 21 lines, line 21 is divided into two frames of 60 hz bandwidth each. The closed caption is provided in the first frame of line 21.
None of the foregoing allow a consumer to experience apparent interactively with external data sources. That is, none provides data that persists for more than a few seconds and none allows the consumer to manipulate directly that data.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the invention at the highest level of abstraction.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the data streams creation and delivery aspects of a system according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the basic and some optional elements for forming various embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional view of the various embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system.
FIGS. 5a-5 d are block diagrams illustrating various exemplary embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating alternate basic and optional elements for forming various embodiments for the data streams consumption aspect of the system.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the hand held associated data display and request input device of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a functional view of the various embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system.
FIGS. 9a-9 d are block diagrams illustrating various alternate exemplary embodiments of the data stream consumption aspect of the system.
FIGS. 10a-10 b are block diagrams illustrating further alternate exemplary embodiments of the data stream consumption aspect of the system.
FIGS. 11a-11 b are block diagrams illustrating further alternate exemplary embodiments of the data stream consumption aspect of the system.
An electronic mass media provider may be said to deliver a one-way stream of electronic data. This stream of data is herein referred to as a primary stream of data and includes live or pre-recorded information that is created by the broadcasting and entertainment industries for the purpose of delivery to consumers over delivery mediums such as broadcast television, video cassettes, radio and audio CD's. The content of the primary data streams typically created by production studios for mass distribution to the consumer market. Often a distributor produces all or part of the programming content. For example, a local television news station obtains pre-produced video news and advertising content from national providers and inserts locally produced content and advertising for broadcast. Equipment used in the television industry are video cameras and video recorders. Typically, the primary data is organized into programs. A primary stream of data can be rendered intelligent to a consumer as either audio or video or a combination of the two.
The term associated data as used herein refers to a stream of data generated separately from the primary data but having content that is relevant to the primary data in general and usually relevant to a particular program of primary data and is in this sense associated. Associated data is intended to enhance the utility of the primary data stream, but if it is not available, the primary data stream can stand on its own merits. The creation process typically uses commercially available software and hardware that output industry standard file formats such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for text and graphic layout, Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) formats for still images, and so forth.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the invention at the highest level of abstraction. Referring now to FIG. 1, data stream creation unit 1 performs the function of generating both the primary data stream and the associated data stream. The two data streams may or may not be merged to create a combined stream of primary and associated data. The two data streams are supplied to non-interactive delivery unit 2 which performs the function of delivering the two data streams to the consumer. The non-interactive delivery unit includes delivery by broadcast, cable or a packaged media such a as cassettes and audio CD's. Indeed, non-interactive delivery is intended to include all one-way electronic data delivery systems. The primary data stream and secondary data stream are typically transmitted to a consumer over the same delivery medium; however, the invention contemplates situations where this is not the case. For example, the primary data stream could be delivered by broadcast television and the associated data could be delivered over a high speed digital network, a FM sideband, a direct satellite broadcast, a cable network, a telephone, etc.
When the delivered data reaches consumer 3, it is decoded from its delivery medium. That is, if it is sent by broadcast television, the consumer decodes the signal, separates the primary data from the associated data, and stores the associated data for future use. The primary data is consumed with or without the associated data. However, when consumed with the associated data, the consumer may selectively interact with the associated data, simulating a two-way connectivity for the one way data streams.
FIG. 2 provides additional system detail for one embodiment of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 refers to the primary data stream generation sub-system. The output of primary data stream generation sub-system 10 is typically an analog signal. However, it may be a digital signal as in the case of digital broadcast television. Data channel 12 connects primary data stream generation sub-system 10 and sequencer 14 and data channel 19 connects it to data synchronizer 20. Data channels 12 and 19 may be initiated by a live video feed, or analog or digital tape. Reference numeral 16 refers to an associated data generation sub-system. The output of associated data generation sub-module 16 is a digital signal that is supplied over digital data link 18 to sequencer 14 and over digital data link 17 to synchronizer 20. The digital data links of the system may be a conventional digital connection such as a serial or parallel or it may be a network link. Typical connecting media would be twisted pair, co-axial cable, fiber optic cable or a wireless media.
Data synchronizer 20 typically includes software which is patterned after common digital video editors such as Adobe's Premiere, which places parallel video and audio tracks on a standard time line such as SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) time code. This allows segments of each track to be manipulated independently but with reference to a common time line so that segments may later be reconstituted. The software of data synchronizer 20 allows associated data to be laid out and manipulated on an additional data track. The size of particular associated data components is coordinated with the known bandwidth of the delivery medium. The user of data synchronizer 20 typically specifies that a unit of information should be displayed at a specific point in time. Data synchronizer 20 then calculates the time required to transfer the data and inserts a transfer specification into the script at the appropriate point prior to the display instruction. The output of data synchronizer sub-system 20 is a digital signal representing a script that synchronizes the output of primary data stream sub-system 10 and associated data stream generator 16.
The output of the data synchronizer 20 is supplied over digital data link 22 to sequencer sub-system 14. Digital data link 22 is a conventional digital link. Sequencer 14 combines the primary data stream with the associated data as specified by the script supplied by synchronizer sub-system 20. Sequencer 14 monitors the output from primary data stream sub-system 10 to obtain the information necessary to sequence transmission of associated data. For example, during the broadcast of a television program, data sequence 14 obtains a time code information such as SMPTE time code which is generated by the primary data stream. The information is used to coordinate mixing of associated data with primary data systems. In addition, sequencer 14 mixes other data feeds that are being transmitted over the same delivery medium. These may include external data services such as financial data, emergency broadcast information or weather information. Mixing of existing data streams is necessary only for delivery mediums that don't support separate, independent transmission of digital information. This function has the capacity to be used for the delivery of either live or pre-recorded programming, or a combination of both. For live programming, such as a local evening news program, the data stream sequencer takes input directly from the outputs of primary data stream generator 10, data synchronizer 20, associated data generator 16, and time code form the primary data stream. For pre-recorded programming, this function processes the output of the data synchronizer 20 and sequences the broadcast of associated data with the primary data.
The output of sequencer 14 is supplied over conventional digital data link 24 to encoder 26. Encoder 26 is a hardware component for insertion of digital information into the particular delivery medium that will be received by the consumer. If the delivery medium is broadcast television, encoder 26 inserts this information directly into the NTSC television signal, and this delivers both the primary and associated data over a single delivery medium, broadcast television radio waves. Encoder 26 accepts input streams of both video and serialized digital information. It breaks the serialized digital information up into a series of packets, and modulates the packets into the (“VBI”) of the video signal. Encoder 26 is commercially available hardware and software. A number of vendors market hardware for insertion and extraction of data into and from standard (NTSC/PAL) television signals. Norpak Corporation, EEG, Inc., and WavePhore, Inc. are examples.
The output of encoder 26 is supplied via digital data link 28 to transmitter sub-system 30 which performs the function of physically transmitting radio frequency waves into the atmosphere. Such transmitters may be television or radio broadcast transmitters or a satellite broadcast system. Also, the data may be stored on a tape for later transmission. Reference numeral 32 refers to the delivery media which may be radio frequency electromagnetic waves passing through the atmosphere, a video tape, a laser disk, an audio CD and the like. For the later media, transmitter 30 becomes a video tape recorder, video or audio CD recorder respectively.
FIG. 3 illustrates the basic and some optional elements for forming various embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system. Reference numeral 34 generally indicates these basic and optional equipment present at the consumer's location. Receiver 36 is used to receive the data streams. Receiver 36 may be an add-in adapter board, a television or radio broadcast receiver, a cable television converter or a satellite receiver for digital broadcast. . Connected to receiver 36 is a microprocessor 38 for processing the received data streams. Connected to microprocessor 38 is memory 40 which is used as temporary storage by microprocessor 38. Memory 40 is typically semiconductor RAM. Also connected to microprocessor 38 are human interface devices for rendering the primary and associated data, as well as inputting associated data requests. Human interface devices include input device 41 and display device 42. Additionally, optional non-volatile storage media 39 such as a hard disk may be provided for caching received associated data, as well as two way communication interface 46 for accessing remote servers may be included in forming the various embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system. Two way communication interface 46 may be an interface that accesses the remote server over such media as the analog telephone network, the ISDN digital network, a wide area packet switched network such as X25, frame relay or asynchronous transfer mode.
Recall that the delivery media may be radio frequency electromagnetic waves passing through the atmosphere, a video tape, a laser disk, an audio CD and the like. For the later media, receiver 36 becomes a VCR, laser disk player or an audio CD player respectively.
FIG. 4 is a high level block diagram showing a functional view of the various embodiments of system 34 formed with the basic and optional elements of FIG. 2. Referring now to FIG. 4, receiver 36 receives the primary and associated data streams from the delivery media, e.g. radio frequency waves, from input 50. Receiver 36 demodulates the input signal and supplies the primary data stream signal over data path 52 to primary data rendering sub-system 54 and the associated data signal over data path 56 to associated data decoder 58.
Primary data rendering sub-system 54 performs the function of presenting the primary data stream to the consumer in the manner in which a typical consumer would expect to see the data presented. For example, in the case of television, the primary data rendering takes the form of a video image typically supplied by a cathode ray tube screen, or possibly a liquid crystal display screen and audio provided by an audio amplifier and speakers. A second example is a broadcast radio demodulator, amplifier and speakers that renders radio waves received via radio broadcasting audible to a consumer. Yet a third example is a stereo system that renders data encoded on compact disk or tape audible to the consumer.
Decoder 58 performs the function of decoding the associated data from the delivery media. In one embodiment, decoder 58 consists of an analog to digital converter that converts analog encoded digital data back to digital format.
Associated data protocol manager 60 is connected by one-way data path 62 to decode 58 and by one-way data path 64 to communications manager 66. Associated data protocol manager 60 performs the function of extracting the different forms of associated data from the incoming digital data stream and converting them to a form that can be used by communications manager 66. The types of associated data protocols include World Wide Web pages, closed captioning, stock quotes, sports scores, control commands for microprocessor 38 (of FIG. 3) to execute.
Communications manager 66 performs the function of a common network interface by receiving data from several different types of communication devices using different data transmission protocols. Such devices include telephone modems, ISDN modems, cable modems, wireless modems, satellite modems, a broadcast TV, radio and the like. Communication manager 66 converts all data received, regardless of the source and protocol, into a standard format that can then be utilized by the rest of the system. This function may be implemented in at least one of two ways. Proprietary interfaces between the communication components may be designed, or standard industry interfaces such as Microsoft Windows (a trademark of Microsoft Corporation) sockets may be used. In one embodiment, Windows sockets are used. A Windows socket is a standard application interface to access network data.
Real time trigger 76 is connected to communications manager 66 by one-way data path 78 and to associated data request input driver 88 a by data path 87. Associated data request input driver 88 a provides the consumer with the ability to input associated data requests to the system. In one embodiment, associated data request input driver 88 a interfaces to a keyboard and alternate input devices such as a mouse to facilitate associated data request inputs from a user.
Real time trigger 76 accepts commands sent as part of the associated data to display a page of information without the user asking for it. The output of real time trigger is a command sent over data path 87 to associated data request input driver 88 a which causes the page of information to be displayed. For example, a broadcaster may want viewers to see a certain page of information as part of a program that is being viewed. Real time trigger allows data to be displayed using the same data protocols as consumer requested information.
Local data storage 80 is connected to communications manager 66 by one-way data path 82 and by data path 83 to local data manager 84. The hardware implementation for local data storage 80 may be one or more of the following; RAM, disk, tape, recordable CD-ROM.
Local data manger 84 is connected to communications manager 66 by data path 86 and to associated data request input driver 88 a and associated data rendering driver 88 b by data paths 90 and 94. Local data manager 84 receives commands from associated data request input driver 88 a to retrieve associated data from local data storage 80 and sends that data to associated data rendering driver 88 b for presentation to the consumer. For example, a “Web Browser” may be used to display data pages from the World Wide Web (the “WWW”). Providers of WWW browsers include Netscape Communications Corp., America Online, Spyglass and others. Local data storage 80 will typically be of limited capacity. Thus, local data manager 84 purges older and less used information. This is accomplished by assigning an expiration date and/or a priority to associated data files. The criteria for determining which data to purge is settable by the broadcaster and/or the consumer. Criteria include total amount of storage available, size of associated data files, expiration date and priority.
Remote data manager 92 (which is included in embodiments provided with the optional ability to access remote servers) is connected to local data manager 84, associated data rendering driver 88 b, and communications manager 66 by data paths 91, 94 and 96 respectively. Remote data manager 92 receives commands from local data manger 84 to obtain data from remote computers through two-way communications channel 74 and send that data to associated data rendering driver 88 b for presentation to the consumer. Local data manager 84 provides the commands to remote data manager 92 when it receives requests for associated data that are not cached in the local storage.
Network protocol manager 68 (which is included in embodiments provided with the optional ability to access remote servers) is connected to by two-way data path 70 to communications manager 66 and by two-way data path 72 to two-way communication channel 74. Network protocol manager 68 performs the function of formatting data received and transmitted over two-way communication channel 74. It contains the various protocols required to communicate with remote computers. Again, operating systems such as Microsoft's Windows typically provide network protocol managers with plug in modules called drivers to support different protocols and different communication hardware. Network protocol manager 68 extracts incoming data from two-way communication channel 74 using a network protocol appropriate for the medium supported by two-way communication channel 74. Network protocol manager 68 also encodes output data using the appropriate protocol and passes the data onto two-way communication channel 74 for transmission to third party computers.
Two-way communications channel sub-system 74 provides the function for connecting the client system interactively to remote computers that may be server machines, machines at online service providers, the Internet or independent Bulletin Board Systems (“BBS”). The network to which two-way communication channel 74 is connected may be a conventional switched analog telephone system interfaced to a modem, a digital switched system such as ISDN interfaced to an appropriate adapter card, a wide area network connected through an access device, satellite technologies, and the like. A two-way communications line is used to retrieve and access information that has only thus far been received by the client system in the form of references, which are pointers to where the information actually resides.
The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 operates in the following manner. A primary data stream is generated. Associated data is separately generated. A script is generated that synchronizes how the primary and associated data are linked together. The primary data, the associated data and the script are sent to sequencer 14 where they are combined. The primary data is transmitted in the conventional fashion of its delivery medium. In the television model, this is broadcast over the air or on cable. The associated data is generally (but not always) sent by the same delivery medium as the primary data. In the case of television, the associated data is encoded in the VBI of the television signal. The signal is received by the consumer's equipment. The primary data stream is immediately rendered and the associated data is stored in local data storage 80. At any time, the consumer may browse the data stored in local data storage. This data will have been professionally selected to provide an enhanced viewing experience. For example, a difficult to find data sources providing historical background to a program will have been previously researched by the associated data provider and sent as associated data. The human interface is user friendly and will allow the consumer to browse through the associated data. This might start with a menu of available information from which the consumer could select just as if the data were coming from an online service. But the data is actually stored locally. And it arrived in local storage by being transmitted with the primary data stream. The consumer may process the associated data in a variety of ways including sorting and indexing relevant information.
The addition of a two-way communication channel allows a consumer to also access online services. In such an embodiment, associated data may consist of references such as uniform resource locations (“URL”) which are WWW page references. Associated data may include references to Internet News Groups which are shared static messages grouped by topic which may be accessed. Associated data may also include references to Internet Relay Chat areas which are multi-person dynamic conversation streams that enable users to communicate by text messages. Or, associated data may include pointers to information on an online service such as America Online, Prodigy or Compuserve. Thus, a menu may list several references. And by clicking on a reference, the system actually connects to and retrieves the referenced information from the appropriate source.
Alternatively, the associated data may itself include not only pointers to information on various online services, but the actual information which the associated data provider has acquired from an online service or source and incorporated into the associated data prior to its delivery to the consumer. For example, the associated data may contain actual Internet News Group messages related to the primary data stream. Thus, even if the consumer does not have a two-way communications channel or chooses not to use it, the invention provides the appearance and feel of an interactive connection to remote sources of relevant information.
FIGS. 5a-5 d illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system that can be formed with the basic and optional elements of FIG. 3. For the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5a, receiver 36, microprocessor 38 and memory 40 are combined to form exemplary computer 35. Exemplary computer 35 is also provided with optional non-volatile storage 39 as well as two way communication interface 46. Computer 35 receives the primary and associated data streams, decodes and separates the data streams, and renders the primary data with or without the associated data using display 42, as requested by the user. User input device 43 is used to provide the associated data request inputs to exemplary computer 35. Exemplary computer 35 is intended to represent a broad category of general as well as special purpose computers known in the art. Display 42 is typically a monitor, whereas user input device 43 is a keyboard with or without a complementary cursor control device.
FIG. 5b illustrates an alternate embodiment. The difference between the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5a and 5 b is the fact that exemplary computer 35 is formed without receiver 36, and television 42 with receiver 36 is used as a display for the primary and associated data instead. For this embodiment, exemplary computer 35 receives the primary and associated data streams through receiver 36 of TV 42. Exemplary computer 35 decodes and separates the primary and associated data streams, and renders the primary data with or without the associated data, as described earlier.
FIG. 5c illustrates yet another alternate embodiment. In FIG. 5c, TV tuner 36, microprocessor 38, memory 40 and CRT 42 are used to form exemplary set top box 35. For the illustrated embodiment, set top box 35 is complemented with optional external storage device 39. While not shown, set box 35 may also be provided with optional two way communication interface 46. Similar to the earlier embodiments, exemplary set top box 35 receives the primary and associated data streams, decodes and separates the data streams, and renders the primary data with or without the associated data using TV 42, as requested by the user. User input device 43 is used to provide the associated data request inputs to exemplary set top box 35.
FIG. 5d illustrates yet another alternate embodiment. In FIG. 5d, receiver 36, microprocessor 38 and memory 40 are used to form exemplary PC/TV 35 (i.e. a TV with integrated digital computing capability). For the illustrated embodiment, exemplary PC/TV 35 is also provided with optional non-volatile storage device 39 and two way communication interface 46. Similar to the earlier embodiments, exemplary PC/TV 35 receives the primary and associated data streams, decodes and separates the data streams, and renders the primary data with or without the associated data using CRT 42, as requested by the user. User input device 43 is used to provide the associated data request inputs to exemplary PC/TV 35.
FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate collection of basic and optional elements for forming the various embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system. The difference between the elements illustrated in FIG. 6 and the elements illustrated in FIG. 3 is the fact that at least two separate display devices, 42 and 200, are employed to render the primary and the associated data. Preferably, associated data display device 200 is an integrated hand held associated display and request input interface device. In other words, associated data interface device 200 is a display as well as an input device, having a relatively small form factor suitable for hand held operation. In one embodiment, integrated hand held associated data interface device 200 is a wireless device. In other words integrated hand held associated data interface device 200 communicates with processor 308 through the wireless medium, Additionally, by virtue of the employment of separate display device 200 to render the associated data, primary data display device 42 may be “loosely coupled” to processor 38 or even decoupled from processor 38.
FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the integrated associated data display and request input interface device. As shown, integrated associated data display and request input interface device 200 includes communication interface 202, microprocessor 204, memory 206 and display element 208, coupled to each other as shown. These elements are packaged with enclosure 212 having physical dimensions consistent with hand held devices known in the art, to allow a user to comfortably operate the device while holding the device in his/her hands. For the illustrated embodiment, exemplary integrated associated data display and request input interface device 200 is also provided with stylus input 210 to allow a user to interact with a graphical end-user interface to provide associated data request inputs. Furthermore, communication interface 202 is a wireless transmitter/receiver, whereas display element 208 is a flat panel display. Elements 202-210 are intended to represent a broad category of these elements known in the art. In particular, microprocessor 204 are intended to represent 8-bit micro-controllers, 16-bit DSP processors, as well as 32-bits or greater general purpose microprocessors.
FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate functional view of data stream consumption aspect of the system, when a separate display device having its own processor is employed to render the associated data. FIG. 8 differs from FIG. 4 in that local data manager 84 and remote data manager 92 invoke graphical display interface 106 to render the associated data. Instead of rendering the associated data on a physically coupled display device, graphical display interface 106 provides the graphical rendering commands to communication manager 66, which in turn transmits them, over the wireless medium, to communication manager 222 of the integrated hand held associated data display and request input interface device 200.
Over in the integrated associated display and request input interface 200, communication manager 222 receives and forwards the graphical rendering commands to graphical display interface 224, which in turns executes the commands, causing the associated data to be rendered on the associated data interface device 200.
Additionally, data request input driver 226 forwards any associated data request inputs it receives from the user to communication manager 222 for transmission, over the wireless medium, to “host” communication manager 66. Over in the “host” system, communication manager 66 receives and forwards the associated data request inputs to local data manager 84 through input request driver 104. Local data manager 84 in turns processes the received associated data request inputs as described earlier.
FIGS. 9a-9 d illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the data streams consumption aspect of the system that can be formed with the basic and optional elements of FIG. 6. The exemplary embodiments are similar to those of FIGS. 5a-5 d, except for the employment of the integrated wireless hand held associated data interface 200, and the provision of wireless transmitter/receiver 102 to the computer, set top box or PC/TV, to facilitate wireless communication between the “host” system and the wireless hand held associated data interface.
In FIG. 9a, receiver 36, microprocessor 38 etc., together with wireless transmitter/receiver 102, are employed to form exemplary computer 35. Exemplary computer 35 first receives the primary and the associated data, then decodes and separates the associated data from the primary data, as exemplary computer 35 of FIG. 5a. However unlike the earlier described embodiment, exemplary computer 35 of FIG. 9a renders the primary data on display 42, and transmits the commands for rendering the associated data, through the wireless medium, to integrated wireless hand held associated data interface 200, to cause the associated data to be rendered.
In FIG. 9b, microprocessor 38 etc., together with wireless transmitter/receiver 102, are employed to form exemplary computer 35. Exemplary computer 35 first receives the primary and the associated data using receiver 36 of TV 42, then decodes and separates the associated data from the primary data, as exemplary computer of FIG. 5b. However unlike the earlier described embodiment, exemplary computer 35 renders the primary data on TV 42, but transmits the commands for rendering the associated data, through wireless medium, to integrated wireless hand held associated data interface 200, to cause the associated data to be rendered.
In FIG. 9c, receiver 36, microprocessor 38 etc., together with wireless transmitter/receiver 102, are employed to form exemplary set top box 35. Exemplary set top box 35 first receives the primary and the associated data using receiver 36 of TV 42, then decodes and separates the associated data from the primary data, as set top box 35 of FIG. 5c. However unlike the earlier described embodiment, exemplary computer 35 renders the primary data on TV 42, but transmits the commands for rendering the associated data, through the wireless medium, to integrated wireless hand held associated data interface 200, to cause the associated data to be rendered.
In FIG. 9d, TV tuner 36, microprocessor 38 etc., together with wireless transmitter/receiver 102, are employed to form exemplary PC/TV 35. Exemplary PC/TV 35 first receives the primary and the associated data, then decodes and separates the associated data from the primary data, as PC/TV 35 of FIG. 5d. However unlike the earlier described embodiment, exemplary PC/TV 35 renders the primary data on CRT 42, but transmits the commands for rendering the associated data, through the wireless medium, to integrated wirelss hand held associated data interface 200, to cause the associated data to be rendered.
In each of these embodiments, a user may selectively interact and consume the associated data holding the integrated wireless hand held associated data interface 200, while consuming the primary data rendered on a physically decoupled monitor or TV. Therefore, each of these embodiments advantageously enables a user to comfortably consume the primary and associated data, e.g. in a family room setting; an advantageous feature that is unavailable from the embodiments of FIGS. 5a-5 d.
As alluded to earlier, with the employment of a separate display device to render the associated data, in particular, a wireless hand held device, the display device for rendering the primary data may be “loosely” coupled to the processor that processes the associated data. FIGS. 10a-10 b illustrate two further alternate exemplary embodiments that can be formed using the alternate collection of elements illustrated in FIG. 6. In FIG. 10a, TV 42 employed to render the primary data includes IR receiver 106 for receiving remote control commands provided through the infrared spectrum, and exemplary computer 35 is similarly constituted as exemplary computer 35 of FIG. 9a, as well as provided with a compatible IR receiver 104. Thus, exemplary computer 35 can track the remote control commands provided to TV 42, in particular, channel tuning commands, allowing exemplary computer 35 to control its own receiver 36 to tune to the same channel to extract, and in turns to provide the correct associated data, through the wireless medium, to wireless hand held associated data interface 200,. Accordingly, TV 42 and exemplary computer 35 may be decoupled, further facilitating comfortable consumption of the primary and associated data in e.g. a family room setting.
Likewise, in FIG. 10b, TV 42 employed to render the primary data includes IR receiver 106 for receiving remote control commands provided through the infrared spectrum, and exemplary set tip box 35 is similarly constituted as exemplary set top box 35 of FIG. 9c, as well as provided with a compatible IR receiver 104. Thus, exemplary set top box 35 can track the remote control commands provided to TV 42, in particular, channel tuning commands, allowing exemplary set top box 35 to control its own receiver 36 to tune to the same channel to extract, and in turns to provide the correct associated data, through the wireless medium, to wireless hand held associated data interface 200. Accordingly, TV 42 and exemplary set top box 35 may be decoupled, further facilitating comfortable consumption of the primary and associated data in e.g. a family room setting.
FIGS. 11a-11 b illustrate two further alternate exemplary embodiments that can be formed using the alternate collection of elements illustrated in FIG. 6. Exemplary computer and set top box 35 of FIGS. 11a-11 b are similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 10a-10 b respectively, except each of exemplary computer and set top box 35 of FIGS. 11a-11 b is further provided with IR transmitter 108 to transmit remote control commands to control TV 42. Thus, instead of having to provide compatible IR receivers 104 and 106 to both TV 42 and exemplary computer/set top box 35, incompatible ones may be provided, as long as exemplary computer/set top box 35 is provided with the capability of transmitting remote control commands that are understandable to TV 42. Such ability can be provided for example by providing a universal remote control commands database to exemplary computer/set top box 35 of FIGS. 11a-11 b. In other words, exemplary computer/set up box 35 of FIGS. 11a-11 b may be advantageously used with a number of existing TV to facilitate comfortable consumption of the primary and associated data in e.g. a family room setting.
The foregoing preferred embodiments are subject to numerous adaptations and modifications without departing from the concept of the invention. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
a transmitter for transmitting the primary data stream to a primary data device and the associated data stream to a remotely-located associated data device.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the script further specifies the points in time when the primary data and the associated data are displayed with respect to each other.
a device to render and display the primary data and the associated data.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the script is delivered to a user before delivering the primary data stream and the associated data stream to the user.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the associated data stream is interactively accessible.
a sequencer to combine the primary data stream with the associated data stream as specified in the script to sequentially transmit the associated data stream with respect to the primary data stream.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the script further specifies the points in time when the primary data and the associated data are displayed with respect to each other.
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the script is delivered to a user before delivering the primary data stream and the associated data stream to the user.
9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the associated data stream is interactively accessible.
combining the primary data stream with the associated data stream as specified in the script to sequentially transmit the associated data stream with respect to the primary data stream.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the script further specifies the points in time when the primary data and the associated data are displayed with respect to each other.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising delivering the script to a user before delivering the primary data stream and the associated data stream to the user.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the associated data stream is interactively accessible.
transmitting the primary data stream to a primary data device and the associated data stream to a remotely-located associated data device.
rendering and displaying the primary data and the associated data.
FR2710807B1 (en) * 1993-09-28 1995-11-03 Thomson Consumer Electronics A method of displaying and processing data videotext or telephone and device.
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PCT/US98/27795 date mailed Apr. 12, 1999. | 2019-04-24T17:18:49Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US6732373B2/en |
Well, let's open our Bibles tonight, I want to refresh your minds and hearts along the line of prayer. It's been on my heart lately and I know if you love the Lord and walk with the Lord you feel like I do, no matter how much you pray you always feel guilty that you don't pray enough. And it always seems like your chasing that elusive sense of satisfaction in your prayer life. It seems as though always there are more things to pray for than you can possibly cover. No matter how often you pray you always think of the things you fail to pray for. I feel so guilty about that myself because you couldn't even count, nor can I, the number of people who ask me to pray for them. I get a stack of mail that high every day or so and in many many cases people are asking me to pray. I get notes from people, "Please pray," I get phone calls, and it's difficult to feel like you've even covered the minimum in terms of your prayer life. And sometimes we give that the least priority in our lives when it needs to be the greatest priority.
And I just want to draw to your attention a pattern of prayer that I find in the ninth chapter of Daniel modeled by this great servant of God by the name of Daniel. And by the time we get to chapter 9, we already know a lot about Daniel. It isn't as if we're just getting introduced to this man, by now we know very much about him. In fact, by now he's probably over 80 years old. And so, most of his life has already been lived. We have seen him to be an uncompromising man. We have seen him to be a bold and courageous man. We have seen that he is full of faith, he is unselfish, he is humble and meek, he is resistant to the encroachment of the world. He is persistent in his devotion to God. He is holy. He is as far as men can be an incorruptible man. He has no price. He cannot be bought. He is consistent in his life. He is amazingly trust worthy making full use of all of his opportunities and building everyone's confidence in him. He is virtuous, he is obedient. He is worshipful.
But I think the dominant thing that comes out in this marvelous story of Daniel is that he is above all things a man of prayer and that, no doubt, was the reason for all those other things. The greatest indication of his prayer life, of course, we find in the incident in chapter 6 where he is told that he is not to worship his own God, he is not to pray to his own God. The princes of the land have set it up so that only the king is to be worshiped and adored and no other person is to be approached in prayer. And yet Daniel, customary in his life, throws open the windows of his room and prays facing the city of Jerusalem, as he always did, and does not hesitate, does not compromise in his prayer life. As a result, he was thrown in to a den of lions and the marvelous story that you all know so well took place. God shut the mouths of the lions and he was greatly spared.
But Daniel is a man of prayer. We see his commitment to prayer, his persistence in prayer in chapter 6. We see that uncompromising bold courageous holy virtuous character that really is born out of prayer. But we go one step deeper into his prayer life in chapter 9. And what we see here is not an example of his persistence and non-compromising spirit, but rather we see a model prayer itself. This is Daniel doing his praying and it describes for us the very elements of his prayer as he himself prays it. By the way, I might note that it is the second half of Daniel 9 that gets all the press. It is the second half of Daniel 9 that gets all the copy in books. It is the second half of this great chapter which is most often preached upon, the 70 weeks of Daniel and their great prophetic import. And because of the greatness of the second half prophetically, very often the first half is ignored and should not be so. I believe it to be probably the single greatest model of prayer in all the Old Testament. In fact, it is to the Old Testament what Matthew 6 and the disciples' prayer is to the New Testament. It is instruction first hand by example of how to pray.
Now chapter 8 ends with the prophet being stricken physically. Verse 27, "I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days. Afterward I rose up and did the king's business and I was astonished at the vision but none understood it." Now Daniel had such an extreme burden for the restoration of his people spiritually and physically to the land, he had such a deep heart- felt compassion that his people come back to God and back to their covenant place and back to fulfillment that he actually became ill over it. He had just had a vision of the coming disasters in the history of Israel, a vision of Antiochus Epiphanes, the one who would desecrate the temple, a vision that stretched even beyond Antiochus who was a Greek who desecrated the temple in the intertestimental period between the Old and the New, but the vision also stretched forward to a vision of Antichrist and the terrifying reality of what was going to happen. And when Daniel saw what was coming in the history of Israel through this tremendous really judgment of God through the vehicle of Antiochus Epiphanes and also Antichrist, though at that time he didn't know specifically their names and we yet don't know the name of Antichrist, but he could see this coming judgment, the coming disaster on his people. It broke his heart and made him physically sick.
So in chapter 9 as God's compassionate heart-broken servant, he intercedes for the people whom he loves. It is a passionate prayer. It is the prayer that comes from the heart of the shepherd. The Medo-Persian Kingdom has come. The kingdom of Babylon has been overturned and the Medo-Persians have now taken over and they are the second great world empire to be succeeded by Greece and then by Rome. Daniel, as I said, is over 80 years of age. He has been Prime Minister in the nation during the Babylonian Kingdom and continues to be Prime Minister during the Medo-Persian Kingdom which is quite a comment on his character. Very few people would have lasted through such an over turning of government, to have the single greatest power in the world dethroned and destroyed and a new power put in its place and keep the same Prime Minister is indeed amazing and speaks of the integrity of the life of this unusual man of God.
We find then in verse 1 a setting. "In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans." Now the Medo-Persian Kingdom has come. The man entitled Darius reigns on the throne. And this is the time in which Daniel makes his prayer. During this time, let's look at verse 2, "In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by books," not just any books, literally in the Hebrew, by THE books. And what would be the books? A collection of Old Testament books, THE books, which included the prophet Jeremiah. And he said, "I understood by the books the number of the years concerning which the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem."
The books, the scrolls which Jeremiah had...which Daniel had included the prophecy of Jeremiah. And Jeremiah had been given by God the message that Israel when taken into Babylonian captivity would be there 70 years. In Jeremiah 25:11 and 12 we read that, also in Jeremiah 29:10. So Daniel at the time of the beginning of the Medo-Persian Empire under Darius in the first year is reading the books and he comes across the word of Jeremiah which is also called, wonderfully so, the word of the Lord. He comes across these promises that the captivity of Israel will last for 70 years. This then becomes that which spurs his prayer. He longs to see the end of Judah's captivity. He senses that the 70 years is up because he himself was taken into captivity. If God began the captivity with the first deportation in 605, then it was nearly the end of the 70 years. It was imminent. There were three deportations. If God started counting the 70 years from the second deportation in 597, it was a little further off but still imminent. And if God started counting by the third deportation in 586 it was yet a little further off, but still it was near.
And so he senses that the 70 years will fast be accomplished and that sets up his prayer. And with that in his heart, compassionately wanting to see the restoration of his people, he intercedes on behalf of them. And it is a marvelous model of intercessory prayer and I want to draw out of it some elements of prayer that should characterize your prayer life and my prayer life. In fact, we could be as bold as to say true prayer will always be marked by these elements. They are the marks of true prayer. This is a model of how to pray.
First of all, true prayer is in response to the Word of God. True prayer is in response to the Word of God. And we saw that in verse 2, "And I, Daniel, understood by the books of the number of the years concerning which the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem."
Daniel frankly prayed in response to the Word of God. He prayed in response to the teaching of Scripture. On the one hand, he could see the certainty of divine sovereign purpose and yet on the other hand he could see the necessity of prayer. And that is a very difficult tension to hold. To be able to understand on the one hand that God has a sovereign plan and that that plan is very clearly indicated in Scripture, even to the point of the number of years, 70 years and on the other hand, to still be burdened to pray, is to hold that in perfect balance. Because the tendency is to say this, "Well, God has a plan for 70 years and at the 70 years it's going to be accomplished so what's the point in praying, right?" I mean, if you know what the plan is, why bother to intercede?
But that's not Daniel's spirit because one of the basic elements of prayer is this, prayer is a means by which the believer lines himself up with the sovereign purpose of God. And it isn't something that you do because it's theologically correct, it's something you do because of the compassion of your heart. The power of the Word drives men to prayer if they really respond to the Word. I mean, it's like John in the Revelation who has just gone through 21 chapters detailing the coming of Jesus Christ, giving us all the specifics that we can handle and even more, and when he's done with all of that, he cries out from the depths of his heart, "Even so, come Lord Jesus," and somebody would say, "Isn't that a little superfluous? I mean, for 21 chapters you've been telling us He's coming, now what are you praying like that for?" Because it isn't something that you study theologically, it's something that rises out of the desire of your heart that you are involved in desiring to see that very promise fulfilled.
I know Jesus is coming, but that doesn't mean that's not my heart's desire. That doesn't mean that I don't cry out, "Even so, come Lord Jesus." And Daniel knows the 70 years will be up when the 70 years are up and yet he is compassionately involved with the tragedy of his people and he cannot restrain his heart and so he lines himself up in his own heart with the purpose of God. Prayer and the Word to the one who is devout are inseparably linked.
Go back for a moment to the eighth chapter of Nehemiah. "And all of the people gathered themselves together," verse 1, "as one man in to the street that was before the water gate; and they spoke unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel." Then you know the story, he brought the book, they read from the book from morning until mid-day and everybody was standing and listening and all of that. Verse 5, "Ezra opened the book in the sight of the people. He was above all the people. And when he opened it the people stood and Ezra blessed the Lord the great God and all the people answered, Amen, Amen." You know what "amen" means? What does it mean? Let it be...let it be, it is an affirmation. The Word says it, let it happen, let it happen. "They lifted up their hands, they bowed their heads, they worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." In verse 8 they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading." It has always been part and parcel of the church of the redeemed and of Israel of old, those who were true-hearted Jews, to respond to the plan of God with the affirmation of an Amen, let it be, let it be. That is true to the spirit of prayer.
Even though we know the plan of God, it does not preclude our praying it rather insights our praying because we have a heart's desire to involve ourselves in the holy purpose of God. If your theology precludes your prayer, you have a bad theology. Worse than that, if you've got everything dispensationally pigeon-holed, if you've got everything cut and dried in terms of Scripture so you see no point in prayer, you probably are betraying a very very cold heart...not only a heart that demonstrates a lack of concern for the lost, but a heart that demonstrates a lack of concern for the plan of God and a lack of desire of being a part of that coming to pass. I mean, as you study the Word of God it ought to generate prayer. For example, when the Word speaks of God you ought to long to fellowship with Him. When the Word speaks of His attributes, your prayer should be that you should experience the reality of those attributes. When the Word speaks of blessing, it ought to bring prayer and praise. When the Word speaks of glory, we ought to long to give it to Him. When it speaks of promise, we ought to long to see it realized. When it speaks of judgment we should long that it be avoided. When it speaks of hell we should pray for mercy for the lost. There's no...there's no true doctrine of the sovereignty of God or of the revelation of the Word of God that removes our heart's concern and cry from being engaged in that purpose coming to pass. So Daniel's prayer is born out of the study and understanding of the Word.
I mean, for example, I read in the Scripture a thing like this...Jesus says in Matthew 16, "I will build My church and...what?...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Now if my theology says, "Well look, MacArthur, He said He'd build His church so what are you so worried about? Why are you so exercised? Why are you so passionately communicating to the church? Why are you so burdened to run across the country and send out tapes and messages and write books to try to help the church? And why are you calling all these pastors in here and why are you worried about who's saved and who is not saved? He'll build His church and the gates of hell...which is a Jewish euphemism for death...will not be able to prevent it. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. What are you so concerned about?" The point is this, as a believer, my heart is so knit with the heart of God and my heart is so knit with the truth of Scripture that I cannot divorce myself and maintain indifference. Do you understand that? I am engulfed in the same passion that engulfs the heart of God.
So, prayer is generated by the Word of God. It is not eliminated by that. As I see where God's going, I want to be a part of it. As I see the cry of God's heart and the plan of God unfold in Scripture, I want to get involved in that. I want to identify with that. I am constrained by that.
Secondly, and very closely related, prayer is generated by God's Word and it is grounded in God's will...it is grounded in God's will. He knew God's will. And he prayed according to God's will. The New Testament says, "If we ask anything according to His...what?...will we know that we have what we ask." Daniel knew God's will and he knew exactly what it was and he prayed within the framework of God's will. That's basically what it means when it says in Galatians, "Praying in the Spirit," when it says in Jude, "Praying in the Spirit." Praying in the Spirit isn't some kind of ecstasy, it is praying consistent with the will of God. That is what we find is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8. It says the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered and he who searches the heart knows the mind of the Spirit, that He always prays according to the will of God." We pray not to change the will of God. We don't back off from prayer fatalistically saying...Well God's already got His will...but rather our prayers are grounded in the will of God as they are generated by the Word of God. There's no place for fatalism. Fatalism is deadly to anyone's prayer life. And as I said a moment ago, betrays a heart of indifference and a theology that is a theology of indifference is no biblical theology at all.
In 1 Samuel, just something to share with you, chapter 12 verse 19, Samuel in verse 18 calls the Lord and then in verse 19, "All the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we die not, for we have added unto all our sins this evil to ask for ourselves a King. And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not, you have done all this wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart and turn you not aside for then should you go after vain things which cannot profit or deliver for they are vain for the Lord will not forsake His people for His great namesake because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people." Now isn't that an interesting thing? He says to them....fear the Lord but don't be afraid of Him, for you've done all this wickedness, don't turn aside from the Lord, don't turn aside from the Lord, don't go after vain things, they can't profit, they can't deliver, then he turns right around and says, "And of course you won't be forsaken by the Lord because you're His people for His namesake He'll hold on to you, it's pleased the Lord to make you His people. Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."
Now wait a minute. If you know they're God's people and you know they're going to be true...God's going to be true to His covenant to them and God's going to maintain a relationship with them, then what in the world are you praying about? That's just the point. He knows what God's will is and he prays within the framework of God's will. He's uniting his heart with the holy purpose of God. That's how we're to pray in Matthew 6. Our prayer is, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in heaven as it is in earth..." David in Psalm 40 verse 8 said, "I delight to Thy will, O my God." Jesus said in John 4:34, I think it is, in reference to His own relationship to the Father, "My meat, or My food, My sustenance is to do the will of Him that sent Me." And that is not a bitter resentment. We're not talking about saying...Well I'm praying and this is the will of God, it's all cut and dried...sort of in a bitter resentful way, I just acquiesce to it. We're not talking about that. We're not talking about some kind of passive resignation that just flops and says, "I can't do anything about it, I give in." We're not talking about any kind of acquiescence at all. We pray within the framework of God's will as a part of the fulfillment itself.
Somebody said to me years ago as I was kind of developing in seminary, God not only plans the outcome, but He plans the process as well. And our prayers are a part of the process. Prayer in God's will is a form of rebellion, really, against the world, a form of rebellion against Satan, against fallenness, against evil where God's will is not being done. And so even as Jesus taught us, we are to pray that the will of God would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Once Daniel knew God's will, having drawn it out of God's Word, he knew how to pray.
And I've often tried to teach you this through the years. I only refresh your mind. You can pray best when you understand the teaching of the Word of God and have a framework for the will of God. And so Daniel prayed, generated by the Word of God, grounded in the will of God.
There's a third thing that marks his prayer life and I think this, too, can be so instructive for us. His prayer was characterized by fervency. And all of these sort of flow together. They're overlapping. His prayer was generated by God's Word. Once he read the Word he was engulfed in the heart of God, then it was grounded in the will of God. Once he understood what the Word was saying specifically, he identified with that and prayed consistently with God's will. Then thirdly his prayer is characterized by fervency. And here we move in to verse 3 and a marvelous thing. He says, "And I set my face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes."
What a beautiful intensity. And somebody is going to come along and say to him, "What are you all worried about? You already know what the Word of God says, you already know what the will of God is, why are you so concerned? Why are you so intense? Why are you so persistent?" And again I remind you that the heart of a man who draws nigh unto God is going to be parallel to the heart of God. And even though he knows the will of God and even though he understands the Word of God, he cannot be passionless. The Bible says in spite of what we know to pray without...what?...ceasing. And the Bible says in James 5, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Now I don't know how it fits in with God's will, but it does. But that's not a problem for me because there are a lot of things I don't know. People say, "Well, if God's already determined what's going to happen, how in the world can He say the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much? How can we say the little epithet that we've seen as we grew up, `Prayer changes things.' How can we believe that God hears and answers prayer? How is it in the Old Testament that God can say I'm going to do this, somebody prays and He says I'm not going to do that? How can He change His mind? How can we resolve that with His sovereignty?" And the answer is we can't. It's impossible. But then there are a lot of impossible things.
I don't understand how Jesus can be God and man. I don't understand how books in the Bible can be written fully by a human author and yet every word the Word of God. I don't understand how it is that you can be chosen in Him before the foundation of the world and yet come to Christ on your own choice, and if you go to hell you go because you personally rejected Christ. I don't understand how you as a Christian can live your Christian life, beat your body into subjection, how I am called to obedience and commitment on my own, and yet every good thing in me is produced by the Spirit of God. I don't understand how those things work at all.
In fact, in most things in the Bible when there's a divine truth reduced to a human mind, there's so much left out that we can't bring it to ultimate resolution. All I know is the Scripture tells me to be faithful to pray. And my heart tells me the same thing. Yes I know Christ will build His church and the gates of hell won't prevail against it, but it is still the cry of my heart that He would do that. It is still the cry of my heart that He would purge His church. Yes I know His desire is to present it as a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but still it is the desire of my heart to pray that the church would be pure and holy and without spot and without blemish. So I don't understand how they resolve in the mind of God but I know where my heart is and I know what the Scripture tells me to do.
Now the stress in this third point of fervency is on the attitude of Daniel. He says, "I set my face," that's a...that's a colloquialism for a resolute focus. He zeroes in, he sets his face. We would say he set his jaw. There was a determination there. I set my face unto the Lord God, not Yahweh, but adoni, the one who is the Lord and Master. I come in recognition of God's authority and God's sovereignty. And though I set my face toward a sovereign God, yet I seek by prayer and supplication intercession. Literally the idea is entreaty. I seek...I seek...I request...I come before Him with a burden. And he even indicates that he dresses himself in sackcloth and ashes and fasts. Fasting, by the way, is the most natural response to a consumed heart. If you have trouble fasting, it is because you have trouble being concerned. I'm often amazed that when someone is in a dire situation, the loss of a loved one, some time of disaster, people always want to tell them to be sure and eat. Sometimes in a hospital situation where someone has lost a loved one, people are forever trying to tell someone, "You need to eat something, you'll feel better if you eat something." That's just the antithesis of what's really going on because fasting in Scripture is always connected to great importunity and fervency and prayer when the heart is so exercised over a spiritual reality that it has no desire for food. And therein is the heart of Daniel described. Humility symbolized by sackcloth and ashes, a consuming fervency symbolized by fasting and a face that is set by prayer and supplication toward God. And by the way, he was persistent enough so that when the answer comes in verse 20 he's still doing it, he's still presenting his supplication. So his fervency was lasting.
Biblical prayer, the prayer that's modeled by Daniel is that which is generated out of the Word of God. When I hear these people today who pray prayers that are so unbiblical that know nothing of what the Scripture teaches, prayer that demands this and demands that out of God and corners God and tells Him He has to do this and has to do the other thing, I see that as a false kind of prayer not generated by the Word and not, secondly, grounded in the will of God but rather grounded in the will of the individual. I want a new car and I want this and I demand my healing and I want the other thing...that's not grounded in God's will that's grounded in my will.
And then this matter of fervency...fervency in aligning oneself with the plan of God. And fasting indicates to me that here is a prayer of deprivation. True prayer...the essence of true prayer is not self-consumption, the essence of true prayer is a heart that's so overwrought and burdened and broken that it is a heart given to self-abasement, a heart given to self-denial, not a heart given to self-consumption. Nothing could be further from the truth...a burdened heart, an anxious heart, a broken heart. Like the heart of Jonah in chapter 3. Fervency in prayer, by the way, in the Scripture is indicated by a lot of things. Wearing sackcloth, sitting in ashes, putting ashes on your head, shaving your head, smiting your breast, crying aloud, throwing dust on your head, tearing your garment, fasting sighing...we have examples in Scripture of groaning, loud crying, Christ sweating blood, of agony of a broken heart, a broken spirit like in Psalm 34 and Psalm 51 where David cries out with a broken heart, rending the heart, making an oath, making a sacrifice, a lot of things to demonstrate fervency in prayer. And here we see Daniel with the fervency demonstrated in the fasting and the sackcloth and the ashes which were symbols of his humiliation.
Every indication here is that he is fervent. And he is a living model of James 5:16, "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." It's a prayer not unlike that of our Lord in the garden who poured out His heart to God to the extent of sweating, as it were, great drops of blood. If anybody should have been resigned to the plan of God, Jesus should have. And people have often wondered...why did He go and pray with such compassion, pray with such a burdened heart, pray to the point where He almost died in the garden because of the intensity of His prayer, after all, He knew it had to happen...He knew it was going to go that way, He knew He had to go to the cross, He said that's the reason I came into the world, to die...what was all that about?
And again I remind you that true prayer is prayer that is generated out of the Word of God and consistent with the will of God and still is fervent. And what He was praying there was an indication of His rebellion against sin and He was rebelling against the world the way it was and the power of darkness and the power of evil. And even though He knew the day would come when the Father would break that power and even though He knew that the cross was a place where that powers...where that power would be broken, yet He could not disassociate Himself from the intense desire on the heart of God to see that happen. And God responds to that.
You remember Luke and the guy who got what he wanted because he kept banging and banging and banging and banging. Finally the guy got up and opened the door and said...what do you want, go away, it's the middle of the night. He said I need some bread and for your much knocking you're going to get some bread. And the point of the parable is that if a man will give you bread just because you beat on the door and the man is mad and the man doesn't like you, what do you think God will do who loves you when you have a need? He'll respond.
So ours is not to try to resolve how sovereignty works with our passion, but to pour out our heart and trust God that it fits in the plan. So true intercession is generated by the Word of God, grounded in the will of God and characterized by fervency. And I fear, people, that that is such a missing element in prayer today. As I looked at those three things and thought about that, I could see...all I could see in my mind was prayer that is generated by self-desire, grounded in my own will, and the very opposite of a self-abasing fervency, it's nothing more than a "gimme" kind of thing where people want to get something from God. And there are plenty of charlatans running around telling them God wants to make you healthy, wealthy, wise and happy and give you a new car and all of this...not the kind of prayer we see here.
And that takes me to point four. True prayer is realized in self-denial...true prayer is realized in self-denial. In verse 4, "I prayed unto the Lord my God and made my confession." My...Daniel, the best of men, the most honorable of men, the godliest of men is very meek, very meek. There's no self- confidence here. There's no self-seeking here. There's no self- righteousness here. There are no demands made on God because of who he is. He searched his own soul, he found there some positive wickedness. He found there deafness to the divine voice, disobedience to the clear and plain command of God. He found there times when he was contemptuous of sovereign lordship. And all of that brought him to humility. And he lays the ax to the root of the tree of his own life, the tree of pride.
And all true people of God have had that attitude. I'm reminded of, and you are too, I'm sure, of Abraham in Genesis 18:27. Abraham went before the Lord and he tarried in the presence of the Lord and he said, "Behold, now...amazing statement...I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord who am but dust and ashes." I know I don't even belong here. And so, Daniel's soul is clothed in a just shame. And I see a self- denying spirit here. The very opposite of the Luke 18 Pharisee who goes in the temple and says, "I thank Thee that I am not as other men," remember that? That's not Daniel. Daniel knows that whoever ascends the holy hill must come with clean hands a pure heart. Daniel knew in principle what our Lord later said in words, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." And as a representative of his people, coming to intercede for his people, his own purity was even more essential. And so his heart is burdened with the fact that he is a sinful man and he is coming to confess for himself, first of all.
A prayer I read goes like this: O God, I know that I often do Thy work without Thy power, and sin by my dead heartless blind service, my lack of inward light, love, delight, my mind, heart, tongue moving but without Thy help. It is my deceit to preach and pray and to stir up other spiritual affections in order to beget commendations whereas my rule should be daily to consider myself more vile than any man in my own eyes. Help me to rejoice in my infirmities and give Thee praise, to acknowledge my deficiencies before others and not be discouraged by them that they may see Thy glory more clearly. Teach me that I must act by a power supernatural whereby I can attempt things above my strength and bear evils beyond my strength, acting for Christ in all having His superior power to help me. Let me learn of Paul whose presence was common, his weakness great, his utterance contemptible, yet Thou didst account him faithful and blessed. Lord, let me lean on Thee as he did and find my ministry Thy ministry.
For all of us prayer is only genuine and only powerful when it comes out of a pure life and an attitude of self-denial that says Thy will, Thy name, Thy Kingdom. Should be our desire to have a deeper penitence, a horror of sin, a dread of its approach, to pray as one Puritan prayed, "Plow deep in me, Great Lord, heavenly husbandman, that my being may be a tilled field, the roots of grace spreading far and wide until Thou alone art seen in me. Thy beauty golden like summer harvest, Thy fruitfulness as autumn's plenty."
And here this dear man of God does not parade his greatness. This man does not exalt himself above everybody else and demand things out of God but rather sees himself as one desperately in need of confessing his own failure. So again we learn that true intercession is generated by God's Word, grounded in God's will, characterized by fervency and realized in self-denial. That's the spirit of true prayer.
And then fifthly, it is identified with God's people. It is identified with God's people. And I want you to notice beginning at verse 5, and I want to run this by you all the way down to about verse 14 or so perhaps before we're done. But I just want you to notice in verse 5 the word "we," and then in verse 6, "we, our, our, our," it's used three times. In verse 7 the word "us." In verse 8, "us, our, our, we." Verse 10, "we, us." Verse 11, "us, we." Verse 12, "us, us." Verse 13, "us, our, we." Verse 14, "us, we." Verse 15 at the end of the verse, "we, we." Verse 16, "our, our, us."
Now the implication of all of that is very clear. Here is a man who identifies with his people. Always it's "we, us, and our." Always the plural pronoun is used. He is not standing aloof from his people, praying for them as if he was detached from them, praying for them as if he was some holy creature and they some unholy. But rather he involves himself with their own sin. He engulfs himself in their own distress. He prays for others but encompasses them in his own prayer.
In other words, here is a picture of a true servant of God, a true shepherd who is so intrinsically identified with his people that he doesn't ever divorce himself from them. It isn't, "Lord, bless those people and make them like me."
I remember sitting in a church in Connecticut one time and hearing a pastor pray, "O God, I pray that the people would come to be as dedicated to you as I am." That just sent a chill up my back. Now it may be true that he was more dedicated than his people but that kind of flaunting of a supposed superiority is the antithesis of the heart of the shepherd who wants to come down where his people are and encourage their own struggle by the confession of his own. And rather than stand afar off in damning judgment of his people as if he is holier than they are, he embraces them in his own arms and with a plural pronoun incorporates himself in their own struggle and does, I suppose, what we could say is in the heart of Paul as he writes, "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." In fact, our identification with each other should be so complete that we feel the pain and the guilt of other's sin. And Daniel did. He regarded the sins of his people, the sins of the priests, the sins of the rulers, the sins of the judges, the sins of the kings as his own. There was a certain sense of solidarity. And, you know, beloved, until we have that spirit for the church, we're always going to have to deal with a critical and pious attitude until we realize that we need to embrace the church and pray for the church and incorporate our own weaknesses in the weaknesses of the church. Until we realize that we can not stand apart self- righteously judging them, we're not going to see God do what He ought to do, what He would desire to do through our prayers.
And we can pray for the body of Christ today in the same way. I'm burdened that people want to stand back and damn and condemn and criticize as if they were without sin. Like Jesus said, "Let him that is without sin...what?...throw the first stone." Who do you think you are? God help you. I'm not talking about embracing in your prayers the unregenerate. I'm not talking about those who willfully engage in sin, a violent flagrant sin and in some way confessing your own equal guilt. What I'm saying is the fact that none of us can stand aloof as if we are so pure that we need not be included in a prayer of confession and that we can stand in condemning judgment on all others as if we're unstained. And this wonderful identification with God's wayward people makes Daniel a true intercessor and not a critic. God, give the church intercessors in replace of critics.
So, Daniel passionately intercedes for his people. That intercession is identified with God's people.
There's a sixth note here and that is that prayer has inherent in it a longing for righteousness. It has inherent in it a longing for righteousness. It is the very essence of prayer that it is not concerned with little things. I mean, prayer to so many people is so shallow...Lord, solve my problem, Lord, fix my job up, Lord, I need transportation...and all of those things are okay, I'm not saying you shouldn't pray that, but some of us never get beyond that. And our prayers are very superficial. The essence of real prayer is a cry for righteousness, a cry for holiness. Look at it, and this is what we hear in this prayer. He's starting in verse 5, "We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thine ordinances. Neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets who spoke in Thy name to our kings, our princes and our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to Thee, but unto us confusion of face, distortion." Confusion of face means shame of face...shame in the heart touches the face.
We are shamed as men of Judah, inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel that are near and far off because we have trespassed against Thee. In verse 8, "O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings and our princes, and our fathers we have sinned against Thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against Him, neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel has transgressed Thy law even by departing that they might not obey Thy voice, therefore the curse is poured on us and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of Gold, because we have sinned against Him. And He hath confirmed His words which He spoke against us and against our judges that judged us by bringing upon us a great evil for unto the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us, yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Thy truth. Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us for the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth for we obeyed not His voice."
Beloved, I want you to know that this is really the essential part of prayer. Prayer more than anything else is the cry of the redeemed heart, the cry of the child of God for a righteousness which he knows would be true of his life, however, it is violated repeatedly by sin. That's the stuff that real prayer is made of. And it's fine to pray for physical things.
I was on a talk program on television one time where a preacher was giving a testimony that Jesus had found him a parking place. In fact, he was asked, "How is it that you know He answers prayer?" And he gave a description of driving in to a crowded shopping thing and he found a parking place immediately because he asked Jesus. And I thought to myself, I don't know whether Jesus found him a parking place, maybe just somebody pulled out and went home. I don't know whether Jesus found him a parking space, but I know this, I hope his prayer life is deeper than that. Because I really don't care about that. I don't think that's really what my prayer should be preoccupied with. What I'm concerned about is that if I'm the right person I'm going to be in the place where God's blessing is going to be part and parcel of my life. And if it's strategic to the advancement of the Kingdom to find a parking place, that will happen. But the issue for me is a recognition that I'm not what I ought to be and my prayer needs to pour that out to God. The depth of that prayer is the issue.
A farmer one day went with his son to a wheat field to see if it was ready for harvest. And the young lad said to his father, "Look, Father, how straight these stems and how they hold their heads, they must be the best ones. And those that hang their heads down, I'm sure, couldn't be good for anything." The farmer plucked a stock of wheat of each kind and handed it to his son and said, "You're foolish, my son. The stalk that stood straight stood straight because it's so light headed and good for nothing, the one that hangs down is hanging modestly because it's full of the most beautiful grain." The heads that hang are the ones, I think, that appear the most beautiful and useful to God.
Well you got the message in verses 5 through 14, I don't need to detail it all to you. But you understand the heart cry of this man. God has cursed us and we deserve it and the key thing is we have failed to obey. And I love...I love what he says in verse 13 and 14, we didn't make our prayer so the Lord brought evil, the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He does for we obeyed not His voice. Literally, the Hebrew says we smoothed not the face of Yahweh. We didn't do anything to sort of smooth out the wrinkles of consternation in the face of God when He saw the way we were acting. We didn't agree with God about our sinfulness. And so we're being chastened.
Beloved, may I encourage you in your prayer life that your prayer should primarily focus on a hunger for righteousness? I'm telling you, if that becomes the dynamic in your prayer life, it will change your life. If all you ever do is ask for this little thing and that little thing and the other little thing, you're dealing in superficial realities. The cry of the heart is for true righteousness and to the one who is truly righteous comes all the blessing of God. Is that not so? True intercessory prayer then, generated by God's Word, grounded in God's will, characterized by fervency, realized in self-denial, identified with God's people and preoccupied with righteousness.
And may I add another thing? It is dependent on God's character, a seventh principle, it is dependent on God's character. In other words, when we go to God our whole petition is built upon the constant reality of who He is. Verse 4, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him and them that keep His commandments." I'm coming to you and I'm pleading with you because I know You're a God of mercy and You're a God who keeps His promise and You're a God who rewards those who obey and we can trust in that. Prayer is predicated on an unchanging God. Verse 7, "Righteousness belongs unto Thee, I know You'll do what's right." Verse 9, "Mercy and forgiveness belong to Thee."
God is a God of righteousness. God is a God of mercy. God is a God of forgiveness. God is a God who keeps His covenant and His promise. And then in verse 15 he emphasizes that God is a God of power who brought His people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and has become renown. Now we go to a God who is a glorious God. We cry out to a God who is righteous, a God who is merciful, a God who is forgiving, a God who keeps His promises and a God who is powerful. We need to realize that our prayers are grounded in the character of God, His power, His awesome majesty, His covenant keeping faithfulness, His mercy which is really the Old Testament word for steadfast love, His righteousness or holiness, His forgiveness and His awesome power.
It's wonderful that we're going to a God like that, isn't it? It would be one thing to ask God to do something and for God to want to do it. It's quite another for Him to be able, isn't it? And our God is able. He is able.
So the request for restoration as he prays for restoration, as he asks that he might be righteous and his people might be righteous, he knows God is righteous and that's his desire, as he asks for mercy and forgiveness, he knows that God is merciful and forgiving, as he asks for a great power to be expressed among the people to turn them around. He knows that God is a God of power. So everything he prays is consistent with what he knows to be true about God. And we cannot in any condition ask God to do anything that is inconsistent with who He is. But if we pray for righteousness and mercy and forgiveness and God to be faithful and to love us with a steadfast love and to turn us from our sin and to cause us to walk in the way of righteousness, we know that God is not only willing but able to answer that.
And then there's a final thing. The last element of intercessory prayer that is true to the Word of God is that it consummates in God's glory. In other words, the intention of all of it is for the glory of God. Look at verse 16, "O Lord, cries Daniel, according to all Thy righteousness I beseech Thee. Let Thine anger and Thy fury be turned away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain, because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant and his supplications and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate...watch this line...for the...what?...for the Lord's sake," not for us. For who? Why should God answer prayer? So you can get what you want? No, so He can put Himself on display.
What was Daniel concerned about? God's reputation. People around were saying, "What kind of God have you got? What kind of a God can't even protect you? What kind of a God let's you all be taken into captivity? What kind of God makes you a byword in passing? What kind of God leaves your nation desolate, your land without inhabitant, your temple smashed to the ground, the walls of your city crumbling? What kind of God turned you into slaves in a pagan land? What kind of deity do you have who can't even protect you? And Daniel is saying, "O God, do You realize what's happening to Your reputation among the people around us? So, Lord, take us back and make us what You want us to be that You might be glorified." That's the whole point. "O my God," verse 18, "incline Your ear and hear, open Your eyes and behold our desolation in the city which is called by Thy name." Lord, that place has Your name.
Have you prayed that way? O God, revive Your church because Your church bears Your name. O Lord, don't allow the church to fall in to disrepute, don't allow Your name to be besmirched by those who would tear it down.
"We do not...verse 18 says in the middle...present our supplications before Thee for our righteousnesses but for Thy great mercies. O Lord, O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive, O Lord, hearken and do it and defer not...here it comes...for Thine own sake, O my God, for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name."
We don't want Your name dishonored. Boy, there's so much integrity in that prayer. It's just amazing the instructiveness of this prayer. When you pray, do you pray this way? This is the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man. And it was all for the glory of God...totally selfless. Your name is being dishonored, O God, don't let it happen.
Prayer then is modeled here, generated by the Word of God, grounded in the will of God, characterized by passion and fervency, realizing self-denial that identifies with others. Its essential ingredient is a longing for righteousness. It is built on God's character and it is consummated in God's glory.
That isn't the end. The end is when you pray like this you get an answer. Look at verse 20, "And while I was speaking...I like that...and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God...that is for Jerusalem...yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning began...being caused to fly swiftly touched me about the time of the evening oblation."
You know what happened? God was sending the answer before he even said the Amen. And while he was still praying, Gabriel in a human form dispatched by God, Gabriel himself, archangel, touched him as if to say...I'm coming back with a message from God in answer to your prayer. And the message he gave him was an incredible marvelous thrilling message of hope in which God said to him through that angel, "Yes, there is determined upon Israel a time of trouble, but in the end there will come a great time of everlasting righteousness," verse 24 says. And his heart was filled with hope, for God promised to answer his prayer.
That kind of prayer always gets answered, by the way. Because it is praying according to the design of God.
Father, thank You for our time tonight. Thank You for the example of Daniel. Thank You for what we learned from him. Help us to apply it in our lives. Make us people of prayer and may we pray as we ought to pray, not superficially, but fervently, passionately for righteousness, for the glory of Thy name, that Thy name not be dishonored and that Thy glory be put on display. And we thank You for the privilege, in Christ's name. Amen. | 2019-04-25T10:32:24Z | https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/80-12/a-prayer-of-brokenness |
Ischemic preconditioning is a protective phenomenon, by which brief ischemic stimuli in a vascular bed are able to counteract the damage from a longer subsequent ischemia. Preconditioning may also confer protection from ischemia to distal tissues and organs. In this case, ischemic preconditioning is known as remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC). RIPC can be safely and easily reproduced in clinical settings. Indeed, over the past years, its protective actions have been tested in various clinical settings, including cardiac surgery and elective percutaneous coronary interventions. However, translational studies on RIPC have provided conflicting results on reduction of mortality. Recently, studies in humans have investigated the effects of RIPC on coronary circulation, showing that RIPC could have a protective effect on coronaries. This recent area of research may offer innovative insights for designing translational studies on RIPC, unveiling new mechanisms by which RIPC protects the heart. The aims of the present manuscript are to summarize the available clinical evidence on RIPC efficacy for cardioprotection and to review studies assessing the effects of RIPC on coronary circulation in humans.
Recent development of new anti-ischemic drugs and optimization in the management of reperfusive heart strategies have provided clinicians with new options for treating of coronary heart disease (CHD)., However, at present, CHD remains a major problem for health-care systems worldwide. The research and validation of novel anti-ischemic procedures are essential matters of investigation in cardiology.
Ischemic preconditioning is an innate phenomenon, by which brief, nonlethal cycles of ischemia/reperfusion applied to a tissue or organ confer tolerance to a subsequent more protracted ischemic event. The capability of ischemic preconditioning to exert protection from ischemia was initially shown in animal models.
In 1986, for the first time, Murry et al. described ischemic preconditioning in a canine model. In this pioneering study, preconditioning protocol provided four cycles of 5 min of ischemia followed by 5 min of reperfusion of the circumflex coronary. Then, the circumflex coronary artery was occluded for 40 min. Authors observed a significant reduction of infarct size (−25%; P < 0.001) in the group of preconditioned dogs compared to controls which underwent only 40 min of circumflex coronary occlusion.
In 1993, Przyklenk et al. extended the concept of ischemic preconditioning through the discovery of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC). The authors showed that cycles of transitory ischemia/reperfusion which were exerted in a vascular bed, protected distal tissues from a later sustained ischemia. In a canine model, preconditioning of the circumflex coronary artery was able to significantly reduce the size of myocardial infarcts induced by 1-h occlusion of the left descending coronary artery. Differences in collateral flow, hemodynamic parameters, and area at risk between preconditioned and control group were excluded. Thus, it was argued that during short cycles of ischemia/reperfusion, protective humoral factors could be transported throughout the body rendering remote myocardial districts more resistant to a longer ischemia.
In cardiovascular research, the great interest in studying RIPC derives mainly from its potential to offer an innovative and cost-effective solution for treatment of CHD. In fact, RIPC is easily reproducible in clinical context through the cyclic inflation of a blood pressure cuff applied to a limb, until obtaining a transient blood flow occlusion in the brachial or femoral arteries.
Coronary circulation is the fundamental vascular district for CHD pathogenesis, and at the same time, it is implied in protection from RIPC. Indeed, recent human studies have shown that remote preconditioning stimuli might act favorably on the coronary vascular bed. We aimed to review the available human studies of the effects of RIPC on coronary circulation. Before discussing this topic, we will also concisely summarize the molecular mechanisms of RIPC and the main evidence on RIPC efficacy for cardioprotection in humans.
In the last two decades, many studies have examined the molecular pathways which are implicated in ischemic preconditioning. However, mechanisms responsible for cardioprotection from ischemic preconditioning are not fully clarified, and to some extent, are still debated. Various circulating mediators (including adenosine, opioids, bradykinin, and nitric oxide [NO]), which are released in response to short ischemic stimuli, have been proposed as trigger molecules of tissue protection from RIPC [Figure 1]. Interestingly, recent evidence suggests that even microRNA, a class of small noncoding RNAs, participates in the genesis of RIPC signaling., When trigger substances bind to their receptors, a downstream cascade of intracellular signals is generated through recruitment of various cross-talking protein kinases such as protein kinase C, extracellular-regulated kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 4-5-biphosphate 3 kinase/protein kinase B.
The sequential activation of cytosolic and mitochondrial effectors provides tolerance to prolonged ischemic events through the modulation of protein translation and through the expression of genes involved in survival signaling, autophagy, and apoptosis.
In humans, it has been also demonstrated that the proteomic response to remote preconditioning stimuli in peripheral blood is characterized by an increment of proteins involved in the acute-phase response and the regulation of cellular function.
Notably, protection from ischemic preconditioning occurs in two distinct temporal windows. They have been, respectively, named the “early” and “late” window of protection. The early window of protection approximately manifests at 4 h after preconditioning, while the late window occurs 24 h after preconditioning.
In mice, protection from late RIPC is induced by systemic release of interleukin-10 whose expression in remote muscle is increased after a brief ischemic injury. On the other hand, in humans, a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-dependent mechanism has been hypothesized on the basis of the late protective effect of RIPC., COX-2 activity stimulates the synthesis of cytoprotective prostanoids, transcriptional upregulation of COX-2 is induced by the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway. The JAK-STAT pathway also promotes the transcription of the inducible NO synthase (iNOS). iNOS contributes to the positive effects of the late phase of preconditioning against ischemic-reperfusive damage through the amplified production and bioavailability of NO. Beneficial actions of NO include antioxidant effects, influx inhibition of L-type calcium channels, and antagonism of beta-adrenergic stimulation.
The preservation of protection from ischemic preconditioning in aging hearts is still matter of scientific discussion. In fact, studies on senescent animals and older humans have provided inconsistent results. Recent evidence suggests that protection from conditioning may be maintained in some individuals who possess a plasticity of signaling. Indeed, in geriatric age, the loss of some protective molecular pathways might be compensated by the adaptive action of other mediators which sustain tissue protection from ischemia.
Remarkably, some studies have proposed an involvement of neural pathways to explain the protection from RIPC as an alternative mechanism or in concomitance with humoral pathways.
Mild peripheral ischemic stress could confer cardioprotection through the positive modulation of the autonomic nervous system activity, favorably influencing heart rate, myocardial blood flow, and heart rate variability. The preservation of neural pathway seems essential even for the release of humoral mediators after RIPC in diabetic humans. Finally, mechanistic similarities between RIPC and the exercise-induced preconditioning have been also described.
In a trial of 96 patients referred for primary PCI, participants were randomized to receive RIPC, RIPC, and morphine, or to a control group. In the RIPC and morphine group, ST-segment reduction and troponin I peak were significantly better than controls. The enhancement of favorable effects of RIPC in participants who were given morphine was expected since endogenous opioids are well-known mediators of RIPC-related heart protection.
In 2014, Sloth et al. showed that RIPC before primary PCI-ameliorated long-term outcomes in 333 STEMI patients. In fact, over a median follow-up of 3.8 years, patients in the RIPC group exhibited a significantly lower all-cause mortality compared to controls.
In 2017, a meta-analysis of eleven studies (including nine randomized controlled trials) investigating the benefits of ischemic conditioning in STEMI patients found evidence for a higher myocardial salvage index and a reduced infarct size in participants who underwent RIPC + PCI compared with the PCI group.
The enthusiasm about clinical translation of protection from RIPC in heart surgery has been recently tempered for the failure of two large multicenter trials in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. In fact, in 2015, Effect of RIPC on Clinical Outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (ERICCA) and remote ischemic preconditioning for heart surgery (RIPHeart) trials showed no advantages in patients who received RIPC before heart surgery compared with controls., Nevertheless, it has been hypothesized that the negative results of these trials may have been caused by many confounding factors such as patients' comorbidities, the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, cardioplegia, and anesthetics. In particular, propofol, an anesthetic drug widely employed in both ERICCA and RIPHeart, can reduce or abolish the effects of RIPC. Therefore, future studies' designs in cardiac surgery should consider to weigh the effects of all pharmacological and technical variables that may influence RIPC effect.
Meta-analyses of studies on RIPC in heart surgery have shown that RIPC is able to reduce troponin release after heart surgery [Table 1]. This result suggests that RIPC could render myocardium more resistant to ischemic-reperfusive damage during cardiac surgery.
Efficacy of heart protection by RIPC has also been assessed in elective PCI setting with promising results. In the Cardiac RIPC in Coronary Stenting (CRISP Stent) study, RIPC reduced the major adverse cardiac and cerebral event rate at 6 months in 192 patients who underwent PCI. This benefit was preserved at long-term follow-up.
A trend for lower periprocedural myocardial infarction was seen recently in the RIPC arm of EUROCrips study, a multicenter trial which evaluated 223 patients undergoing elective PCI.
Notably, meta-analyses of studies showed that RIPC significantly reduced the incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction in patients undergoing elective PCI [Table 2].,,,, Interestingly, the lack of effect of RIPC on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, as evidenced in two meta-analyses, suggests that the modulation of inflammation is not the main protective mechanism of remote preconditioning., On the other hand, it is well known that CRP is not a sensitive marker of inflammation in patients referred for PCI. Therefore, inflammatory response in these patients should be studied by assessing the levels of more sensitive markers of inflammation such as interleukin 6 and nuclear factor-kappaB. Furthermore, studies which were included in meta-analyses were often small and heterogeneous in quality and methodology. Larger and well-designed trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of RIPC in providing clinically relevant heart protection in elective PCI.
Coronary circulation is not only a determinant of ischemic damage but can be itself the victim of ischemic injuries which cause interstitial oedema, overexpression of adhesion molecules, or microembolizations and capillary destruction.
Beyond the protection of the cardiomyocytes compartment, a positive influence of RIPC on coronary circulation has been supported by a number of recent studies on animals and humans.
An increment of the flow in the left anterior descending coronary and a reduction of coronary resistance after RIPC was clearly showed in pigs. In addition, in male Lewis rats, RIPC significantly raised both coronary flow and left ventricular developed pressure compared to controls.
However, it is not clear if such effects were directly related to protection from preconditioning.
Both invasive techniques, such as coronary angiography and noninvasive methods, such as ultrasonography, have been used to investigate the effect of RIPC on coronary circulation in humans [Table 3].
Zhou et al. examined coronary flow changes after RIPC in 18 healthy human males through echocardiography. This noninvasive study showed a positive response of coronary flow to RIPC. In fact, the mean value of peak diastolic velocity increased from 28.6 ± 1.4 cm/s on baseline to 33.0 ± 1.2 cm/s after the third cycle of RIPC.
In contrast, the invasive evaluation of coronary flow, in the course of percutaneous coronary procedures, did not reveal any increment after arm RIPC in 11 adult patients with single-vessel disease. Such results could be influenced by the pharmacological therapy (i.e., glyceryl trinitrate and adenosine infusion) which was administered during the PCI. However, authors of the study argued that coronary response to RIPC might be present only in some species, but absent in humans.
Our group investigated the coronary flow velocity change after RIPC in 95 elderly patients with heart diseases. The variation of coronary flow velocity in response to RIPC was examined noninvasively through ultrasonography and resulted in similar outcomes to those observed in the previous study by Zhou et al. Moreover, we highlighted that the presence of heart failure (HF) and higher systolic pressure were able to weaken the coronary response to RIPC. These findings suggest that vasodilatory effect of RIPC on coronary circulation is preserved in elderly patients with heart disease, but a comorbid condition could attenuate it.
In addition, we observed that higher serum uric acid was associated with a more pronounced coronary flow increment after RIPC. We interpreted this result in the light of the well-known antioxidants properties of uric acid, which participates in the cardioprotective purine signaling pathway.
Recently, Corcoran et al. studied the effect of RIPC on the endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent coronary vasodilation in sixty patients with stable coronary disease. They found that vasoconstriction secondary to acetylcholine infusion was reduced by RIPC. Therefore, authors supposed that an endothelium-dependent mechanism could be implicated in RIPC. Although this evidence was obtained in a nonculprit coronary artery, it is particularly relevant because it strongly supports the idea that cardioprotection from RIPC involves coronary circulation.
Moreover, the endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilation after RIPC observed in this study, appeared unrelated to cytokines which modulate endothelial function. Concentrations of interleukin-6, myeloperoxidase, tissue plasminogen activator, and von Willebrand factor did not significantly differ in the RIPC group compared to controls.
Of note, Kono et al. demonstrated that a 1-week course of RIPC treatment on both upper arms was effective in ameliorating coronary microcirculation in ten healthy individuals and ten patients with HF. In this study, coronary flow reserve was assessed noninvasively through transthoracic Doppler echocardiography on baseline and after 1 week of RIPC procedures. Patients with HF presented a trend in reduction of levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, troponin-T, and brain natriuretic peptide, without reaching statistical significance. However, the study could be underpowered to unveiling differences in concentrations of circulating markers after RIPC.
The study of the effects of RIPC on coronary circulation in humans is an intriguing research area for several reasons. First, the study of RIPC effects on coronary circulation could help in clarifying its mechanistic connection with drugs actions, physical exercise, aging, diet, and comorbidities., Second, even if RIPC appears as a feasible cardioprotective strategy, the best protocol of ischemia/reperfusion, in terms of number of cycles, tissue mass exposed, and duration and timing of application, is not yet established. Initial evidence suggests that duration and number of RIPC cycles are more important than the tissue mass exposed for the efficacy of protection from preconditioning. Further studies which would include the evaluation of coronary circulation might help to confirm this hypothesis. Third, beyond the induction of cardioprotection, the analysis of coronary vasodilation after RIPC could offer prognostic information to clinicians who manage patients with heart diseases. Indeed, it cannot be excluded that participants with high coronary flow response to RIPC (high responders to RIPC) could have a better survival compared to individuals with an attenuated coronary response to RIPC (low responders to RIPC). In fact, innate cardioprotective mechanisms could be reduced or abolished in low responders to RIPC, making them more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease.
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Martin-Gill C, Wayne M, Guyette FX, Olafiranye O, Toma C. Feasibility of remote ischemic peri-conditioning during air medical transport of STEMI patients. Prehosp Emerg Care 2016;20:82-9.
Rentoukas I, Giannopoulos G, Kaoukis A, Kossyvakis C, Raisakis K, Driva M, et al. Cardioprotective role of remote ischemic periconditioning in primary percutaneous coronary intervention: Enhancement by opioid action. JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2010;3:49-55.
Sloth AD, Schmidt MR, Munk K, Kharbanda RK, Redington AN, Schmidt M, et al. Improved long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing remote ischaemic conditioning as an adjunct to primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Eur Heart J 2014;35:168-75.
McLeod SL, Iansavichene A, Cheskes S. Remote ischemic perconditioning to reduce reperfusion injury during acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction: A Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Heart Assoc 2017;6. pii: e005522.
Randhawa PK, Jaggi AS. Opioids in remote ischemic preconditioning-induced cardioprotection. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther 2017;22:112-21.
Thielmann M, Kottenberg E, Kleinbongard P, Wendt D, Gedik N, Pasa S, et al. Cardioprotective and prognostic effects of remote ischaemic preconditioning in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery: A single-centre randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. Lancet 2013;382:597-604.
Candilio L, Malik A, Ariti C, Barnard M, Di Salvo C, Lawrence D, et al. Effect of remote ischaemic preconditioning on clinical outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac bypass surgery: A randomised controlled clinical trial. Heart 2015;101:185-92.
Rahman IA, Mascaro JG, Steeds RP, Frenneaux MP, Nightingale P, Gosling P, et al. Remote ischemic preconditioning in human coronary artery bypass surgery: From promise to disappointment? Circulation 2010;122:S53-9.
Lomivorotov VV, Shmyrev VA, Nepomnyaschih VA, Ponomarev DN, Knyazkova LG, Lomivorotov VN, et al. Remote ischaemic preconditioning does not protect the heart in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2012;15:18-22.
Hausenloy DJ, Candilio L, Evans R, Ariti C, Jenkins DP, Kolvekar S, et al. Remote ischemic preconditioning and outcomes of cardiac surgery. N Engl J Med 2015;373:1408-17.
Meybohm P, Bein B, Brosteanu O, Cremer J, Gruenewald M, Stoppe C, et al. Amulticenter trial of remote ischemic preconditioning for heart surgery. N Engl J Med 2015;373:1397-407.
Samanta A, Dawn B. Remote ischemic preconditioning for cardiac surgery: Reflections on evidence of efficacy. Circ Res 2016;118:1055-8.
Pilcher JM, Young P, Weatherall M, Rahman I, Bonser RS, Beasley RW, et al. Asystematic review and meta-analysis of the cardioprotective effects of remote ischaemic preconditioning in open cardiac surgery. J R Soc Med 2012;105:436-45.
Remote Preconditioning Trialists' Group; Healy DA, Khan WA, Wong CS, Moloney MC, Grace PA, et al. Remote preconditioning and major clinical complications following adult cardiovascular surgery: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol 2014;176:20-31.
Yang L, Wang G, Du Y, Ji B, Zheng Z. Remote ischemic preconditioning reduces cardiac troponin I release in cardiac surgery: A meta-analysis. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2014;28:682-9.
Zhang B, Zhou J, Li H, Zhou M, Chen A, Zhao Q, et al. Remote ischemic preconditioning does not improve the clinical outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Int J Cardiol 2014;172:e36-8.
Payne RE, Aldwinckle J, Storrow J, Kong RS, Lewis ME. RIPC remains a promising technique for protection of the myocardium during open cardiac surgery: A Meta-analysis and systematic review. Heart Surg Forum 2015;18:E074-80.
Benstoem C, Stoppe C, Liakopoulos OJ, Ney J, Hasenclever D, Meybohm P, et al. Remote ischaemic preconditioning for coronary artery bypass grafting (with or without valve surgery). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017;5:CD011719.
Deferrari G, Bonanni A, Bruschi M, Alicino C, Signori A. Remote ischaemic preconditioning for renal and cardiac protection in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2017. Doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfx210. [Epub ahead of print].
Hoole SP, Heck PM, Sharples L, Khan SN, Duehmke R, Densem CG, et al. Cardiac remote ischemic preconditioning in coronary stenting (CRISP stent) study: A prospective, randomized control trial. Circulation 2009;119:820-7.
Davies WR, Brown AJ, Watson W, McCormick LM, West NE, Dutka DP, et al. Remote ischemic preconditioning improves outcome at 6 years after elective percutaneous coronary intervention: The CRISP stent trial long-term follow-up. Circ Cardiovasc Interv 2013;6:246-51.
Moretti C, Cerrato E, Cavallero E, Lin S, Rossi ML, Picchi A, et al. The EUROpean and Chinese cardiac and renal remote ischemic preconditioning study (EURO-CRIPS cardioGroup I): A randomized controlled trial. Int J Cardiol 2018;257:1-6.
Healy DA, Carroll PJ, Moloney MC, Tang TY, Grace PA, Kiernan TJ, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of remote ischaemic preconditioning in percutaneous coronary intervention. IJC Metab Endocr 2013;1:13-9.
Zografos TA, Katritsis GD, Katritsis DG. Remote ischemic preconditioning reduces peri-procedural myocardial injury in elective percutaneous coronary intervention: A meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol 2014;173:530-2.
Pei H, Wu Y, Wei Y, Yang Y, Teng S, Zhang H, et al. Remote ischemic preconditioning reduces perioperative cardiac and renal events in patients undergoing elective coronary intervention: A meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials. PLoS One 2014;9:e115500.
D'Ascenzo F, Moretti C, Omedè P, Cerrato E, Cavallero E, Er F, et al. Cardiac remote ischaemic preconditioning reduces periprocedural myocardial infarction for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions: A meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. EuroIntervention 2014;9:1463-71.
Wang X, Kong N, Zhou C, Mungun D, Iyan Z, Guo Y, et al. Effect of remote ischemic preconditioning on perioperative cardiac events in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention: A Meta-analysis of 16 randomized trials. Cardiol Res Pract 2017;2017:6907167.
Shimizu M, Konstantinov IE, Kharbanda RK, Cheung MH, Redington AN. Effects of intermittent lower limb ischaemia on coronary blood flow and coronary resistance in pigs. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2007;190:103-9.
Tolkmitt K, Simsekyilmaz S, Schipke J, Mühlfeld C, Preissner K, Boening A. Influence of medication-induced preconditioning (MIPC) or remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) on the intrinsic vascular eRNA/RNase system in cardio-protection. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018;66(S 01): DGTHG-V20.
Zhou K, Yang B, Zhou XM, Tan CM, Zhao Y, Huang C, et al. Effects of remote ischemic preconditioning on the flow pattern of the left anterior descending coronary artery in normal subjects. Int J Cardiol 2007;122:250-1.
Hoole SP, Heck PM, White PA, Khan SN, O'Sullivan M, Clarke SC, et al. Remote ischemic preconditioning stimulus does not reduce microvascular resistance or improve myocardial blood flow in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention. Angiology 2009;60:403-11.
Santillo E, Migale M, Balestrini F, Postacchini D, Bustacchini S, Lattanzio F, et al. Coronary flow response to remote ischemic preconditioning is preserved in old cardiac patients. Aging Clin Exp Res 2017;1-9. Doi: 10.1007/s40520-017-0845-1. [Epub ahead of print].
Nadtochiy SM, Nauduri D, Shimanskaya TV, Sagach VF, Brookes PS. Purine release: A protective signaling mechanism of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in ischemia. Fiziol Zh 2008;54:5-14.
Corcoran D, Young R, Cialdella P, McCartney P, Bajrangee A, Hennigan B, et al. The effects of remote ischaemic preconditioning on coronary artery function in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol 2018;252:24-30.
Kono Y, Fukuda S, Hanatani A, Nakanishi K, Otsuka K, Taguchi H, et al. Remote ischemic conditioning improves coronary microcirculation in healthy subjects and patients with heart failure. Drug Des Devel Ther 2014;8:1175-81.
Lau JK, Javadzadegan A, Roy P, Lowe H, Brieger D, Kritharides L, et al. Remote ischaemic preconditioning causes rapid increase in coronary flow reserve and reduction in microcirculatory resistance. Eur Heart J 2017;38 Suppl 1:218.
Kleinbongard P, Neuhäuser M, Thielmann M, Kottenberg E, Peters J, Jakob H, et al. Confounders of cardioprotection by remote ischemic preconditioning in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Cardiology 2016;133:128-33.
Sloth AD, Schmidt MR, Munk K, Schmidt M, Pedersen L, Sørensen HT, et al. Impact of cardiovascular risk factors and medication use on the efficacy of remote ischaemic conditioning: Post hoc subgroup analysis of a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2015;5:e006923.
Ferdinandy P, Hausenloy DJ, Heusch G, Baxter GF, Schulz R. Interaction of risk factors, comorbidities, and comedications with ischemia/reperfusion injury and cardioprotection by preconditioning, postconditioning, and remote conditioning. Pharmacol Rev 2014;66:1142-74.
Santillo E, Migale M, Postacchini D, Balestrini F, Incalzi RA. Cardioprotection by conditioning mimetic drugs. Antiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem 2016;15:15-30.
Johnsen J, Pryds K, Salman R, Løfgren B, Kristiansen SB, Bøtker HE, et al. The remote ischemic preconditioning algorithm: Effect of number of cycles, cycle duration and effector organ mass on efficacy of protection. Basic Res Cardiol 2016;111:10. | 2019-04-19T16:42:06Z | http://www.cardiologyplus.org/article.asp?issn=2470-7511;year=2018;volume=3;issue=1;spage=21;epage=29;aulast=Santillo |
Need to know more about Clickfunnels Value Ladder ?
Clickfunnels can be a fantastic as well as very flexible tool for several businesses. We here at JD-OD. com have actually created an in-depth short article to offer you a bit more info regarding Clickfunnels Value Ladder.
Click Funnels is software application developed by the notorious online marketing expert Russell Brunson. He developed the system to aid marketing experts, local business owner, solopreneures, business owners to be able to create advertising and marketing pages (also referred to as funnels) without any previous coding or computer system shows experience. This eliminates the requirement to hire costly programmers and developers as well as it can all be done from the done in one platform Clickfunnels saving you loan and also maximizing the moment to concentrate on more crucial facets of your business.
With Clickfunnels you can easily produce a fully personalized, interactable site which leads leads through your sales funnel.
Whether you have a single product to offer or you have numerous products to offer you can conveniently create a sales funnel to fit your product/s. If you are drop-shipping or producing your very own items after that you develop a completely functional channel which can include features such as One-time Deals (OTO’s), Upsells as well as Downsells. You can likewise incorporate your funnels with third celebration settlement business to get repayments from your consumers online. You can A/B split examination all the funnels you create and all pages are easily changed once you know what improvements/modifications need to be made.
Lead capture funnels (additionally referred to as capture web pages) are where you give a ‘cost-free gift,’ for an e-mail address. This can be some type of guide in a PDF style that your possibility would want to review. As soon as you have the e-mail address you can continue to market to them and hopefully ultimately make a sale. You might even put an Once Deal (OTO) right into your lead capture channel as well as if it goes well you might be able to make a sale there and then.
Lead Capture Funnels are easily developed in Clickfunnels and also you can either make use of Clickfunnels Actionetics email or you can use a third party e-mail -responder such as Aweber or ConvertKit.
There are lots of attributes with Kartra and also there has actually been a massive renovation to the software program it once was. Currently, it is not simply a glorified, personalized purchasing cart. It currently boasts a checklist of features which can be found below. The software program is never best however is a substantial renovation to what it when was. Being relatively new I make sure the makers are still striving on the software program and also there will certainly many more attributes to find in the near future.
The Kartra Email Advertising and marketing function is incredibly versatile and really simple to make use of. If you additionally have a list of leads from a previous email marketing program you can conveniently import them all into Karta with a few clicks of your computer mouse. One thing to be aware of is that when you import leads over into Karta it will take around a day prior to you can send your first program email. This is due to the fact that Karta has to confirm all e-mail addresses to make certain that they stand and to secure users from deliverability issues in the future. You will certainly be notified of any bounced or blacklisted emails by Kartra to keep your lists fresh as well as tidy as well as ensure optimal deliverability.
Sending out broadcasts is easy as well as it the Kartra e-mail system likewise permits you to A/B divided examination e-mails to give you an indication as to which emails are more effective in your advertising campaigns. An additional handy attribute with the A/B split testing is that you can set the portion that you wish to divide test. As an example, you can send out 75% to An as well as the staying 25% to B which can be actually helpful when checking out various e-mail topic lines of making little modifications to every e-mail. An even more comprehensive testimonial of the Kartra email function can be discovered below.
Very comparable to Clickfunels the Kartra Landing page builder allows you to produce opt-in types, sales web pages, up-sell and also down offer web pages, webinar enrollment pages, item launch funnels as well as much a lot more!
Kartra allows you to create a simple sales web page to a full series, multi-step sales funnel without the need to be experienced in computer code. It is a drag and also drop design advertising and marketing page building contractor.
Kartra comes with pre-made layouts of all the kinds of advertising and marketing pages which are quickly personalized to match your company OR if your sensation certain you can create your own pages from scratch!
All web pages have the capacity to be A/B split testing. so you can conveniently see which is transforming far better bringing you extra leads & sales right into your service!
The Kartra shopping cart is a serious contender to other shopping cart platforms out there. Kartra was originally made as a shopping cart system but given that the upgrade of Kartra there have been much more enhancements to the Karta shopping Cart..
Using the drag & decline attributes you can easily tailor your check out web pages and easily attach to your chosen analytics accounts to track sales and registrations that you have actually made.
The Kartra service management system permits developing marketing series for every one of the pages noted above. You can initiate e-mail sequences at particular points in the funnels or create an up-sell or downsell when a prospect moves your advertising sequence. When attached to your selected analytics program you can quickly see which components of your series need improvement and which parts are working well, provided you the capability to create a sales driving machine!!
An additional attribute of the Kartra system is the capacity to develop fully personalized subscription websites. Kartra Subscription Websites are hosted on a safe and secure platform. All passwords and log in information are automatically created allowing you to concentrate on simply producing the site..
You can supply various kinds of material to your participants relying on the kind of subscription level they have. Kartra makes setting this up very easy also for the non-tech type individual.
There are 6 x different rates plans offered for Kartra. Every one of the plans feature a 14-day trial which will establish you back $1. After you reach the end of the Karta 2 week totally free trial you will be billed monthly at the prices listed below.
Need to know more about Clickfunnels Value Ladder?
Clickfunnels can be a wonderful and extremely functional device for many services. We right here at JD-OD. com have actually written a comprehensive write-up to give you a bit a lot more info concerning Clickfunnels Value Ladder.
Click Funnels is software program developed by the well known online marketing expert Russell Brunson. He developed the platform to help online marketers, company owner, solopreneures, business owners to be able to develop marketing web pages (likewise referred to as funnels) with no previous coding or computer system shows experience. This eradicates the requirement to work with pricey developers and developers and it can all be done from the all in one platform Clickfunnels conserving you cash as well as liberating the time to concentrate on more important facets of your organisation.
With Clickfunnels you can easily create a fully customizable, interactable site which leads prospects with your sales funnel.
Whether you have a single product to sell or you have multiple items to market you can easily produce a sales channel to suit your product/s. If you are drop-shipping or producing your own products after that you produce a completely practical funnel which can incorporate functions such as Once Offers (OTO’s), Upsells and also Downsells. You can additionally incorporate your funnels with third celebration payment companies to get repayments from your customers online. You can A/B divided examination all the funnels you develop and also all pages are easily changed as soon as you recognize what improvements/modifications need to be made.
Lead capture funnels (additionally called squeeze pages) are where you give a ‘free gift,’ for an e-mail address. This can be some type of overview in a PDF format that your possibility would intend to check out. As soon as you have the e-mail address you can remain to market to them and with any luck at some point make a sale. You could also put an One-time Offer (OTO) into your lead capture funnel and also if it works out you may be able to make a sale there and then.
Lead Capture Funnels are conveniently created in Clickfunnels and also you can either use Clickfunnels Actionetics email or you can use a third party e-mail -responder such as Aweber or ConvertKit.
There are numerous features with Kartra and there has actually been an enormous renovation to the software program it as soon as was. Now, it is not just a pietistic, personalized buying cart. It currently flaunts a listing of attributes which can be found listed below. The software application is by no means perfect but is a substantial renovation to what it once was. Being fairly new I’m sure the designers are still striving on the software application and there will certainly many more features ahead in the near future.
The Kartra Email Advertising attribute is very functional and also very easy to use. If you additionally have a list of leads from a previous email advertising program you can conveniently import them all right into Karta with a couple of clicks of your mouse. Something to be knowledgeable about is that when you import leads over into Karta it will take around a day prior to you can send your first broadcast email. This is due to the fact that Karta needs to verify all e-mail addresses to guarantee that they stand and to shield users from deliverability concerns in the future. You will certainly be alerted of any type of jumped or blacklisted e-mails by Kartra to keep your lists fresh and also clean as well as make certain optimal deliverability.
Sending out broadcasts is simple and it the Kartra e-mail system additionally enables you to A/B split test emails to provide you a sign as to which e-mails are more successful in your advertising and marketing campaigns. One more handy feature with the A/B split testing is that you can establish the percent that you intend to split examination. For instance, you can send 75% to An and the continuing to be 25% to B which can be actually useful when checking out various e-mail subject lines of making little adjustments to every email. An even more comprehensive evaluation of the Kartra e-mail feature can be found right here.
Really similar to Clickfunels the Kartra Landing page builder enables you to create opt-in kinds, sales pages, up-sell and also down offer pages, webinar enrollment web pages, item launch funnels and also a lot a lot more!
Kartra enables you to develop a simple sales page to a full sequence, multi-step sales channel without the need to be experienced in computer system code. It is a drag and also drop style marketing web page home builder.
Kartra comes with pre-made themes of all the sorts of advertising pages which are conveniently personalized to suit your service OR if your sensation certain you can develop your own web pages from square one!
All web pages have the capability to be A/B split screening. so you can quickly see which is transforming far better bringing you much more leads & sales into your service!
The Kartra purchasing cart is a serious competitor to other shopping cart platforms out there. Kartra was initially made as a buying cart system but considering that the upgrade of Kartra there have actually been much more enhancements to the Karta purchasing Cart..
Making use of the drag & drop attributes you can quickly personalize your check out web pages as well as quickly attach to your chosen analytics accounts to keep track of sales and registrations that you have made.
The Kartra company administration system enables creating marketing sequences for all of the web pages noted above. You can start e-mail series at particular points in the funnels or develop an up-sell or downsell when a possibility relocates your advertising series. When attached to your chosen analytics program you can easily see which parts of your sequence requirement enhancement as well as which components are functioning well, given you the capability to develop a sales driving equipment!!
Another attribute of the Kartra system is the ability to create fully personalized subscription websites. Kartra Subscription Sites are held on a protected platform. All passwords and visit information are automatically created allowing you to concentrate on just producing the site..
You can provide various sorts of web content to your participants depending upon the sort of subscription degree they have. Kartra makes establishing this up very simple also for the non-tech kind person.
There are 6 x different pricing strategies offered for Kartra. Every one of the plans include a 14-day trial which will certainly establish you back $1. After you reach the end of the Karta 2 week free trial you will certainly be billed monthly at the rates noted below.
What is Clickfunnels Value Ladder?
Click Funnels is software application produced by the notorious online marketing expert Russell Brunson. He developed the platform to aid marketing professionals, local business owner, solopreneures, business owners to be able to develop advertising pages (additionally referred to as funnels) without any previous coding or computer system shows experience. This eradicates the need to employ expensive programmers and also developers and also it can all be done from the all in one platform Clickfunnels conserving you money as well as freeing up the moment to concentrate on more vital aspects of your business.
With Clickfunnels you can quickly create a fully adjustable, interactable site which leads prospects with your sales funnel.
Whether you have a solitary item to offer or you have multiple products to sell you can easily develop a sales channel to fit your product/s. If you are drop-shipping or developing your very own products after that you produce a completely useful channel which can incorporate attributes such as Once Deals (OTO’s), Upsells and also Downsells. You can also integrate your funnels with third celebration repayment business to get repayments from your consumers online. You can A/B divided test all the funnels you develop as well as all pages are easily transformed once you understand what improvements/modifications need to be made.
Lead capture funnels (likewise called capture pages) are where you give a ‘totally free gift,’ for an e-mail address. This can be some sort of overview in a PDF format that your prospect would want to read. As soon as you have the e-mail address you can remain to market to them and also hopefully at some point make a sale. You can also place an Once Offer (OTO) right into your lead capture funnel as well as if it goes well you might have the ability to make a sale there and then.
Lead Capture Funnels are easily developed in Clickfunnels and also you can either utilize Clickfunnels Actionetics e-mail or you can utilize a 3rd party e-mail -responder such as Aweber or ConvertKit.
There are numerous functions with Kartra as well as there has been a huge enhancement to the software application it when was. Currently, it is not simply a glorified, adjustable purchasing cart. It now boasts a list of attributes which can be found listed below. The software is by no means best but is a substantial improvement to what it once was. Being relatively brand-new I make sure the creators are still striving on the software application and also there will much more attributes to come in the near future.
The Kartra Email Advertising feature is extremely flexible as well as really easy to make use of. If you also have a listing of leads from a previous e-mail marketing program you can quickly import them all into Karta with a couple of clicks of your mouse. One point to be aware of is that when you import leads over right into Karta it will certainly take about a day prior to you can send your very first broadcast email. This is due to the fact that Karta needs to verify all e-mail addresses to ensure that they are valid as well as to safeguard customers from deliverability issues in the future. You will certainly be informed of any type of bounced or blacklisted emails by Kartra to keep your checklists fresh and also tidy as well as make sure optimal deliverability.
Sending out broadcasts is simple and also it the Kartra e-mail system also permits you to A/B split examination e-mails to offer you an indicator as to which e-mails are more effective in your marketing projects. One more helpful feature with the A/B split testing is that you can set the portion that you intend to divide test. As an example, you could send 75% to An as well as the continuing to be 25% to B which can be actually useful when examining out different e-mail subject lines of making tiny changes to every email. An even more comprehensive review of the Kartra e-mail feature can be found here.
Extremely comparable to Clickfunels the Kartra Touchdown page building contractor enables you to produce opt-in types, sales web pages, up-sell and also down sell web pages, webinar registration web pages, item launch funnels as well as a lot a lot more!
Kartra enables you to develop a simple sales page to a complete series, multi-step sales channel without the demand to be experienced in computer code. It is a drag and also decline design advertising and marketing web page builder.
Kartra includes pre-made themes of all the kinds of advertising web pages which are quickly tailored to match your organisation OR if your feeling confident you can create your very own web pages from scratch!
All web pages have the capability to be A/B split screening. so you can easily see which is converting much better bringing you extra leads & sales right into your business!
The Kartra buying cart is a major challenger to various other buying cart systems available. Kartra was initially made as a buying cart system yet since the upgrade of Kartra there have actually been much more improvements to the Karta buying Cart..
Using the drag & decrease attributes you can conveniently personalize your check out web pages as well as quickly attach to your selected analytics accounts to monitor sales and registrations that you have made.
The Kartra service administration system enables developing marketing sequences for every one of the pages listed above. You can launch e-mail series at particular factors in the funnels or create an up-sell or downsell when a prospect relocates your advertising sequence. When attached to your selected analytics programme you can quickly see which components of your series requirement renovation and which parts are working well, offered you the ability to produce a sales driving device!!
Another feature of the Kartra platform is the capacity to produce totally personalized subscription sites. Kartra Subscription Sites are organized on a protected platform. All passwords and visit information are instantly developed permitting you to focus on just developing the site..
You can deliver different types of web content to your participants depending upon the type of subscription degree they have. Kartra makes establishing this up very simple also for the non-tech kind individual.
There are 6 x various prices strategies offered for Kartra. All of the plans come with a 14-day trial which will certainly set you back $1. After you reach the end of the Karta 14 day complimentary test you will be billed monthly at the rates provided below.
Clickfunnels can be a terrific and really flexible device for several organisations. We here at JD-OD. com have actually created a thorough post to offer you a bit extra info concerning Clickfunnels Value Ladder.
Click Funnels is software produced by the well known online marketing expert Russell Brunson. He developed the system to assist marketing experts, business owners, solopreneures, entrepreneurs to be able to create advertising and marketing pages (likewise known as funnels) with no previous coding or computer programming experience. This eradicates the requirement to hire pricey programmers and also developers as well as it can all be done from the done in one system Clickfunnels saving you cash and also liberating the time to concentrate on more crucial facets of your organisation.
With Clickfunnels you can easily develop a fully customizable, interactable internet site which leads potential customers through your sales channel.
Whether you have a single item to sell or you have several products to offer you can conveniently create a sales channel to fit your product/s. If you are drop-shipping or producing your own items then you produce a completely functional funnel which can include functions such as One-time Offers (OTO’s), Upsells and also Downsells. You can also integrate your funnels with 3rd event payment business to receive repayments from your clients online. You can A/B divided test all the funnels you produce and also all pages are quickly changed once you recognize what improvements/modifications require to be made.
Lead capture funnels (likewise referred to as press pages) are where you give a ‘totally free gift,’ for an email address. This can be some sort of overview in a PDF style that your prospect would certainly want to check out. As soon as you have the e-mail address you can continue to market to them and ideally at some point make a sale. You can also place an One-time Offer (OTO) into your lead capture funnel as well as if it goes well you might have the ability to make a sale there and after that.
Lead Capture Funnels are easily developed in Clickfunnels and you can either use Clickfunnels Actionetics email or you can utilize a 3rd party e-mail -responder such as Aweber or ConvertKit.
There are several functions with Kartra and there has actually been a large renovation to the software program it once was. Currently, it is not simply a pietistic, customizable purchasing cart. It now boasts a checklist of functions which can be found listed below. The software application is never ideal however is a huge renovation to what it when was. Being fairly brand-new I’m sure the designers are still working hard on the software application and also there will certainly many more features ahead in the future.
The Kartra Email Marketing feature is exceptionally flexible and also extremely easy to make use of. If you likewise have a listing of leads from a previous email marketing program you can conveniently import them all into Karta with a few clicks of your computer mouse. One thing to be aware of is that when you import leads over right into Karta it will take about a day prior to you can send your very first broadcast e-mail. This is due to the fact that Karta needs to confirm all e-mail addresses to make sure that they stand as well as to protect users from deliverability problems in the future. You will be informed of any type of jumped or blacklisted emails by Kartra to keep your checklists fresh and tidy and make sure optimal deliverability.
Sending out broadcasts is very easy and also it the Kartra e-mail system additionally allows you to A/B divided examination emails to offer you an indicator as to which e-mails are more successful in your advertising and marketing projects. One more useful feature with the A/B split testing is that you can set the percent that you intend to divide test. For example, you could send out 75% to An as well as the staying 25% to B which can be really useful when examining out various e-mail subject lines of making small changes per email. An even more thorough evaluation of the Kartra email attribute can be found here.
Extremely similar to Clickfunels the Kartra Landing web page home builder allows you to produce opt-in forms, sales web pages, up-sell as well as down sell pages, webinar enrollment pages, product launch funnels and a lot far more!
Kartra allows you to create a simple sales page to a full sequence, multi-step sales funnel without the requirement to be experienced in computer system code. It is a drag as well as drop style advertising page builder.
Kartra comes with pre-made themes of all the types of marketing pages which are quickly tailored to match your company OR if your feeling positive you can produce your very own pages from scratch!
All pages have the ability to be A/B split testing. so you can quickly see which is converting better bringing you more leads & sales into your business!
The Kartra shopping cart is a severe contender to other purchasing cart systems out there. Kartra was initially made as a buying cart system but considering that the upgrade of Kartra there have been a lot more renovations to the Karta buying Cart..
Using the drag & drop attributes you can easily customize your check out web pages and also quickly attach to your chosen analytics accounts to monitor sales as well as memberships that you have actually made.
The Kartra service monitoring system allows developing marketing series for all of the pages detailed above. You can initiate e-mail series at particular points in the funnels or produce an up-sell or downsell when a possibility moves your marketing sequence. When attached to your chosen analytics programme you can quickly see which parts of your series need improvement as well as which parts are functioning well, given you the capacity to produce a sales driving equipment!!
An additional function of the Kartra platform is the capability to develop fully personalized subscription sites. Kartra Membership Websites are organized on a safe platform. All passwords as well as log in details are automatically developed permitting you to focus on simply producing the website..
You can supply different types of material to your members depending on the kind of subscription degree they have. Kartra makes establishing this up very easy also for the non-tech kind person.
There are 6 x various rates plans offered for Kartra. All of the plans include a 14-day trial which will certainly establish you back $1. After you reach the end of the Karta 14 day free trial you will certainly be billed monthly at the rates provided below.
Clickfunnels can be a terrific as well as really functional tool for numerous businesses. We below at JD-OD. com have actually composed a detailed short article to offer you a little bit a lot more info concerning Clickfunnels Value Ladder.
Click Funnels is software produced by the notorious online marketing professional Russell Brunson. He produced the system to help marketing experts, company owner, solopreneures, business owners to be able to develop advertising pages (additionally known as funnels) with no prior coding or computer system programming experience. This removes the need to work with costly developers and also developers and it can all be done from the all in one platform Clickfunnels saving you cash as well as freeing up the moment to focus on more important aspects of your organisation.
With Clickfunnels you can easily produce a fully adjustable, interactable site which leads potential customers with your sales channel.
Whether you have a single item to sell or you have numerous products to sell you can quickly produce a sales funnel to suit your product/s. If you are drop-shipping or developing your own products then you create a completely functional funnel which can integrate features such as One Time Deals (OTO’s), Upsells and also Downsells. You can additionally incorporate your funnels with third celebration repayment firms to obtain settlements from your customers online. You can A/B divided examination all the funnels you create as well as all pages are easily changed as soon as you know what improvements/modifications need to be made.
Lead capture funnels (additionally called capture web pages) are where you give a ‘cost-free present,’ for an email address. This can be some kind of overview in a PDF layout that your prospect would intend to read. When you have the e-mail address you can remain to market to them and hopefully eventually make a sale. You might also put an One-time Offer (OTO) right into your lead capture funnel and if it works out you might be able to make a sale there and then.
There are lots of features with Kartra and there has actually been a large renovation to the software application it when was. Now, it is not simply a glorified, personalized shopping cart. It currently flaunts a listing of features which can be located below. The software program is by no means best however is a vast improvement to what it when was. Being fairly new I make certain the creators are still striving on the software program and there will a lot more functions to find in the future.
The Kartra Email Advertising feature is exceptionally flexible and really easy to utilize. If you also have a list of leads from a previous email marketing program you can quickly import them all right into Karta with a few clicks of your mouse. One point to be knowledgeable about is that when you import leads over into Karta it will take around a day before you can send your very first broadcast email. This is due to the fact that Karta needs to validate all e-mail addresses to make sure that they stand and also to protect users from deliverability problems in the future. You will certainly be alerted of any bounced or blacklisted e-mails by Kartra to maintain your listings fresh as well as clean as well as ensure optimal deliverability.
Sending broadcasts is easy and it the Kartra e-mail system also enables you to A/B divided examination emails to provide you a sign regarding which emails are much more successful in your advertising projects. Another convenient function with the A/B split testing is that you can establish the percent that you wish to divide test. For example, you could send 75% to An and the continuing to be 25% to B which can be truly helpful when examining out various e-mail topic lines of making little adjustments to each e-mail. An even more comprehensive review of the Kartra email feature can be found right here.
Extremely comparable to Clickfunels the Kartra Touchdown web page home builder permits you to develop opt-in types, sales web pages, up-sell and also down sell web pages, webinar registration web pages, item launch funnels and also much far more!
Kartra allows you to develop an easy sales web page to a complete sequence, multi-step sales channel without the need to be experienced in computer code. It is a drag and decline design advertising page home builder.
Kartra includes pre-made templates of all the types of advertising and marketing pages which are conveniently tailored to suit your business OR if your feeling positive you can create your very own web pages from square one!
All web pages have the capacity to be A/B split testing. so you can quickly see which is converting far better bringing you extra leads & sales into your organisation!
The Kartra purchasing cart is a major competitor to various other purchasing cart platforms available. Kartra was initially made as a purchasing cart platform but given that the upgrade of Kartra there have been even more improvements to the Karta purchasing Cart..
Utilizing the drag & decline attributes you can easily personalize your check out web pages as well as easily hook up to your chosen analytics accounts to keep an eye on sales as well as memberships that you have actually made.
The Kartra company management system enables creating advertising and marketing series for all of the web pages noted above. You can launch e-mail series at certain factors in the funnels or create an up-sell or downsell when a possibility moves your marketing sequence. When connected to your picked analytics programme you can quickly see which components of your series demand improvement as well as which components are functioning well, offered you the capacity to produce a sales driving maker!!
Another function of the Kartra system is the ability to produce fully customizable membership websites. Kartra Subscription Websites are hosted on a safe and secure system. All passwords and also visit information are instantly developed allowing you to focus on simply creating the site..
You can supply various kinds of web content to your members relying on the sort of subscription level they have. Kartra makes setting this up very simple also for the non-tech type person.
There are 6 x various pricing plans available for Kartra. Every one of the plans come with a 14-day test which will certainly set you back $1. After you get to the end of the Karta 14 day complimentary trial you will certainly be billed monthly at the prices provided below. | 2019-04-24T02:27:30Z | http://jd-od.com/clickfunnels-value-ladder-marketing-reviews-2019/ |
The purpose of this chapter is to adopt uniform fire safety standards consistent with nationally recognized good practice for the safeguarding to a reasonable degree of life and property from the hazards of fire and explosion arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the use or occupancy of buildings or premises.
The scope of this chapter is intended to be consistent with Minnesota Statutes, Section 299F.011.
Codes and Standards incorporated by reference.
For purposes of this chapter, “IFC” means the 2012 edition of the International Fire Code as promulgated by the International Code Council, Inc., Washington, D.C. The IFC is incorporated by reference and made a part of Minnesota Rules pursuant to statutory authority, subject to the alterations and amendments in this chapter. Portions of this chapter reproduce text and tables from the IFC. The IFC is not subject to frequent change and is available at the office of the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry and at the State Law Library, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155. The IFC is copyright 2011 by the International Code Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
5. Conditions affecting the safety of fire fighters and emergency responders during emergency operations.
The purpose of this code is to establish the minimum requirements consistent with nationally recognized good practice for providing a reasonable level of life safety and property protection from the hazards of fire, explosion or dangerous conditions in new and existing buildings, structures and premises, and to provide safety to fire fighters and emergency responders during emergency operations.
If a section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this code is, for any reason, held to be unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this code.
In the event any part or provision of this code is held to be illegal or void, this shall not have the effect of making void or illegal any of the other parts or provisions hereof, which are determined to be legal; and it shall be presumed that this code would have been adopted without such illegal or invalid parts or provisions.
Any jurisdiction that adopts this code is authorized to make amendments to Chapter 1 of this code to provide a system for enforcement and administration within the jurisdiction. These amendments shall be equal to, in addition to, or more stringent than this code. None of the existing provisions of Chapter 1 shall be changed nor shall any amendment be made that interferes with the intent of the existing provisions nor the state fire marshal’s duties and powers thereunder.
Any jurisdiction that adopts this code is authorized to adopt rules for the prevention and control of fires and fire hazards as may be necessary from time to time, to carry out the intent of this code, and that may be more restrictive than this code when the rules are necessary to protect life or property in the community. The governing body may adopt this code by ordinance. One certified copy of the ordinance containing the rules shall be filed with the clerk of the jurisdiction and shall be in effect immediately thereafter, and additional copies shall be kept in the office of the fire department for distribution to the public.
1. Structures, facilities and conditions arising after the adoption of this code.
2. Existing structures, facilities and conditions when identified in specific sections of this code.
3. Existing structures, facilities and conditions that, in the opinion of the code official, constitute a distinct hazard to life and property.
1. Conditions and operations arising after the adoption of this code.
2. Existing conditions and operations.
The operational provisions of this code are those operations defined in Sections 105.6.1 through 105.6.46.
No change shall be made in the use or occupancy of any structure that would place the structure in a different division of the same group or occupancy or in a different group of occupancies, unless such structure is made to comply with the requirements of this code and the International Building Code. Subject to the approval of the fire code official, the use or occupancy of an existing structure shall be allowed to be changed and the structure is allowed to be occupied for purposes in other groups without conforming to all of the requirements of this code and the International Building Code for those groups, provided the new or proposed use is less hazardous, based on life and fire risk, than the existing use.
The design and construction of new structures shall comply with the International Building Code, and any alterations, additions, changes in use or changes in structures required by this code, which are within the scope of the International Building Code, shall be made in accordance therewith.
1. Construction and design provisions: Provisions of this code pertaining to the exterior of the structure shall apply including, but not limited to, premises identification, fire apparatus access and water supplies. Where interior or exterior systems or devices are installed, construction permits required by Section 105.7 of this code shall also apply.
2. Administrative, operational and maintenance provisions: All such provisions of this code shall apply.
The provisions of this code relating to the construction, alteration, repair, enlargement, restoration, relocation or moving of buildings or structures shall not be mandatory for existing buildings or structures identified and classified by the state or local jurisdiction as historic buildings when such buildings or structures do not constitute a distinct hazard to life or property. Fire protection in designated historic buildings and structures shall be provided in accordance with an approved fire protection plan.
The codes and standards referenced in this code shall be those that are listed in Chapter 80, and such codes and standards shall be considered part of the requirements of this code to the prescribed extent of each such reference and as further regulated in Sections 102.7.1 and 102.7.2.
1. Wherever this code references the ICC Electrical Code, it means the Electrical Code, Minnesota Rules, Chapter 1315.
2. Wherever this code references the International Building Code, it means the Minnesota State Building Code adopted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 326B.106, subdivision 1.
3. Wherever this code references the International Fuel Gas Code, it means the Minnesota State Mechanical Code adopted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 326B.106.
4. Wherever this code references the International Mechanical Code, it means the Minnesota State Mechanical Code adopted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 326B.106.
5. Wherever this code references the International Plumbing Code, it means the Minnesota Plumbing Code, Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4715.
6. Wherever this code references the International Residential Code, it means the Minnesota Residential Code adopted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 326B.106, subdivision 1.
7. Wherever this code references the International Existing Building Code, it means the Minnesota Conservation Code for Existing Buildings adopted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 326B.106, subdivision 1.
Where no applicable standards or requirements are set forth in this code, or are contained within other laws, codes, regulations, ordinances or bylaws adopted by the jurisdiction, compliance with applicable standards of the National Fire Protection Association or other nationally recognized fire safety standards, as approved, shall be deemed as prima facie evidence of compliance with the intent of this code. Nothing herein shall derogate from the authority of the fire code official to determine compliance with codes or standards for those activities or installations within the fire code official’s jurisdiction or responsibility.
Requirements that are essential for the public safety of an existing or proposed activity, building or structure, or for the safety of the occupants thereof, which are not specifically provided for by this code, shall be determined by the fire code official.
Where there is a conflict between a general requirement and a specific requirement, the specific requirement shall be applicable. Where, in a specific case, different sections of this code specify different materials, methods of construction or other requirements, the most restrictive shall govern.
The provisions of protection in existing Group I-2 occupancies, and in existing Group I-3 occupancies used as detention and correctional facilities, shall be in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Life Safety Code, ANSI/NFPA 101, referred to as Standard No. 101, published by the National Fire Protection Association (Quincy, Massachusetts, 2000). Standard No. 101 is incorporated by reference, is not subject to frequent change and is available at the State Law Library, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155.
Construction provisions of Standard No. 101 that are more restrictive than those found in the Building Code shall not be applicable. For the purposes of Section 102.13, construction provisions shall include those relating to type of construction, automatic fire-extinguishing and standpipe systems, fire alarm and detection systems, vertical opening protection, escape windows, exits, smoke barriers, accessibility for persons with disabilities and hazardous area separations.
Sections 23.3.7 through 23.3.7.3 of Standard No. 101 are deleted.
Where a building is occupied for two or more uses not included in the same occupancy, the building or portion thereof shall be classified as a mixed occupancy. The mixed occupancy shall be further classified as either nonseparated uses or separated uses according to the Building Code. Areas of Group H shall only be as separated uses as permitted by the Building Code.
Each portion of the building shall be individually classified as to use. Each fire area shall comply with the Fire Code based on the use of that space. Provisions for egress between different occupancies shall be in accordance with Chapter 10.
Each portion of the building shall be individually classified as to use. The most restrictive provisions of the Fire Code shall apply to the nonseparated uses. Provisions for egress between different occupancies shall be in accordance with Chapter 10.
The department of fire prevention is established within the jurisdiction under the direction of the fire code official. The function of the department shall be the implementation, administration and enforcement of the provisions of this code.
The fire code official shall be appointed by the chief appointing authority of the jurisdiction; and the fire code official shall not be removed from office except for cause and after full opportunity to be heard on specific and relevant charges by and before the appointing authority.
In accordance with the prescribed procedures of this jurisdiction and with the concurrence of the appointing authority, the fire code official shall have the authority to appoint a deputy fire code official, other related technical officers, inspectors and other employees.
The fire code official, member of the board of appeals, officer or employee charged with the enforcement of this code, while acting for the jurisdiction, in good faith and without malice in the discharge of the duties required by this code or other pertinent law or ordinance, shall not thereby be rendered liable personally, and is hereby relieved from all personal liability for any damage accruing to persons or property as a result of an act or by reason of an act or omission in the discharge of official duties.
Any suit instituted against any officer or employee because of an act performed by that officer or employee in the lawful discharge of duties and under the provisions of this code shall be defended by the legal representative of the jurisdiction until the final termination of the proceedings. The fire code official or any subordinate shall not be liable for costs in an action, suit or proceeding that is instituted in pursuance of the provisions of this code; and any officer of the department of fire prevention, acting in good faith and without malice, shall be free from liability for acts performed under any of its provisions or by reason of any act or omission in the performance of official duties in connection therewith.
The fire code official is hereby authorized to enforce the provisions of this code and shall have the authority to render interpretations of this code, and to adopt policies, procedures, rules and regulations in order to clarify the application of its provisions. Such interpretations, policies, procedures, rules and regulations shall be in compliance with the intent and purpose of this code and shall not have the effect of waiving requirements specifically provided for in this code.
The fire code official is authorized to receive applications, review construction documents and issue permits for construction regulated by this code, issue permits for operations regulated by this code, inspect the premises for which such permits have been issued and enforce compliance with the provisions of this code.
Whenever it is necessary to make an inspection to enforce the provisions of this code, or whenever the fire code official has reasonable cause to believe that there exists in a building or upon any premises any conditions or violations of this code which make the building or premises unsafe, dangerous or hazardous, the fire code official shall have the authority to enter the building or premises at all reasonable times to inspect or to perform the duties imposed upon the fire code official by this code. If such building or premises is occupied, the fire code official shall present credentials to the occupant and request entry. If such building or premises is unoccupied, the fire code official shall first make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or other person having charge or control of the building or premises and request entry. If entry is refused, the fire code official has recourse to every remedy provided by law to secure entry.
When the fire code official has first obtained a proper inspection warrant or other remedy provided by law to secure entry, an owner or occupant or person having charge, care or control of the building or premises shall not fail or neglect, after proper request is made as herein provided, to permit entry therein by the fire code official for the purpose of inspection and examination pursuant to this code.
The fire code official shall carry proper identification when inspecting structures or premises in the performance of duties under this code.
The fire code official is authorized to issue such notices or orders as are required to affect compliance with this code in accordance with Sections 109.1 and 109.2.
The fire code official shall keep official records as required by Sections 104.6.1 through 104.6.4. Such official records shall be retained for not less than five years or for as long as the structure or activity to which such records relate remains in existence, unless otherwise provided by other regulations.
A record of approvals shall be maintained by the fire code official and shall be available for public inspection during business hours in accordance with applicable laws.
The fire code official shall keep a record of each inspection made, including notices and orders issued, showing the findings and disposition of each.
The fire department shall keep a record of fires occurring within its jurisdiction and of facts concerning the same, including statistics as to the extent of such fires and the damage caused thereby, together with other information as required by the fire code official.
Application for modification, alternative methods or materials and the final decision of the fire code official shall be in writing and shall be officially recorded in the permanent records of the fire code official.
All materials, equipment and devices approved by the fire code official shall be constructed and installed in accordance with such approval.
Materials, equipment and devices shall not be reused or reinstalled unless such elements have been reconditioned, tested and placed in good and proper working condition and approved.
To determine the acceptability of technologies, processes, products, facilities, materials and uses attending the design, operation or use of a building or premises subject to inspection by the fire code official, the fire code official is authorized to require the owner or agent to provide, without charge to the jurisdiction, a technical opinion and report. The opinion and report shall be prepared by a qualified engineer, specialist, laboratory or fire safety specialty organization acceptable to the fire code official and shall analyze the fire safety properties of the design, operation or use of the building or premises and the facilities and appurtenances situated thereon, to recommend necessary changes. The fire code official is authorized to require design submittals to be prepared by, and bear the stamp of, a registered design professional.
Whenever there are practical difficulties involved in carrying out the provisions of this code, the fire code official shall have the authority to grant modifications for individual cases, provided the fire code official shall first find that special individual reason makes the strict letter of this code impractical and the modification is in compliance with the intent and purpose of this code and that such modification does not lessen health, life and fire safety requirements. The details of action granting modifications shall be recorded and entered in the files of the department of fire prevention.
The provisions of this code are not intended to prevent the installation of any material or to prohibit any method of construction not specifically prescribed by this code, provided that any such alternative has been approved. The fire code official is authorized to approve an alternative material or method of construction where the fire code official finds that the proposed design is satisfactory and complies with the intent of the provisions of this code, and that the material, method or work offered is, for the purpose intended, at least the equivalent of that prescribed in this code in quality, strength, effectiveness, fire resistance, durability and safety.
Supporting data, when necessary to assist in the approval of materials or assemblies not specifically provided for in this code, shall consist of valid research reports from approved sources.
Whenever there is insufficient evidence of compliance with the provisions of this code, or evidence that a material or method does not conform to the requirements of this code, or in order to substantiate claims for alternative materials or methods, the fire code official shall have the authority to require tests as evidence of compliance to be made at no expense to the jurisdiction. Test methods shall be as specified in this code or by other recognized test standards. In the absence of recognized and accepted test methods, the fire code official shall approve the testing procedures. Tests shall be performed by an approved agency. Reports of such tests shall be retained by the fire code official for the period required for retention of public records.
The code official is authorized to approve performance-based fire and life safety designs where the code official finds that the proposed design has been conducted by an approved method. Approved performance-based designs shall be deemed as evidence of compliance with the intent of this code. Approvals under the authority herein contained shall be subject to the approval of the building code official whenever the design involves matters regulated by the Building Code. Sections 104.9.3.1 through 104.9.3.4 shall apply to performance-based designs.
Design goals, objectives and performance criteria shall be approved by the code official prior to the submission of a performance-based design report, calculations or analysis results. As a minimum, an approved performance-based design shall address the following objectives: life safety of occupants, firefighter safety, property protection, continuity of operations and safeguarding of the environment.
To determine the acceptability of the performance-based design, the code official is authorized to request technical assistance in accordance with Section 104.7.2.
Performance-based designs shall be prepared by, and bear the stamp of, a licensed design professional competent in the area of work. The design professional shall provide written confirmation to the code official before a certificate of occupancy is issued that the performance-based design has been properly implemented, that the operation or use of the building is within the limitations of the design and that adequate controls are in place to maintain compliance with the conditions of the design throughout the life of the building.
Where a performance-based design has been approved and used, the property owner shall annually certify that the design features and systems have been maintained in accordance with the approved original performance-based design and assumptions and any subsequent approved changes or modifications to the original performance-based design.
The fire code official, the fire department or other responsible authority shall have the authority to investigate the cause, origin and circumstances of any fire, explosion or other hazardous condition. Information that could be related to trade secrets or processes shall not be made part of the public record, except as directed by a court of law.
Police and other enforcement agencies shall have authority to render necessary assistance in the investigation of fires when requested to do so.
The fire chief or officer of the fire department in charge at the scene of a fire or other emergency involving the protection of life or property, or any part thereof, shall have the authority to direct such operation as necessary to extinguish or control any fire, perform any rescue operation, investigate the existence of suspected or reported fires, gas leaks or other hazardous conditions or situations, or take any other action necessary in the reasonable performance of duty. In the exercise of such power, the fire chief is authorized to prohibit any person, vehicle, vessel or thing from approaching the scene, and is authorized to remove, or cause to be removed or kept away from the scene, any vehicle, vessel or thing which could impede or interfere with the operations of the fire department and, in the judgment of the fire chief, any person not actually and usefully employed in the extinguishing of such fire or in the preservation of property in the vicinity thereof.
The fire chief or officer of the fire department in charge at the scene of an emergency is authorized to place ropes, guards, barricades or other obstructions across any street, alley, place or private property in the vicinity of such operation so as to prevent accidents or interference with the lawful efforts of the fire department to manage and control the situation and to handle fire apparatus.
No person shall obstruct the operations of the fire department in connection with extinguishment or control of any fire, or actions relative to other emergencies, or disobey any lawful command of the fire chief or officer of the fire department in charge of the emergency, or any part thereof, or any lawful order of a police officer assisting the fire department.
No person shall render a system or device inoperative during an emergency unless by direction of the fire chief or fire department official in charge of the incident.
Permits shall be in accordance with Sections 105.1.1 through 105.7.16.
Any property owner or authorized agent who intends to conduct an operation or business, or install or modify systems and equipment which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the fire code official and obtain the required permit.
2. Construction permit. A construction permit allows the applicant to install or modify systems and equipment for which a permit is required by Section 105.7.
When more than one permit is required for the same location, the fire code official is authorized to consolidate such permits into a single permit provided that each provision is listed in the permit.
Application for a permit required by this code shall be made to the fire code official in such form and detail as prescribed by the fire code official. Applications for permits shall be accompanied by such plans as prescribed by the fire code official.
If the application for a permit describes a use that does not conform to the requirements of this code and other pertinent laws and ordinances, the fire code official shall not issue a permit, but shall return the application to the applicant with the refusal to issue such permit. Such refusal shall, when requested, be in writing and shall contain the reasons for refusal.
Before a new operational permit is approved, the fire code official is authorized to inspect the receptacles, vehicles, buildings, devices, premises, storage spaces or areas to be used to determine compliance with this code or any operational constraints required.
An application for a permit for any proposed work or operation shall be deemed to have been abandoned 180 days after the date of filing, unless such application has been diligently prosecuted or a permit shall have been issued; except that the fire code official is authorized to grant one or more extensions of time for additional periods not exceeding 90 days each. The extension shall be requested in writing and justifiable cause demonstrated.
The fire code official shall examine or cause to be examined applications for permits and amendments thereto within a reasonable time after filing. If the application or the construction documents do not conform to the requirements of pertinent laws, the fire code official shall reject such application in writing, stating the reasons therefor. If the fire code official is satisfied that the proposed work or operation conforms to the requirements of this code and laws and ordinances applicable thereto, the fire code official shall issue a permit therefor as soon as practicable.
A permit shall constitute permission to maintain, store or handle materials; or to conduct processes which produce conditions hazardous to life or property; or to install equipment utilized in connection with such activities; or to install or modify any fire protection system or equipment or any other construction, equipment installation or modification in accordance with the provisions of this code where a permit is required by Section 105.6 or 105.7. Such permission shall not be construed as authority to violate, cancel or set aside any of the provisions of this code or other applicable regulations or laws of the jurisdiction.
An operational permit shall remain in effect until reissued, renewed or revoked, or for such a period of time as specified in the permit. Construction permits shall automatically become invalid unless the work authorized by such permit is commenced within 180 days after its issuance, or if the work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of 180 days after the time the work is commenced. Before such work recommences, a new permit shall be first obtained and the fee to recommence work, if any, shall be one-half the amount required for a new permit for such work, provided no changes have been made or will be made in the original construction documents for such work, and provided further that such suspension or abandonment has not exceeded one year. Permits are not transferable and any change in occupancy, operation, tenancy or ownership shall require that a new permit be issued.
A permittee holding an unexpired permit shall have the right to apply for an extension of the time within which the permittee will commence work under that permit when work is unable to be commenced within the time required by this section for good and satisfactory reasons. The fire code official is authorized to grant, in writing, one or more extensions of the time period of a permit for periods of not more than 180 days each. Such extensions shall be requested by the permit holder in writing and justifiable cause demonstrated.
The building or structure shall not be occupied prior to the fire code official issuing a permit and conducting associated inspections indicating the applicable provisions of this code have been met.
Where permits are required and upon the request of a permit applicant, the fire code official is authorized to issue a conditional permit to occupy the premises or portion thereof before the entire work or operations on the premises is completed, provided that such portion or portions will be occupied safely prior to full completion or installation of equipment and operations without endangering life or public welfare. The fire code official shall notify the permit applicant in writing of any limitations or restrictions necessary to keep the permit area safe. The holder of a conditional permit shall proceed only to the point for which approval has been given, at the permit holder’s own risk and without assurance that approval for the occupancy or the utilization of the entire premises, equipment or operations will be granted.
Issued permits shall be kept on the premises designated therein at all times and shall be readily available for inspection by the fire code official.
The issuance or granting of a permit shall not be construed to be a permit for, or an approval of, any violation of any of the provisions of this code or of any other ordinance of the jurisdiction. Permits presuming to give authority to violate or cancel the provisions of this code or other ordinances of the jurisdiction shall not be valid. The issuance of a permit based on construction documents and other data shall not prevent the fire code official from requiring the correction of errors in the construction documents and other data. Any addition to or alteration of approved construction documents shall be approved in advance by the fire code official, as evidenced by the issuance of a new or amended permit.
The fire code official shall issue all permits required by this code on an approved form furnished for that purpose. The permit shall contain a general description of the operation or occupancy and its location and any other information required by the fire code official. Issued permits shall bear the signature of the fire code official or other approved legal authorization.
The issuance or granting of a permit shall not be construed to be a permit for, or an approval of, any violation of any of the provisions of this code or of any other ordinances of the jurisdiction. Permits presuming to give authority to violate or cancel the provisions of this code or other ordinances of the jurisdiction shall not be valid. The issuance of a permit based on construction documents, operational documents and other data shall not prevent the fire code official from requiring correction of errors in the documents or other data.
Construction documents shall be in accordance with this section.
Construction documents and supporting data shall be submitted in two or more sets with each application for a permit and in such form and detail as required by the fire code official. The construction documents shall be prepared by a registered design professional where required by the statutes of the jurisdiction in which the project is to be constructed.
Exception: The fire code official is authorized to waive the submission of construction documents and supporting data not required to be prepared by a registered design professional if it is found that the nature of the work applied for is such that review of construction documents is not necessary to obtain compliance with this code.
The fire code official shall examine or cause to be examined the accompanying construction documents and shall ascertain by such examinations whether the work indicated and described is in accordance with the requirements of this code.
Construction documents shall be drawn to scale upon suitable material. Electronic media documents are allowed to be submitted when approved by the fire code official. Construction documents shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature and extent of the work proposed and show in detail that it will conform to the provisions of this code and relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations as determined by the fire code official.
Shop drawings for the fire protection system(s) shall be submitted to indicate compliance with this code and the construction documents, and shall be approved prior to the start of installation. Shop drawings shall contain all information as required by the referenced installation standards in Chapter 9.
Construction documents approved by the fire code official are approved with the intent that such construction documents comply in all respects with this code. Review and approval by the fire code official shall not relieve the applicant of the responsibility of compliance with this code.
The fire code official is authorized to issue a permit for the construction of part of a structure, system or operation before the construction documents for the whole structure, system or operation have been submitted, provided that adequate information and detailed statements have been filed complying with pertinent requirements of this code. The holder of such permit for parts of a structure, system or operation shall proceed at the holder’s own risk with the building operation and without assurance that a permit for the entire structure, system or operation will be granted.
Where field conditions necessitate any substantial change from the approved construction documents, the fire code official shall have the authority to require the corrected construction documents to be submitted for approval.
One set of construction documents shall be retained by the fire code official for a period of not less than 180 days from date of completion of the permitted work, or as required by state or local laws. One set of approved construction documents shall be returned to the applicant, and said set shall be kept on the site of the building or work at all times during which the work authorized thereby is in progress.
1. The permit is used for a location or establishment other than that for which it was issued.
2. The permit is used for a condition or activity other than that listed in the permit.
3. Conditions and limitations set forth in the permit have been violated.
4. There have been any false statements or misrepresentations as to the material fact in the application for permit or plans submitted or a condition of the permit.
5. The permit is used by a different person or firm than the name for which it was issued.
6. The permittee failed, refused or neglected to comply with orders or notices duly served in accordance with the provisions of this code within the time provided therein.
7. The permit was issued in error or in violation of an ordinance, regulation or this code.
The fire code official is authorized to issue operational permits for the operations set forth in Sections 105.6.1 through 105.6.46.
An operational permit is required to manufacture, store or handle an aggregate quantity of Level 2 or Level 3 aerosol products in excess of 500 pounds (227 kg) net weight.
An operational permit is required to operate a special amusement building.
An operational permit is required to use a Group H or Group S occupancy for aircraft servicing or repair and aircraft fuel-servicing vehicles. Additional permits required by other sections of this code include, but are not limited to, hot work, hazardous materials and flammable or combustible finishes.
An operational permit is required to conduct a carnival or fair.
An operational permit is required to store, handle or use cellulose nitrate film in a Group A occupancy.
Exception: A permit is not required for agricultural storage.
Exception: Vehicles equipped for and using compressed gas as a fuel for propelling the vehicle.
For SI: 1 cubic foot = 0.02832 m3.
1. The placement of retail fixtures and displays, concession equipment, displays of highly combustible goods and similar items in the mall.
2. The display of liquid- or gas-fired equipment in the mall.
3. The use of open-flame or flame-producing equipment in the mall.
Exception: Permits are not required for vehicles equipped for and using cryogenic fluids as a fuel for propelling the vehicle or for refrigerating the lading.
An operational permit is required to operate exhibits and trade shows.
Exception: Storage in Group R-3 occupancies of smokeless propellant, black powder and small arms primers for personal use, not for resale and in accordance with Section 5606.
An operational permit is required to use or operate fire hydrants or valves intended for fire suppression purposes which are installed on water systems and accessible to a fire apparatus access road that is open to or generally used by the public.
Exception: A permit is not required for authorized employees of the water company that supplies the system or the fire department to use or operate fire hydrants or valves.
1. To use or operate a pipeline for the transportation within facilities of flammable or combustible liquids. This requirement shall not apply to the off-site transportation in pipelines regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOTn) nor does it apply to piping systems.
2.1. The storage or use of Class I liquids in the fuel tank of a motor vehicle, aircraft, motorboat, mobile power plant or mobile heating plant, unless such storage, in the opinion of the fire code official, would cause an unsafe condition.
2.2. The storage or use of paints, oils, varnishes or similar flammable mixtures when such liquids are stored for maintenance, painting or similar purposes for a period of not more than 30 days.
3. To store, handle or use Class II or Class IIIA liquids in excess of 25 gallons (95 L) in a building or in excess of 60 gallons (227 L) outside a building, except for fuel oil used in connection with oil-burning equipment.
4. To store, handle or use Class IIIB liquids in tanks or portable tanks for fueling motor vehicles at motor fuel-dispensing facilities or where connected to fuel-burning equipment.
5. To remove Class I or II liquids from an underground storage tank used for fueling motor vehicles by any means other than the approved, stationary on-site pumps normally used for dispensing purposes.
6. To operate tank vehicles, equipment, tanks, plants, terminals, wells, fuel-dispensing stations, refineries, distilleries and similar facilities where flammable and combustible liquids are produced, processed, transported, stored, dispensed or used.
7. To place temporarily out of service (for more than 90 days) an underground, protected above-ground or above-ground flammable or combustible liquid tank.
8. To change the type of contents stored in a flammable or combustible liquid tank to a material that poses a greater hazard than that for which the tank was designed and constructed.
9. To manufacture, process, blend or refine flammable or combustible liquids.
10. To engage in the dispensing of liquid fuels into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles at commercial, industrial, governmental or manufacturing establishments.
11. To utilize a site for the dispensing of liquid fuels from tank vehicles into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles, marine craft and other special equipment at commercial, industrial, governmental or manufacturing establishments.
An operational permit is required to operate a fruit- or crop-ripening facility or conduct a fruit-ripening process using ethylene gas.
An operational permit is required to operate a business of fumigation or insecticidal fogging, and to maintain a room, vault or chamber in which a toxic or flammable fumigant is used.
For SI: 1 gallon = 3.785 L, 1 pound = 0.454 kg.
a. 20 gallons when Table 5003.1.1(1) Note k applies and hazard identification signs in accordance with Section 5003.5 are provided for quantities of 20 gallons or less.
b. 200 pounds when Table 5003.1.1(1) Note k applies and hazard identification signs in accordance with Section 5003.5 are provided for quantities of 200 pounds or less.
1. Public exhibitions and demonstrations where hot work is conducted.
2. Use of portable hot work equipment inside a structure.
3. Fixed-site hot work equipment, such as welding booths.
4. Hot work conducted within a wildfire risk area.
5. Application of roof coverings with the use of an open-flame device.
6. When approved, the fire code official shall issue a permit to carry out a hot work program. This program allows approved personnel to regulate their facility’s hot work operations. The approved personnel shall be trained in the fire safety aspects denoted in this chapter and shall be responsible for issuing permits requiring compliance with the requirements found in Chapter 35. These permits shall be issued only to their employees or hot work operations under their supervision.
An operational permit is required for operation of industrial ovens regulated by Chapter 30.
1. Storage and use of LP-gas.
2. Operation of cargo tankers that transport LP-gas.
An operational permit is required to use open flames or candles in connection with assembly areas, dining areas of restaurants or drinking establishments.
An operational permit is required to operate a place of assembly.
An operational permit is required for the removal from service, use or operation of private fire hydrants.
Exception: A permit is not required for private industry with trained maintenance personnel, private fire brigade or fire departments to maintain, test and use private hydrants.
An operational permit is required for storage or handling of more than 25 pounds (11 kg) of cellulose nitrate (pyroxylin) plastics, and for the assembly or manufacture of articles involving pyroxylin plastics.
An operational permit is required to operate a mechanical refrigeration unit or system regulated by Chapter 6.
An operational permit is required for the operation of a rooftop heliport.
An operational permit is required to operate an air-supported temporary membrane structure or a tent having an area in excess of 400 square feet (37 m2).
2.2. The aggregate area of multiple tents placed side by side without a fire break clearance of not less than 12 feet (3658 mm) shall not exceed 700 square feet (65 m2) total.
2.3. A minimum clearance of 12 feet (3658 mm) to structures and other tents shall be provided.
An operational permit is required for the operation of wrecking yards, junk yards and waste material-handling facilities.
An operational permit is required to store chips, hogged material, lumber or plywood in excess of 200 cubic feet (6 m3).
The fire code official is authorized to issue construction permits for work as set forth in Sections 105.7.1 through 105.7.16.
A construction permit is required for installation of or modification to an automatic fire-extinguishing system. Maintenance performed in accordance with this code is not considered a modification and does not require a permit.
A permit is required to install stationary storage battery systems having a liquid capacity of more than 50 gallons (189 L).
When the compressed gases in use or storage exceed the amounts listed in Table 105.6.8, a construction permit is required to install, repair damage to, abandon, remove, place temporarily out of service, or close or substantially modify a compressed gas system.
2. For emergency repair work performed on an emergency basis, application for permit shall be made within two working days of commencement of work.
A construction permit is required for installation of or alteration to outdoor stationary cryogenic fluid storage systems where the system capacity exceeds the amounts listed in Table 105.6.10. Maintenance performed in accordance with this code is not considered an alteration and does not require a construction permit.
A construction permit is required for installation of or modification to emergency responder radio coverage systems and related equipment. Maintenance performed in accordance with this code is not considered a modification and does not require a permit.
A construction permit is required for installation of or modification to fire pumps and related fuel tanks, jockey pumps, controllers and generators. Maintenance performed in accordance with this code is not considered a modification and does not require a permit.
1. To install, repair or modify a pipeline for the transportation of flammable or combustible liquids.
2. To install, construct or alter tank vehicles, equipment, tanks, plants, terminals, wells, fuel-dispensing stations, refineries, distilleries and similar facilities where flammable and combustible liquids are produced, processed, transported, stored, dispensed or used.
3. To install, alter, remove, abandon or otherwise dispose of a flammable or combustible liquid tank.
A construction permit is required to install, repair damage to, abandon, remove, place temporarily out of service, or close or substantially modify a storage facility or other area regulated by Chapter 50 when the hazardous materials in use or storage exceed the amounts listed in Table 105.6.20.
A construction permit is required for installation of industrial ovens covered by Chapter 30.
2. For repair work performed on an emergency basis, application for permit shall be made within two working days of commencement of work.
A construction permit is required for installation of or modification to an LP-gas system.
A construction permit is required for the installation or modification of private fire hydrants.
A construction permit is required to install or modify a spray room, dip tank or booth.
A construction permit is required to erect an air-supported temporary membrane structure or a tent having an area in excess of 400 square feet (37 m2).
2. Funeral tents and curtains, or extensions attached thereto, when used for funeral services.
3.1. Individual tents shall have a maximum size of 700 square feet (65 m2).
3.2. The aggregate area of multiple tents placed side by side without a fire break clearance of not less than 12 feet (3658 mm) shall not exceed 700 square feet (65 m2) total.
3.3. A minimum clearance of 12 feet (3658 mm) to structures and other tents shall be maintained.
The fire code official is authorized to enter and examine any building, structure, marine vessel, vehicle or premises in accordance with Section 104.3 for the purpose of enforcing this code.
The fire code official is authorized to conduct such inspections as are deemed necessary to determine the extent of compliance with the provisions of this code and to approve reports of inspection by approved agencies or individuals. All reports of such inspections shall be prepared and submitted in writing for review and approval. Inspection reports shall be certified by a responsible officer of such approved agency or by the responsible individual. The fire code official is authorized to engage such expert opinion as deemed necessary to report upon unusual, detailed or complex technical issues subject to the approval of the governing body.
It shall be the duty of the holder of the permit or their duly authorized agent to notify the fire code official when work is ready for inspection. It shall be the duty of the permit holder to provide access to and means for inspections of such work that are required by this code.
Work shall not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the approval of the fire code official. The fire code official, upon notification, shall make the requested inspections and shall either indicate the portion of the construction that is satisfactory as completed, or notify the permit holder or his or her agent wherein the same fails to comply with this code. Any portions that do not comply shall be corrected, and such portion shall not be covered or concealed until authorized by the fire code official.
It shall be the duty of the permit applicant to cause the work to remain accessible and exposed for inspection purposes. Whenever any installation subject to inspection prior to use is covered or concealed without having first been inspected, the fire code official shall have the authority to require that such work be exposed for inspection. Neither the fire code official nor the jurisdiction shall be liable for expense entailed in the removal or replacement of any material required to allow inspection.
Approval as the result of an inspection shall not be construed to be an approval of a violation of the provisions of this code or of other ordinances of the jurisdiction. Inspections presuming to give authority to violate or cancel provisions of this code or of other ordinances of the jurisdiction shall not be valid.
Whenever or wherever any device, equipment, system, condition, arrangement, level of protection, or any other feature is required for compliance with the provisions of this code, or otherwise installed, such device, equipment, system, condition, arrangement, level of protection, or other feature shall thereafter be continuously maintained in accordance with this code and applicable referenced standards.
Equipment requiring periodic testing or operation to ensure maintenance shall be tested or operated as specified in this code.
Required test and inspection records shall be available to the fire code official at all times or such records as the fire code official designates shall be filed with the fire code official.
Where any work or installation does not pass an initial test or inspection, the necessary corrections shall be made so as to achieve compliance with this code. The work or installation shall then be resubmitted to the fire code official for inspection and testing.
Maintenance and testing shall be under the supervision of a responsible person who shall ensure that such maintenance and testing are conducted at specified intervals in accordance with this code.
Portable or fixed fire-extinguishing systems or devices, and fire-warning systems, shall not be rendered inoperative or inaccessible, except as necessary during emergencies, maintenance, repairs, alterations, drills or prescribed testing.
Overcrowding or admittance of any person beyond the approved capacity of a building or a portion thereof shall not be allowed. The fire code official, upon finding any overcrowding conditions or obstructions in aisles, passageways or other means of egress, or upon finding any condition which constitutes a life safety hazard, shall be authorized to cause the event to be stopped until such condition or obstruction is corrected.
As outlined in Minnesota Statutes, Section 299F.011, subdivisions 5 and 5b, any person may appeal an order issued to them by the state fire marshal or action taken by the local governing body on issues regulated by this code. Appeals can be made to determine the suitability of alternate materials and types of construction, to provide for reasonable interpretations of the provisions of this code, and to grant variances from orders issued by representatives of the state fire marshal. Persons wishing to present matters for appeal shall do so in writing and, in the case of persons who have received written orders, applications for variances shall be made prior to the expiration of the orders. Orders shall not be considered to be expired until any time extensions granted by the state fire marshal have elapsed. The state fire marshal shall not accept applications for variances after criminal action for noncompliance has been initiated pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 299F.011, subdivision 6.
It shall be unlawful for a person, firm or corporation to erect, construct, alter, repair, remove, demolish or utilize a building, occupancy, premises or system regulated by this code, or cause same to be done, in conflict with or in violation of any of the provisions of this code.
Correction and abatement of violations of this code shall be the responsibility of the owner. If an occupant creates, or allows to be created, hazardous conditions in violation of this code, the occupant shall be held responsible for the abatement of such hazardous conditions.
When the fire code official finds a building, premises, vehicle, storage facility or outdoor area that is in violation of this code, the fire code official is authorized to prepare a written notice of violation describing the conditions deemed unsafe and, when compliance is not immediate, specifying a time for reinspection.
A notice of violation issued pursuant to this code shall be served upon the owner, operator, occupant or other person responsible for the condition or violation, either by personal service, mail or by delivering the same to, and leaving it with, some person of responsibility upon the premises. For unattended or abandoned locations, a copy of such notice of violation shall be posted on the premises in a conspicuous place at or near the entrance to such premises and the notice of violation shall be mailed by certified mail with return receipt requested or a certificate of mailing, to the last known address of the owner, occupant or both.
A notice of violation issued or served as provided by this code shall be complied with by the owner, operator, occupant or other person responsible for the condition or violation to which the notice of violation pertains.
If the notice of violation is not complied with promptly, the fire code official is authorized to request the legal counsel of the jurisdiction to institute the appropriate legal proceedings at law or in equity to restrain, correct or abate such violation or to require removal or termination of the unlawful occupancy of the structure in violation of the provisions of this code or of the order or direction made pursuant hereto.
Signs, tags or seals posted or affixed by the fire code official shall not be mutilated, destroyed or tampered with, or removed, without authorization from the fire code official.
A person who violates a provision of this code shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
In addition to the imposition of the penalties herein described, the fire code official is authorized to institute appropriate action to prevent unlawful construction or to restrain, correct or abate a violation; or to prevent illegal occupancy of a structure or premises; or to stop an illegal act, conduct of business or occupancy of a structure on or about any premises.
If during the inspection of a premises, a building or structure, or any building system, in whole or in part, constitutes a clear and inimical threat to human life, safety or health, the fire code official shall issue such notice or orders to remove or remedy the conditions as shall be deemed necessary in accordance with this section, and shall refer the building to the building department for any repairs, alterations, remodeling, removing or demolition required.
Structures or existing equipment that are or hereafter become unsafe or deficient because of inadequate means of egress or which constitute a fire hazard, or are otherwise dangerous to human life or the public welfare, or which involve illegal or improper occupancy or inadequate maintenance, shall be deemed an unsafe condition. A vacant structure which is not secured against unauthorized entry as required by Section 311 shall be deemed unsafe.
When an apparent structural hazard is caused by the faulty installation, operation or malfunction of any of the items or devices governed by this code, the fire code official shall immediately notify the building code official in accordance with Section 110.1.
The fire code official or the fire department official in charge of an incident shall be authorized to order the immediate evacuation of any occupied building deemed unsafe when such building has hazardous conditions that present imminent danger to building occupants. Persons so notified shall immediately leave the structure or premises and shall not enter or re-enter until authorized to do so by the fire code official or the fire department official in charge of the incident.
Where conditions exist that are deemed hazardous to life and property, the fire code official or fire department official in charge of the incident is authorized to abate summarily such hazardous conditions that are in violation of this code.
The owner, operator or occupant of a building or premises deemed unsafe by the fire code official shall abate or cause to be abated or corrected such unsafe conditions either by repair, rehabilitation, demolition or other approved corrective action.
Whenever the fire code official finds any work regulated by this code being performed in a manner contrary to the provisions of this code, or in a dangerous or unsafe manner, the fire code official is authorized to issue a stop work order.
A stop work order shall be in writing and shall be given to the owner of the property, or to the owner’s agent, or to the person doing the work. Upon issuance of a stop work order, the cited work shall immediately cease. The stop work order shall state the reason for the order, and the conditions under which the cited work is authorized to resume.
Where an emergency exists, the fire code official shall not be required to give a written notice prior to stopping the work.
The fire code official shall have the authority to authorize disconnection of utility service to the building, structure or system in order to safely execute emergency operations or to eliminate an immediate hazard. The fire code official shall notify the serving utility and, whenever possible, the owner and occupant of the building, structure or service system of the decision to disconnect prior to taking such action if not notified prior to disconnection. The owner or occupant of the building, structure or service system shall be notified in writing as soon as practical thereafter.
A permit shall not be issued until the fees have been paid, nor shall an amendment to a permit be released until the additional fee, if any, has been paid.
Any person who commences any work, activity or operation regulated by this code before obtaining the necessary permits shall be subject to an additional fee established by the applicable governing authority, which shall be in addition to the required permit fees.
The applicable governing authority is authorized to establish a refund policy. | 2019-04-21T22:37:28Z | https://up.codes/viewer/minnesota/mn-fire-code-2015/chapter/1/scope-and-administration |
When I had Zander this past winter, a friend brought over some homemade baby wipes.
How did I NOT know about homemade baby wipes before my 4th child?!
Not only are they cheap and easy to make…they are also waaay better for your chubby baby’s bottom than the store-bought wipes.
Mix the baby wash, oil, & hot water around to make sure the wash and oil are evenly distributed.
Pour the mixture into your wipes container.
Add the cut paper towels and let sit for about an hour until all the liquid spreads throughout the paper towels.
To make them more travel-friendly, I take a hunk out and put them in a quart-size ziploc.
It’s unbelievably easy! And I simply love this particular brand of baby wash which I bought from Target.
Best part about these…they do not contain alcohol and they are super-soothing for those delecate areas, especially if you’re dealing with a diaper rash.
Just make sure you get the right size Bounty. I bought rolls that were too big once and I couldn’t fit them in my container.
I used homemade baby wipes for the 4+ years that Rachel was in diapers 🙂 (Yes, she is finally potty trained at 4 1/2, what a kid!) I loved them!! I always bought the select-a-size Bounty towels – and yes it has to be Bounty! I never tried to take the cardboard out before making them, I always waited until it was all soggy and super easy to pull right out of the middle. Also, I would put the wipes in cut size down (it was pretty rough since I usually just used a butcher knife) and then after about 15 min. I would flip them over to soak up the rest. Worked like a charm! I love your container!!! Mine was a baby shower gift that worked pretty well but wasn’t quite as neat as yours. Thanks for sharing!
an empty similac (baby formula) can works perfectly, or an empty huggies/pampers plastic wipes box ( store the paper towels laying down, then you peel the wipes off like you normally would with a regular roll of paper towels, from outside in—no need to remove the cardboard with this approach). i’m going to decorate the similac can with some pretty paper too. i found the mitre saw to be the easiest/cleanest way of cutting the paper towels.
Thank you for the great ideas and tips Audra! I really to do like using a miter saw as well, much quicker than cutting with a knife.
Hi i have toddlers and wanted to kmow if you have to use baby wash?
No, you don’t have to use baby wash but you would want to use some gentle soap instead.
Yes, Sondra, it has to be a regular size roll. There is one size up from regular that also works but the larger size rolls don’t fit.
Hi Amber! Maybe it’s my knife, but when I try to cut through the towels with the cardboard in the roll still it really bogs it down, I am using an electric knife though. Maybe I need to get out my butcher knife and see how it goes.
Great tip on flipping them to absorb! Thank you!
glad I could help you with this blog post!! 😉 Good to see the recipe was put to good use!!
Yes and thank you friend! The perfect baby gift that kept on giving!!
I make and use the (bounty) wipes using your recipe. I use them on adult bottoms here at home. The bounty select a size are the perfect size and are effective. We have a septic system so after using, we put them in the trash.
It is the paper. It does not break down very easily so it could cause issues. The actual ingredients would not harm the septic system though.
I have a day care and have used the bounty napkins for the last three years and I love them. Wal-Mart sells a plastic lidded container that works wonderful.
Great to know JaSi! I hadn’t even thought of using the Bounty napkins. That’s handy for sure, especially if you don’t want to have to cut the paper towels.
About how many napkins do you use for this recipe? I see the napkins come in 200 counts, but wasn’t sure if we should only do like maybe 50 napkins for this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, 50 is a good start. A lot of it is personal preference so if you want a more moist wipe, less napkins.
I’ve been making these for a couple years as well. I use Viva select a size and they work well too. I double your recipe though. I use 2 cups of water, 2T wash, and 2T oil. You can add a couple drops of tea tree oil too to make it a little more anti bacterial. I LOVE them and they are soooo much better for baby’s bottom. I’ve been using unscented baby oil, but I’m going to switch to coconut oil now! Glad someone else uses them too! Have fun!
I didn’t realize Viva worked too so it’s great to know that there are other options. I had previously tried the Sam’s Club brand, Member’s Mark. They were a failure. I have heard of adding the tea tree oil and it is an excellent addition! Thank you for the comment!
I just made my first batch of baby wipes, and used the viva paper towel, and they are just falling apart when I try to take them out! might have to try bounty!
Oh that stinks, Bounty is the way to go!!! Hope you have better luck next time!
Could you use these in a warmer? How would u cut them?
If you use a warmer, I’d probably add a couple drops of tea tree oil to the liquid. If the wipes are warmer there is more potential for bacteria to grow, hence the addition of tea tree oil.
JaSi mentioned that they make Bounty napkins which I have never personally tried. Rather than trying to make the paper towels work since they are such a different shape, I’d personally try the napkins. Bounty seems to be stronger so I’d stick with those brand napkins first.
You are right Michelle, thank you!
Except if you live in a high mold content enviro like we do (mntns of western north carolina). My wipes were growing pink mold still, but are now fine w/ the addition of tea tree.
So happy you found a good addition with Tea Tree oil!
Where can you find coconut oil?
Hi Marlena, you’ll find that many stores carry it now, which is so nice! If you look in the baking section it should be there, but sometimes it is in the ethnic section. I’ve seen the brand LouAnn or and Spectrum (which is a better quality).
do you use unrefined or refined coconut oil.
You can use either, but I use unrefined.
Trader Joe’s sells organic coconut oil at a very reasonable price!
We buy ours at Costco.
Costco sells coconut oil in a huge jar for $16! Great deal and great for many other uses 🙂 Cooking, hair treatment, makeup remover, moisturizer and as someone already mentioned, which I have yet to try, diaper rash cream! Very excited to try making these wipes 🙂 Great baby shower gift as well!
Hi! I will definately trying this! My kids are 4 and 6, but I find that baby wipes are amazing in all kinds of different way! One question though…teaspoon or tablespoon? or does it matter? Thanks for the post!
Hi Ashley, you’ll want to use 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of baby wash for the correct proportions. I use them for wiping up dirty faces and in the car for my older kids and they work great. Best wishes!
I’ve tried the 1:1:1 portion but it didn’t wet the ones in the middle or bottom and I ended up doing 4:4:4 for the whole roll of bounty. Will it do any harm?
No, just might be too wet.
We don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby but oh I wish we did! I’ve never even stepped foot in one but I hear they are great! That’s another source for others to check out though. Thank you Jessica for the tip!
This is absolutely safe for cloth diapers/wipes. We go through the paper towel wipes quickly so I don’t add tea tree oil, but you may want to if your solution is going to stay on your wipes for a while.
We also used these with cloth diapers. I used the same solution on cut up pieces of flannel so I didn’t have to pick wipes out of the wash, I just threw it all in the wash together!
Hi, Love this tip. We use the walmart baby wipes by the case but we are always trying to save money. My question is about the baby wash. Could I use Johnson & Johnson head to toe or is there a different type of baby wash I don’t know about?
You can use J&J baby wash. I posted the Shea Moisture brand but that’s just my personal preference. As long as it’s baby wash, it’s delicate enough to use for wipes.
I know this was posted nearly a year ago, but I would personally NOT use Johnson & Johnson..especially if you are trying to stay away from harmful chemicals..look them up..all sorts of bad stuff in them. Their wash dried my baby’s skin so bad..I switched to an organic wash and it’s a million times better.
The Arbonne Baby Wash is the ONLY one I’ve found that has ZERO harmful chemicals. You need to buy from a consultant, but you can look it up on http://www.arbonne.com. I will only use Arbonne on my baby.
I am making reusable baby wipes out of fleece material as gifts but they recommend not adding the solution until you are ready to use the wipes. Do you know if it is a problem if these sit very long? The baby shower is now but the baby is not due for a while yet. TY!
When I got the wipes as a gift from a friend, she gave me a prepared roll of wipes as well as a bottle of baby oil and baby wash, 1 roll of paper towels cut and her recipe. I changed up some of the ingredients because I wanted the added benefits of using coconut oil. So maybe you can include the ingredients and directions so she can make them once the baby is born?
That or you can also add a few drops of Tea Tree Oil to the mixture and try it, But if for some reason mold grew in the amount of time until the baby is born that would not be a good thing at all.
Personally, I wouldn’t risk letting them sit for a more than a month or 2 in the wash solution. Hopefully this helps you in making your decision.
Yes, I agree! I made that mistake and made up the wipes and gave them at a shower. Fortunately it was a good friend and when she was giving me a tour of her nursery I saw the wipes sitting out and noticed there was mold! So I quickly snatched them, apologized and replaced them with the ingredients instead before the baby was born. I will never do that again!
I’m so excited I found your post! First time mom expecting in January…I’m so excited to make my own wipes! So make enough to last and be used within a month or so?! It seems super easy! Could even have the solution mixed up prior.
You got it Lauren! 🙂 Congratulations!
I made these when my son was born (June 2012), I started having issues with them molding, did anyone else have this issue? I was tossing a bunch out, which wasn’t making it very economical, we switched to the Seventh Generation ones. I LOVED the way these smelled, worked, felt, etc, but it isn’t worth it if they are constantly molding. Any tips??
I’ve never had a batch mold in the 1 year + of using this recipe. But you’re right, it sure doesn’t make them very economical.
Were you using coconut oil Megan? Coconut oil itself is antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial so that is what makes these wipes that much better. That and the addition of a few drops of tea tree oil would be a huge benefit.
I go through a container of wipes every 2 weeks (but I think they would last mold-free much longer). Time would be the only other factor I would think would contribute to the mold problem you had. Hope this helps you.
If you boil your water first OR buy distilled water, it will help prevent the molding and prolong the shelf life!
tea tree oil is anti fungal. So is lavender and lemon grass. A splash of white vinegar works as well as bleach but is all natural. As a cleaner, we use vinegar and add a few drops of citrus essential oil. So theoretically, you could add a splash of white vinegar to your mix. A few drops of tea tree. And several drops of lavender. That would keep your baby from smelling like a pickle. And lavender is great on the skin. We make/sell a homemade face wash that has lavender in it and my wife’s skin has never looked better.
When we had our first son, my husband actually read up on the effects of tea tree oil on boys.
Since then, I’ve been more sparing in my use of it because I think there are valid concerns with overuse. Great information and not something we should overlook.
what do you mean?? what can happen to the boY???
Specifically from this link shared in the comments. From that report, it suggests that tea tree oil (and lavender oil) could cause breast enlargement in prepubescent boys.
So I was compelled to research this topic again and I came across this article and this article.
In my opinion, it’s something to be aware of but not worry about. There is NOT a widespread problem of gynecomastia (breast enlargement) or a link to tea tree oil. But knowledge is power and if you are aware that it could possibly cause gynecomastia, then you can make an informed decision.
do you know of any other natural antibiotics other then tea tree oil that would be safe to use in this recipe. I want to try these so bad but I only go though about two packs of wipes a month (I use seventh generation wipes now) and don’t want to make these just to have to throw them out before I can use them on my little man.
Initially, I thought Lavender oil would be a good choice since it is anti-bacterial. Here is a link I found with more information on oils you could use in place of tea tree oil.
I hope this helps you. I love these wipes and they’ve worked well for our family.
Can I use the coconut oil that I bought in the grocery store. There is nothing else in it as far as ingredients, My daughter had twins and this is one way we can save and better for them. Can’t wait to give them a try. Thanks in advance.
Yes Peggy, that will work perfectly. Congratulations!!
We are just about to run out of baby wipes and my 14 month old has been having diaper rash lately (which he has never had before). Hope this change to a more natural and savvy way of making homemade baby wipes will help him.
PS. If you find that you’re having trouble with mold, make sure you use distilled water. That might help the issue. Good luck!
Also, it’s funny you mention diaper rashes…my kids all had terrible diaper rashes. But since using the homemade wipes, we’ve not had any issues other then a very minor rashes with the almost 3 year old (because I didn’t realize she was dirty). I hope this helps you and your little guy!
I make homemade wipes to have in the car and I have had good luck with Dr. Bronners Magic Soap 18 in 1 Hemp Lavendar pure-Castile Soap. Haven’t used them on a baby bum, but use them on children’s hands and face along with my own use, I find them to be very gentle. Just another thought.
Thank you Merri! That is great to hear! I have some Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap but I’ve never tried it in wipes! I’ll definitely give it a try on the next batch.
Remember that Dr. Bronner’s is concentrated. I used a tablespoon and found it was too much. I’d recommend using less soap and more water. Not sure what ratio yet, I’m still experimenting.
Thank You for this post. I was able to find everything you suggested except I have not bought the bounty yet. The baby soap is expensive but I bought that and I bought myself the adult lotion as it smells awesome. I am making these wipes for my dog actually. To clean his feet and wipe his body. He has very little hair and I have been using coconut oil on him for some time now. Last year he developed a few growths and I was told frankincense will help them shrink so I am hoping this soap will be good to bathe him in too. I am also making some wipes for my exercise class so we can wipe off when we have to run errands after class. I found a very similar container in the dollar tree store only the lid was flat. I was pleased to find they were made in USA so I bought 6 of them. Well I am hopeful that Scott paper towels will work as well as that is all I have at the moment.
I have seen those flat lid containers at Dollar Tree too. They are the same size as the one I have, (I think it’s just an updated design). That particular brand, Shea Moisture, is highly addictive. I’ve loved everything of theirs that I’ve tried. As far as Scott brand, don’t be discouraged if they fall apart. They are definitely sturdy enough with Bounty, but I tried another brand before and they fell apart.
As far as your pup’s skin problems, this is totally off topic, but have you ever heard of RAW feeding? (the growths made me think of it) Our dog that we had years ago had serious allergies and skin issues. We switched him to RAW food and all of his issues cleared up. He was scratching excessively and losing patches of skin/hair. From what we read, allergies can manifest in all sorts of ways in dogs.
Anyway, just a thought you may want to consider. Best of luck to you!
These wipes are just amazing. My dog is salivating wanting to eat them. (he loves evco!) There is an article on Organic EVCO and the benefits to dogs in many ways and I assume the same for humans. I understand it is important to use EVCO. Sadly in a rush though I bought the Coconut oil in the grocery although it was labeled organic it is not extra virgin. I will research what the benefits of the extra virgin is over just coconut oil. Thank you for the recommendation for feeding raw. His skin is actually in great condition for a mostly white dog with pink skin belly. He is 7 now and the vet has been amazed with his good skin condition for breed and the fact he is white. The growths just developed recently and were tested to be benign tumor. which seems to be very common in his breed. I have been keeping close eye on them and the article on them in whole dog journal actually mentioned frankincense oil as being a magic cure. When and if he starts to have issues with his food I would switch to Raw, but it just plain grosses me out so I have not tried it. Thank You for sharing these amazing wipes! That I will be sharing with my dog forum.
There is a RAW FOOD Called ” I and Love and You” totally not gross! Its actually dehydrated you just at water… And it smells awesome! Well to me it smells like soup! It also has raw veggies in it too! Its amazing!
What is the shelf life on these? I want to make some for a friend who is due in a few weeks and I want to try them soon but i dont want them to dry out of shes late or doesnt use them right away. How long do they usually last before drying out?
I’m sorry but I honestly don’t know how long they’ll stay moist. They’ve never dried out on me and I think the longest I’ve had one prepared was a couple of months. (I use to have 2 containers and I seemed to use 1 of them more so the other lasted much longer) I’d say at least a couple of months but not too much longer because of the possibility of mold (unless you add tea tree oil – that would buy you some time).
Great to know Kristin! Thank you!
I hope I don’t sound silly but are you cutting the paper towels in equal halves? If so, this would make two containers of wipes. I nanny for twin 8 month old girls. One has serious dairy allergies and I think is allergic to many other things yet to be discovered. This could definitely help her little bottom. Plus the girls love to grab the wipes and put them in their mouths. At least with these they wouldn’t be taking in chemicals while I get the wipes away from them!
Not silly at all Joanne. 🙂 Yes, I cut them into equal halves and one roll makes 2 wipe containers worth. I just cut the entire package all at once and make them as I need them. Hope these wipes help these two little girls. What a great thing that care so much for the little girls you nanny!
these are so wonderfu! I’ve been using this same basic recipe with flanel wipes since our son was born 2 1/2 years ago. we use a warmer, and i’ve never had a mold issue. I did want to say though, that only the cold press/expeller pressed oil has all the wonderful benifits to it. if it has been refined, like the LoAnna brand is, you’ve lost most of the benefits. I’ve still used it when it was the only brand I could get one time, but it was not as good on my sons rash prone skin.
Great feedback Lois! The LoAnna brand is okay if you’re in a pinch but not something I’d use on a regular basis. Several local stores now carry the Spectrum brand which is so much better. Glad to hear they helped with his rash. Since using these, our little ones haven’t had a rash and I can’t help but think the wipes are why.
I started using them on my daughter and they worked great!
Just made these tonight to try for the first time. I had to double the liquid mixture though. There was no way there was going to be enough to get the towels all damp enough.
You may need to double depending on the size of the Bounty roll. My container is on the smaller side so I need to get a smaller roll of Bounty – I think “BIG”. I’m glad you found a proportion that worked for you and I hope you like them.
Love this! I have some questions though. I have everything to do this except the knife or saw to cut the cloths. Do you have any recommendations on this, because I have a Costco bundle of paper towels and I’d rather use those than buying some other ones. Also, could you put the towels & solution in those plastic wet wipes flip top style containers? Or does it need to be an air tight container? I’m really excited to try this out on my newborn! Thanks for the post!
Someone did comment that the Costco brand paper towels do work (you just may need to double the recipe as they need more moisture). The only problem I can see is getting them cut to fit a container. Hmmmmmmm. Maybe a larger container? Meaning taller? I think they’d be to large to fit into a wipes container.
One other suggestion (which goes against your desire to use your Costco paper towels) is to buy the Bounty brand napkins. Those would fit perfectly in your wipes container and you would not have to cut them. I don’t think they need to be air tight. But Huggies wipes containers have a flexible rubber inside seal at the top and those seem to keep wipes from drying out and would be a better choice. Pamper’s wipes containers have a flawed design where they are more open and prone to drying out.
Julie I am so excited to try these wipes. I use coconut oil on my skin and it helps tremendously. I also wanted to tell you how absolutely refreshing it is to see you interacting with each comment on your blog. What a wonderful hostess!! I will certainly be following more of your posts.
Thank you so much Megan! Coconut oil is so wonderful and I wish I had known about it years ago. I love the comments and really appreciate each and every one of them. Thanks for stopping by!
I can’t wait to try the wipes! I have a 3 month old and have given her daily massages with organic extra virgin coconut oil since she was 1 month old. I slather on a little extra on her bottom and I have not had to use diaper cream since! I also use it as a face moisturizer…well really an all over moisturizer!
I do love the power of coconut oil! 🙂 So glad you’ve found it useful. I also use it as a makeup remover (eye area) and have used it in my dry hair in the past. I hope you like the wipes.
I’ve had the hardest time finding a container for these. I’ve tried target, wal mart, family dollar & dollar tree! I might go to The Container Store tonight. Any suggestions anyone? I really really want to do this for my baby!
You may want to look for a flour container. I think Rubbermaid has one that is wide enough to hold a roll.
I used a “click-clack” container we were given when we were married. They are sold at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Target sells something similar in the laundry area.
Great! Thank you for the tip Amanda! Here is the link in case any of you are interested.
I got a great container fromTupperware. Not sure if its only a European thing though..
I found a container that fits a double size roll at The Container Store. It is a clear plastic canister with a white lid with a rubber gasket inside for a nice tight seal. It has a one handed operation of opening on the top if the lid that you squeeze together to remove the lid from the base. It had a clear label with a black “swoosh”, was about $12 and was with the kitchen type jars. Good luck!
Is there an expiration date? I am such a planner so i like to have everything prepared and i know that with a 2 year old runnign around it would be easier to have them made ahead of time and ready to pull out!
I’m not sure about an expiration Abigail, but I’d be careful about preparing too many ahead of time. I have to say that I admire planners like you! But I do want to encourage you in the fact that they are very quick to mix up as long as you have them cut ahead of time. Whenever I get towards the end of a roll, I pull the last remaining towels out and mix up a new batch. Then I place those stragglers at the top of the container so they are ready for the next diaper change. Best wishes!
Is Dr. Bronners soap okay to use instead of the baby wash?
I would think it is Kristen, but I’ve used Dr. Bronner’s only once (in a tooth soap of all things). From what I’ve read, it is more drying so it’s good that there is coconut oil in the wipes mixture. Maybe do 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil?
If anyone wants to add their experience with Castile and Help Kristen out…that be great. I just don’t have experience with it.
Thank you for the link Faith. I hope it works out for you!
Would these wipes b flushable and safe,for septic?
I’m sorry Cathy, but I don’t think they will work for a septic system. The reason being is that the paper towels will not break down enough for the septic. If they are a different paper towel brand that breaks down easier, they will likely not hold together well enough to use.
If you were simply flushing them down into a sewer system, you could get away with it.
This is so wonderful! I no longer have babies in the house so I use this for me, coconut oil is great for everyone’s skin and the scent is soothing!
I do love coconut oil. So many benefits, and you are right it has a soothing scent.
Would these work with 3ply toilet paper? One of the stronger brands?
Great question! I’m not sure, but you could try it Ali. If you do try it, I’d love to know if they worked. I know lots of people want flushable wipes. We have to buy 1 ply because of our RV living.
I used cloth wipes for my LO but stored them in the wipe warmer….so they were always nice and warm! I did mix my own solution something similar as you have described. I just wish I had known these little tidbits with my first two.
I so wish I had learned about homemade wipes before my 4th. 🙂 We do love them and use them not just for diaper changes.
Can we use this as a face make up remover wipes???
I’ve never tried it Karina, but I will tell you that I use just coconut oil for makeup remover. It works beautifully. I may just try the wipes tonight to see how well they remove makeup.
I use coconut oil too, especially when I wear water proof mascara.. I really love it.
I wanted to let you know that I have used these wipes to remove makeup several times since your question and I love them! They’ve worked perfectly so thank you for your comment! I would not have thought to use them as such but I’ll be using them from here on out.
I just did this and they are AWESOME!!! I used the Kleenex hand towels and a rectangular tupperware container but the exact same mixture. and the hand towels work WONDERFUL. thank you for sharing i love it.
I can’t wait to try these, wish I’d seen this sooner as my little one is two. A question for those who use Bounty napkins, is it a pain to have to try to separate one at a time, or do they come out like wipes might?
I am wondering if the coconut oil solidifies after the water cools down? Or does it absorb before that happens so you don’t really notice? I just know coconut oil is solid below like 76 degrees and sometimes our house is cooler than that. Has anyone had any issues?
From my experience, the towels absorb the coconut oil. When our home is cooler, I just flip the freshly made container of wipes to get an even distribution of the mix. When it’s warmer, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Best wishes!
I finally figured my solution out using your recommendations- thanks for the help!! I use Costco brand paper towels, cut them in half with an electric knife ( great suggestion on here), put in plastic lidded container with 3 C distilled water mixed with 1 tbsp Dr. Bronners Lavender Castile soap and 1 tbsp Organic Coconut Oil ( from Trader Joe’s). The half roll lasts a little over a week for my infant and 3 year old. Yes, can you believe my 3 yo still is in diapers! Not for long, we’re going gonzo-commando training this week! I love love love this and wish I would’ve been doing it longer. Thanks again!
Ha! Yes I can believe you have a 3 yo in diapers. Our 3rd child was the hardest to potty train. I was convinced that she would be wearing diapers at her wedding someday. But alas…she is finally potty trained. “Gonzo-commando” LOVE IT!!!
So glad you found a solution that worked. The water is a definite variable depending on how thick your roll of paper towels are. I wondered how castile would work and I’m so happy you shared your results! Thank you!!
I was so excited to try this I cut a partial roll of Bounty in half with some big metal scissors after removing the cardboard. I made up a partial batch of your solution, using baby oil instead of coconut oil until I can get some. Instead of pulling them up through the middle, you can pull them the normal way you pull paper towels and use them like that in an empty Huggies wipe container and they work beautifully. My partial roll fit fine, but once they are saturated, I assume a full small roll would also fit. I love how they come out the top connected and you can tear the wipe off in the size you need. Thanks!
I’m glad I saw your comment; I was just about to ask if using an empty plastic wipes container works well! Thanks!
How much money does this actually save? I would love to try and make a big batch of these since I have 2 littles in diapers still. Plus I use wipes for other things all the time too! And I have all the ingredients except the paper towels! I like the idea of tea tree oil, and the coconut oil has anti-bacterial properties as well. Excited to try this!
I’m sorry Sarah, but I’ve not worked out the cost comparison perfectly. The cost and size of Bounty rolls varies quite a bit.
In a very simplistic way, I look at it like this. For $14 I can buy an 8 roll package of paper towels which get’s me 16 batches of homemade wipes. Each batch is 77 sheets/wipes. So for $14 I have 1,232 wipes, or $0.01/wipe. Of course you’d still need to figure in your your soap and oil.
Cost for Bounty (and other good brands) varies so much as does the coconut oil, baby wash, & tea tree oil. But even with those added in, they are still less expensive (and healthier) than storebought wipes.
There really is a huge price variance, depending on sales, but I make my wipes for next to nothing.
CVS typically runs 12 smaller rolls of Bounty for $7.00 (after rewards money). I buy mine when they are at their lowest price, which is around $4.50. There are 912 “wipes” in the bundle.
CVS and Rite Aid typically run two sales a year during which you can get baby wash / soap for free or less than a dollar. (I’m still working through bottles I bought years ago.) You will use approximately one bottle per bundle of (12) rolls.
I use vinegar instead of oil (to help with mold), at the cost of perhaps $0.50 per 12 rolls.
The lowest price per wipe at Wal-Mart is $0.02 cent per wipe, which means it’s almost a $10 difference between a box of 900 wipes and making 900 wipes. Since so little tea tree oil or coconut oil is used, you could buy some pretty expensive oil and still come out better off. I coupon all the time to keep the price of baby necessities low, and I have never regularly couponed a cheaper type of wipe.
Thank you Melissa! What a great breakdown, this is so helpful!
How long do your wipes last before they mould?
I just bought a new baby wash — Yes to Baby Carrots — and it’s a foaming wash (as in it foams when you push the pump). I’m thinking one or two pumps would do it for the solution, what do you think? I want to try this!
I think 2 pumps would be a good start Jennifer. Maybe up the soap if you find the wipes don’t wipe the dirty diapers well. Foaming soap is quite a bit diluted compared to regular baby wash. Also, there is leeway in making your wipe solution. Best wishes!
That’s what I was thinking, too, thank you!
I love the wipes solution, unfortunately I did not have coconut oil, only organic extra virgin olive oil, so I used that for my first batch. I already use the Kleenex brand disposable hand towels, and they are pre-folded to pop out of the dispenser. So I opened the container from the top, put them into my empty Huggies container, poured the solution over top and viola! pop-up baby wipes. So far they seem to be holding up quite well. Thanks again for the recipe!
You’re welcome Lisa! Glad to hear that the Kleenex are working for you. I’ve use olive oil in a pinch and it does work, but coconut oil is my preference. Thanks for stopping by!
Does it matter what sort of coconut oil I use? Virgin, extra virgin, regular? There are too many kinds online to choose from. Thanks!
It can be any one of them Chelsea. I like to order Extra Virgin because I use it in cooking as well.
I love this idea and although my baby just turned 7, we still use wipes. I keep them in the car and use for after pumping gas or when we eat or come in from a store, etc., to clean our hands. Since I leave a container in the car, and they aren’t used everyday, do you think that would be a problem in storing them? I’m reading the various posts about the mold, I would in fact add TTO because I do have it on hand, but i’m wondering about storage in a container in a vehicle. Thanks. so glad I found this. I can no longer find the brand I once used, and the prices you pay to get a good sized box of them is ridiculous!
I’m not sure about storing them in the car, Maryanne. I would think that adding the TTO would ward off any mold but vehicle temperature would be a variable. You may also want to use distilled water in your batch. Best wishes!
What wold the alternative of bounty be in australia ?
I’m sorry Vic but I’m unfamiliar with the brands available in Australia. I’d start with the most heavy-duty paper towel you can buy and go from there till you find one that does not fall apart when the wipes are prepared.
Made these today and used them for the first time. Worked like a charm! I added a few drops of jojoba oil with the coconut oil in the solution for extra skin conditioning, and later read in the comments about adding tea tree oil, which I’ll skip for now as I read of the possible effect on boys (I have two sons). Does anyone know if the jojoba oil has any risks healthwise or if it is detrimental to the antifungal properties of the coconut oil? Hope not!
I made the wipes exactly as directed on 9/14 and noticed today that mold is growing in the container!! Any suggestions or ideas on what I did wrong?!?
1. Was your container completely clean?
2. Are you in a humid/hot climate?
Great idea Brandi, I’m going to have to give the aloe a try! Thanks for stopping by!
Tea tree oil is very potent.
Hello, I just wanted to drop in and let everyone know something I found out once about paper towels. My dad actually worked for Kimberly-Clark (producer of Scott brand paper towels and Viva) and he has told me there are a lot of dangerous chemicals in the paper towels. (I was using them to smooth out icing on a cake to achieve a fondant like finish and he told me this because he didn’t want me eating the icing after he saw me do that). So if you are doing it to save money it sounds great but if you are doing it to reduce chemicals you might not be achieving much. Maybe a Better option to reduce chemicals would be to make organic cotton reusable wipes for #1’s and then just use these homemade hdisposables for the #2’s. Just my thoughts after hearing the comment from my dad!
I think Brittany might be referring to the dioxin that has been used in paper mills. I was raised in a city with a paper mill nearby and have endometriosis, which can be caused by exposure to dioxin. (Studies done on Rhesus monkeys show the same.) Many of my friends had trouble conceiving children, which can be caused by that condition. I was so glad to learn I was having a boy instead of a girl because I’ve suffered (and still do) so much.
We were all raised with many benefits that would otherwise seem to preclude this type of problem and away from other types of chemical locally that would cause such problems. For example, those raised in poverty often have health problems due to environmental factors. We were raised without any of those issues except exposure to the chemicals from the paper mill, which could not be avoided anywhere we lived, as it permeated the air and probably the water supply. If anything, based on our environments and advantages we should have all been supremely healthy.
Now I worry about my son being affected by other chemicals, and what we will collectively pass down to my grandchildren. So, even in his adolescence I still insist he use bath products like Burt’s Bees or others that don’t have possibly damaging chemicals to his hormones.
If someone isn’t willing to do fabric for the really messy wipes then just use paper for those and use fabric for the rest; just split the difference by making two batches. One with paper for the really messy wipe needs and another with fabric for the “follow-up” wipes and/or less messy wipe needs. Every little bit of lessening the chemical load helps.
Thank you for your comment! Chemicals are definitely something to consider and you bring up a good point along with a solution.
Have you ever searched the connection between insulin resistance and PCOS? Here is just one of the links I found, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10576524. I wonder if this couldn’t be the cause. A low-glycemic diet, (Trim Healthy Mama is a great one) or Plexus would help to correct the core problem. Just throwing that out there…if you search insulin resistance and PCOS, the connection is startling. Best wishes!
hi I am thinking of giving this for a new baby.Any problems with the liquid not soaking thru all the paper towels? I was wondering if it would be better to slowly pour the liquid in from the top once the paper towels are already in place in the container?
Sorry for the late reply Allison. You could try pouring slowly but it really does soak in quickly, especially if you flip the container after it sits for a few minutes.
Great to hear PJ! Thank you!
One cup is for 1/2 a roll.
Jen recently posted…Bleach Mistake – Don’t Do THIS!
Hope you can find it Jen. I know that Target has nice size Rubbermaid containers, they are less than $10 but in a pinch they work, (just are a little pricier).
hi, i love the idea of doing this but i have some questions. do you use refined or unrefined coconut oil. also if putting into a huggies box does it actually work. i just picture it not turning right. i know i see people using bounty, but wouldnt that be a little rough or is it really the best to use. i was just thinking viva is a little softer. does it hold up as well.
I use unrefined simply because it’s what I keep in hand most. Both would work just fine though. I’ve not tried the wipes containers because it seems as though they wouldn’t come out easily. Bounty has been very soft and works perfectly. Try Viva and see what you think, I’ve never tried it personally.
I tried using Viva paper towels, thinking they would be better (since they are more clothlike). Personally, I found they seemed a bit flimsy and I needed more wipes to do the job well. Bounty has worked beautifully, and aren’t rough at all.
I will say that when I used Viva, my container was smaller, which resulted in smaller wipes; now with a larger container I might not have the same issue, but have found Bounty to be a better choice overall.
oops! Hit enter too quickly!
I was using an old Huggies box (I alternated between that and a Pampers wipes box), which resulted in the smaller wipes. They came out of the container fine, but we just quite small once you cut the paper towel roll to fit. I would find a larger container with a flip-top lid, rather than using an old wipes container.
I’ve heard that it’s better to use unrefined coconut oil on the littles. My little is due in October and I am looking into making these. When looking at cloth diapers the other day, I saw cloth wipes…wondering if it would be worth it to try this solution with these? Not sure if you’ve tried that; I’ve seen a few other comment about them. I’m mainly wondering if they would work presoaked.
I would sure think so Emily, but the best thing to do is try it. Best wishes!
how long will they last? wondering if I could make up a couple at a time and store them. Does the coconut oil get solid again?
They will last about 3-6 weeks, depending on the temperature. I would not recommend you make them in advance though as some have reported mold when they sat too long.
Okay, so I’m going to make these baby wipes to give as a baby gift for a friend, and I was wondering: how long do these wipes usually last for you? Do they ever dry out after a certain period of time? Thanks!
They won’t dry out if the container is airtight but I did have them mold once when I gave them as a gift already made at a shower before the baby came. Now I give the container and all the ingredients with a “recipe card” that tells the new mom how to make them. Or if I pre-make them I will give them after the baby is born.
I’m making them as we speak! Will the liquid work its way up the paper towel after awhile?
Hi just wondering if you soak both halves with the one solution?
And could you use toilet paper for these wipes or would they not be absorbent enough??
No Alana, just one have for each solution. Toilet paper would actually not be durable enough to hold up since it’s made to break down easily. Has to be paper towels. Best wishes!
If baby gets frequent diaper rash, you could substitute aloe for the water.
Also, squeezing in a few capsules (5-7) of vitamin E oil would help tremendously.
Last, if you make a large batch & need to keep one for awhile, put it in the fridge until ready to start using. Will significantly cut down on mold possibility.
I just made these yesterday and I LOVE them!!
Just to make sure. 1 C. is 1cup and 1 T. is 1 tablespoon ?
Hi, this my 1st time making this recipe.
I used lavender to soothe, hoping if they have a rash or sensitive skin – it won’t irritate.
– it seems too soapy, I tried it on my 2 kids.
If I add more water to the mixture, it would help the soapiness?
Do you need the baby soap?? Can you just use water and coconut oil?
I do not recommend making it without the baby soup. That has some cleaning properties to it that you don’t want to miss out on.
Hi there. I tried this and liked the smell and for soft they made baby’s bottom and my have, but I was wondering if anyone else had problems with the coconut oil re-solidifying and clumping up at the bottom?
Yes, that does happen a little bit some times. (not sure why) But we used them still and had no problems.
Any tips on what sort of fabric to use if I wanted to try cloth wipes?
I’d recommend cotton or t-shirt fabric.
This is an awesome idea. Just wondering if the paper towels dry up or if they stay moist for a while?
HI THERE! I’M IN AUSTRALIA AND WE DON’T HAVE BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS, IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE I COULD USE? THANKS.
Any kind of durable paper towel that holds up it’s shape when wet.
Hi,I was wondering if anyone has tried castil soap?
I just made these and I love them! I’m just overly worried about mold and bacteria growth by letting them sit room temperature. How long can you use them?
I used one over the course of a couple of months without any mold problems but you could add some essential oils if there is any concern.
No, it doesn’t. It is very diluted and so it doesn’t leave a residue.
Hey I wanted to know for the recipe does the “T” stand for teaspoon or tblsp.?
Hi, I would like to know what is the BOUNTY toweling texture is like and why only that one works? I live in another country and would like to buy something with similair texture. I want to make these as a gift. Thanks.
The main thing to look for in paper towel texture is durability when wet. That is really why the Bounty is recommended, (it holds up much better compared to other brands).
I know you posted this 2 years ago, but I just found it and I’m really excited to try it! I have all my supplies, but my only problem is that I’m having a realty hard time finding a container. I’ve tried looking at target, dollar general and Wal-Mart. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks!
Do you have a Dollar Tree? That is where I got the container. In a pinch you can also you a Rubbermaid container? Something like this?
Anyone tried dr bronners unscented as the wash?
I used homemade wipes for all 3 of my babies. Loved loved loved them! My sister gave me the recipe and warned me about the mould problem. To solve that issue, I put colloidal silver in mine. Colloidal silver is antibacterial and antiviral. It is what hospitals put into newborn babies’ eyes to prevent infection. You can purchase it from the drug store, health food store or some MLM companies.
Before I discovered colloidal silver, I would only keep some wipes out, about a week’s worth, and put packages in the freezer in zipper bags. The napkins work best for this. That way I could make up a huge batch and not worry about them moulding. If I forgot to take them out in time, all I did wss pop them into the microwave to thaw and warm.
Thank you so much for your suggestion Eva!! Yes, colloidal silver would work beautifully! | 2019-04-26T07:58:43Z | http://thenewlighterlife.com/homemade-baby-wipes/ |
This systematic review aims to critically examine the existing literature that has reported on the links between aspects of religiosity, spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns.
A systematic search of online databases (PsycINFO, Medline, Embase and Web of Science) was conducted in December 2014. A search protocol was designed to identify relevant articles that quantitatively explored the relationship between various aspects of religiosity and/or spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology and/or body image concerns in non-clinical samples of women and men.
Twenty-two studies were identified to have matched the inclusion criteria. Overall, the main findings to emerge were that strong and internalised religious beliefs coupled with having a secure and satisfying relationship with God were associated with lower levels of disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concern. Conversely, a superficial faith coupled with a doubtful and anxious relationship with God were associated with greater levels of disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concern.
While the studies reviewed have a number of evident limitations in design and methodology, there is sufficient evidence to make this avenue of enquiry worth pursuing. It is hoped that the direction provided by this review will lead to further investigation into the protective benefits of religiosity and spirituality in the development of a clinical eating disorder. Thus a stronger evidence base can then be utilised in developing community awareness and programs which reduce the risk.
With the rising prevalence of disordered eating [1, 2], and the detrimental health outcomes that often accompany it, research examining factors associated with disordered eating is now in need of urgent address. Despite the extensive literature describing the benefits of religiosity and spirituality in other domains of mental health, disordered eating has received less attention [3–8]. In fact, recent systematic reviews on religiosity, spirituality and mental health [9, 10] fail to take disordered eating into account.
A disordered eating continuum of severity exists, encompassing the absence of disordered eating behaviours and psychopathology, to moderate levels of disordered eating pathology, and eventually full-blown eating disorders [11–14]. Those who suffer from disordered eating pathology as well as those with body image concerns are at a greater risk of developing a clinical eating disorder [15–17]. Thus the benefits of religiosity and spirituality during non-clinical stages would offer valuable insight and be of greater use in the prevention of full-blown eating disorders.
The multidimensional nature of religiosity and spirituality inherently leads to a lack of consensus in defining these distinct yet overlapping concepts within literature. Consequently, most studies have aggregated religiosity and spirituality into one concept . For the purpose of this systematic review, religiosity will be defined as a system of organised beliefs, practices, rituals and symbols designed to facilitate closeness to the transcendent, whereas spirituality will be defined as the personal quest for understanding answers to ultimate questions about life, meaning, and a relationship with the transcendent . However these definitions should be taken with caution, as many constructs in the review will have overlapping features.
Religiosity and spirituality may have a positive, negative or non-significant influence on disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns. Religion often provides resources for coping with stressful events, as well as providing a sense of meaning and purpose through these times . Religious and spiritual principles may also form a basis of self-worth which oppose societal standards of body image [19, 20]. In contrast, there are historical links between anorexia and asceticism, with self-starvation used as a means of achieving sanctity . However, a fourth scenario may exist with different aspects of religiosity and spirituality being linked in differing ways to disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns. In addition to correlation analyses, it is hoped that information about moderation and mediation will offer greater insight into the pathways between risk factors and disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns.
In a 2008 review of body image, disordered eating and religion, Boyatzis and Quinlan found that most indices of religiosity related in healthy ways to women’s body image and eating behaviours, but concluded that methodological, design and sampling variables compromised the clinical value of the findings. One of the conclusions suggests that ‘scholarly attention must be paid to these dynamics between women’s religiosity and body image and eating behaviour’ [p206]. The current systematic review has been undertaken in the spirit of these suggestions, with an aim of updating and expanding on their work. Their inclusion criteria consisted of published qualitative and quantitative studies exploring both clinical and non-clinical samples of women. The current review aims to utilise a more rigorous methodological system to search the literature to ensure a lower degree of selection bias. Therefore our systematic review will only include quantitative studies exploring non-clinical samples of women and/or men. Clinical samples will be excluded due to the variability emanating from their mixed participant characteristics. These include differing diagnoses, and the veracity thereof, as well as those currently in treatment as opposed to those not in treatment, and those closer to recovery in contrast to those in the acute stage. The complexities inherent in the multitude of variables may confound the outcome of this systematic review, and therefore to ensure homogeneity, only non-clinical samples will be chosen.
This systematic review aims to critically examine the existing literature that has reported on the relationship between aspects of religiosity, spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns. We aim to do this by updating and expanding on the review conducted by Boyatzis and Quinlan . It is hoped that results emanating from this review will provide valuable directions for future clinical research.
A search protocol was designed before the systematic literature search was commenced. The pre-determined inclusion criteria included published studies written in English which focused on non-clinical samples of women and/or men. The protocol required papers to quantitatively explore the relationship between various aspects of religiosity and/or spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology and/or body image concerns.
Exclusion criteria for the articles comprised: (1) written in a language other than English; (2) books, dissertations, case studies, systematic reviews, conference abstracts, editorials or historical notes; (3) use of a clinical sample (4) evaluation of treatment/intervention/therapy; (5) body image concerns related to cancer or surgical outcome; (6) absence of data or statistical analysis; (7) absence of quantitative measures relating to aspects of religiosity or spirituality; (8) absence of quantitative measures of disordered eating, psychopathology or body image concerns (9) no exploration of the relationship between aspects of religiosity or spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology or body image concerns.
A systematic literature search of published studies was conducted in December 2014. The electronic databases of PsycINFO (1806-present), Medline (1946-present) and Embase (1974-present), accessed through Ovid and Web of Science accessed through Thomson Reuters were used. The databases were searched using different combinations of the following search terms in both subject headings and text words/titles: (Religion OR Religiousness OR Religiosity OR Spirituality OR Faith) AND (Eating Disorders OR Disordered Eating OR Anorexia Nervosa OR Bulimia Nervosa OR Binge Eating OR Eating disorders not otherwise specified OR Body Image). All subject headings were exploded in order to expand the search for possible studies.
1181 articles were retrieved from searching through the electronic databases. The flow diagram of the article exclusion process is presented in Fig. 1 (Appendix 1). After reviewing the results, it was found that 429 of the articles were duplicates, leaving a total of 752. Screening through the titles of the articles, 615 articles were excluded based on the exclusion criteria. Furthermore, another 92 articles were excluded after abstract screening. This left 45 articles for a full-text screen, following which 23 articles were excluded, culminating in the final 22 articles. At each step of the process, a second reviewer screened through the results to reduce selection bias. A manual search of the reference lists of the final 22 articles was also conducted, however no additional papers were found which matched the inclusion criteria.
The included studies were critically appraised using an amended version of the Quality Index (Appendix 2) . The subscales of the index include reporting, external validity, internal validity and power. Specifically external validity explored the representativeness of the sample while internal validity examined the validity and reliability of the measures used, as well as adjustment for confounding. Overall, the amended quality index contained 14 items (refer to Appendix 1) which were scored 1 (Yes) or 0 (No/Unable to Determine). Two reviewers (DA & RB) undertook the critical appraisal initially independently. Results were reviewed and a common quality index score for each paper was decided upon when differences existed. Furthermore, each study was graded according to a hierarchy of evidence through a criteria used by Becker et al. (Appendix 3) . Each article was given a grade ranging from I to IV based on the design and quality of the study.
Data was extracted by the first reviewer (DA) for each publication and placed into two summary tables. Table 1 (Appendix 4) includes variables such as study design and focus along with sample characteristics. Table 2 (Appendix 5) contains information about the measures used, results and quality assessment scores, and is divided into two sections. The first section lists articles that explore disordered eating and psychopathology, while the second section lists articles that explore body image concerns. The articles that explore all three concepts have their corresponding results displayed in separate sections. A second reviewer (RB) also checked the data entered into the tables to reduce error and bias.
N = 591 women from Alberta, Canada. Mean age = 44.32. White (90.19 %), Asian (4.74 %), Hispanic (2.54 %), Aboriginal (2.54 %).
Investigated relationships between ethnicity, spirituality, religiosity, body shame, BMI, age and eating disorder symptomatology in women.
N = 603 men in Alberta, Canada. Mean age = 42.33. White (86.0 %%), Asian (6.06 %%), Hispanic (2.5 %), Aboriginal (2.4 %).
Investigated ethnicity, spirituality, body shame, body mass index (BMI) and age as risk factors for eating disorder symptomatology in men.
N = 125 women enrolled in a private university. Protestant (41 %), Catholic (34 %), Jewish (11 %), Agnostic or Atheist (13 %).
Tested whether college women's body image would improve after reading religious and spiritual affirmations about their bodies.
N = 151 women enrolled in a private university and recent graduates. Protestant (40–60 %), Roman Catholic (30–40 %), Other (10–20 %).
Examined relations between women’s total Quest scores and body image and eating behaviour.
N = 605 female undergraduate students from a secular university. Mean age = 22.8. Catholic (44.6 %), Protestant (15 %), Jewish (6.1 %), Buddhist (0.7 %), Hindu (0.8 %), Universalist (0.5 %), Mormon (0.2 %), Muslim (1 %), Atheist (2.8 %), Agnostic (4.3 %), Other (9.6 %), No religious affiliation (14 %).
Examined the influence of 5 types of spiritual coping on bulimic symptoms.
N = 790 women. Mean age = 44. Ultra-Orthodox (33 %), Orthodox (23 %), Traditional (21 %), Secular (23 %).
Explored religious observance and its presumed protective role for ultra-Orthodox women.
N = 876 women from a large Southwestern university. Mean age = 20.2.
N = 330 undergraduate students at a large state university in the North West. Female (67 %), Male (33 %). Mean age = 21.42. Christian (49 %), Catholic (15 %), Latter Day Saints (12 %), Other religious affiliation not listed (7 %), No religious affiliation (17 %).
N = 126 females from several different Universities and Colleges in the Northeast. Female undergraduates, less then 27 years old, born in USA, Judaism as religious affiliation, and Caucasian as ethnic identification. Mean age = 20. Orthodox Jews (62 %), Secular Jews (38 %).
Compared body dissatisfaction and disturbed eating behaviours between Orthodox and Secular Jewish women.
N = 204 from Freshman academic success course. Women (63 %), Men (37 %). Mean age = 18.17.
Investigated the relationship between spirituality, body image, self-esteem and stress.
N = 104 female students from a private Christian liberal arts college. Mean age = 20. Extremely religious (4 %), Very religious (62.6 %), Somewhat religious (28.4 %), Not at all religious (5 %).
Tested whether a warm and secure relationship with God was related to positive body image.
N = 231 female students from a private Christian liberal arts college. Mean age = 19.2. Protestant (58 %), Other Christian denominations (41 %). Extremely religious (16 %), Very religious (56 %), Somewhat religious (26 %), Not at all religious (2 %).
Explored whether a secure relationship with God would protect young women from pressure to be thin, thin-ideal internalisation, body dissatisfaction and dieting.
N = 111 women from a Christian college. Religion was extremely important (83 %).
Experimentally examined whether religious affirming statements buffered against exposure to thing models. Also looked at relationship between religious commitment, general commitment, and body satisfaction.
N = 56 men from a Christian college. Religion was extremely important (56 %).
Experimentally examined whether religious affirming statements or strong religious commitment buffered against media threats.
N = 255 female university students. Recruited from 2 public and 2 private west coast universities. Mean age = 20.7. Protestant (29 %), Roman Catholic (24 %), Jewish (11 %), Non-western religions (19 %), Agnostic/Atheist (17 %).
Examined the spiritual and religious (S/R) beliefs and practices of college-age women, and the relationship between body image distress, coping, and S/R.
N = 546 community sample. Female- 64 %, Male- 33 %. Mean age: Female- 44, Male- 42. Conservative Protestant (28 %), Mainline Protestant (20 %), Catholic (30 %), Other (15 %), Non-religious (6 %).
Examined religion’s relationships with body satisfaction and dieting.
N = 102 Modern Orthodox Jewish adolescent females. Ages 17–18.
Explored religious coping and disordered eating pathology amongst Orthodox Jewish adolescent girls.
N = 320 Jewish religious adolescent school girls in the 9th-12th grades from a Modern Orthodox national boarding school.
Examined the relation between level of religiosity, grade level, self-esteem, and level of disordered eating-related psychopathology among Modern Orthodox Jewish adolescent girls living in Israel.
N = 289 college students enrolled in a Midwest state university. Female (77.5 %), Male (22.5 %). Mean age = 19.2. Protestant (38 %), Roman Catholic (36 %), Jewish (1 %), Other (11 %), None (14 %).
Examined how the construct of sanctification might be applied to the human body and how such perceptions are tied to lifestyle variables that can compromise or enhance health.
N = 1130 Females + 1145 Males living in Toronto and attending high school full time. Mean age: Jewish female- 15.8, Non Jewish female- 15.8, Jewish male- 16, Non-Jewish male- 15. Jewish (55 %), Christian (21 %), Eastern (6 %), Muslim (5 %), Mixed (10 %), Other (3 %).
Contrasted the presence and nature of eating attitudes and behaviours in Jewish, compared to non-Jewish adolescents in Toronto. Also looked at the relation between the type of religious observance and disordered eating attitudes and behaviours in Jewish adolescents.
N = 809 female college students. 18–20 years (40.5 %), 21–25 years (35.1 %), 26–29 years (9 %), 30 years + (15.5 %).
Measured and examined the relationship between spiritual well-being and binge eating.
N = 301 Jewish women. Mean age- 19. Orthodox or Modern Orthodox Jewish (76.1 %), Other (23.9 %).
Assessed the influence of religious orientation and spiritual well-being on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Jewish women.
Correlation- Spirituality and eating disorder symptomatology (r = −.19, p < .001).
ANCOVA- Spirituality and eating disorder symptomatology (F(1, 497) = 13.74, p < .001).
Correlation- Eating disorder symptomatology not significantly related to spirituality (r = −.07) or religion (r = .08).
Path analysis- 10 % of the variance in EDI was explained by BMI (b = .28, p < .001) and body shame (b = .15, p < .001). 6 % of the variance in body shame was explained by age (older men had higher EDI) (b = .15, p < .001), being Asian (b = .11, p < .01) and lower spirituality (b = −.15, p < .001). Spirituality had a sig indirect effect on EDI mediated by body shame (b = −.02).
Correlation- College freshmen + sophomores- Bulimia: Total Quest (r = .33, p < .01), Existential Questioning (r = .29, p < .05), Doubting as positive (r = .23, p < .10).
College juniors + seniors- Openness to Change: Bulimia (r = .28, p < .10), Drive for Thinness (r = .27, p < .10).
Correlation- Punishing God/Higher power reappraisal andbulimic symptoms (r = .25, p < .001). Other subscales not sig.
Punishing God/Higher power reappraisal, passive religious deferral, active religious surrender, benevolent religious reappraisal/spiritual support and religious focus.
Hierarchical Regression- 1st step: BMI + religious affiliation 7.9 % (F(2, 589) = 25.23. p < .001), 2nd step: 5 coping scales 5.5 % (F(5, 584) = 7.469, p < .001) Cohen’s f2 = .06. Punishing God/Higher power reappraisal- (β = .242, p < .001).
Mediation Analysis- Punishing God/Higher power reappraisal partially mediated relationship between stress and bulimic symptoms. Sobel Test (z = 2.975, p < .01).
Correlation- Intrinsic religiousness: Bulimia (r = −.13, p < .01), Drive for Thinness (r = −.07, p < .05).
Family dysfunction- B: Family x Intrinsic (B = −0.53, p < .01), Family x Extrinsic (B = 0.45, p < .10).
DT: Family x Extrinsic (B = 0.69, p < .10).
Intrinsic buffered association between family and B. Extrinsic made people more vulnerable to B/DT.
Parental History- B: History x Extrinsic (B = 2.29, p < .01).
DT: History x Intrinsic (B = −2.45, p < .05), History x Extrinsic (B = 2.98, p < .05).
Intrinsic buffered association between history and DT. Extrinsic made people more vulnerable to B/DT.
ANOVA- Religious Angst: Higher levels of Drive for Thinness (F =1.86, p < 0.01), Bulimia (F =1.89, p < 0.01).
ANOVA- secular Jews had higher EDE-Q scores then Orthodox Jews (F[1,125] = 8.5; P = .004).
Chi-square- Secular women were more likely to use laxatives to control their shape and weight (χ 2 [1,123] = 5.8, p = .02).
MLR- SES + religious grouping: 11 % total EDE-Q (R2 = .11, p = .001).
13-item self-report measure of spiritual and religious beliefs and practices.
Correlation- Negative religious coping: total EDI (r = .28, p < .01), Drive for Thinness (r = .23 p < .05), Ineffectiveness (r = .24, p < .05), Maturity (r = .25, p < .05), EAT bulimia (r = .22, p < .05).
Regression- Negative religious coping (control BMI): total EDI (R2 = .19, p < .01), Ineffectiveness (R2 = .07, p < .05), Maturity (R2 = .06, p < .05), EAT Bulimia (R2 = .07, p < .05).
Manifestation of God in the Body scale.
Partial Correlation (BMI + gender controlled): Unhealthy dieting practises: Manifestation of God (r = −.12,p < .05), Sacred Qualities (r = −.18, p < .001) and Global Religiousness (r = −.13, p < .05). Binge eating: Sacred Qualities (r = −.14, p < .01).
Sacred Qualities of the Body scale.
ANOVA- SWBS: None binge- 96.35, Objective binge- 91.78, Binge trait- 86.11 (p ≤ 0.000) (BT < NB, BT < OB) RWB: None binge- 46.34, Objective binge- 43.63, Binge trait- 40.93 (p ≤ 0.000) (BT < NB) EWB: None binge- 50.09, Objective binge- 48.15, Binge trait- 45.18 (p ≤ 0.000) (BT < NB, BT < OB).
ANOVA- Religious orientation: EAT total (F = 5.48, p = .001), Dieting (F = 3.78, p = .01), Bulimia (F = 4.49, p = .004), Oral Control (F = 4.45, p = .004). Generally lowest symptom severity to highest: Intrinsic, Anti-Religious, Pro-Religious and Extrinsic.
ANCOVA (control age, BMI, religious observance, anxiety and depression)- all remain sig except oral control.
Correlation- Spirituality and Body Shame (r = −.21, p < .01).
ANCOVA- Spirituality and Body Shame (F(1, 502) = 21.36, p < .001).
Correlation- Spirituality and Body shame (r = −.16, p < .01).
ANOVA- BE-Appearance: (F(2, 122) = 5.42, p = 0.006). Religious group (M = 1.26) increased more than Control group (M = −0.98) (p = 0.005).
BE- Weight: no sig differences.
ANCOVA- BMI and pre-test scores as covariates. BE- Appearance: F(2,114) = 4.20, p < 0.02 (pre-test scores), F(2, 114) = 5.53, p < 0.01 (BMI).
Correlation-College freshmen + sophomores- Body Dissatisfaction: Total Quest scores (r = .34, p < .01.), Existential Questioning (r = .31, p < .05), Doubting as Positive (r = .28, p < .05).
College graduates- Body dissatisfaction and Existential Questioning (r = −.25, p < .10).
ANOVA- Religious Angst: Higher levels of body dissatisfaction (F (33, 234) = 1.38, p = 0.09).
ANOVA- Secular women had higher body dissatisfaction then orthodox women (F[1, 125] = 8.0, p = .005).
Logistic Regression- Secular students 2x likely to have a fear of becoming fat (odds ratio [Exp (B)] = 2.3, p = .05) + 4x likely to be greatly influenced by their shape and weight (odds ratio [Exp (B)] = 3.8, p = .001).
MLR- Religious grouping: 6 % total BSQ (R2 = .06; p < .03).
Correlation- Whole sample: No sig. Women: No sig, Men: spirituality and body surveillance (r = −.41, p = .001).
Correlation- AG- Anxiety: Body Appreciation (r = −.28, p < .01), Body Acceptance by others (r = −.22, p < .05), Body Surveillance (r = −.33, p < .01).
AG- Avoidance: Body Surveillance (r = −.21, p < .05).
Regression- AG- Anxiety: predicted Body Appreciation (B = −.22, p = .038) and Body Surveillance (B = −.29, p = .008).
Correlation- AGI (Anxiety): Pressure to be thin (r = .22, p < .01), Thin-ideal Internalisation (r = .30, p < .001), Body Dissatisfaction (r = .25, p < .001), Dieting (r = .26, p < .001). AGI (Avoidance): Body Dissatisfaction (r = .18, p < .001).
Regression- Thin-ideal Internalisation predicted body dissatisfaction in secure and anxious relationship groups (t(222) = 2.31, p < .02, R2 = .08 vs. R2 = .27). Secure relationship buffers this relationship.
Hierarchical regression- Anxious group- Body Dissatisfaction predicted by Pressure to be Thin (R2 = .03, p < .05), Thin Ideal Internalisation (R2 = .03, p < .05). Secure group- not sig.
ANOVA- Feelings of love and acceptance between the four statement groups (F(3, 106) = 8.22, p < .001). Religious (Mnonbody = 7.59, Mbody = 7.41) greater then Non-Religious (Mcontrol = 5.22, Mpositive = 6.73) (t(106) = 4.08, p < .001).
2 way ANCOVA- Appearance Esteem between the different statement groups not sig (F(3, 101) = .29, p = .83). Affirmation group x religious commitment interaction (F(3, 101) = 2.99, p < .04, η2 = .08).
Weight esteem between the different statement groups not sig (F(3, 101) = .52, p = .60), Affirmation group x religious commitment interaction (F(3, 101) = 3.42, p < .03, η2 = .09).
Correlation- Religious Commitment: Appearance Esteem (r = .20, p < .05), Weight Esteem (r = .19, p < .05), Body Dissatisfaction (r = −.21, p < .05).
Partial Correlation (control for general commitment)- Religious commitment: Body Dissatisfaction (r = −.20, p < .05).
ANOVA- no sig differences between groups.
2 way ANOVA- religiously committed men had higher Appearance Esteem at time 1 then less religious men (F(1, 48) = 17.76, p = .001, η2 = .27.). No sig interactions.
Correlation- Religious commitment: higher Appearance (r = .34, p < .05) and Weight Esteem (r = .35, p < .01).
Hierarchical regression and simple slope analysis: Religious commitment moderated the effect of harmful media on Weight Esteem in heavy men.
ANOVA- No significant relationships between S/R beliefs/practices and Body Dissatisfaction.
T- Test- Women with strong S/R beliefs/practices more likely to read religious works (T = 7.3, p = .000), pray (T = 9.3, p = .000) and meditate (T = 3.8 p = .007) than women without strong S/R beliefs/practices.
Women with strong S/R beliefs/practices less likely to use distraction to cope with body image distress (T = 2.7, p = .007) and reported prayer to be an effective strategy for dealing with dissatisfaction with weight and shape (T = 3.0, p = .004).
Regression (controlling BMI + demographics).
Men- Body satisfaction: positive spiritual coping (beta = 0.18, p < 0.05), negative spiritual coping (beta = −0.58, p < 0.01). Closer relationship with God (beta = 0.14, p < 0.05). All religious variables (R2 = 0.174, p < 0.05).
Women- Body satisfaction: positive spiritual coping (beta = 0.19, p < 0.01), negative spiritual coping (beta = −0.47, p < 0.01), spending more hours on religious and spiritual activities (beta = 0.01, p < 0.01), prayer (beta = 0.23, p < 0.05). All religious variables (R2 = 0.106, p < 0.01).
Partial Correlation (BMI + gender controlled)- Body area satisfaction: Manifestation of God (r = .13,p < .05), Sacred Qualities (r = .25, p < .001) and Global Religiousness (r = .13, p < .05).
Hierarchical regression- Body area satisfaction- Step 1: Race, gender, global religiousness (R2 Change = .05, p < .01), Step 2: Manifestation of God, Sacred Qualities (R2 Change = .04, p < .01).
ANOVA- Spiritual Well-Being: High > Moderate (F = 4.57, p = .03, d = .27) Body Satisfaction. Existential Well-Being: High > Moderate (F = 18.23, p < .001, d = .51) Body Satisfaction. ANCOVA- (control age, BMI, religious observance)- all remain sig, (control anxiety and depression)- loose sig.
Twenty-two studies met our inclusion criteria. There were four articles published from 2001–2005, 10 from 2006–2010, and eight from 2011–2014. Fifteen included only female participants, two only male participants and five both genders. With regard to the sample of participants, 13 recruited participants from American universities or colleges, six recruited from Jewish communities, and three recruited from other sources within the community. The majority of studies were based in the USA, with others coming from Israel and Canada.
With a possible total score of 14, studies reported a range from 8–12, with a mean of 9.55. The reader is directed to Appendix 6 for the quality assessment of the included studies.
The mean subscale score was 5.73/7.0 (range 5–7) for reporting, with the majority of studies having well described hypotheses, participant characteristics, outcomes and results. However less than half of the papers reported actual probability values, while the majority gave no indication of response rates. The mean subscale score was 0.41/2.0 for external validity (range 0–2), with the majority of authors making use of convenience sampling methods that limited representation as opposed to randomised recruitment strategies used by a minority of studies. Furthermore, there were no comparisons made between responders and non-responders.
The mean subscale score was 3.41/4.0 for internal validity (range 2–4). While many papers made use of valid and reliable measures for disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns, the reliability and validity of religious and spiritual measures were of concern. However, the majority of papers adequately adjusted for confounding in their analysis. Power calculations were rarely included in the vast majority of studies.
According to the hierarchy of evidence, only four studies were graded as providing fairly strong evidence. These were three experimentally-designed studies [25–27] and one longitudinal study , all exploring body image concerns. In contrast, the other 18 studies were classified as providing weak evidence due to the cross-sectional design of the studies.
Of the 22 studies that were reviewed, seven assessed disordered eating and psychopathology, seven assessed body image concerns and eight assessed both concepts.
A total of 15 articles explored the relationships between aspects of religiosity, spirituality and disordered eating and psychopathology in non-clinical samples.
Researchers have explored concepts which pertain to religious and spiritual beliefs along with religious anxiety and doubt in student populations. The results reflect a mixture of positive and negative associations with disordered eating and psychopathology.
Providing insight about the depth of religious belief, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, Forthun and colleagues (2003) examined the moderating effects of religious orientation on the relationship between family risk and disordered eating in women. An intrinsic believer is someone who is devout and motivated to live his or her religion due to internalised personal beliefs . On the other hand, an extrinsic believer pursues religion for social reasons, and views it as a way of achieving status, acceptance and security . Through a hierarchical regression model and simple slope analysis, intrinsic religiousness was shown to buffer the association between family dysfunction and bulimic symptomatology. Similarly, In relation to a parental history of disordered eating, intrinsic religiousness reduced the association between parental history and drive for thinness.
Specific religious beliefs related to the body were explored by Mahoney and colleagues (2005) in a sample of women and men. These beliefs included the perception of the body being a manifestation of God, and having divine and sacred qualities. Partial correlations, while controlling for gender and race resulted in unhealthy dieting practices being weakly correlated with lower levels of manifestation of God (r = −.12,p < .05) and sacred qualities (r = −.18, p < .001). Higher levels of binge eating were also related to lower levels of sacred qualities (r = −.14, p < .01). Similarly, Watkins and colleagues (2006) discovered that females with greater binge-eating severity had significantly lower spiritual and existential well-being scores (p < 0.000) compared to those that displayed lower levels of binge eating.
In contrast to the studies above, Jacobs-Pilipski and colleagues (2005) found no differences relating to disordered eating or psychopathology between two groups of women who were divided based on strength of religious beliefs and practices. The lack of significance may have been due to the exclusive use of women with elevated levels of weight and shape concern, along with alpha having been set to .01. Negative associations were also found between certain religious beliefs and disordered eating and psychopathology. Extrinsic religiosity was shown to make students with greater family dysfunction or a parental history of disordered eating more vulnerable to bulimic symptomatology and drive for thinness . Additionally, the belief in a punishing God/higher power used to cope in times of difficulty was associated with increased bulimic behaviour (r = .25, p < .001) .
Religious anxiety and doubt have also been linked with higher levels of disordered eating and psychopathology. Boyatzis and McConnell (2006) discovered that greater religious uncertainty was moderately correlated with bulimic symptomatology in female college freshmen and sophomore students (r = .33, p < .01). Existential questioning (r = .29, p < .05) and doubting being seen as positive (r = .23, p < .10) were also related to bulimic symptomatology, with smaller effect sizes. Furthermore, Gates and Pritchard (2009) revealed that religious angst as a result of doubt and anxiety with one’s experience of religion was significantly associated with bulimic symptomatology (p < 0.01) and drive for thinness (p < 0.01), however there were no measures of effect size given.
Studies examining community samples have explored self-rated levels of religiosity and spirituality, with spirituality being linked to lower levels of disordered eating.
Unlike the previous research presented until now, Boisvert and Harrell (2012) set out to test a well researched path model that included ethnicity, spirituality, religiosity, body shame, BMI and age as risk factors for disordered eating in a sample of men. Disordered eating was not significantly related to spirituality (r = −.07) or religion (r = .08). However, regression analyses were used to test the predicted path model. Ten percent of the variance in disordered eating was explained by BMI (p < .001) and body shame (p < .001) and 6 % of the variance in body shame was explained by age, Asian ethnicity and lower spirituality (p < .001). The authors argue that spirituality had an indirect effect on disordered eating mediated by body shame in their male sample. Additionally, Boisvert and Harrell (2013) discovered a small relationship between spirituality and lower levels of disordered eating (r = −.19, p < .001) in a sample of women, with the result maintaining significance while controlling for body shame, BMI and age (p < .001).
The Jewish population is a useful sample to research due to its distinct religious groups with varying degrees of religious observance. Thus researchers have compared disordered eating and psychopathology between observance groups, with positive or non-significant results. Religious coping and orientation have also been explored in Jewish populations.
In a sample of Jewish women living in America, Gluck and Geliebter (2002) reported that secular Jewish women displayed greater disordered eating psychopathology then their orthodox counterparts (p = .004). However the mean scores for each group and effect sizes were not provided. Latzer and colleagues (2007) found similar results while investigating a sample of modern orthodox Jewish adolescent girls in an Israeli boarding school. Total Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) scores were significantly higher (p < 0.008) in the low religious observance group (63.7) compared to the intermediate (47.5) and high observance groups (43.6). Comparable results were obtained for five subscales of the EDI-2. There was also a small correlation between higher levels of religiosity and lower scores on the EDI-2 (r = −0.15, p < 0.01) and five of its subscales.
While these two studies have found positive associations between greater religious observance and lower levels of disordered eating and psychopathology, the following two studies failed to do so. Feinson and Meir (2012) made use of random recruitment of women in Israel for a more representative sample. However, there were no significant differences between ultra-orthodox, orthodox, traditional and secular Jews with regards to disordered eating. Furthermore, Pinhas and colleagues (2008) observed the same effect surveying female Jewish high school students in Canada.
While religious observance seemed to be the mainstay for research relating to Jewish samples, two studies explored religious coping and orientation. Examining modern orthodox Jewish adolescent females living in New York, Latzer and colleagues (2014) discovered that negative religious coping was weakly associated with higher total EDI scores (r = .28, p < .01) and increased bulimic symptomatology (r = .22, p < .05). With a similar sample, Weinberger-Litman and colleagues (2008) established that Jewish women with an intrinsic religious orientation had less disordered eating then those with an extrinsic religious orientation and that an extrinsically orientated person had more disordered eating than someone who was non-religious, or showed no orientation bias. Thus both studies highlight the multifaceted nature of religiosity and potential adverse associations with disordered eating.
A total of fifteen articles explored the relationships between aspects of religiosity, spirituality and body image concerns in non-clinical samples.
With religious questioning (r = .31, p < .05) and doubt (r = .28, p < .05) being moderately linked with greater body dissatisfaction , the concept of a warm and secure relationship with God was explored in regards to body image. Homan and Cavanaugh (2013) revealed that a less anxious relationship with God was weakly correlated with higher levels of body appreciation (r = −.28, p < .01) and moderately correlated with lower levels of body surveillance (r = −.33, p < .01). Regression analyses, while controlling for parental attachments, confirmed these predictions.
Homan and Boyatzis (2010) expanded on this concept through use of a longitudinal study design. Results revealed that an anxious relationship with God produced small correlations with greater body dissatisfaction (r = .25, p < .001) and thin-ideal internalisation (r = .30, p < .001). It was also discovered that a secure relationship with God buffers the effects of thin-ideal internalisation on body dissatisfaction (p < .02, R2 = .08 vs. R2 = .27). In addition, hierarchical regression analysis, while controlling for baseline scores, revealed that women who had a warm and secure relationship with God were protected over time from the effects of social and cultural pressures on body image. Thus the results provide evidence of directionality and protection against body image concerns.
Further studies explored the effects of religious strategies used to cope with body dissatisfaction. Jacobs-Pilipski and colleagues (2005) , using a sample of women with elevated weight and shape concerns, discovered that women with strong beliefs and practices were more likely to read religious works (p = .000), pray (p = .000) and meditate (p = .007) than participants without strong beliefs and practices. Prayer was the only reported strategy to be significantly effective for those with strong beliefs, compared to those without (p = .004).
Adding considerable strength to the evidence were two similar studies which adopted an elegant experimental design in assessing the use of religious material. Boyatzis and colleagues (2007) conducted a study using a Random Assignment, pretest-posttest design to prove that reading religious messages about one’s body improves women’s body image. A sample of 125 women completed a demographic survey and a pretest body esteem scale with weight and appearance subscales. The participants were assigned via matched random assignment to one of three body affirmation condition groups. The strength of this study emanates from the matching process, with each group having similar body esteem, BMI and religiosity scores.
One week later, the control group read through 15 statements about university events, with no religious or spiritual aspects. The religious group read Christian-based body affirmation statements which were explicitly theistic, while the spiritual group read similar body affirmations, but with no reference to God. Distractor tasks were then used, and participants spent time looking at photographs of fashion models epitomising the ‘thin ideal’ before completing the post test body esteem scale. A one-way ANOVA comparing the change scores revealed a significant difference between group means (p = 0.006). Women who read religious body affirmations (M = 1.26) felt better about their appearance compared to the control group (M = −0.98), who felt worse (p = 0.005). These results were confirmed while controlling for pre-test scores (p < 0.02) and BMI (p < 0.01).
This article, to our knowledge, was the first to provide experimental evidence that reading religious messages offers some protection against body image concerns. The messages promoted divine acceptance and a balanced perspective and seemed to offer protection against the allure images that promoted a thin figure. The results reflect the work of Mahoney et al. (2005), in which viewing one’s body as having sacred qualities (r = .25, p < .001) and being a manifestation of God (r = .13, p < .05) were linked with higher levels of body satisfaction . The causal link that this article provides is an improvement on the limitations on the numerous cross-sectional studies available in this field. However, the article could be improved with reporting of Eta squared or cohen’s d values for a better judgment of effect size. The study also needs to be replicated with a broader diversity of participants with regards to religiosity and ethnicity.
Inman and colleagues (2014) expanded on the experimental work of Boyatzis et al. (2007) by looking at religious body affirming statements, body image concerns and religious commitment in 111 women. The measures and method of the experimental component of the study were similar to those of Boyatzis et al. (2007) . In contrast, changes in appearance esteem were not significant between the different groups (p = .83). However religiously-committed women generally showed a greater increase in appearance and weight esteem compared to women with low religious commitment in most groups. This could possibly be attributed to their already internalised beliefs. Religious commitment was weakly related to appearance esteem (r = .20, p < .05), weight esteem (r = .19, p < .05), and reduced body dissatisfaction (r = −.21, p < .05), but only body dissatisfaction (r = −.20, p < .05) remained significant when removing the effect of general commitment through partial correlation.
These two studies provide stronger evidence for improving body image concerns through reading religious material and greater religious commitment. The different results obtained in this study when compared to Boyatzis et al. (2007) may be attributable to the characteristics of the participants, with the self-rated importance of religion considerably higher in the Inman et al. (2014) sample (83 %) compared to the Boyatzis et al. (2007) study (39 %).
While most researchers have exclusively sampled women, two studies have explored body image concerns in men. In a separate paper, Inman (2014) found no significant differences in weight or appearance esteem between the differing body affirmation groups (p = .50). However, religious commitment was moderately related to higher appearance (r = .34, p < .05) and weight esteem (r = .35, p < .01) and also moderated the effects of harmful media on weight esteem in heavy men. The link was mediated by transcendent emotions such as peace and assurance. Furthermore, Hayman and colleagues (2007) revealed that men who embraced personal faith in a life-altering manner to a greater degree were less concerned about constant monitoring of their bodies (r = −.41, p = .001).
Three studies surveyed community populations, examining spirituality and various aspects of religiosity. Boisvert and Harrell (2013) revealed a small relationship between spirituality and lower levels of body shame (r = −.21, p < .01), which was confirmed (p < .001) while controlling for ethnicity and BMI. In a separate study on men, Boisvert and Harrell (2012) also discovered a small relationship between spirituality and lower levels of body shame (r = −.16, p < .01).
Kim (2006) examined the relationship between religion and body image in a community sample recruited from various religious groups and community settings in New York. Regression analyses were run, with body satisfaction being regressed against particular religious variables while controlling for BMI, age, race and education. For men, positive spiritual coping mechanisms used in difficult times, as well as a closer relationship with God predicted greater body satisfaction (p < 0.05), while negative spiritual coping predicted lower body satisfaction (p < 0.01). It was found that self-esteem played a mediating role between religiosity and body satisfaction. For women, positive spiritual coping (p < 0.01), spending more hours on religious and spiritual activities (p < 0.01) and prayer (p < 0.05) all predicted greater body satisfaction (p < 0.01), while negative spiritual coping predicted lower body satisfaction (p < 0.01). Self-esteem was also seen to mediate the relationship between these religious aspects and body satisfaction.
While there is a growing amount of literature on disordered eating and psychopathology in Jewish populations, only two papers were identified which looked at body image concerns. Gluck and Geliebter (2002) demonstrated that secular Jewish women had greater body dissatisfaction then orthodox women (p = .005), were twice as likely to have a fear of becoming fat (p = .05), and four times more likely to be greatly influenced by their shape and weight (p = .001). These results persisted whilst controlling for SES and media exposure.
Taking a different approach, Weinberger-Litman and colleagues (2008) suggested that Jewish women with an intrinsic orientation displayed greater body satisfaction compared to women with an extrinsic orientation (p < .01). These results remained significant after controlling for age, BMI, religious observance, anxiety and depression. Exploring spirituality, participants with high spiritual well-being had greater body satisfaction then those with moderate levels of spiritual well-being (d = .27, p = .033). According to cohen’s d, this was a small effect size. Similarly, participants with a high existential well-being had greater body satisfaction than those with moderate levels of existential well-being (d = .51, p < .001), with a moderate effect size. These results remained significant when controlling for demographic variables.
The aim of this systematic review was to critically examine the existing literature that has reported on the relationship between aspects of religiosity, spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology, and body image concerns. Of the 15 articles which investigated religiosity, spirituality, disordered eating and psychopathology, six displayed positive relationships, four demonstrated negative relationships, two revealed both positive and negative relationships, while three revealed no links at all. Thus measurable aspects of religiosity and spirituality had either a positive or negative relationship with disordered eating and psychopathology. This was not the case with body image, however, where 80 % of the articles reviewed reported positive associations with aspects of religiosity and spirituality.
Overall, the main findings to emerge were that strong and internalised religious beliefs coupled with having a secure and satisfying relationship with God were associated with lower levels of disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concern. The religious beliefs were characterised as being intrinsic and devout in nature, with deeply internalised beliefs manifested through strong religious observance and commitment . Specific beliefs consisted of the body having sacred qualities and being a manifestation of God. Furthermore, there was strong evidence to suggest the efficacy of religious beliefs as coping strategies by means of prayer and reading body-affirming religious material. The quality of one’s relationship with God was also found to be equally important. A positive relationship was portrayed as being close, warm and secure, and one which exhibited low levels of anxiety and angst.
Conversely, a superficial faith coupled with a doubtful and anxious relationship with God were associated with greater levels of disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concern. A superficial faith was characterised by an extrinsic religious orientation, with religion being pursued for social reasons, and seen as a way of achieving status, acceptance and security. Beliefs were loosely held to serve other interests and lacked internalisation . Doubting and questioning of religious beliefs reflected greater religious uncertainty, while religious worry, angst and negative coping strategies, such as the belief in a punishing God, contributed to an anxious relationship with God.
The studies reviewed had a number of evident limitations in design and methodology. Firstly, the vast majority of studies were correlational in design and had small to moderate effect sizes. Thus conclusions about causation and directionality could not be fully established. Only four studies of note were graded as providing fairly strong evidence including Boyatzis et al. , Inman et al. and Inman who all made use of a similar experimental design to look at body image concerns. Additionally, the work of Homan and Boyatzis made use of a longitudinal design which confirmed the directionality of the effect.
The methods used to recruit participants in the majority of the studies could have lead to sampling bias. Many researchers made use of convenience sampling, having sent e-mails and advertising for participation in educational settings. This could have resulted in more religious and spiritual participants taking part out of interest, leading to a less representative sample. The charecteristics of those who did not choose to participate were not identified in most articles, and without the process of randomisation, possible confounding factors could have affected the results. Sample size also ranged in number, with a few studies making use of a small number of participants. Moreover, the limited generalisability of the samples was also a major limitation, due to samples primarily consisting of ethnically white and religiously Christian or Jewish students. Further work needs to be done on samples with a wider range of ages, ethnicities and religious or spiritual identities.
Although the majority of studies made use of existing valid and reliable measures, some authors either constructed their own surveys or made use of certain questions from known measures in isolation from the rest of the scale. Thus the validity and reliability of these measures are questionable. Most measures also contained a heavy Judeo-Christian bias, which limits their use to participants of those faiths. Additionally, the multifaceted nature of religiosity and spirituality naturally lead to a wide variety of measures used to assess these concepts. While it is important to explore the effects of these facets, it precludes the opportunity for inter-study comparison of results. This review also echoes the sentiments of Boyatzis and Quinlan regarding the limitation of self-report measures, and the need for multiple data sources and qualitative data.
This systematic review aimed to update and expand upon the work of Boyatzis and Quinlan . A recent surge in published literature has lead to new insights on the topic, including a greater utilisation of Jewish samples, allowing for between-group analyses. While many of the conclusions remain the same, this review discovered increased evidence for the potential negative effects of religiosity and spirituality. By also including samples of men in this review, the above results can be translated with greater heuristic value into the wider community.
Although this review had several strengths including the adoption of the PRISMA methodology, there were a number of limitations. While the search strategy made use of an extensive list of search terms, relevant articles may have been omitted due to the multidimensional nature of the topic. In fact two additional papers were identified through peer-review [47, 48]. We therefore recommend future reviews to expand on the search terms used. Another potential limitation of this systematic review was the omission of a meta-analysis. There are often difficulties in conducting a meta-analysis of different outcomes, however it is possible to pool data using different instruments measuring similar religious and spiritual constructs [49, 50]. We therefore recommend that any future papers in this area undertake a meta-analysis. Furthermore, although the review only included articles which made use of non-clinical samples, it is entirely possible that some patients with a clinical presentation may have been inadvertently included in the papers reviewed.
Since there were methodological limitations in the studies reviewed, it is imperative that future research adopt more rigorous research designs. Further use of experimental and longitudinal designs would allow for the exploration of causality and directionality. There also needs to be a greater focus on the mechanisms by which religiosity and spirituality influence disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns through mediation and moderation analyses. Valuable insight into the protective role of religiosity and spirituality provides stronger evidence for use in community settings.
Additionally, the use of randomised sampling methods is needed to improve representativeness, which in turn will help to reduce confounding. Greater focus is needed on recruiting ethnically and religiously diverse samples and possible collaboration with universities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East in future research is recommended. In saying that, standardised measures of religiosity and spirituality need to be developed which can be administered across ethnic and religious lines. This would allow for comparison and meta-analysis which would strengthen the evidence in this field.
Finally, diseases such as anorexia nervosa remain difficult to treat, especially in adults and new paradigms need to be explored. Such paradigms would apply to primary and secondary prevention as well as contribute to effective therapeutic regimens. There is evidence to suggest that religious and spiritual interventions may be effective in the treatment of eating disorders . There already appears to be some evidence that enhancing self-esteem and developing a more positive relationship with ones body may offer some protection against developing an eating disorder . If further studies can demonstrate the protective benefits of religiosity and spirituality in the development of a clinical eating disorder, then a stronger evidence base can be utilised to develop community awareness and programs that have the potential to reduce the risk of developing a full-blown eating disorder. It is hoped that this review of non-clinical, community samples will form the basis for such further studies.
This work was supported by the School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Student Summer Research Scholarship, awarded to DA.
Is the hypothesis/objective of the study clearly described?
Does the study provide estimates of the random variability in the data for the main outcome?
Have actual probability values been reported for the main outcomes except where the probability value is less than 0.001?
Is the response rate clearly described?
Were the patients asked to participate in the study representative of the entire population from which they were recruited?
Were patients who were prepared to participate representative of the entire population from which they were recruited?
Were disordered eating, psychopathology or body image concern measures used valid and reliable?
Were religiosity or spirituality measures used valid and reliable?
Was there adequate adjustment for confounding in the analyses from which the main results were drawn?
Did the study provide a sample size or power calculation to detect important effects where the probability value for a difference being due to chance is less than 0.05?
RB, UP and ST conceived of the study on the background of previous work published on a similar topic and also provided a general outline for the systematic review. DA then searched the literature, summarised the results, critically appraised the articles and drafted the manuscript. RB helped with the selection of studies and quality appraisal. All authors read, adjusted and approved the final manuscript. | 2019-04-25T08:05:50Z | https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-015-0064-0 |
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We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. Today's luxury vehicle is not just about opulence. It's about a perfect balance of performance, comfort and attention to detail. This 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC is the perfect example of the modern luxury. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. Today's luxury vehicle is not just about opulence. It's about a perfect balance of performance, comfort and attention to detail. This 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC is the perfect example of the modern luxury. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats POLAR WHITE *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. Added comfort with contemporary style is the leather interior to heighten the quality and craftsmanship for the Mercedes-Benz GLC We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats POLAR WHITE *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. Added comfort with contemporary style is the leather interior to heighten the quality and craftsmanship for the Mercedes-Benz GLC We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim SILK BEIGE/BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Premium Synthetic Seats WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration POLAR WHITE PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim SILK BEIGE/BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Premium Synthetic Seats WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration POLAR WHITE PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT SILK BEIGE/BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Premium Synthetic Seats WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance NATURAL GRAIN BROWN ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) POLAR WHITE PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. You've found the one you've been looking for. Your dream car. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT SILK BEIGE/BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Premium Synthetic Seats WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance NATURAL GRAIN BROWN ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) WHEELS: 18 5-SPOKE (R31) (STD) Aluminum Wheels SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) POLAR WHITE PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. You've found the one you've been looking for. Your dream car. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. Pull up in the vehicle and the valet will want to parked on the front row. This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle others dream to own. Don't miss your chance to make it your new ride. You can finally stop searching... You've found the one you've been looking for. Just what you've been looking for. With quality in mind, this vehicle is the perfect addition to take home. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. Want more room? Want more style? This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle for you. Pull up in the vehicle and the valet will want to parked on the front row. This Mercedes-Benz GLC is the vehicle others dream to own. Don't miss your chance to make it your new ride. You can finally stop searching... You've found the one you've been looking for. Just what you've been looking for. With quality in mind, this vehicle is the perfect addition to take home. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEELS: 19 5-SPOKE Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof LED LOGO PROJECTORS (PIO) SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM STATIC LED HEADLAMPS BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) POLAR WHITE *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. Intricately stitched leather and ergonomic design seats are among the details in which test drivers say that Mercedes-Benz GLC is in a league of its own We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEELS: 19 5-SPOKE Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof LED LOGO PROJECTORS (PIO) SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM STATIC LED HEADLAMPS BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) POLAR WHITE *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. There's a level of quality and refinement in this Mercedes-Benz GLC that you won't find in your average vehicle. Intricately stitched leather and ergonomic design seats are among the details in which test drivers say that Mercedes-Benz GLC is in a league of its own We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT SILK BEIGE/BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Premium Synthetic Seats WHEELS: 19 5-SPOKE Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof LED LOGO PROJECTORS (PIO) SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration STATIC LED HEADLAMPS ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) POLAR WHITE PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. You appreciate the finer things in life, the vehicle you drive should not be the exception. Style, performance, sophistication is in a class of its own with this stunning Mercedes-Benz GLC. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT SILK BEIGE/BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Premium Synthetic Seats WHEELS: 19 5-SPOKE Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof LED LOGO PROJECTORS (PIO) SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration STATIC LED HEADLAMPS ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) POLAR WHITE PORCELAIN FABRIC HEADLINER *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. You appreciate the finer things in life, the vehicle you drive should not be the exception. Style, performance, sophistication is in a class of its own with this stunning Mercedes-Benz GLC. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEELS: 19 5-SPOKE Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof LED LOGO PROJECTORS (PIO) SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER STATIC LED HEADLAMPS BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats BURMESTER SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM Premium Sound System ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) BLACK *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. You deserve a vehicle designed for higher expectations. This Mercedes-Benz GLC delivers with a luxurious, well-appointed interior and world-class engineering. Intricately stitched leather and ergonomic design seats are among the details in which test drivers say that Mercedes-Benz GLC is in a league of its own We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: PREMIUM PACKAGE Keyless Start HD Radio Satellite Radio Power Door Locks Keyless Entry BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor DARK BROWN LINDEN WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT WHEELS: 19 5-SPOKE Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks TIRES: P235/55R19 ALL-SEASON RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS REAR CHROME TRIM (PIO) HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof LED LOGO PROJECTORS (PIO) SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER STATIC LED HEADLAMPS BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats BURMESTER SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM Premium Sound System ILLUMINATED STAR (PIO) BLACK *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. You deserve a vehicle designed for higher expectations. This Mercedes-Benz GLC delivers with a luxurious, well-appointed interior and world-class engineering. Intricately stitched leather and ergonomic design seats are among the details in which test drivers say that Mercedes-Benz GLC is in a league of its own We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT AMG® LINE Floor Mats WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof WHEELS: 20 AMG® MULTISPOKE W/BLACK ACCENTS Tires - Front Performance Aluminum Wheels Tires - Rear Performance SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NIGHT PACKAGE NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM STATIC LED HEADLAMPS BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats BURMESTER SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM Premium Sound System POLAR WHITE TIRES: P255/45R20 HIGH-PERFORMANCE RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. You appreciate the finer things in life, the vehicle you drive should not be the exception. Style, performance, sophistication is in a class of its own with this stunning Mercedes-Benz GLC. Added comfort with contemporary style is the leather interior to heighten the quality and craftsmanship for the Mercedes-Benz GLC We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.We are excited to offer this 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This Mercedes-Benz includes: NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD TRIM Woodgrain Interior Trim BLIND SPOT ASSIST Blind Spot Monitor REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT AMG® LINE Floor Mats WHEEL LOCKS (PIO) Wheel Locks AMBIENT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS HEATED FRONT SEATS Heated Front Seat(s) PANORAMA SUNROOF Panoramic Roof Generic Sun/Moonroof Sun/Moonroof Dual Moonroof WHEELS: 20 AMG® MULTISPOKE W/BLACK ACCENTS Tires - Front Performance Aluminum Wheels Tires - Rear Performance SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION PACKAGE Smart Device Integration BLACK FABRIC HEADLINER NIGHT PACKAGE NATURAL GRAIN BLACK ASH WOOD/ALUMINUM DOOR TRIM STATIC LED HEADLAMPS BLACK MB-TEX, MB-TEX UPHOLSTERY Vinyl Seats Cloth Seats Leather Seats Premium Synthetic Seats BURMESTER SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM Premium Sound System POLAR WHITE TIRES: P255/45R20 HIGH-PERFORMANCE RUN-FLAT Tires - Front Performance Tires - Rear Performance *Note - For third party subscriptions or services, please contact the dealer for more information.* This SUV gives you versatility, style and comfort all in one vehicle. You appreciate the finer things in life, the vehicle you drive should not be the exception. Style, performance, sophistication is in a class of its own with this stunning Mercedes-Benz GLC. Added comfort with contemporary style is the leather interior to heighten the quality and craftsmanship for the Mercedes-Benz GLC We look forward to seeing you soon! Please call us for more information.
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The care itinerary for cancer involves difficulties that occur in several different areas, whether in the diagnostic procedures, in surgery, or in adjuvant treatment. The aim of this work was to obtain a valid instrument measuring satisfaction among patients with breast cancer and exploring their care itinerary overall.
Development phase: Patient focus groups were implemented in two French regions in order to identify areas of satisfaction in relation to the different phases of care provision in breast cancer. On the basis of the literature and the themes and wordings derived from the focus groups, the patients identified several areas of satisfaction, which they found to be partially covered in an American satisfaction measure that has been validated in the French general population (the Consumer Satisfaction Survey in its French version, CSS-VF, 39 items). The patient focus groups suggested adaptation of certain dimensions of this instrument to the potential care providers (37 items) and produced 45 new items in six areas.
Validation phase: Using a large sample of patients (cohort of 820 women with invasive non-metastatic breast cancer) approached one month after treatment, this phase selected items that were comprehensible (non-response rate < 10%), non-redundant (r < 0.80) and reproducible (test-retest conducted on a sub-sample of 166 patients). The dimensions were identified by factor analysis on the selected items. Divergent and discriminant validity were assessed (relationships with quality of life questionnaire, comparisons between extreme groups).
Results were in favour of not inserting additional broken-down items into the CSS-VF and retaining 21 new items. The factor analysis found the initial structure of the CSS-VF (39 items in 9 dimensions) and the 21 new items divide up into four dimensions (listening abilities and information provided by doctors, organisation and follow-up of medical care provision, psychological support, material environment). No redundancy was observed between new items and CSS-VF items. Internal consistency was high. Divergent and discriminant validity were satisfactory.
Adding four new dimensions to the CSS-VF yielded a valid 60-item instrument for assessment of care provided in breast cancer. These promising results now require further investigations of its responsiveness and its robustness in other linguistic, cultural and healthcare settings.
Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women, with a little over one million new cases per year worldwide . Over recent years, the way the disease has been catered for has changed (screening, diagnosis, prognostic markers, new surgical techniques, oral treatment, etc). As a result, prognosis has improved, and patients have a more regular follow-up by physicians. Alongside this, the assessment of patient satisfaction has gained ground in the literature on cancer. This can be explained by the importance given to patient preferences in medical decisions, and also by the need to measure the results of health strategies [2, 3]. Thus today measuring satisfaction among patients with non-metastatic breast cancer over the complete the care itinerary is an essential step in improving the way the pathology is catered for [3–6].
Satisfaction is a concept that is at once theoretical, multidimensional, and subjective. This concept, which cannot be measured by direct observation of the care provided, involves the identification of expectations, needs, perceptions, past experiences, opinions and attitudes of patients [4, 7, 8]. Several authors have thus considered that the assessment of satisfaction required an operational formalisation of the concept into dimensions with their constituent items making up questionnaires , and hence this rapidly entailed the need to assess the psychometric properties of such instruments .
The majority of these instruments were developed in the USA or the United Kingdom, and socio-cultural differences or differences in the health systems restricted their use in assessment of care itineraries in other countries. In addition, many of these questionnaires measure satisfaction in hospitalised patients, while others focus on a particular moment in the care itinerary, such as the consultation [10–17]. Finally, some questionnaires do not possess the required psychometric properties [18, 19].
The care itinerary for breast cancer involves difficulties that occur in several different areas, whether in the radiological and histological diagnostic procedures, in surgery, or in complementary treatment. Pluri-disciplinarity is essential in the therapeutic decision, and this entails coordination of care interventions throughout treatment, as well as between the different phases of treatment, and subsequent to treatment. The range of expertise required leads to time lapses, and complicates the organisation of care. This applies to all the actors in the care itinerary, and the time required to reach collegiate decisions can have a negative effect on patients. Patients expect care to be instated promptly, and to be accompanied by clear information and psychological support.
To our knowledge, no satisfaction questionnaire explores patient opinion in the different phases of treatment for breast cancer, while several areas of satisfaction have quite specific links with these particular care itineraries.
The aim of the study was therefore to develop a questionnaire measuring satisfaction with the care itinerary as a whole among patients with non-metastatic breast cancer subsequent to initial treatment. In view of the repeated developments of new satisfaction questionnaires, and the time required to construct and validate them [20, 21], we decided to start from an existing validated satisfaction questionnaire, the Consumer Satisfaction Survey in its French version [22, 23].
This study was conducted in two French administrative regions (Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes) representing 7 to 8% of the national population of France. This study is integrated into a general project of evaluative research on the performance of health networks, entitled REPERES (Recherche Evaluative sur la Performance des Réseaux de Santé).
Simplified development and validation process of the REPERES-60 questionnaire.
2. The second phase (quantitative method) was the first steps of a validation process designed to identify the best set of items using psychometric and statistics methods, and to analyse the association or correlation with other external indicators and assess the known-group validity of the new tool.
Two focus groups were organised successively, involving fifteen patients with cancer for each focus group. The patients were selected to ensure diversity within the focus group, both for clinical and socio-demographic characteristics and for care itinerary [see Additional file 1]. The mean age of patients was 62 years (range 40 to 78), and six were retired. All women were some time from their initial treatment, and were either in remission or in relapse for some cases.
The first group interviews aimed to stimulate participants to put their personal experiences into words, and to explore their perception of quality in the care process . The interviews, recorded with the agreement of the participants, were intended to collect the wordings used by non-medical individuals to talk about certain medical notions. A review of the literature had been conducted to find seven published questionnaires [10, 11, 13, 14, 22, 23, 25, 26], which enabled the drafting of a list of satisfaction dimensions which was presented to the focus group patients. The main domains covered in the questionnaires reviewed were fairly classic: human relationships, technical quality of care, accessibility and convenience, economic aspects, efficiency of care, continuity of care, material environment and availability of doctors [7, 19, 27]. The patients in the focus group successively discussed the different phases in care and treatment of breast cancer.
A list of elements for item development (themes and wordings) derived from the verbatim transcribed from the first focus groups was developed by the REPERES work group (sociologists who analysed content).
On the basis of this material, the patients in the second focus group identified several areas of satisfaction, which they found to be covered in a questionnaire developed by Davies & Ware and which has been culturally adapted and validated in French (CSS-VF) .
The second focus group made the choice of using the 9 generic dimensions of the CSS-VF as the basis of their work. It is true that certain validated satisfaction questionnaires for use among cancer patients such as the EORTC InPatsat-32 cover some of these dimensions , but they are restricted to the hospitalisation period of the patients' care itineraries. In addition, the CSS-VF had the advantage of exploring satisfaction with General Pratitionner (GP) and specialist care separately: this was indeed used by the focus group to adapt certain dimensions to the different health care actors involved in care of breast cancer, adding 37 items. Thus the items concerning the GP were completed by two items for the gynaecologist and the radiologist, and the items concerning the specialist were subdivided into two items, for the surgeon and the oncologist. This new structure made it possible to distinguish between primary care, provided routinely for diagnosis and follow-p by the GP, the gynaecologist and the radiologist, and secondary care providing treatment of the cancer and hence implicating the surgeon and the oncologist.
- The organisation of follow-up after treatment: patients emphasise " the length and the succession of treatment phases which is more difficult to cope with than the treatment itself", the need to "have a part in the choice of treatment and mode of care", the importance of feeling that "staff work as a team ", and that "communication between the GP and the specialist works well".
The quality of the material environment in which cancer is cared for and treated was also discussed in the focus groups, and although the theme is present in the literature, the aspect of the confidentiality afforded by premises is not in fact explored. The themes of efficiency of care and access to medical information were developed independently by the REPERES working team, in response to the fact that the issues of access to medical files was an ongoing debate at the time (cancer plan) and also to the procedures for evaluation of efficiency of care that were being set up.
Three new items were drafted to complete the existing dimension on insurance cover and 42 new items were drafted to fall into five areas of satisfaction: 1) listening abilities and information provided by the doctors; 2) organisation and follow-up of medical care provision; 3) psycho-social support; 4) outcomes of care; 5) and material environment.
The format of the response choices was ordinal, in line with that used for the CSS-VF, and the best suited to the positive response trends often observed in satisfaction surveys [7, 28].
The test version of the full questionnaire, administered in the form of a self-assessment, comprised a total of 121 items: 45 new items and 76 derived from the original CSS-VF. This version of the questionnaire was then tested with a population of breast cancer patients to assess understanding and exhaustiveness of the items, and this led to some minor alterations to the questionnaire.
A cohort survey was conducted from October 2003 in public and private cancer centres. The patients included in the cohort complied with the following criteria: 1) a first diagnosis of invasive non-metastatic breast cancer in the course of 2003; 2) at least two contacts for cancer with one of the health professionals in one of the two regions between diagnosis and the first year of follow-up; 3) signed informed consent.
The satisfaction questionnaires were sent at three moments in the care itinerary : one month after the end of the initial treatment for the study of the psychometric properties of the instrument (this involved the whole cohort, n = 975); then a year later, and again a week after that to study reproducibility of items (this involved a sub-group representative of the cohort obtained by random selection, n = 172). The reproducibility study entailed questioning patients at a stable period in the course of their disease, and no psychometric study was performed at one year.
The logistics of data collection were ensured by a team specifically dedicated the project, and involved recall procedures at each stage in the study. Telephone support was established to provide patients with explanations or complementary information on the aims, design and expected results of the study. The process of patient inclusion as a whole had been previously approved by the consultative committee on the processing of information in medical research of CNIL (French national commission on individual privacy).
Responses provided to the questionnaires were captured using the Data Base Management System 4D Server, and data were analysed using the SAS programme, version 8.2. (Windows). A verification procedure was implemented via independent duplicate data capture to check the whole data set.
Finally questionnaires that presented more than half the responses missing were removed from the statistical analysis.
The selection of items was based mainly on clinical criteria and priorities expressed by patients in the focus groups. The internal validity of the 121 items was studied by successively examining the distribution of items, any redundancy, and their reproducibility over time.
The distribution of each item was studied to see whether the full range of response choices was used, in order to detect items that were not sufficiently informative because the variability of response was insufficient: floor and ceiling effects. An item was removed if one of the response choices received more than 50% of the responses provided . The proportion of missing data was calculated for each item, and this enabled assessment of how well understood or how relevant the questions were. A percentage of missing data on an item under 10% was considered acceptable.
Items that were strongly correlated, thus likely to be providing the same information, were looked for. Redundancy between two questions was suspected if the Pearson correlation coefficient was over 0.80 in the inter-item correlation matrix [31, 32].
The reproducibility of the measure was studied item by item, examining the agreement between measures at the time of the two re-administrations of the questionnaire. As the response format was ordinal, agreement was explored using a weighted kappa coefficient (Fleiss-Cohen weighting) taking into account the degree of disagreement . A kappa coefficient over 0.70 was considered to indicate good reproducibility, it was considered moderate when values were between 0.50 and 0.70, and insufficient below 0.50.
The selection of items took other factors into account: 1) the proportion of non-response: if higher than 10% a problem of acceptability was likely for the item, without systematic exclusion at this stage; 2) the number of items considered sufficient to account for a given dimension: if at least half the items of a dimension were completed for the calculation of the score, the choice was made to keep the item, so as to retain the information in the particular dimension.
The factorial structure was studied using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The number of factors retained was determined from eigenvalues greater than or equal to 1 . Factor analysis with rotation enabled identification of the dimensions in the questionnaire, and showed that the items selected measured domains that were identical to those hypothesised at the outset. Rotation was applied to transform the original principal components produced, to ease interpretation. This method searches for a linear combination of the original measurements aiming to maximize the variance of the components loadings. A Varimax rotation (orthogonal) was preferred at a Promax rotation (oblique) if low correlations were observed between factors . An item was attributed to a single factor if it loaded 0.45 or more on a single factor.
The score of each dimension was calculated from the sum of items, standardised so as to obtain a score between 0 (low satisfaction) and 100 (high satisfaction), according to the methodology proposed by Davies and Ware . The score was computed if at least 50% of the items in the dimension were completed. Descriptive statistics were produced for each of the dimensions (mean, standard deviation, percentiles, saturation and asymmetry coefficient).
Reproducibility was studied for the different dimensions using the intra-class correlation coefficient, calculated from a 2-factor variance analysis in a random effect model . An intra-class correlation coefficient over 0.70 was considered to indicate good reproducibility.
The analysis of item-score correlations looked for correlations greater than 0.40 between items and their own dimension. The correlation coefficients should be higher between the item and the dimension to which it belongs (calculating the score without the item under consideration) than between that item and the other dimensions. An analysis of the inter-score correlation matrix was conducted to ascertain independence of dimensions for correlation coefficients below 0.70. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was calculated to assess internal consistency of each dimension. A coefficient over 0.80 was considered satisfactory . Floor and ceiling effects for each dimension were calculated according to the percentage of subjects presenting respectively the maximum and minimum scores in the dimension considered.
In a first approach, divergent validity was checked by assessing the relationship between the REPERES-60 scales and the EORTC QLQ-C30 scales and single items (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life questionnaire) . Health Related Quality Of Life (HRQOL) summarizes dimensions of the quality of life which reflect the negative functional repercussions (on the physical activity, the psychological state, the social relations) of its disease and its treatment, such as the patient perceives them . Thus these two measures are intended to explore two distinct concepts and their scales and items should not show marked correlation (Pearson's r < 0.40).
In the second approach, the ability of the questionnaire to discriminate between extreme groups was assessed by comparing patient groups that were expected to differ strongly in terms of satisfaction scores. A lower satisfaction level was expected for younger patients (cut-off at the sample median age of 58), patients with higher education (versus primary and secondary education), those who had experienced problems of communication at the time of the announcement of the diagnosis, and patients who reported a poor health status (score less than five on the QLQ-C30 item: "How would you rate your overall health during the past week ?", scored from very poor to excellent) [38–40]. Discriminant validity was investigated using non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon test) . We could estimated, because of none references are existing on this topic, that a five point difference score between extremes groups are representing a significant discrimination.
Among the 975 patients included, 850 (87%) returned the initial questionnaire within a median time lapse of 18 days. For the study of reproducibility of items, 172 out of 182 (95%) returned the two questionnaires one year after the first completion and again a week after this dispatch.
The proportion of exploitable questionnaires, which presented less than half the responses missing, was over 95% (820/850 and 166/172). Average patient age was 58.0 years (SD 12.4), the majority were living with a partner or spouse (55%) and 44% were working (Table 1).
Just one item from the original CSS-VF (Q7) had a high rate of non-response. The replicated (broken-down) CSS-VF items relating to the gynaecologist and the radiologist did not generate adequate response. There was one phenomenon of saturation of response choices on one item of the global satisfaction domain (Q71).
Two of the three items generated to complete the health insurance cover dimension concerned less than one patient in three. The removal of items Q78-Q79 also led to removal of item Q77.
Among the 42 new items, 10 out of the 13 that registered at least 20% non-response were removed from the analysis at this stage. Two items relating specifically to mastectomy or to a particular treatment (Q86 and Q105) were however maintained on account of the importance given to them in the focus group. It was also thought necessary to maintain the third situation-specific item (Q94) in order to explore the care itinerary as a whole, including all aspects of care provision.
Nine new items of the 15 for which the percentage of missing data ranged from 10 to 20% were maintained as far as the factor analysis. This strategy made it possible to have a sufficient and fairly homogeneous number of items for each dimension.
High correlations were found for replicated items in the primary care dimensions (the breakdown into GP, gynaecologist and radiologist), and also for the replicated items in the secondary care dimensions (for the surgeon and the oncologist). At this stage these results were in favour of not inserting these additional broken-down items into the CSS-VF, but rather of maintaining the original items. In the subsequent analyses, the broken-down item scores were averaged, retaining solely the distinction between primary and secondary care (Q1 to Q63).
Ten of the 42 new items were redundant, but only the item on information given to understand the treatment (Q80) was removed. The other items were retained to enable the measure to give an account of certain specific sequences in the patients' care itineraries: the time lapses before receiving treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery: r = 0.80–0.82), the quality of consultation premises and respect for privacy in consultations (hospitalisation versus consultation: r = 0.87).
No redundancy was evidenced between items in the CSS-VF and the new items (r ≤ 0.68).
At the end of this stage, 64 items remained out of the 121 items (39 items derived from the CSS-VF and 25 new items).
Reproducibility was satisfactory for ten of the 13 (Q64 to Q76) remaining CSS-VF items (weighted kappa ≥ 0.70 for 4 items and between 0.60 and 0.69 for 6 others) and for 22 of the 25 new items (weighted kappa ≥ 0.70 for 11 items and between 0.60 and 0.69 for 11 others). For the six remaining items, the coefficient ranged from 0.55 to 0.59, except for one item in the global satisfaction domain of the original CSS-VF (Q69, kappa = 0.44). No item was excluded on the grounds of its kappa coefficient.
The 64 items retained were entered into principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation and a twelve-factor PCA solution was retained for 60 items. Four items were not further considered in the subsequent PCA because of absence of loading on any common factor (Q93 to Q96). The factorial structure remained identical with or without them. The first twelve factors explained 45% of the total variance. The dimension "competence" and the dimension "communication skills" for specialists deliberately dissociated in the validation of the French CSS are found here on a single factor (6 items).
The other dimensions of satisfaction were: "access to primary care" (7 items), "access to secondary care" (3 items), "competence and communication skills of primary care doctors", "choice among different doctors" (4 items), "human qualities shown by doctors" (4 items), "global satisfaction" (4 items), "cover for medical expenses" (5 items), "listening abilities and information provided by the doctor" (7 items), "organisation and follow-up of medical care provision" (5 items), "psychosocial support" (5 items) and "material environment" (4 items).
All items had a good loading on their own factor. Only five items had a loading on a secondary component (I5, I20- I22, I54).
The reproducibility was very satisfactory for eleven out of thirteen dimensions. The dimensions "access to secondary care" and "competence of doctors in secondary care" had intra-class correlation coefficients of 0.62 and 0.66 respectively.
Correlation coefficients between items and their hypothesised scale were all greater than 0.4. One item out of the 60 (the possibility of obtaining medical information or advice by telephone from the GP and/or the gynaecologist) loaded high on its own scale and also on another scale. One high inter-scale correlation was observed between listening abilities and provision of information by doctors and psychosocial support (r = 0.73). Internal consistency was very high (all Cronbach alpha coefficients ≥ 0.82, except for the global satisfaction score at 0.74).
None of the thirteen sub-scales were strongly correlated with the QLQ-C30. The strongest observed correlation was between the QLQ-C30 global quality of life scale and the global satisfaction scale (r = 0.29).
A lower satisfaction level was systematically noted for younger patients, those with higher education, those having experienced problems of communication in the announcement of the diagnosis and those who reported poor health status. All the sub-scales were able to discriminate between patients in terms of age categories, except for the sub-scales competence of secondary care doctors and organisation and follow-up of medical care provision. Differences in satisfaction scores were not significant in relation to educational status in five sub-scales: access to primary care, competence of secondary care doctors, cover for medical expenses, organisation and follow-up of medical care provision and psychological support.
Only the sub-scales for choice among doctors and the cover for medical expenses did not discriminate between patients in terms of health status and problems of communication in announcing the diagnosis.
These first results have shown that the questionnaire REPERES-60 presents very satisfactory psychometric properties. The predominant role given to patients via the focus groups, a procedure often neglected in the early stages of instrument design [6, 42], made it possible to explore and develop to the full the content validity of the 21 new items, using dimensions in line with breast cancer patient expectations [10, 18, 43].
The focus groups demonstrated that the CSS constituted a sound base for the development of complementary dimensions, and also made it possible to reduce the time required to reach a finalised, validated version [5, 40]. The CSS presented the required psychometric properties , had already been validated in the general population in France and was designed to assess patient opinion with respect to care received, technical competence, human qualities and results. The study of the CSS-VF on a cohort of women with breast cancer made it possible to identify a factorial structure that was strictly similar to that observed in the general population, and thus to validate its metric qualities in a population of cancer patients . The break-down of items relating to each type of medical professional involved in cancer treatment was tested within the CSS-VF. The analysis showed that it was not useful to maintain the distinctions, since the redundancy of the information derived suggested that these items would encumber the instrument for no good reason, and in any case these patients do not all have contact with all the types of professionals that were initially cited. The strong correlations between items can be explained by the way in which cancer is cared for in the French healthcare system. This care is classically provided in one or several health facilities, but with collegiate decisions among the specialists concerned (surgeons and oncologists). A patient when interviewed appears to recall global aspects of care (there is therefore a correlation among specialist scores) rather than aspects concerning each specialist. This tendency is today even more marked in the French "cancer plan" which seeks to develop this collaboration by proposing the establishment of cancer coordination centres.
However, the distinction between primary care professionals (GPs and gynaecologists) and secondary care professionals (surgeons and oncologists) was maintained in the questionnaire , as in the initial CSS-VF structure, and enables assessment of the accessibility of the care institution and the continuity of care in ambulatory treatment , and issues such as the importance of the informal role of GP in breast cancer follow-up .
While the CSS-VF can be used its own, the four new dimensions are complementary to this measure and cannot be evaluated independently. The new measure covers aspects of care that have not been widely dealt with in the literature: continuity of care, solving psychosocial problems , or cooperation between oncologists and GP . The information that patients are provided with, and the doctor-patient relationship are areas to which these patients are particularly sensitive. The 21 items integrates the information given on the disease, as well as information on pain management and breast reconstruction surgery. Some items relate specifically to the types of care received by the patient (reconstruction, time-lapse before receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or surgery). While care was taken to ensure the internal consistency of the new items, the choice was made to maintain certain items that provide information on specific patient treatment that is not otherwise much explored in measures of satisfaction in cancer. "Not applicable" boxes were added to these items to identify patients who were not concerned by the item content.
As expected, lower correlations were observed between the new scales and QLQ-C30 scales, suggesting that conceptually different issues are assessed . If the correlations observed between the two concepts had proved to be high, the results would have been in favour of proximity, rather than independence, between the two tools. The new scales were able to discriminate clearly between patients who differed in terms of health status and communication experiences, and to a lesser degree between patient groups formed on the basis of age and educational status [38–40].
The comparison between the REPERES-60 questionnaire and the main satisfaction questionnaires in the field of cancer was interesting. The literature mainly reports on instruments developed in hospital environments, the most commonly used today being the EORTC IN-PATSAT32 questionnaire. In a hospital environment, the staffs involved are solely on the one hand cancer specialists and on the other the hospital healthcare staff. In a complete care itinerary, all the doctors encountered over the itinerary are involved. This explains why: 1) the enumeration of staff involved in the two questionnaires differs: doctors and nurses as opposed to all the doctors over the full itinerary (primary and secondary care); 2) if the majority of the dimensions explored by the REPERES-60 questionnaire are also found in the IN-PATSAT32 (interpersonal skills, technical skills, information provision, availability, access, exchange of information, comfort, global satisfaction) psychological support, mentioned by the patients as necessary for the announcement of the diagnosis and on leaving the medical environment, is not explored in the IN-PATSAT32.
Results are convincing but required also further tests such as the responsiveness and the evaluation of its robustness in other settings. It is important in generalizing present results to other linguistic, cultural and healthcare settings . The task now is to analyse the determinants of patient satisfaction in relation to their care itinerary and their clinical characteristics. Identifying the particular needs of breast cancer patients, and pinpointing the aspects of care that are the most important to them, should make it possible to improve the way the disease is catered for, and provide clinicians with indications on the way in which their practice is perceived. In this context, the questionnaire should make it possible, over the complete care itinerary of breast cancer patients, to identify the points where improvements can be implemented and integrated into the organisation of care in cancer. The extension of the questionnaire to other cancers could be envisaged via the implementation of focus groups involving patients with the relevant pathology.
The authors would like to thanks all the patients for their valuable contributions to the study. We also wish to thank E. Dos Santos, C. Pourin (focus group), N. Lapeyrere, N. Mériau, C. Touret (data collections and monitoring), A. Swaine Verdier (translation).
This study was conducted with the financial support of ANAES (Agence Nationale de l'Accréditation et de l'Evaluation en Santé), Ligue régionale contre le cancer, and INSERM MIRe-DREES.
GD performed data analyses and interpretation, and wrote the manuscript. SMP and VM participated in the study design and coordination, and helped to draft the manuscript. II and PI contributed to the data collection, analysis, data interpretation and manuscript preparation. IG, LSR and RS contributed to manuscript preparation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. | 2019-04-22T00:24:25Z | https://0-bmccancer-biomedcentral-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/articles/10.1186/1471-2407-7-129 |
With little transition, the Martian sky faded from the soft pink of rose quartz to a hard-angled obsidian night, its many facets twinkling and glistening as the stars sprang into view. Only a faint blue glow along the horizon indicated where the sun had set just moments ago.
Mark Woods turned away from his rover’s windshield, a durable composite material that made up most of the cab. The rover, an airtight vehicle on tall, knobby treads, contained a small laboratory and even smaller living quarters. It lacked most of the amenities of life midway through the twenty-first century, such as an exercise room with virtual-reality scenery; the rover’s limited space could accommodate nothing more than the basic weight-training machine necessary to maintain one’s muscle mass in the low gravity of Mars.
The rover felt like his home, though, after almost two decades of exploring the Red Planet in search of extraterrestrial life. That search had proven futile, despite his microscopic inspection of many thousands of samples of iron oxide dust. Mars was basically a giant rust ball. In a universe under intelligent management, the planet would have been hauled off to the nearest intergalactic junkyard long ago.
Even so, when Woods thought about Earth, he usually didn’t miss anything but the sunsets.
He surveyed the sparse contents of the kitchen cupboard on one side of the rover’s tiny aisle, deciding what to have for dinner. The rover had no cooking facilities; each of the prepackaged meals on the shelf had a warming element at the base, which would activate when the plastic overwrap was removed. A bowl of beans and rice would do. He had just taken it out of the cupboard when an incoming message beep sounded. Setting the bowl back down, he touched a screen on the other side of the aisle.
“Big news, Mark.” On the screen, Pat Carey, his boss, ran a hand through her close-cropped gray hair in a familiar habitual gesture. She managed the project from her office in California, regularly sending messages to the rover through Mars’ network of communication satellites. At present, messages from Earth took about fifteen minutes to arrive; the time varied depending on the planets’ relative positions.
As she went on to praise the work he had done on Mars and to wish him well on the new mission, Woods didn’t hear much more of the message. One word had captured all his attention: Europa. The little moon orbiting Jupiter long had been his dream. When he began his career as an exobiologist, that field of study had been in its infancy. He had spent several years working in a laboratory in Antarctica examining meteorites for evidence of alien microbes. Nothing ever had been found, and humanity still believed itself alone in the universe.
If extraterrestrial life could be found anywhere in the solar system, it would be on Europa. Probes had verified that an ocean existed under the icy surface. For years, there had been talk of sending a crew of explorers to drill through the thick ice and collect samples of the water for analysis, but nothing had ever come of it. Although Woods had known in an abstract way that he would likely be chosen for such a mission because of his experience and seniority, that prospect hadn’t seemed fully real to him until now. Excitement washed over him in a sudden rush that left him shaking. He put one hand on the cool, smooth wall of the aisle to steady himself.
The rover was silent again, though he couldn’t remember the message coming to an end. After a few minutes he would listen to it again and put together a reply, to the extent he could manage something coherent. But for now, he walked back along the aisle to the rover’s cab and looked out upon the starry horizon once more, thinking only of what might lie beyond it.
Everybody on Mars drank Splotz Beer.
That was both the literal truth and the premise behind the most wildly successful advertising campaign of all time. After her father’s death in 2015, a beer conglomerate heiress decided to buy an aerospace company that had fallen on hard times since the end of the Cold War. When she used its resources to mount the first private Mars expedition, most people thought she’d had a few too many—until they saw how much more brew Splotz sold under the slogan ‘The Official Beer of Mars.’ The company dominated the beer industry by 2030, and it was still the unquestioned leader two decades later.
“Interplanetary law hasn’t yet reached the point where companies need to be concerned about extraterrestrial antitrust violations,” Lindsey Parrish put in. The mission commander was a tall, dark-complexioned woman with the gaunt, sinewy look of a space veteran. Her long strides and alert eyes gave the impression of an alpha wolf leading the pack.
“I’m not complaining. After all, none of this would be here if it hadn’t been for Splotz,” Hioki replied with a shrug. With his angular face, wide-set eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and long-limbed figure that didn’t quite conform to ordinary human ideas of proportion, he looked like an anime character straight out of a video game. His parents had brought him to Mars as a teenager, and there was speculation that the low gravity might have affected his growth; but that wasn’t known for sure because he had been the only child in the settlement.
The restaurants that lined one side of the concourse served a variety of ethnic foods such as might be found in any Earth city, except that they all featured the common theme of beer. Across from the restaurants, a large sign in multiple languages marked the corridor leading to the brewery and greenhouses. Splotz grew its own barley and hops in hydroponics trays, right next to a small but functional brewery. New Milwaukee always had a strong smell of beer. That hadn’t been a detriment to tourism, however; there was a decade-long waiting list of people eager to plonk down their life savings for a vacation on Mars.
“If everyone likes German food, I’d suggest the Biergarten.” Rita Mastroianni pointed out a crowded restaurant from which blasted the unmistakable sound of the Beer Barrel Polka. After six years on Mars, the mission’s doctor and counselor knew her way around Suds City with easy familiarity. Her blonde hair was liberally streaked with gray, which was true of many of the settlement’s residents. The exorbitant cost of hair dye and other imports had made vanity fall by the wayside.
“Sounds good to me,” Mark Woods agreed. Although he usually preferred quieter restaurants, the Biergarten served a good hearty vegetable soup and crusty rye rolls; and tonight’s featured entrée of white asparagus and potatoes was quite popular. All food on Mars was grown within the settlement and was vegan, in light of the obvious difficulties of transporting livestock from one planet to another. Rumor had it that Splotz had recently rejected a lease application from a company that wanted to sell lab-grown meat, on the ground that it was incompatible with the Martian settlers’ culture. Whether or not that was true, the advertisements for Martian tourism described the settlement as featuring the best vegan food in the solar system.
Ruth Olsavsky, an astronaut with nine years of experience on the Earth-Mars route, shook her head vigorously before he had even finished speaking. Dark curls bounced around her colorfully tattooed shoulders, which featured images of dragons and other mythical creatures.
The little boy ran through the office, not watching where he was going, his gaze fixed on the bright sunlit mass of late-afternoon clouds shining like great red cliffs in the sky. He ignored the more mundane view of Baltimore’s streets in December 2003, gridlocked with both rush hour and holiday shopping traffic, and the crowded parking lot six stories below the window.
He could hear his parents behind him, speaking with a large dark-haired man who wore bright shiny eyeglasses. Their words made no sense to him. He knew only that he didn’t like his mother’s strained tone and her quick, broken speech, trailing off abruptly to sobs. Her voice sounded to him like the gusting wind just before a thunderstorm, when the first drops of cold rain came pattering on fallen leaves.
Looking out the window at the bright red clouds, he touched the rocks in his pocket for reassurance. They sparkled in the sunlight, too. He always picked the brightest pebbles from the landscaping beds in his front yard when he went outside to play. Sometimes he gave an especially pretty pebble to his mother, as she stood watching him with her gray thunderstorm eyes. But no matter what he gave her, it never seemed to put any sunlight into her voice or face.
The man with the shiny eyeglasses was speaking now, his voice flowing smoothly like the stream in the woods behind the boy’s house. The stream had tiny fish darting around the rocks and insects skittering across the surface. On the coldest days it froze and was quiet. If only the shiny-glasses man would be quiet, too. He just kept on talking, and fragments of his speech registered in the boy’s mind without any meaning attached to them.
The red cliffs in the sky reminded the boy of his favorite video, a nature documentary about cliff-nesting birds. He wished that he could fly away to those shining cliffs and soar in the open blue sky above them. Everything would look tiny from up there, like the view from this high window, but even smaller and farther away.
Holding his arms straight out from his sides, he pretended that the sleeves of his gray jacket were his outstretched wings. They would have feathers shading from soft gray down on his chest to brilliant white at the tips. He imagined that the air blowing from the register under the window was a strong wind carrying him away from the rocky shore and over a vast unexplored ocean, launching him aloft into the unknown.
Mark Woods woke from a dream of flying. The rhythmic sound of his wingbeats as he soared over blood-red cliffs and a dark ocean faded into the mechanical hum of New Milwaukee’s ventilation system and the darkness of his hotel room. This dream had been with him since his childhood, half a century ago. Although it always had felt like there was some deep prophetic meaning within it, he knew that was unlikely. Mars had plenty of red cliffs, true enough; but the Red Planet certainly didn’t have anything that resembled oceans or birds.
He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, which read four-twenty a.m. in cool blue numbers. The planet’s rotation was close enough to the length of an Earth day that the Martian settlers also used a twenty-four-hour clock, with each second slightly longer. While insomnia usually didn’t bother Woods, the Europa exploration voyage was scheduled to depart this morning. The others who would be traveling with him probably weren’t getting much sleep either.
The pillow still held the scent of Amethyst’s perfume, although he knew she had been gone for hours. She always let herself out very quietly after he fell asleep. Amethyst wasn’t her real name; it was Amy or Amelia or something like that, an ordinary name that never stuck in his mind. He pictured her as a bright sparkling gemstone, with its complex facets matching her dramatic blue-violet eyes and the permanent eye shadow she’d had tattooed around them before her departure from Earth.
Giving up on sleep, at least for now, Woods walked across the room and pulled the draperies back from the window. Stars twinkled above a dark rocky plain, along with one of Mars’ two small moons. This wasn’t a real window, he knew. The hotel’s rooms had been built several meters underground, for extra protection from the solar radiation that the planet’s thin atmosphere did little to filter. The faux window installed in every room displayed a realistic image for the tourists’ benefit, however. It showed the stars that would have been visible in the window’s actual direction, and it brightened at dawn to portray a daytime landscape. His usual preference had been to sleep in his rover and get the real view, with occasional nights at the hotel when he had time off from work.
There would be no more of either; he had parked the rover for the last time. As with other places he had left behind, he thought little about it and had more interest in the adventures yet to come. He paced back toward the bed and eventually sat down on its edge. The floral scent of Amethyst’s perfume reminded him of when he had ordered it for her last year. She had selected it from an online catalog. He didn’t know much about perfumes, but he had thought the deep purple glass of the bottle suited her. Over the past few years, he had bought clothing and jewelry for her as well, imported at a ridiculous cost. He made a good salary and didn’t have much else on which to spend it.
Amethyst was a maintenance engineer by day, wearing plain coveralls and a tool belt. In the evenings, she often could be found strolling through Suds City’s concourse in fashionable clothes that showed her tall slender figure to advantage. Sometimes she wore the clothes and jewelry Woods had bought for her; but by now, he had seen her in other pricey outfits enough to know that he wasn’t the only man contributing to the Amethyst Fashion Fund. She couldn’t possibly have bought that many imported luxury items on her own salary, although she was fairly well paid. Apparently she kept her day job to make her extracurricular activities less obvious, so that she wouldn’t get packed off to Earth for violating the settlement’s morals code.
Discovering what she was had been a disappointment, of course. But in retrospect, he supposed it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. After all, he might have expected the oldest profession would find its way to Mars, just like everywhere else humans had settled. And now that he was about to leave the planet, it was for the best that he didn’t have a serious girlfriend here. Still, on this last night, he had given her an expensive bracelet of diamonds and amethysts to remember him by, and she had tearfully declared how very much she would miss him. As with the view of the night sky from the hotel room’s window, he could at least pretend it had been real.
Mastroianni carried her bowl of hot apple cinnamon oatmeal to the table. Pushing an unruly strand of gray-streaked hair away from her face, the doctor sat to the right of Tadeo Hioki, who was drinking his usual green tea and looked like he could use something stronger to wake him up; he’d been busy installing a software patch for the navigation system. Two months out of Mars, the crew of the exploration ship Embolden had settled into a comfortable routine of watching the news together while they ate breakfast. As with all spaceships of this era, the living quarters rotated at a constant speed to produce artificial gravity by way of centripetal force, thus allowing everyone to walk around normally.
The announcer’s voice continued, “The United States Supreme Court decided the case of Buttercup, a genetically enhanced chimpanzee in Texas who learned to read and write at a third-grade level. Animal rights lawyers from the Interspecies Justice Foundation filed legal papers on Buttercup’s behalf arguing that she was a sentient being entitled to all the rights of an American citizen. The high court rejected that argument, ruling that Buttercup had no rights because animals are property, even if they can read.” An image of the famous chimp holding a colorful illustrated storybook appeared briefly on the screen before the announcer went on to number eight, a political scandal involving dark-money donors’ use of nanobots to temporarily reanimate a senator who inconveniently dropped dead hours before a major vote on corporate tax legislation.
Ruth Olsavsky laughed as she sat next to Woods, her tray loaded with ham and eggs on a biscuit, a chocolate donut, and a cup of strong coffee. She had made her disdain for the Martian vegan diet abundantly clear on many occasions, declaring that she had no intention of wasting away to a twig. Before setting out for Mars from the lunar shipyard where final assembly had taken place, she had made sure, as the ship’s executive officer, that the provisions included an ample stash of junk food.
“Civil rights for apes? Ridiculous.” Putting her tray down with a clatter, Olsavsky tore open a packet of sugar and began stirring it into her coffee.
Woods got to his feet, leaving his last bite of toast uneaten. It was his turn to clear the table and clean up in the galley today, and everyone assumed that he was about to get started on that task. Olsavsky had given out a detailed schedule of chores when the ship left Mars, announcing that they’d better be done promptly or else. Hioki, who had just finished eating a granola bar, tossed the wrapper on Woods’ tray.
Hioki responded with a look of confusion, glancing toward the wrapper as if wondering what might be wrong with it.
“Whether the chimp can talk,” Woods clarified.
“Well, it’s just an ape, after all,” Olsavsky said, without bothering to elaborate further. She took a gulp of her coffee and went back to watching the news.
As Woods left the table, several baffled looks followed him. He hadn’t been known for expressing strong political opinions, either aboard the ship or during his two decades on Mars. Hioki finally shrugged and began a conversation with Mastroianni about news story number seven, the tragic destruction of the artificial island colony Atlantis Reimagined in the Caribbean, which had the misfortune of being directly in the path of Hurricane Hildegarde.
Three pale blue speckled eggs filled a bird’s nest on the wall calendar in the classroom. Their smooth ovals contrasted with the long, straight twigs that formed the circle of the nest—a symmetrical pattern like the letters and numbers, March 2005, at the top of the page. Lines and circles formed the month’s name, making a cozy nest in which the year could be kept safe. The number two curved inward, almost matching the five on the other side. The pair of zeros in the middle looked like birds’ eggs neatly lined up together—not empty nothingness, but a future waiting to hatch.
The teacher took a firm hold of the boy’s chin and turned his face away from the wall, forcing him to look into her eyes. Her name was Ms. Jablonski, and she had blue eyes with little gray flecks, like the eggs on the calendar. At first he’d been afraid to look into people’s eyes when he came to the school. Their eyes had felt like a threat: too close, too demanding. But then he’d had the idea of pretending they were just eggs. There wasn’t anything scary about eggs or the tiny birds they hatched into, soft and helpless in their parents’ care, before their wings grew stronger and they learned to fly.
He was a fledgling himself. When his parents had left him at the school, he’d thought that it would be only for a short time and that they would come back for him. Many nights, waking before dawn in his strange new bed, he had listened for his mother’s footsteps. But now that more than a year had passed, he felt that his parents’ home was no longer his, just as a fledgling would not return to the nest after taking its first flight.
“Count the blocks,” said Ms. Jablonski, letting go of his chin. He could understand most of what was said to him now, although it was still very difficult to make the sounds himself. The plastic blocks on the table, in their bright primary colors, had become a daily struggle for him.
“One,” he began, the sound harsh and awkward to his ears. It would be so much easier to use written words and numerals. The symbols made sense to him now, their lines and curves fitting precisely together, rich with meaning. But he wasn’t sure Ms. Jablonski would like it if she knew that he could read. She might get angry and take the calendar away, just as the rocks he once kept in his pocket had been taken away on his first day at the school.
He picked up a yellow block and counted “two.” The block had an uneven seam that felt rough under his fingertips, and small imperfections pitted its surface. But from across the room, it always looked smooth. Things looked different when they weren’t seen from the same place. And people were the same way, full of little details that didn’t come clear at first glance.
Sometimes they never came clear, as he had realized when the calendar on the classroom wall still showed February’s snow-dusted evergreens. One of the teachers, Mr. Dalrymple, had picked up a teddy bear from a classroom shelf. Mr. Dalrymple had pale skin, freckles, and a prominent nose; Mark liked him because he looked like a bird. The bear was short and fluffy, with a striped bowtie. After putting the bear in a wicker basket, Mr. Dalrymple had left the room. Ms. Jablonski had then taken the bear out of the basket and moved it to a blue plastic box, closing the lid on it.
“Where will Mr. Dalrymple look for the bear?” she had asked.
The word “look” was one that Mark had heard many times, when he’d been told to look at a teacher. He knew it meant turning his head to see the teacher’s speckled-egg eyes. The bear had eyes made of little black dots on white plastic. The dots moved around under a clear plastic bubble when someone picked up the bear, but they weren’t scary like real eyes. If Mr. Dalrymple wanted to see the bear’s eyes, he would have to open the box.
Mr. Dalrymple hadn’t done anything with the bear when he came back into the classroom, but had a conversation with Ms. Jablonski instead. Mark hadn’t understood much of it, other than the word “failed,” which he knew meant that something hadn’t worked right.
The question was what hadn’t worked; the pictures it had made in his mind hadn’t been what Ms. Jablonski had meant. And that was when Mark had realized it was impossible to know exactly what someone else meant. Even if two people were in the same place when they looked at something, like a teddy bear or a block, they still might not see it the same way or use the same words when they talked about it.
After he finished counting the blocks, he glanced once more at the March calendar with the birds’ eggs. He hadn’t yet been taught how to say the number zero, and he wondered if that would help anyone to understand how he felt about the nest he had left and the future for which he was still waiting. Maybe they could imagine the numeral as he saw it, filled with the soaring curve of the sky. Or maybe it would just be another word-picture that failed.
From orbit, Europa gleamed pure white like a flawless pearl. That illusion was broken, as Woods knew it would be, when the landing craft descended to the crevasse-scarred surface. Jupiter loomed above the eerily close and flat horizon, creating the far more uncomfortable illusion that the great planet might come crashing down at any moment.
Olsavsky, piloting the small craft, kept up a running commentary on the explorers’ duties as she landed neatly on a smooth strip of ice beside a deep crevasse. Only someone who knew her well—or who had spent the past several months with her in the close quarters of an exploration ship—could have detected an undertone of nervous chatter in her usual mother-hen scolding. She maintained her control well, as always; but even she couldn’t be unaffected by the possibility of being the first to discover extraterrestrial life.
Two large robots with the appearance and solidity of heavy construction equipment, rolling on studded treads like snow tires, emerged from the craft’s rear hatch and trundled toward the crevasse. The robots had been assembled under sterile conditions and thoroughly irradiated while in the cargo area to ensure that no microbes from the ship would contaminate either the surface or the ocean. The explorers in the landing party—Woods, Olsavsky, and the marine biologist Peter Marchenko—watched through the thick visors of their environment suits as one of the robots secured itself to the ice with metal spikes. Olsavsky checked the alignment, gave a brief nod as she confirmed it was good, and then attached the cables that would lower the second robot into Europa’s depths.
Extending toward the ocean below, the crevasse slashed a dark, jagged path through the shining ice. Its edges were firm enough for the landing party to approach without fear of collapse. Unlike their counterparts in the crumbling glaciers of Earth’s polar regions, the crevasses of Europa had been formed by tidal pressures below, not by temperature changes above. The tiny pip that was the sun had just dropped below the icy horizon with no appreciable change to either Europa’s eternally frigid temperature or its bright surface, still gleaming with reflected light from Jupiter.
A depth indicator on the anchor robot displayed the progress of the second robot’s descent. It maintained a steady speed at first, and then the numbers moved more gradually and came to a stop. A drill icon blinked on, occupying the upper right corner of the screen. The descent began again, at a noticeably slower pace. Then the drill switched itself off, and several other icons glowed along the top of the screen.
Several pale pink spots now gleamed on the larger screen. When Olsavsky touched a button to zoom in on the nearest of them, it disappeared from view as something passed in front of it, blocking the camera’s line of sight.
“Activating lighting array,” the executive officer continued, her tone still crisply professional. Woods could hear the effort that went into keeping it that way. Then Olsavsky pressed another control, and the screen sprang to life—with life.
Deep blue oval leaves grew in pairs along thick flexible stems like seaweed, an unbroken forest of them in every direction as the camera slowly rotated. Pink trumpet-shaped flowers with fringed edges peeped through the leaves, evidently the source of the luminescent glow that had appeared earlier. As Woods watched, a small brown wormlike creature drifted into one of the flowers, which immediately snapped shut on it.
The explorers all had trained on a simulator before their arrival, and Marchenko took over the controls without any hesitation or awkwardness. The large display screen showed a rectangular self-propelled collector unit detaching from the main bulk of the robot. It advanced about a meter into the seaweed before a door slid open along the top of the unit, allowing water to flow into the container inside. Extending a robotic arm that ended in a gripping tool, Marchenko began filling the container with seaweed samples.
Within minutes, the collector unit, full of seaweed, had reattached itself to the main robot. Woods took his turn at the control panel to collect more samples with another identical unit. His hands shook even more than Olsavsky’s had done earlier, and he almost couldn’t manage to get the robotic arm extended. Just like the simulator or playing a video game, he reminded himself, and his hands steadied.
As he maneuvered the arm toward a stalk that had two pink flowers, he noticed that some of the leaves were missing or half-eaten. What had been grazing on the seaweed? Woods got hold of the stalk and started pulling it toward the container. Something moved at the top of the screen, in the open space where the stalk had been. Just as Woods adjusted the camera to focus on that area, a long tentacle striped in several shades of purple reached out of the forest of dark blue leaves, touching the robotic arm as if to investigate what it might be.
“Careful, don’t scare it away with any quick moves,” Marchenko said, leaning over the console. The warning wasn’t needed; as soon as the purple tentacle had appeared on the screen, Woods had let his hands go slack on the controls while he stared in fascination.
The creature emerged from the seaweed thicket and moved toward the sample container, which was still mostly empty. Tentacles at the base of its head were arranged in three pairs like an insect’s legs. A seventh, unpaired tentacle in front, which was the one touching the robotic arm, was longer and thinner than the others. The head’s most prominent feature was a wide beak. It had no eyes. Thin slits along the sides appeared to be gills.
The mechanical arm retracted, and the sample collection unit locked itself back into place on the robot. As soon as everything was secure, Olsavsky entered more commands on the console, activating the machinery to hoist the robot up from the ocean.
“Sentient? It’s a squid.” Olsavsky laughed, not even looking up from the console.
“Right, let’s give the carnivorous seaweed some kibble!” Olsavsky laughed again, her tone now close to hysterical giggling, as the robot’s gray metal roof came into view. Eagerly focusing on its emergence from the crevasse, both Olsavsky and Marchenko looked as if they had forgotten there was anything else in the universe.
Woods stood in the landing craft’s shadow, where the ice looked dull gray instead of gleaming silver-white in Jupiter’s light, as both robots loaded themselves into the cargo area. He felt as if he ought to say more, but he had no idea how to go about it. By now, the thrill of finding extraterrestrial life had driven most of his ability to process language out of his head. An occasional word danced for an instant in his thoughts, only to vanish just as quickly.
Then a vivid image appeared in place of the words—a stalk of the alien seaweed with three pairs of leaves, vertically arranged as if growing upward, and another leaf at the tip. This seventh leaf was about half the size of the other leaves. Although the image lacked color, it was sharply detailed in a way that didn’t seem to involve sight. An intricate pattern of veins and ridges decorated each of the leaves, unlike the seaweed he’d seen through the camera, which had looked smooth and featureless. He felt a wave rushing toward him, and then something touched him in the middle of his forehead.
At first he didn’t remember what the sound meant. Ice surrounded him, and confusion. Then the images began to recede, and he identified Olsavsky’s voice crackling through the headset of his environment suit. She was standing in the open airlock door, looking at him with concern. Woods shook his head, trying to clear away what remained of the strange images. Of course nothing had touched him—how could it, when he was wearing his suit? He must have gotten space-happy. Turning away from the crevasse’s dark depths, he stepped into the airlock with the other explorers.
The red rubber kickball raised puffs of dust when it came rolling toward home plate on a hot, dry afternoon in early September, 2009. Every time one of the kids in the P.E. class made contact with the ball, the squishy sound of a gym shoe connecting with the underinflated sphere reminded Mark of dropping a trash bag into a plastic can. Now that he was nine years old, he had been assigned regular chores in the cafeteria and other places, while spending less time in the classroom. Life skills, the school called it.
Mark’s position as the catcher gave him a close-up view of all the dust swirling around the scuffed white surface of home plate. He wondered why people called the field a diamond when it wasn’t sparkly at all. It was just a boring old square, not at all interesting like the chemical structure of diamonds and other crystals. He was glad when the game was over, though he hadn’t paid enough attention to the score to know whether his side had won.
Walking back toward the red-brick buildings with the other kids, he noticed a woman standing near one of the doors. Her curly auburn hair shone much more brightly in the afternoon sun than the leaves of the neatly trimmed hedges, just starting to change to their fall colors. At first Mark thought the woman was someone’s mother, stopping by the school at the end of a workday. Parents came to visit, sometimes—though his parents didn’t, much.
A big diamond on the woman’s left hand caught the sunlight even more than her hair did. Her fingernails sparkled too, with some kind of shiny polish. When Mark glanced up at her face, he saw that she was looking directly at him with greenish-brown eyes and smiling. He dropped his gaze, focusing instead on a thin, dry leaf that had fallen halfway across the concrete.
“I’m Kristin Phillips, the new student teacher,” she said.
Spoken while a group of kids walked by, her first name sounded like Krystal to him. Although Mark could speak fairly well now, he often had a hard time processing other people’s speech, especially when background noise got in the way. He imagined a Phillips screwdriver decorated with tiny crystals all over the handle. The janitor had shown him the difference between common and Phillips screwdrivers one day last month when he’d been helping with a few chores, which included stacking small bags of diatomaceous earth.
The new teacher’s sparkly nail polish had little reddish-brown dots in it, like the freckles on her arms.
“Did you know diatoms are microorganisms that die and turn into dry powdery crystals?” Mark looked up again at the teacher’s face, which was dotted with freckles too. He waited expectantly for her to reply; but instead, the freckles on her forehead slid downward into the furrowed lines of a frown. Then he noticed that the principal was standing not far behind her.
The principal, Dr. Ghorbanifar, was an elderly woman who always wore dark headscarves, under which a stray wisp of silver hair might occasionally be seen. She favored plain, old-fashioned dresses, also in dark colors, under which she wore orthopedic stockings. Her heavy shoes clunked whenever she took a step, giving the children ample warning of her approach on the hard floors of the school’s hallways. Tiny spectacles perched above her hooked nose, framing eyes as black as ripe olives.
“What do we say when someone greets us?” The principal spoke in a dry, reedy voice that sounded like stalks of grass rubbing together on a windy day.
Mark fumbled in his thoughts for the script that went along with this prompting. He had been drilled on it often enough; but other things always distracted him, such as diatoms and that crystal-covered screwdriver, still sparkling at the edge of his consciousness. The words of the script slowly came to him.
The principal inclined her head slightly and said “Good boy,” before she turned to walk away with the new teacher. Her big shoes went clunk, clunk, along the side of the building that was in shadow. She was still talking, but not to Mark.
The building’s shade took all the sparkle out of the retreating figure of Ms. Phillips as she nodded in response to the principal’s words. A gust caught the fallen leaf and sent it careening along the sidewalk in the other direction. Mark still stood in the hot sunlight outside the door.
He repeated, “My name is Mark Woods,” softly enough so that he could not have been heard by anyone passing by. In his mind, his name formed an image of a large rock in the woods behind his parents’ house. A deep crack along one side of the rock looked much like a checkmark in the weak light of the midwinter sun. He always pictured the trees as having bare, icy branches, without a leaf anywhere to block the slanting sunlight that fell on the mark, but gave little warmth.
Mark knew abstractly that the trees had leaves in other seasons, like the hedges and small ornamental trees on the school’s grounds; but the only time his parents ever brought him to visit was once a year at Christmas. The woods behind their house sometimes had been filled with snowdrifts during his visits. Other years the ground had been damp and the sky an unbroken gray, while a chilly wind had whistled through the mossy logs and the heaps of rotting leaves. He could no longer remember what it felt like to walk in the shade of the trees’ canopy on a summer day.
An extremely thick window, several times the strength of bulletproof, separated the exobiology laboratory from the curving corridor that led to it. The engineers who designed the ship hadn’t really expected any rampaging aliens to break out of the equally robust observation tank, but they hadn’t taken any chances either.
Back in their regular clothes after a thorough decontamination process, the two mission specialists stood in the corridor discussing their preliminary findings with the commander. Parrish already had received a briefing on the Europa landing and had seen the video images showing the discovery of extraterrestrial life, but this was the first chance she’d had to see it close up—or as close as anyone could get without putting on a sterile bio-suit.
“Thousands of microbial species in just the first seawater sample alone.” As Woods spoke, he gestured expansively toward the tank behind the window, where the alien seaweed with its large trumpet-shaped flowers nearly hid the striped tentacles of the little creature that had come along with them. His gray eyes sparkled with excitement in a clean-shaven face. Both he and Marchenko had sacrificed their beards in honor of the occasion; they’d decided at the outset of the mission that they would do so if they found life on Europa, much like athletes vowing to shave if they won the championship.
Mastroianni tilted her head to one side, trying to get a better view of the tank’s small inhabitant. Not much could be seen at present—only the long central tentacle, which extended past the seaweed to press against the tank’s clear, smooth wall, almost as if the creature might somehow be listening to the conversation.
“Do they reproduce by budding, I wonder, or do they lay eggs that don’t require fertilization? It would be amazing if we could see that happen!” For once, Mastroianni left her long hair alone when it fell forward across her face, which glowed with the same rapt focus shown by her fellow explorers.
“I still think we shouldn’t have taken the creature without knowing more about this species,” Woods put in, dampening everyone’s gleeful mood. As if he’d just become aware of his hands again, he dropped them stiffly to his sides. Marchenko cast a sour look in his direction.
“Your objection has been noted.” Parrish fixed her dark eyes on Woods and spoke in an authoritative tone that made plain she had no intention of allowing any further conversation on this topic. Everyone knew the complaint could have no practical effect anyway; the ship was already on the way back to Earth, with Olsavsky piloting at top speed away from the dangerous high-radiation area near Jupiter.
Looking bemused by the sudden question, Marchenko shook his head—as did Mastroianni, who then pushed her hair back as usual. Parrish, a known skeptic, frowned as if she thought the question too silly to be worth answering. The silence stretched out, broken unexpectedly by Hioki, who had been standing next to the wall opposite the window.
Parrish’s frown deepened as she turned its full force on the young engineer. Hioki responded by staring down at his feet and scuffing his long, narrow shoes on the drab industrial carpet.
To his evident relief, the commander said nothing directly to him, instead turning toward Woods again and addressing the entire group.
Although the doctor spoke pleasantly, there was no doubt she was giving an order. Considering how long everyone had gone without sleep, it couldn’t reasonably be disputed anyway. They’d all been functioning on coffee and excitement for the better part of two days. Hioki, leaning against the wall with his head still down, looked very close to dozing off where he stood. Marchenko yawned hugely, punctuating the end of the discussion. The group obediently adjourned, leaving the corridor empty and the laboratory under observation only by its cameras and automatic monitoring devices.
Coffee cups, energy bar wrappers, and other debris from the crew’s long hours littered the narrow countertops of the galley. It wasn’t Woods’ scheduled day to clean up, so he ignored the mess while rummaging in the depths of a cabinet for some herbal tea. Honey vanilla chamomile, yes, just the thing to help him get to sleep. Otherwise he’d likely find himself counting extraterrestrial microbes for hours, rather than sheep; or maybe his mind would keep on replaying that image of a seaweed stalk with a tiny leaf at the tip. Where had that image come from?
The quiet, constant hum of the ship’s air-circulation system formed a soothing backdrop to his pondering. Had his mind created the strange visions because of excitement and lack of sleep? He had to admit this was the most logical explanation. Even if an alien creature had tried to communicate with him, Woods couldn’t imagine how he could say anything meaningful in reply. He was a scientist, and a good one; but as far as he knew, telepathy wasn’t among his talents. And if those precise, detailed patterns on the seaweed leaves were the equivalent of a written language, it might take a team of linguists several years to work out their meaning.
The distinctive patterns on each leaf reminded him of traditional Chinese calligraphy, with curving strokes of different length and thickness. Unlike calligraphy, the symbols in the leaf-patterns were not separately drawn, nor were they arranged in evenly spaced lines of text. Instead they flowed smoothly together, branching from the base like the veins on a real leaf. They bore some resemblance to cursive writing, which was fast becoming a lost art in an age of videos and electronic text. Woods never had mastered cursive beyond signing his name. As he pictured the leaves, they came into sharp focus in his thoughts, each stroke of the tracery delineated; his visual memory always had been excellent.
A wave broke around him, insistent and forceful. He felt a touch on the forehead as before. Ice completed the series of images—a smooth, formless expanse stretching into the unknown. As the strange sensations faded, Woods heard something like a soft footstep, right next to him. It wasn’t a human footstep. Panic overtook him, and he leaped backward in reflex, stumbling toward the door.
Then he realized that what he’d heard was just the unopened single-serving tea packet falling out of his hand. Yes, there it was on the floor, nothing but harmless chamomile tea. He was alone in the galley; he hadn’t really been touched. As his breathing and heart rate slowly returned to normal, Woods tried once more to convince himself that excitement and sleep deprivation had been playing tricks with his mind. But this convenient explanation couldn’t get past the fact that the images had been repeated in the same order. If he’d been hallucinating, he surely wouldn’t have done it with such precision.
Memories half a century old began welling up inside him. These mysterious images made him feel like a small boy again, with his teachers putting him through one repetitive exercise after another. Even when he understood the meaning, his words often had come out wrong in conversation anyway. How could he possibly communicate in an extraterrestrial language, when just learning his native speech had been so much of a challenge for him?
Woods let out his breath in a frustrated sigh. There was a detailed first-contact protocol for communicating with a species believed to be sentient; had it been followed, the explorers would have left a cable in place between Europa’s surface and the ocean, with video and audio transmission equipment attached. They’d have taken only seawater samples for analysis, leaving the inhabitants of Europa unmolested. A team back on Earth would’ve gotten the job of conversing with the aliens. Woods certainly never would have found himself tasked with saying “we come in peace” through telepathic projections of leaf-vein calligraphy.
The other images in the series had been much simpler, though. If they represented a greeting, then the more detailed image with the tiny leaf on top could be the creature’s name. He had no way of knowing whether the individuals of this species had names; but if they did, the images would fit the syntax of a personal introduction. Touching someone on the forehead might be a friendly gesture like a handshake. And the ice of Europa, to those who inhabited the ocean beneath it, would be the boundary of the known world.
I touch you, unknown one.
Just a wild guess, Woods told himself. He never had studied linguistics, and he certainly wasn’t qualified to interpret symbols in an extraterrestrial language. Still, it felt right to him on an instinctive level he couldn’t have explained. And if he had gotten it right, then the response was obvious: he should introduce himself in turn, putting his name first in the sequence of images.
In as much detail as he could muster, he brought to mind the picture that always had represented his name in his thoughts—a large rock with a mark on the side, in a midwinter woods of leafless trees. No, that wouldn’t work; seasons and trees would have no meaning to a species that had never known either. Instead, he put three leafless seaweed stalks next to the mark. Then he repeated the images of a wave, a touch, and the seven-leaved stalk that ended in a leaf much smaller than the others.
Mark Woods greets Tiny Leaf.
Sitting in three neat rows of desks, the middle school students did their best to look attentive and ignore a furiously buzzing fly on the window. The classroom was otherwise quiet on this sunny spring morning, except for the distant sounds of highway traffic and the squeaky new shoes of the boy walking forward to present his science report. Mark was tall for an eleven-year-old, with the promise of a broad, muscular adult frame. His sandy hair bristled in a military-style buzz cut, which was the usual fate that befell male students seen fidgeting with their hair.
Unfolding a large three-panel cardboard display on the presentation table at the front of the classroom, Mark kept his gaze focused on the audience. Maintaining eye contact and typical body language always counted for much of the grade; this was part of the school’s behavioral program for autism treatment. Having been a resident student for more than seven years, Mark had very little idea of how other people went about their lives beyond the school’s walls. All he knew was that the teachers were quick to point out his faults whenever he did something that other people wouldn’t do.
Carefully printed black lettering at the top of the center panel gave the report’s title: Extremophiles of Hydrothermal Vents, by Mark Woods, April 2011. Pictures of various types of bacteria, worms, and other organisms had been glued all over the display. A dark plume bubbled up from the bottom of the page, cut from black construction paper and representing the mineral-rich water flowing from a thermal vent in the ocean’s sunless depths.
“Good morning everyone, I hope you’ll enjoy my report on creatures that live where nothing else could survive!” As he began to speak, Mark went through the usual mental checklist as he’d been taught: smile, keep looking at his classmates, and put enthusiasm into his voice. The last item wasn’t hard to do because he really did find thermal vents and their inhabitants absolutely fascinating. But he also had to be careful not to get so enthusiastic that his body language would look wrong to his teacher, Mr. Rafferty, a rotund older man whose deep-set brown eyes always kept close watch on the students from behind thick bifocals.
Mark described in more detail the tube worms and other creatures shown on his display. He occasionally glanced toward the teacher, who sat quietly at his desk taking notes. That was a good sign, because if Mr. Rafferty didn’t like anything in a student’s presentation he wouldn’t wait until afterward to say so. A high grade on this report would earn Mark enough points to get the new set of Legos he’d been coveting in the school’s rewards store. But if he messed up, he’d get nothing but another lecture on why his behavior was all wrong.
One hand was promptly raised. Thomas, who sat in the middle row and had a round, amiable face, began typing a question on his iPad. Although Thomas also had been at the school for many years, he had never learned to speak fluently and could say only a few words, with great difficulty. He used a text-to-speech app when he wanted to say something.
A few students shifted uncomfortably at their desks. Thomas was a Star Wars enthusiast who just couldn’t keep space travel and Jedi Knights out of his conversations, no matter how often or how loudly the teachers scolded him to stay on topic. Because his classmates all had gotten similar rebukes at one time or another, the sound of Thomas’ electronically generated voice mentioning other planets left them sure of what was coming.
The rainbow-bright cloud of imaginary microbes vanished, leaving Mark standing in front of the classroom with his hands outstretched. He’d been flapping his hands without being aware of it, which he did sometimes when he felt happy and excited. That always meant losing behavior points because it didn’t look normal. And he’d been told many times that if he didn’t look normal, then other people would think he was weird, and they wouldn’t want to be around him.
His classmates had nothing more to say, which was usually what happened when a teacher corrected a student’s behavior. Now that they’d lost their focus on the topic, they wanted to be done with it. Mark stumbled through his prepared closing remarks and went back to his seat.
The fly on the window was quiet now—just a tiny, motionless dot clinging to the double-paned glass. Sunlight beat down from the hot, cloudless sky. Highway noise still rose and fell, the indistinct sounds blending into a rhythm of purposeful activity as ordinary people went about their business, somewhere out of sight and even farther out of reach.
In hindsight, inviting a telepathic alien creature to have a friendly chat inside his head might not have been Woods’ most prudent option. No doubt he would have been more sensible if he hadn’t been massively sleep-deprived; but instead of thinking through the logical consequences as a scientist ought to do, he had impulsively returned what he believed to be words of greeting, even though he had no idea what he was going to do next.
The glare from the overhead lights assailed Woods’ half-closed eyes. A sour smell of unwashed coffee cups and rancid soymilk wafted from the galley’s countertops. Realizing that he had started to pace in tight circles, Woods stopped himself just in time to avoid crushing the tea packet he’d dropped on the floor. A lifetime of ingrained habit then prompted him to glance over his shoulder; he was still alone, that was good, there was nobody around who might think he was acting weird.
Except maybe the alien creature—whose reply to his greeting arrived a second later, shining brightly in his mind. First the name-image, Tiny Leaf, and then a wave breaking as before. The next image was recognizable as Woods’ own name, but it had been changed. Instead of a checkmark with three leafless vertical stalks of seaweed, it was a row of four stalks. The stalk on the right had a broken piece dangling from the top, so that it resembled an inverted checkmark.
Had he somehow described himself as broken, without meaning to do so? Maybe this reply meant the creature had decided he was too strange, too impulsive, or worse. Maybe it didn’t want anything more to do with him. That was what humans often did when they thought someone was abnormal, broken, damaged—why should an alien react any differently?
For a moment, Woods found himself pondering the secondary meaning of “mark” as a stain or scar, before his thoughts came back to the practical facts. He had no way of knowing what connotations his name might have in Tiny Leaf’s language, and there was nothing he could do about it anyway. That being so, he returned the image, acknowledging it as his name. Then, for lack of other useful vocabulary, he followed it with the wave and the seven-leaved stalk: Mark Woods speaks to Tiny Leaf.
In the quiet that followed, Woods became aware of his breathing, a ragged counterpoint to the precise background hum of the ventilation system’s fans. His eyelids felt too heavy to keep open. He looked down at the carpet to avoid the bright glint of chrome from the brewing machine, which reflected colors and shapes that made no sense to his overtired brain. None of what was happening made sense. Maybe he’d dreamed it all—just fallen asleep on his feet while standing in the galley.
The thought was swept away by an avalanche of seaweed stalks, with varying numbers of leaves and different symbols in the calligraphy along the veins. Leafless stalks appeared in several forms—straight stalks, bent stalks, the broken one that looked like an inverted checkmark, another stalk that was broken in the middle with the pieces side-by-side, and an arrangement that looked like a seven-pointed asterisk.
Flowers snapped shut, chunks of ice collided, and he felt the sinuous passage of something that resembled an eel. A smooth sheet of ice stretched away in all directions, similar to the one he’d assumed meant the unknown; but this time, a stylized crack spread across the ice, in the same pattern as the leafless stalk broken in the middle. The crack continued into the distance, with no apparent end, leaving Woods with the unsettling impression of a rip in the fabric of the universe.
A strong feeling of wrongness and confusion persisted even after the images faded. Woods returned a single image: the smooth, unbroken ice that he guessed might represent things unknown. He hoped that it could also convey his lack of understanding—sorry, the ignorant stranger from outside the known world hasn’t got a clue how to speak your language.
The response, when it came, was equally brief. Woods felt a sensation like a clasping of hands, except that his feet sensed it as well. It was a soft touch, as if intended as gentle reassurance. Perhaps he was being too fanciful, imagining that Tiny Leaf meant to offer him comfort—why should she want to, after all, when he was one of her captors? But without any other ideas, he figured it was as good an explanation as any.
After a few minutes passed, making clear that the conversation—such as it was—had ended, Woods picked up the chamomile tea packet and started it brewing. He fumbled with the machine, bleary-eyed and lacking coordination. Regardless of whether the images had been real or hallucinated, there was no doubt he needed sleep, and plenty of it. Maybe he could make better sense of things tomorrow.
In the moment between sleep and waking, Woods flew on powerful wings through the luminous seascape of Europa, with an endless seaweed forest superimposed on the ocean of his recurring dream. Then reality took shape around him, consisting of his bunk and pillow; he’d mostly thrown off the sheets in his sleep. The ceiling tiles glowed dimly on their moonlight setting. Usually they brightened automatically to daylight intensity as ship’s morning arrived, but he had overridden the default setting to catch up on the sleep he’d missed. It was just past noon.
Well, maybe not everything he had seen was real. He skirted cautiously around the alien images in his memories, avoiding the detailed clarity of visual recall that appeared to trigger the link—if indeed it existed. Although making first contact with an extraterrestrial species was a fascinating idea in the abstract, it felt a lot scarier up close and personal. He wasn’t about to jump into any further conversations, assuming that was what they had been, until he’d gotten all the possible scenarios and their consequences sorted.
As a scientist, he knew he needed to rule out alternate explanations, such as the possibility that the images were nothing but hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation and excitement. If so, he wasn’t likely to see any more of them; lack of sleep had never given him hallucinations before, and certainly he couldn’t expect to have such an exciting adventure again. He could test this hypothesis by recalling the images in vivid detail; if nothing happened, then they probably weren’t real.
But what if something did happen? If more images appeared, how would he know whether he was hallucinating or whether it was a real conversation? Was there any objective way to measure the existence of telepathy and prove it one way or the other? Without such proof, he couldn’t say anything to his shipmates about it—they’d surely assume it was all in his head.
He gave the question more thought in the shower, where the repetitive sound of running water helped to calm and focus his thoughts. If he had a better understanding of Tiny Leaf’s language, he could ask her to do something physical that would demonstrate her ability to take instructions from him, such as swimming in circles or clapping her tentacles together. But he couldn’t reasonably expect to get anywhere near that level of proficiency soon; and what if he inadvertently offended her with something he said? There might be nonverbal content, similar to voice tone and body language, in the timing of the images and how they were presented. Lots of potential pitfalls in that.
When he started thinking about a creepy sci-fi flick he’d once seen, where an alien took over the crew’s minds and made them crash on a planet of giant bloodsucking slugs, Woods got out of the shower. Maybe he’d feel better and think more clearly after eating breakfast. At the very least, it might distract him from remembering bad movies.
The main corridor loomed long and straight, though he knew that was an illusion. In fact, it curved gently upward in both directions like the inside of a big hamster wheel, constantly rotating. The centripetal force matched Earth’s gravity and felt normal to Woods by now, although getting used to it had taken some time after all the years he’d spent in the lower gravity of Mars. Perception was a tricky thing, even when you knew exactly what was going on.
He had almost reached the dining area when Hioki stepped out of another hallway. Evidently the young engineer had just finished showering too, as his thick black hair was damp and hadn’t been styled into its usual spiky anime-character look. Hioki still had a tired, puffy-eyed face, and his shirt was misbuttoned.
“Right,” Woods echoed, speaking by rote before he’d had time to fully process the question. Then he wasn’t sure what else he ought to say. That usually meant the most prudent course of action was to keep quiet, so he did.
A large brown suitcase stood next to the open door of the dormitory room, bulging with things that hadn’t been on the original list. When he’d started packing, Mark had expected to go home as usual for Christmas vacation, just as he’d done in past years. But then Dr. Ghorbanifar—the principal herself!—had come to his room and told him to pack everything; he wouldn’t be returning to the school.
“Why?” The unexplained announcement left him in such fear that he could speak only that one word. Where would he go? And what could he have done that was so wrong the school would put him out? He always got high marks in his classwork, and months had gone by since the last time he had lost behavior points for looking weird. He had even been allowed to grow his hair again because he’d stopped fidgeting with it.
Dr. Ghorbanifar kept her gaze fixed on him, a piercing dark-eyed stare that left him feeling like a bug in a researcher’s collection. Her reedy, accented voice filled the room. “Your parents will tell you more when they arrive. They are on the way. Pack now.” And off she’d gone again, her ankle-length black dress swishing in counterpoint to the thumping of her orthopedic shoes on the hard floor.
After he’d finished packing, Mark stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what he should do next. Would his parents come up to the room as they’d done before? Or should he wait in the lobby, now that it wasn’t his room anymore? He realized that he had started pacing from one side of the room to the other, and he quickly made himself stop before anyone could walk by and see him. Especially his parents. If they saw him doing something weird, they might send him to another school that was much worse. Someplace where he wouldn’t have any real classes or any chance to become a scientist.
Maybe that was going to happen anyway. Mark had heard plenty from his teachers about the horrible fate that awaited anyone who didn’t learn how to behave in society, how lucky the students were because the school was teaching them what they needed to know, and why they shouldn’t take their good fortune for granted—there was such a long waiting list for new students. Maybe he hadn’t learned enough about how to behave, and now he was being put out to make room for someone else. Maybe his parents had decided he wasn’t worth the cost of keeping him at the school. But what had he done that was so awful?
His toes twitched inside his shoes, now that he had stopped pacing. That was okay because nobody could see his toes in there. Even if one of his toenails dug into the next toe and made it bleed, which happened sometimes, he didn’t worry about that because it couldn’t be seen and the dark uniform socks hid the blood. Doing something weird wasn’t so bad if there was a way to hide it.
“Mark, it’s so wonderful to see you!” His mother breezed into the room, her steps lighter and quicker than he ever remembered them being. She carried a red coat over her arm and wore a tailored gray suit, which matched the dark gray of her eyes. Today her eyes crinkled with cheerful lines at the corners, and she didn’t have her usual deep furrows between the brows. She certainly didn’t look like she was angry with him about anything, so why had he been told he wasn’t coming back to the school?
Although this didn’t happen as often as when he’d been younger, sometimes Mark still found himself repeating words when there was a glitch in his speech processing. The way to hide it was to smile, make eye contact, look as normal as possible, and say something else that made sense.
He decided he’d better hug his mother too, although her strong floral perfume always made him feel nauseous when he got that close. It was worth it today; he couldn’t risk her seeing anything that might make her change her mind.
Woods had been sitting in the dining hall for a few minutes, mostly just looking at his hot oatmeal rather than eating it, when Mastroianni walked in from the galley carrying a lunch tray with soup and salad. She put the tray down on the table directly across from Woods and gave him a pleasant smile. He noticed that today she’d pinned back her long hair with a silver and turquoise clasp in a Southwestern style. No doubt it was a souvenir of long-ago travels; the Martian colonists generally favored simple, no-frills clothing like his own plain microfiber shirt and slacks.
“Yes, thanks,” Woods answered by rote. He touched his clean-shaven chin, which still felt odd after so many years with a beard. When he’d shaved today, he had given himself a small nick—which he hadn’t noticed right away—while preoccupied with thoughts of alien telepathy.
Although her tone hadn’t changed significantly on the last sentence, and she continued eating her salad like this was just an ordinary lunch, Woods could hear the shift into counselor mode. Well, he shouldn’t have expected anything else. Truth be told, if their positions had been reversed, there wasn’t much chance he would have taken alien telepathy seriously.
He returned the cheerful smile as he got up to take his empty bowl to the galley, though being a celebrity was the farthest thing from his mind. Having a research lab with a tank full of alien microbes, however, was beyond awesome, and he was eager to get back to work. This was what he’d been waiting for his entire life, after all! He could give more thought to the mysterious images and the benefits of journaling after his workday was over. Maybe then he’d have a clearer idea of how to proceed.
A fire crackled cheerily on a wide brick hearth, sparks rising and popping as a log settled farther down into the pile. Snowy hills and bare, icy branches gleamed in the moonlight outside a tall window with heavy crimson draperies drawn back. A hardwood floor, a colorful patterned rug beside the fireplace, a sofa and chairs upholstered in soft brown leather, and books neatly shelved in long rows along two walls gave the library a welcoming impression of old-fashioned solidity and comfort.
Impression was, of course, the operative word for the ship’s all-purpose recreation and relaxation area. Its current appearance as a library, as with all its other uses, was a carefully constructed illusion. The ceiling and walls consisted of flat-screen panels that displayed realistic 3-D images. The floor and furnishings, all made of synthetic materials, could be swapped for other décor in minutes by the maintenance robots. Scents and sounds added to the ambience. At present the room smelled like chestnuts roasting over an open fire, which had become popular since an ambitious reforestation program in the 2030s had planted blight-resistant chestnut trees across thousands of acres in the northern United States.
Sitting in one of the chairs with his attention focused intently on the glowing screen of his tablet, Woods didn’t even notice the distant sleigh bells and whinnying in the soundtrack of the Jingle Bells program. Earlier in the evening he had downloaded from the ship’s actual library (all on the computer, of course) several books and articles about linguistics and cultural anthropology. After he’d spent the day in the lab studying extraterrestrial microbes, all of this new material left him perilously close to information overload. Even so, he felt that he needed to read it. By now he had concluded that if he didn’t make the effort to investigate the possible existence of alien telepathy, it was unlikely anyone else would.
That resolve, however, was only the beginning; he still needed to work out a logical plan for how to proceed. From his library reading this evening, Woods had determined that his first task was to find a common frame of reference. But what might he have in common with a small marine creature that had been born (hatched? budded?) under kilometers of ice, sensing her surroundings in large part through touch? Or perhaps her species had other senses unknown to humans, which would further complicate matters. There wasn’t much he could assume was constant.
“Mathematics,” Woods said out loud to himself, looking up from his tablet at the flames dancing merrily on the hearth. A shower of sparks flew up and subsided. When a strong gust rattled the tall pane behind the draperies, the sound was so realistic that for a moment, he imagined he felt the room shaking. That was how life worked—once you understood what people expected, it wasn’t hard to show it to them. Life was all about finding common frames of reference.
Once upon a time, humans had learned to count by using their fingers. Maybe an alien species would do arithmetic by counting on their tentacles? Or they might teach their young to count chunks of ice, much as he had been taught to count blocks as a small boy. However they might go about it, arithmetic was one thing that couldn’t change. Two plus two always made four, regardless of where in the solar system you happened to be.
Needing a new folder on his tablet to document his efforts, Woods created one, with some feelings of reluctance. Lab notes were familiar territory, but he had never kept a personal journal. Everything he’d written on Mars had been shared fully with his manager and others on the project. It felt very strange to begin a journal with notes that he did not plan to share, at least not immediately. Science was a transparent process of searching for truth, without secrets. Or at least, that was what he had always thought it should be.
But science—as well as life generally—didn’t always match up with expectations. Woods sat in his comfortable chair for another hour composing a narrative description of the alien images he had seen. The fire had burned low on the virtual hearth and the program had restarted with a fresh pile of logs before he picked up a stylus to begin sketching. If the telepathic link had been real, then he expected clear visual recall would trigger it again. He closed his eyes, bringing to mind in as much detail as possible the image of a seaweed stalk with six paired leaves and a seventh tiny leaf at the tip.
The high school football field’s bleachers bustled with activity as late-arriving spectators found seats after the opening kickoff. Down on the field, the players lined up. Mark got into his position—outside linebacker, his first game as a starting player. And very likely his last, too; he was just filling in for a concussed teammate and couldn’t expect to become a first-team player in his junior year. Not when he had never stepped onto a football field until high school, while all the other boys had played on pee-wee teams long before. That gap was too wide to close, no matter how much he lifted weights and studied football strategy.
A camera flashed in the stands. Probably his dad, who came to every football game without fail, even though Mark was lucky if he got to play a few minutes at the end of a game. His parents had hung framed photos all over the house—Mark playing football, Mark standing in front of the high school with his books, Mark smiling for the camera at the neighborhood Fourth of July picnic. He wondered if that was supposed to make up for all the years when he hadn’t been part of their lives.
The first play was a run, stopped for no gain. Second down was much the same, with the opposing team gaining only a yard. Now they would have to throw. The quarterback looked for open receivers on third down and evidently couldn’t find any. He sprinted to his left, still looking for somewhere to throw as Mark took an intercept course. Then he saw Mark coming and backpedaled. Bad move. Mark put on an extra burst of speed and tackled him five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Dust flew up as both players hit the hard ground; the field wasn’t in the best shape this year, with bare spots in the weedy grass. Mark didn’t care about that—he got up grinning with a helmet full of dust, as cameras flashed and cheers erupted all around. Life was good.
Well, sometimes life was good. Other times, not so much.
Mark had heard several versions of this insult since he started high school; there wasn’t much that could stay secret among the rumor mills of suburbia. At first he hadn’t known how to deal with it, but then he figured out that it was just dominance behavior—not really any different from the apes and wolves he’d read about in biology books. So he worked on showing a dominant attitude, using trash-talk videos on YouTube as his model and practicing his delivery in the mirror.
The actual words didn’t matter much, he had concluded; it was all about having the right tone and delivery. Mark quickly sorted through his mental inventory of rude comebacks and picked one that seemed to fit reasonably well.
Smirk, swagger, chuckle. Then ignore the angry quarterback and saunter off the field as the punt return team comes on. Keep up a confident stride—it’s all under control, nothing hard about it, really. Just like acting. In the off-season Mark’s extracurricular activity was drama, not so much because he enjoyed it but because he saw it as a survival skill.
“Woo hoo, great punt return!” His teammates’ whooping and gleeful chatter brought Mark back to awareness of the moment. Standing on the sideline, he’d been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed what was happening on the field. That was okay—he could fake it, same as always. Just smile and put plenty of enthusiasm into his voice, and nobody would ever know that his mind had wandered.
“Hello,” said Tiny Leaf, her voice low and pleasant, a rich contralto that harmonized beautifully with the distant jingling of sleigh bells in the library program’s soundtrack.
But no, that couldn’t be right. Tiny Leaf was an extraterrestrial marine creature and therefore was highly unlikely to be speaking English, whether telepathically or in any other way. Putting down his stylus, Woods rubbed his tired eyes. It had gotten late in ship’s night while he sat reading about linguistics and cultural anthropology. No doubt he was still feeling the effects of his recent sleep deprivation.
What in fact had happened? He had picked up the stylus, while visualizing the seven-leaved stalk of seaweed-like vegetation that he guessed was a name-image. Then he had felt a wave—yes, that was it, an ocean wave breaking over him. No different from the wave-feeling that he had interpreted as a greeting before, except that this time his subconscious mind evidently had translated that perception into speech, without any intent on his part.
Because his primary mode of thought was in pictures, Woods always had internally translated his mental images to and from words. Whenever he’d learned a word as a child, he had associated it with a familiar image, such as the cracked rock and bare trees that represented his own name. That wouldn’t explain hearing Tiny Leaf speak to him, though—he’d never literally heard voices before now.
Alien conversation, or hallucinations and lack of sleep? He still lacked enough information to draw a conclusion one way or another. Just as with any research project, he would have to proceed on a working assumption while further investigating the facts. Assuming without deciding that this was a real conversation, Woods returned the wave-image, subvocalizing “Hello,” as he did so.
He hesitated, unsure of how to go on. When he’d thought about it earlier, he had decided to use numbers to communicate. It seemed a logical guess that an alien species might count on their tentacles, just as humans counted with fingers. But now he was having second thoughts. There hadn’t been any tentacles in the images he had seen. What if Tiny Leaf’s culture had a taboo against mentioning body parts? Maybe he should try something else instead, such as counting blocks of ice, so as not to be rude by mistake.
While he sat dithering, another image came into his thoughts—an upright stalk of seaweed, with one leaf toward the bottom, on the right. This faded away, to be replaced by another stalk that had two leaves, on opposite sides. The next image added a third leaf, also on the right.
Continuing the sequence, he filled in more leaves along the stalk—four, five, six. With three leaves on each side of the stalk, there was no remaining space to add more on either side. Woods found himself wondering what the seven-leaved stalk with a smaller leaf on top might mean—was it also a number? And what about the intricate patterns of veining that looked like calligraphy? So far, the sequence had included only simple leaf-images with rudimentary branching veins, all alike.
Those questions weren’t answered by what he saw next—a leafless upright stalk. Unlike the previous images, it did not fade when another stalk appeared to its left, with one leaf toward the bottom as before. This second stalk was then replaced with another that had two leaves. “Seven, eight, nine,” the spoken words continued, after a few seconds had passed.
“Base seven, right to left,” Woods noted in his tablet. That wasn’t surprising; after all, Tiny Leaf’s species had seven tentacles, not ten fingers. Holding the image clearly in his thoughts, he imagined adding two more leaves to the second stalk—that made ten, eleven—and then began counting backwards, taking away leaves in reverse order until he got down to a single stalk with one leaf.
The familiar image of smooth, unbroken ice that he had taken to mean something unknown appeared. Several seconds went by as he wondered why it was there. Surely there wasn’t anything in his counting that would have caused confusion. Maybe it somehow came next in the sequence? “Zero,” declared Tiny Leaf, confirming his last thought.
Wait, that was zero? How could that be—was it both a number and a metaphor? And why was the translation taking longer each time? Woods filed away these observations on his tablet for later pondering, as he didn’t have much insight into them at present. He decided to see what would happen with a negative number. Negative one—following the same pattern, that would be ice to the right of a stalk with one leaf.
Tiny Leaf returned the plain ice-image, followed by the broken-stalk inverted checkmark that Woods had seen before when he’d tried to introduce himself. The stalk with one leaf came next. “Zero minus one,” she informed him, the English narration lagging even farther behind the images. That lag was starting to make him feel uncomfortable—almost like he was a small boy again, struggling to fit spoken words together into something that made sense, even as they kept coming at him too fast to process.
A broken-stalk image with two horizontal pieces of equal size appeared, to be replaced by a broken-stalk checkmark and a stalk with one leaf to its left. Although the two horizontal pieces resembled an equals sign, they weren’t completely separate but instead were connected on the right side by a short vertical length of torn stalk with jagged edges. “Equals negative one,” he heard, the words slower and farther apart.
Woods dutifully noted all of that on his tablet, but this conversation—if indeed it was one, and not just a string of bizarre hallucinations—had started to feel like it wasn’t as much fun anymore. Instead of a fascinating puzzle for him to solve, it brought to mind all those painful old frustrations about not being able to communicate easily. He wasn’t a linguist, or even particularly good at speaking in his own language—why had he tried to do this?
Maybe it will get better, he tried to tell himself. After all, most things did, if he worked on them enough. The not-fun feeling definitely wasn’t improved, though, when he realized that by choosing three leafless stalks and a checkmark to represent his name yesterday, he had introduced himself not as Mark Woods but as Negative 21.
Going through his mail at the start of the workday, Woods skimmed the fan-letter summary prepared by an administrative assistant on Earth: this week he had received 80,236 messages from well-wishing admirers. They’d all been sent a canned video in which he thanked them for their kind words, attached to the agency’s form letter explaining that time and bandwidth didn’t allow for personal replies.
The crew members had recorded these videos several times during the mission, updating them as needed. Although a few letters had come in earlier, the fan-mail deluge hadn’t truly hit until the discovery of extraterrestrial life was announced. Mastroianni definitely had been right when she said they would all be celebrities. Woods still couldn’t wrap his mind around the concept, after working for so many years in relative obscurity on Mars. He was just grateful that the agency had been taking care of the situation efficiently.
Next up in his inbox was a video message from his cousin Carole, who lived in Delaware and hadn’t corresponded with him since their college years. He remembered her as thin and athletic, with straight mousy-brown hair. The screen image showed plump cheeks and a well-coiffed head of bright red curls. He surely never would have recognized her if they had happened to meet at random.
After a few more words that sounded like they were meant to be reassuring but didn’t at all have that effect, the message ended. Woods sat there staring at the bright screen without really seeing it. His mind seethed with anger and turmoil, which he pictured vividly as a hydrothermal vent spewing high-pressure boiling water into the depths of a dark ocean. That image was one he had constructed all too often as a boy learning to put words to his feelings—abandoned, unwanted, cast aside, an entire unseen ecosystem far from the rest of the world.
Why had he always been the one expected to show more understanding?
A wave-touch intruded upon his thoughts: Tiny Leaf’s signal to start a conversation. Just what he didn’t need right now, the telepathic equivalent of an alien phone ringing. Especially when he had no idea how to tell her to shut up and go away. Something like a Decline button would come in very handy right now; but other than basic arithmetic that consisted mainly of counting seaweed stalks and leaves, he was pretty much clueless. Deciphering alien languages wasn’t supposed to be his job anyway.
Number-images and others he couldn’t identify came next. “Six minus five. Three plus fourteen.” Something like an eel slithered by, twisting into a shape that resembled a sine curve. Woods waited for a spoken translation of that image, but none was forthcoming. His thoughts subsided into an irritated silence.
“Tiny Leaf, I have no idea what you’re saying. Less than none,” Woods declared out loud, his words sinking pointlessly into the empty room and the well-insulated bulkheads. He added an image in Tiny Leaf’s own language to underscore his frustration: ice, a broken-checkmark seaweed stalk, and another stalk with one leaf. Zero minus one.
The reply was immediate—another set of images in the weird ice-and-seaweed arithmetic, representing zero plus one. Woods fully expected to hear Tiny Leaf’s virtual voice saying just that. When the translation came, however, it unexpectedly took on a more complex sentence structure while still maintaining the gentle tone.
Harsh fluorescent light glinted off the knives in the lunch line of the university cafeteria. Mark turned away, trying only to focus on squeezing the ketchup onto his cheeseburger. Then he wished he hadn’t because it looked almost like blood squirting out. He put the top bun on too quickly and it came out uneven, hanging off one side of the burger and leaving some meat and cheese accusingly visible on the other. Awkward, askew, irregular, messed up, out of balance. Just like his life had been since he started classes last month.
He didn’t understand why. Everything was supposed to be going perfectly now. All through high school, he’d done what he needed to do—earned high marks while also finding time for extracurriculars and turning in a top performance on the standardized tests. When he received a full academic scholarship, his parents couldn’t complain much about his choice to study biology in California instead of staying closer to his Baltimore home. It was all going exactly the way he had planned it. So, obviously, there was no reason whatsoever for him to feel like a tiny string might catch at any moment and his whole life unravel.
Choosing a table at random, he ate the burger without really noticing how it tasted. Get a grip, this is all okay, he told himself for the umpteenth time. That was true, right? The classes were interesting, they weren’t that hard, and nothing had in fact gone wrong. Actually, it ought to be much easier now that he wasn’t playing football anymore and had plenty of time to study.
So why did a knife on the other side of the table make him think again of cutting himself? That was a vivid mental image he hadn’t been able to shake off—a blade slicing into the tight skin over his biceps, letting blood spurt out along with all the unbearable pressure that had built up for years. He hadn’t really done it, of course; and he wasn’t going to, either. Only crazy people cut themselves. Crazy people who didn’t know how to behave and got sent away to an institution.
Stepping out of the cafeteria into the warm autumn sunshine, he blinked to clear his eyes of tears, but his vision only got more blurred. Oh look, a big strong football player crying all over the sidewalk, his internal voice jeered. They’ll lock you up for sure if you keep on acting like this.
The soft voice came from somewhere to his right. Mark turned his head, blinked again, and got her into focus. Long blonde hair, shining brightly like spun gold tresses from a fairy tale. This apparition was entirely modern, though. She wore faded jeans and had strawberry-pink nail polish on the fingers of her right hand. The dark plastic of a prosthetic hand took the place of her left. Her blue eyes seemed kind, but Mark had learned long ago that it wasn’t safe to let anyone know what he was feeling, no matter what their intentions might be.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have allergies. Hay fever. It’s ragweed season, you know. Ah-CHOO!” He gave an exaggerated sneeze that wouldn’t have been out of place in one of his high school drama performances.
“Mark Woods,” he answered by rote, before it occurred to him that maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. Now that she knew his identity, what was to stop her from reporting him to campus security as someone who might be dangerously unstable? They could show up at his dorm room later, decide they didn’t like the look of him, and then bundle him off to a psych ward. Maybe the university would kick him out, just on the chance he might be a terrorist. He’d seen stories like that in the news.
Mark was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the best idea to mention that he never forgot how to spell anything because his brain automatically translated speech first into pictures and then into text-mode images like a scrolling internal background screen, in twelve-point Times New Roman font. But that conclusion didn’t give him any useful insight into how he ought to answer, and so he just stood there fumbling for words. Something about what it was like to be a freshman? So far it hadn’t been much fun, though, and he didn’t want to say that either.
She went on talking, but Mark didn’t hear much more of it. His only thought was that he must not have heard her correctly. After all the time and effort that he’d put into learning how to act just like everyone expected, surely a stranger he had just met couldn’t possibly think he was abnormal. Maybe she was just randomly making conversation about her cousin and didn’t mean anything by it. All those years of behavioral treatment at a residential school were supposed to have made his autism disappear—at least, that’s what his parents had been told when he came home.
He’d done all right at the regular high school, so it had to be true, didn’t it? Otherwise he was still damaged goods, a fraud who didn’t belong at the university with the normal people. If so, maybe he ought to slit his wrists and be done with it.
“I haven’t got a disability.” Mark almost didn’t recognize his own voice, which rang angrily in his ears before he had made any intentional decision to speak.
He stared back at her with very little comprehension; but somewhere, deep beneath the level of conscious awareness, he sensed things shifting into a different pattern. Like bubbles rising and bursting, he began to feel a release of the pressure that had been his constant companion for as long as he could remember.
Mark nodded, unsure if he could trust himself to speak.
Ocean waves rolled gently along a virtual beach on an outgoing tide, with seagulls squabbling on the sand and a soundtrack to match. The air had a salty tang, and the thick carpet looked enough like sand that it would have taken a close inspection to tell the difference. If the sole inhabitant of the spaceship’s rec room had gotten out of his lounge chair, he could easily have imagined that he was walking on real sand; the carpet’s texture created an almost perfect illusion.
But as usual, nearly all of Woods’ attention was on the tablet in his hand. Four months had gone by since his accidental discovery that he could communicate via telepathy with an extraterrestrial creature taken from Europa, and he was still trying to work out just how the alien language functioned. With no background in linguistics, he was baffled more often than not. His subconscious mind had taken up a fair amount of the slack, however, converting some of the language’s visual images into what sounded like spoken English in his thoughts.
About all he had gleaned from that tedious exercise was that the alien’s name was not in fact Tiny Leaf, as he had thought it to be. Rather, if he’d understood the translations with any degree of accuracy (which was certainly debatable), it was Six and a Half, Added to the Thirty-Second Part of the Whole that is Forty-Nine, Divided by Seven, Added to Three, Divided by Seven, Added to Four.
His overtaxed brain had rebelled at that and just kept on translating the name as Tiny Leaf anyway. Maybe all those numbers signified a genealogy, some kind of tribal identification, or the region where a particular family group lived. That went far beyond Woods’ realm of expertise, and he had no problem with leaving it for the linguists on Earth to sort out.
Assuming, of course, that he could find an effective way besides telepathy for the linguists and other scientists to communicate with Tiny Leaf. She had no eyes and apparently formed images of her surroundings by way of sonar, emitting high-pitched squeaks like a bat navigating through a jungle on a dark night. Although that ruled out teaching her to read by conventional means, surely a communication device suited to her needs could be built.
“Something with raised symbols,” Woods said, thinking out loud again; that would allow Tiny Leaf to identify them by touch. How to get started with such a project? He had no experience designing or building communication devices, but the ship had a capable engineer. Maybe Hioki, despite having shown some reluctance to discuss the telepathic images, could be persuaded to help. Even if he had been intimidated by the captain’s skeptical remarks or was a skeptic himself, Hioki might be willing to look into the matter further.
On the wall screen, the tide had just started to turn when Woods exited the program and left the room. He made his way along the ship’s main corridor and soon found Hioki in his small office just off the main engineering area. Evidently Hioki had spent more time than usual styling his long hair, which stuck out all over in elaborate spikes.
“Don’t say such things with the door open!” Hioki hissed, as a look of panic flashed across his face. Jumping up from the desk chair so fast that it almost toppled over, he shut the door before Woods even had time to completely process what he had said. | 2019-04-26T16:35:07Z | https://megevans.com/multi-part-stories/breaking-the-ice/ |
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Systematic Savings Bank . . . . . . . . The Bank of Missouri . . . . . . . . . US Bank Home Mortgage . . . . . . . Bathroom Accessories Bath Fitter . . . . . . . . . . (314) Custom Surface Solutions . . . . . . . . Edge Supply Company . . . . . . . . Harry Cooper Supply Company . . . . . . Metro Appliances & More . . . . . . . National Home Products . . . . . . . . Ozarks Marble . . . . . . . . . . Plumb Supply Company . . . . . . . . Southern Materials Co . . . . . . . . Springfield Rebath . . . . . . . . . . Top Tier Kitchens & Baths . . . . . . . . Blinds, Shutters, & Shades Bloomin’ Blinds . . . . . . . . . . Budget Blinds of SE Springfield . . . . . . Carney’s Window Coverings, Inc . . . . . Decorating Den Interiors . . . . . . . . Screenmobile of the Ozarks, LLC . . . . . . Bookcases Bill’s Custom Woodworks Inc. . . . . . . Cabinet Concepts by Design . . . . . . . EKR Designs, LLC . . . . . . . . . . Wood Craft & Companies, LLC . . . . . . Brick, Stone, Masonry, Sand Suppliers Acme Brick Company . . . . . . . . . Acme Brick Company . . . . . . . . . Fraley Masonry . . . . . . . . . . Midwest Block & Brick . . . . . . . . Rosales Masonry Co., LLC . . . . . . . Builder Rewards Program American Glass . . . . . . . . . . Builder: New Home Construction Alternative Energy Construction . . . . . . Archer Construction Company . . . . . . BP Builders LLC . . . . . . . . . . Braden Home Construction, LLC . . . . . . Built By Brett . . . . . . . . . . . Bussell Building, Inc. . . . . . . . . . CONSTRUCT Design Build LLC . . . . . . Cowherd Construction Co. Inc. . . . . . . Crutcher Custom Homes . . . . . . . . Cunningham Construction . . . . . . . Curran Construction, LLC . . . . . . . . Cutting Edge Homes LLC . . . . . . . . Dobbs & Stuhlsatz Custom Homes . . . . . Eck Group Building & Development LLC . . . . Essick Builders, LLC . . . . . . . . . Fahrlander Custom Homes, Inc . . . . . . Finley Homes LLC . . . . . . . . . . First Choice Construction, LLC. . . . . . . Gene Douglas Construction . . . . . . . Hawthorne Creek Homes . . . . . . . . Herman Custom Critical Homes . . . . . . HP Construction, LLC . . . . . . . . . Integrity Homes by Stewart . . . . . . . J. Russell MacLachlan Custom Homes . . . . John Marion Custom Homes, LLC . . . . . Kevin Clingan Home Design & Construction, Inc. . King Built Properties, LLC . . . . . . . . Martin Building & Development . . . . . . Master’s Plan Construction, LLC . . . . . . MC Homes, LLC . . . . . . . . . . Millstone Custom Homes . . . . . . . . Monticello Custom Homes & Remodeling . . . Morelock Ross Properties, Inc. . . . . . . Ramsey Building Company LLC . . . . . . Reid Homes, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads Design & Construction . . . . . . Robbins Create & Construct, LLC . . . . . .
Rock Solid Renovations . . . . . . . . Sam Bradley Homes . . . . . . . . . Stenger Homes, LLC . . . . . . . . . Three Stone Homes . . . . . . . . . Travis Miller Homes . . . . . . . . . Vita Bella Homes, LLC . . . . . . . . . Weber Home & Land LLC . . . . . . . . Williams Home Builders, LLC . . . . . . . Wise Built Homes . . . . . . . . . . Woodstone Builders, LLC . . . . . . . . Builder: Systems Built Homes Alternative Energy Construction . . . . . . Builder: Timber Frame Homes Dobbs & Stuhlsatz Custom Homes . . . . . J. Russell MacLachlan Custom Homes . . . . Ramsey Building Company LLC . . . . . . Building Materials: Home Centers Herrman Lumber Company . . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Building Materials: Specifications Creative Associates, Inc . . . . . . . . Building Materials: Wholesale Dyke Lumber Company . . . . . . . . Midwest Timber Supply LLC . . . . . . . Building Regulations City of Republic . . . . . . . . . . City of Springfield Building Development Services . Burglar & Fire Alarm Systems American Detection Specialist, Inc. . . . . . Atlas Security . . . . . . . . . . . Central Home Systems . . . . . . . . Federal Protection Inc . . . . . . . . . Mediacom . . . . . . . . . . (573) Business Coaching The Growth Coach . . . . . . . . . Cabinet Refinishing Cabinet Refinishing Center by Gleam Guard . . Cabinets Alpine Wood Products . . . . . . . . Bill’s Custom Woodworks Inc. . . . . . . Cabinet Concepts by Design . . . . . . . Cabinet Refinishing Center by Gleam Guard . . Creative Associates, Inc . . . . . . . . Dakota Cabinet Co, LLC . . . . . . . . Dave’s Custom Woodworking Inc . . . . . EKR Designs, LLC . . . . . . . . . . Home Design Wholesale . . . . . . . . Kitchenland U S A . . . . . . . . . . Ozark Mountain Granite Co . . . . . . . Southern Supply Company . . . . . . . Top Tier Kitchens & Baths . . . . . . . . Wood Craft & Companies, LLC . . . . . . Carpenters J&M Custom Carpentry . . . . . . . . Carpet & Floor Coverings Bearden Carpet . . . . . . . . . . Casual Carpets, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Classic Wood Floors . . . . . . . . . Color Tile and Carpet . . . . . . . . . Decorating Den Interiors . . . . . . . . Discount Dave’s LLC . . . . . . . . . Habitat For Humanity . . . . . . . . . Midwest Rug Company . . . . . . . . Missouri Tile . . . . . . . . . . . Mouery’s Flooring . . . . . . . . . . Springfield Carpet One . . . . . . . . Stoneridge Flooring Design . . . . . . . The Carpet Shoppe, Inc. . . . . . . . . Vermillion Hardwood Flooring . . . . . .
Commercial BP Builders LLC . . . . . . . . . . Curran Construction, LLC . . . . . . . . John Marion Custom Homes, LLC . . . . . Master’s Plan Construction, LLC . . . . . . Woodstone Builders, LLC . . . . . . . . Concrete - Flatwork Anderson Construction Co., Inc. . . . . . . Concrete Enhancements . . . . . . . . John A. Barnett Enterprises, LLC . . . . . . R.L.’s Swimming Pools . . . . . . . . . Tidwell Concrete, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Wightman Construction, LLC . . . . . (636) Concrete & Cement City Wide Construction Products . . . . . . Conco . . . . . . . . . . . . . Concrete Enhancements . . . . . . . . John A. Barnett Enterprises, LLC . . . . . . Renew Crew . . . . . . . . . . . Southwest Materials Inc . . . . . . . . Springfield Ready Mix Co. . . . . . . . Tidwell Concrete, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Concrete Sealing Concrete Enhancements . . . . . . . . Sherwin Williams . . . . . . . . . . Tidwell Concrete, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Concrete Walls Alternative Energy Construction . . . . . . H&H Concrete Construction, Inc. . . . . . . John A. Barnett Enterprises, LLC . . . . . . Mills Foundation, LLC . . . . . . . . . TF Forming Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . Construction Disbursement Fidelity Title Agency . . . . . . . . . Great American Title . . . . . . . . . Hogan Land Title Co . . . . . . . . . WACO Title . . . . . . . . . . . Construction Equipment Hayden Machinery, LLC . . . . . . . . Consumer Verification Service Better Business Bureau of Southwest MO . . . Contracting Services SGF Contracting Services, Inc. . . . . . . Copper Work Advanced Metal Fabricators . . . . . . . Countertops Advanced Metal Fabricators . . . . . . . Cabinet Concepts by Design . . . . . . . Custom Granite & Tile, LLC . . . . . . . Custom Surface Solutions . . . . . . . . Dal-Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kitchenland U S A . . . . . . . . . . Ozark Mountain Granite Co . . . . . . . Ozarks Marble . . . . . . . . . . Solid Surface Designs, Inc . . . . . . . Taylor Marble Co. . . . . . . . . . . Top Tier Kitchens & Baths . . . . . . . . Unique Tile, LTD . . . . . . . . . . Vermillion Hardwood Flooring . . . . . . Wood Craft & Companies, LLC . . . . . . Crawl Space Systems Bolivar Insulation of Spfld, LLC (A G5 Company) . Cultured Marble Suppliers Ozarks Marble . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Marble Co. . . . . . . . . . . Custom Draperies Budget Blinds of SE Springfield . . . . . . Carney’s Window Coverings, Inc . . . . . Erica Lea Design Studios . . . . . . . . Gina McMurtrey Interiors LLC . . . . . . JC Penney . . . . . . . . . . . .
Custom Made Furniture Obelisk Home . . . . . . . . Custom Screen Doors Screenmobile of the Ozarks, LLC . . . Decks Arrowhead Building Supply . . . . Friga Construction Co. Inc . . . . KennCo Construction . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . MMC Fencing & Railing . . . . . Renew Crew . . . . . . . . Southwestern Professional Exteriors . . St. Clair of the Ozarks . . . . . Sustainable by Nature . . . . . The Deck Company . . . . . . W Bar Y Fence . . . . . . . White House Renovations, LLC . . . Decorating Carney’s Window Coverings, Inc . . Decorating Den Interiors . . . . . Erica Lea Design Studios . . . . . Gina McMurtrey Interiors LLC . . . J.L. Thompson Design Group, Inc . . Obelisk Home . . . . . . . . Decorative Concrete Advanced Lawn Care & Fertilizer, Inc. . Concrete Enhancements . . . . . Custom Surface Solutions . . . . . Mocrete . . . . . . . . . Tidwell Concrete, Inc. . . . . . . Wightman Construction, LLC . . . . Disaster Restoration Bixler Corporation . . . . . . . KennCo Construction . . . . . . Doors, Exterior & Interior Alpine Wood Products . . . . . Alside . . . . . . . . . . American Glass . . . . . . . Brookline Doorworks . . . . . . Dyke Lumber Company . . . . . Habitat For Humanity . . . . . . Herrman Lumber Company . . . . Janss Lumber Co., LLC . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Midwest Window & Door Corp. . . . Pella Window & Door of Springfield . . Renner Supply Company . . . . . SmithCo Exteriors, LLC . . . . . Southern Supply Company . . . . The Millwork Shoppe . . . . . . Window World of Springfield . . . Windsor Windows & Doors . . . .
890-8637 . 724-9400 . 633-3188 . . . 343-6058 . . . 230-2524 . . . 616-6488 . .
833-6575 830-2060 . . . 536-7785 . . . 889-7171 . . . 883-4787 . (636) 262-1109 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 887-6682 . 862-6223 . 827-1428 . 581-9034 . 866-0990 . 443-1550 .
866-6664 . . . .
Drywall & Plaster Contractors Hoagland Drywall, LLC . . . . . Superior Interiors, Inc. . . . . . Drywall, Plaster & Sheetrock Suppliers Allied Manufacturing Company . . . Foundation Building Materials . . . Meek’s Insulation & Drywall . . . . Wildcat Materials Inc . . . . . . Electrical Plan Design Davis Electric, LLC . . . . . . . Electrical Suppliers Harry Cooper Supply Company . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Nixa Hardware & Seed Co . . . . The Light House Gallery . . . . . Electrician Davis Electric, LLC . . . . . . . Electric Green, LLC . . . . . . Fitch Electric, LLC . . . . . . . Sechler Electric . . . . . . . Skywire Electrical Systems, LLC . . . Springfield Electric, LLC . . . . . Elevators Country Home Elevator & Stair Lifts . . Energy Audit Services B&G Drafting, Inc. . . . . . . Sun Solar . . . . . . . . . Energy Efficiency HP Construction, LLC . . . . . . insulUSA, LLC . . . . . . . . Lennox Industries . . . . . . . Ozark Foam InSEALators . . . . . SS&B Heating & Cooling . . . . . Symbiont Services . . . . . . . Engineered Lumber Herrman Lumber Company . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Engineers Miller Engineering, P.C. . . . . . Entertainment Systems 3D Smart Homes LLC . . . . . . Interactive Home Systems . . . . . Rave Design Services . . . . . . SCS Home Entertainment . . . . . Sunbelt Environmental Services . . . Equipment Suppliers, Rentals Hayden Machinery, LLC . . . . . Wildcat Tool Rental . . . . . . Excavating, Grading, & Trenching Advanced Lawn Care & Fertilizer, Inc. . Anderson Construction Co., Inc. . . . Gillespie Excavating Co, LLC . . . . JAG’S Lawn and Landscape . . . . LaFollette Excavating . . . . . . Myron Royce Gardens . . . . . Reed’s Plumbing & Excavation . . . Wildman Plumbing . . . . . . Exterior Wood Treatment Renew Crew . . . . . . . . Sherwin Williams . . . . . . . Fences Advanced Welding & Ornamental Iron . Anchor Fence . . . . . . . . Carnahan-White, Inc . . . . . . MMC Fencing & Railing . . . . . Ozark Fence and Supply Co., Inc. . . Renew Crew . . . . . . . . Robinson Fence . . . . . . . Trimworks Lawncare, Inc. . . . . . W Bar Y Fence . . . . . . .
Financial Institutions Arvest Bank . . . . . . . . . . . Central Bank of the Ozarks . . . . . . . Central Bank of the Ozarks . . . . . . . Commerce Bank . . . . . . . . . . Flat Branch Home Loans . . . . . . . . Great Southern Bank . . . . . . . . . Guaranty Bank . . . . . . . . . . O’Bannon Bank . . . . . . . . . . Old Missouri Bank . . . . . . . . . Springfield First Community Bank . . . . . Systematic Savings Bank . . . . . . . . The Bank of Missouri . . . . . . . . . US Bank Home Mortgage . . . . . . . USA Mortgage Bank . . . . . . . . . Fire Damage Restoration Bixler Corporation . . . . . . . . . . Curran Construction, LLC . . . . . . . . KennCo Construction . . . . . . . . . Fire Sprinkler Installation DeLong Plumbing Two, Inc. . . . . . . . Gold Mechanical, Inc. . . . . . . . . Lorenz Plumbing, Heating & Air . . . . . . Fireplaces & Mantels Custom Granite & Tile, LLC . . . . . . . Heartwood Lumber Sales, Inc . . . . . . HMI Fireplace Shops . . . . . . . . . Home Design Wholesale . . . . . . . . LCS Kleen-Aire, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Maschino’s . . . . . . . . . . . . Meek’s Design Center . . . . . . . . . Meek’s Insulation & Drywall . . . . . . . Nixa Hardware & Seed Co . . . . . . . Rosales Masonry Co., LLC . . . . . . . Solid Surface Designs, Inc . . . . . . . Unique Tile, LTD . . . . . . . . . . Foundation Repairs Anderson Construction Co., Inc. . . . . . . Foundation Recovery Systems . . . . . . P.E.P. Waterproofing, LLC . . . . . . (573) Foundation/Basement Sealing Advanced Foundation Coatings, Inc. . . . . Anderson Construction Co., Inc. . . . . . . Garage Doors Brookline Doorworks . . . . . . . . . Renner Supply Company . . . . . . . . The Overhead Door Company of Springfield . . Gate & Gate Automation Anchor Fence . . . . . . . . . . . Brookline Doorworks . . . . . . . . . Carnahan-White / D & J Automatic . . . . . Carnahan-White, Inc . . . . . . . . . Federal Protection Inc . . . . . . . . . Ozark Fence and Supply Co., Inc. . . . . . Renner Supply Company . . . . . . . . Robinson Fence . . . . . . . . . . Generator All Klear Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Inc . . . Springfield Electric, LLC . . . . . . . . Geothermal Products Hewitt-Messenger Well Drilling . . . . . . Krueger Geothermal Systems, Inc . . . . . Larson Heating, Air and Plumbing . . . . . Lefty’s Pump and Drilling . . . . . . . . Lennox Industries . . . . . . . . . . Plumb Supply Company . . . . . . . . Signature Home Comfort HVAC, Inc . . . . . Springfield Electric, LLC . . . . . . . . Symbiont Services . . . . . . . . . . Glass & Mirrors Products American Glass . . . . . . . . . . National Home Products . . . . . . . .
Glass Block Acme Brick Company . . . . . . . . . Acme Brick Company . . . . . . . . . Glass Tint Budget Blinds of SE Springfield . . . . . . Graduate Master Builder (GMB) Sam Bradley Homes . . . . . . . . . Granite Custom Granite & Tile, LLC . . . . . . . Home Design Wholesale . . . . . . . . Ozark Mountain Granite Co . . . . . . . Solid Surface Designs, Inc . . . . . . . Taylor Marble Co. . . . . . . . . . . Unique Tile, LTD . . . . . . . . . . Vermillion Hardwood Flooring . . . . . . Ground Source Heat Pumps DeLong Plumbing Two, Inc. . . . . . . . Krueger Geothermal Systems, Inc . . . . . Lennox Industries . . . . . . . . . . Lorenz Plumbing, Heating & Air . . . . . . Signature Home Comfort HVAC, Inc . . . . . Gutters & Gutter Covers ABC Seamless Siding & Windows . . . . . ABC Supply . . . . . . . . . . . Advanced Metal Fabricators . . . . . . . Alside . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arrowhead Building Supply . . . . . . . Bolivar Insulation of Spfld, LLC (A G5 Company) . D Man Construction, LLC . . . . . . . . Glennstone Roofing and Fence . . . . . . Guttershield . . . . . . . . . . . Southwestern Professional Exteriors . . . . . St. Clair of the Ozarks . . . . . . . . Window World of Springfield . . . . . . Hardware Alpine Wood Products . . . . . . . . Kitchenland U S A . . . . . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . National Home Products . . . . . . . . The Millwork Shoppe . . . . . . . . . Heat Source Outdoor Furnace Systems Symbiont Services . . . . . . . . . . Heating & Air Conditioning Air and Water Solutions . . . . . . . . Air Services/All Service Plumbing . . . . . All Klear Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Inc . . . ATS Heating & Cooling . . . . . . . . Connelly Plumbing Company . . . . . . . DeLong Plumbing Two, Inc. . . . . . . . Gold Mechanical, Inc. . . . . . . . . J&J Plumbing & Heating Co. . . . . . . . Knight Heating & A/C . . . . . . . . Krueger Geothermal Systems, Inc . . . . . Larson Heating, Air and Plumbing . . . . . Lennox Industries . . . . . . . . . . Lorenz Plumbing, Heating & Air . . . . . . Nature’s Renewable Products . . . . . . Signature Home Comfort HVAC, Inc . . . . . SS&B Heating & Cooling . . . . . . . . Symbiont Services . . . . . . . . . . Home Automation 3D Smart Homes LLC . . . . . . . . . Rave Design Services . . . . . . . . . SCS Home Entertainment . . . . . . . . Southwest Audio-Visual . . . . . . . . SS&B Heating & Cooling . . . . . . . . Home Design Dale Peer Home Design, Inc . . . . . . . Erica Lea Design Studios . . . . . . . . Insight Design Architects, LLC . . . . . . . J.L. Thompson Design Group, Inc . . . . . Ramsey Building Company LLC . . . . . .
Home Furnishings & Furniture CountrySide BBQ Pro Shop . . . . . . . Decorating Den Interiors . . . . . . . . Erica Lea Design Studios . . . . . . . . Gina McMurtrey Interiors LLC . . . . . . Maschino’s . . . . . . . . . . . . Obelisk Home . . . . . . . . . . . Home Theaters 3D Smart Homes LLC . . . . . . . . . Central Home Systems . . . . . . . . Interactive Home Systems . . . . . . . . Rave Design Services . . . . . . . . . SCS Home Entertainment . . . . . . . . Southwest Audio-Visual . . . . . . . . House Plans B&G Drafting, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Dale Peer Home Design, Inc . . . . . . . Insight Design Architects, LLC . . . . . . . J.L. Thompson Design Group, Inc . . . . . Infrastructure Gillespie Excavating Co, LLC . . . . . . . LaFollette Excavating . . . . . . . . . Inground Spas R.L.’s Swimming Pools . . . . . . . . . Insulated Concrete Forms Alandsons Inc . . . . . . . . . . . Alternative Energy Construction . . . . . . Cutting Edge Homes LLC . . . . . . . . Millstone Custom Homes . . . . . . . . TF Forming Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . Insulation Alandsons Inc . . . . . . . . . . . Bolivar Insulation of Spfld, LLC (A G5 Company) . Bolivar Insulation of Spfld, LLC (A G5 Company) . Foundation Building Materials . . . . . . insulUSA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . Larson Heating, Air and Plumbing . . . . . Meek’s Insulation & Drywall . . . . . . . Ozark Foam InSEALators . . . . . . . . Performance Foam Insulation . . . . . . . Southwestern Professional Exteriors . . . . . TF Forming Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . Insurance Always Better Insurance . . . . . . . . Barker-Phillips-Jackson Inc. . . . . . . . Connell Insurance, Inc. . . . . . . . . Federated Mutual Insurance Companies . . . . Fidelity Title Agency . . . . . . . . . Fortner Insurance Services . . . . . . . Mid America Specialty Markets . . . . . . Naught-Naught Agency . . . . . . . . Interior Design Decorating Den Interiors . . . . . . . . Erica Lea Design Studios . . . . . . . . Gina McMurtrey Interiors LLC . . . . . . Interior Trim Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . The Millwork Shoppe . . . . . . . . . Investor Rehab Services SGF Contracting Services, Inc. . . . . . . Irrigation Gabris Landscaping, LLC . . . . . . . . JAG’S Lawn and Landscape . . . . . . . Lefty’s Pump and Drilling . . . . . . . . Myron Royce Gardens . . . . . . . . Trimworks Lawncare, Inc. . . . . . . . . Watersmith Irrigation, Inc . . . . . . . . Kitchen & Bath Bath Fitter . . . . . . . . . . (314) Bill’s Custom Woodworks Inc. . . . . . . Cabinet Concepts by Design . . . . . . . Creative Associates, Inc . . . . . . . . Custom Surface Solutions . . . . . . . .
886-5024 889-2067 . . . 887-6682 . . . 838-6011 . . . 840-4477 . . . 889-4300 . . . 753-4663 .
Edge Supply Company . . . . . First Choice Construction, LLC. . . . Gina McMurtrey Interiors LLC . . . Harry Cooper Supply Company . . . J.L. Thompson Design Group, Inc . . KennCo Construction . . . . . . Lifemark Bath & Home Solutions, LLC . Meek’s Design Center . . . . . . Metro Appliances & More . . . . Ozark Mountain Granite Co . . . . Ozarks Marble . . . . . . . Solid Surface Designs, Inc . . . . Southern Materials Co . . . . . Taylor Marble Co. . . . . . . . The Light House Gallery . . . . . Top Tier Kitchens & Baths . . . . . Unique Tile, LTD . . . . . . . Wood Craft & Companies, LLC . . . Land Developers Built By Brett . . . . . . . . Bussell Building, Inc . . . . . . HP Construction, LLC . . . . . . Morelock Ross Properties, Inc. . . . Robbins Create & Construct, LLC . . . Stenger Homes, LLC . . . . . . Three Stone Homes . . . . . . Landscaping & Lawn Advanced Lawn Care & Fertilizer, Inc. . Creative Outdoor Lighting . . . . Gabris Landscaping, LLC . . . . . JAG’S Lawn and Landscape . . . . Myron Royce Gardens . . . . . Nixa Hardware & Seed Co . . . . Rosales Masonry Co., LLC . . . . Sustainable by Nature . . . . . The Deck Company . . . . . . Trimworks Lawncare, Inc. . . . . . Watersmith Irrigation, Inc . . . . . Lending Arvest Bank . . . . . . . . Central Bank of the Ozarks . . . . Central Bank of the Ozarks . . . . Commerce Bank . . . . . . . Great Southern Bank . . . . . . Guaranty Bank . . . . . . . O’Bannon Bank . . . . . . . Old Missouri Bank . . . . . . Springfield First Community Bank . . Systematic Savings Bank . . . . . The Bank of Missouri . . . . . . US Bank Home Mortgage . . . . US Bank Home Mortgage . . . . USA Mortgage Bank . . . . . . Lighting Control 3D Smart Homes LLC . . . . . . Creative Outdoor Lighting . . . . Fitch Electric, LLC . . . . . . . Interactive Home Systems . . . . . Rave Design Services . . . . . . SCS Home Entertainment . . . . . The Light House Gallery . . . . . Lighting Fixtures Alpine Wood Products . . . . . Creative Outdoor Lighting . . . . Harry Cooper Supply Company . . . Metro Appliances & More . . . . Myron Royce Gardens . . . . . Obelisk Home . . . . . . . . The Light House Gallery . . . . . Lot Sales Cowherd Construction Co. Inc. . . . Hawthorne Creek Homes . . . . . Integrity Homes by Stewart . . . .
258-2584 882-0214 . . . 865-8392 . . . 833-1113 . . . 443-2648 . . . 616-6488 . . . 889-1088 . .
King Built Properties, LLC . . . . . Morelock Ross Properties, Inc. . . . Robbins Create & Construct, LLC . . . Stenger Homes, LLC . . . . . . Three Stone Homes . . . . . . Lumber Companies Dyke Lumber Company . . . . . Heartwood Lumber Sales, Inc . . . Herrman Lumber Company . . . . Janss Lumber Co., LLC . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Midwest Timber Supply LLC . . . . Southern Supply Company . . . . Manufactured Stone Acme Brick Company . . . . . . Acme Brick Company . . . . . . Dal-Tile . . . . . . . . . . Fraley Masonry . . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Rosales Masonry Co., LLC . . . . Masonry Contractors Fraley Masonry . . . . . . . Rosales Masonry Co., LLC . . . . Media ADsmith Marketing & Advertising . . KY3, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Mediacom . . . . . . . . . Midwest Droneworks . . . . . . News-Leader Media Group . . . . Springfield Business Journal . . . . Metal Roofing A-1 Guarantee Roofing . . . . . Advanced Metal Fabricators . . . . Dale’s Roofing, Inc . . . . . . Glennstone Roofing and Fence . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Metal Works Advanced Welding & Ornamental Iron . Millwork, Moldings, & Doors Alpine Wood Products . . . . . Dyke Lumber Company . . . . . Habitat For Humanity . . . . . . Heartwood Lumber Sales, Inc . . . Herrman Lumber Company . . . . Janss Lumber Co., LLC . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . Meek’s Design Center . . . . . . Southern Supply Company . . . . The Millwork Shoppe . . . . . . Modular Home Construction Three Stone Homes . . . . . . Mold Remediation Bixler Corporation . . . . . . . Dog Gone Mold . . . . . . . Sunbelt Environmental Services . . . Mortgages Central Bank of the Ozarks . . . . Central Bank of the Ozarks . . . . Commerce Bank . . . . . . .
. 883-0502 . 861-8544 . 883-4600 . 582-1715 . 889-1929 . 831-6800 .
. . . (573) . . . . . .
863-0613 . 873-9696 . . . 882-2158 . . . 860-8125 . . . 862-5595 .
Phone, Cable, Intercom Carnahan-White / D & J Automatic . . . . . Mediacom . . . . . . . . . . (573) SCS Home Entertainment . . . . . . . . Southwest Audio-Visual . . . . . . . . Photography Midwest Droneworks . . . . . . . . . Plumbing Contractors Air Services/All Service Plumbing . . . . . All Klear Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Inc . . . Connelly Plumbing Company . . . . . . . DeLong Plumbing Two, Inc. . . . . . . . Gold Mechanical, Inc. . . . . . . . . J&J Plumbing & Heating Co. . . . . . . . Krueger Geothermal Systems, Inc . . . . . Larson Heating, Air and Plumbing . . . . . Lorenz Plumbing, Heating & Air . . . . . . Reed’s Plumbing & Excavation . . . . . . Wildman Plumbing . . . . . . . . . Plumbing Suppliers Edge Supply Company . . . . . . . . Harry Cooper Supply Company . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Nixa Hardware & Seed Co . . . . . . . Plumb Supply Company . . . . . . . . Queen City Winnelson Co . . . . . . . Southern Materials Co . . . . . . . . Porta-Potties BWI Sanitation . . . . . . . . . . Power Washing Renew Crew . . . . . . . . . . . Printing/Graphics ADsmith Marketing & Advertising . . . . . ColorGraphic Printing Inc . . . . . . . . Signs Now . . . . . . . . . . . . Publications & Magazines 417 Magazine . . . . . . . . . . News-Leader Media Group . . . . . . . Springfield Business Journal . . . . . . . Quartz Counter Tops Solid Surface Designs, Inc . . . . . . . Taylor Marble Co. . . . . . . . . . . Railings Alside . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anchor Fence . . . . . . . . . . . MMC Fencing & Railing . . . . . . . . Ozark Fence and Supply Co., Inc. . . . . . Robinson Fence . . . . . . . . . . W Bar Y Fence . . . . . . . . . . Real Estate Sales & Marketing Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realtors - Greg Adkins . Eck Group Building & Development LLC . . . . Greater Springfield Board of Realtors . . . . Jim Hutcheson Realtors . . . . . . . . Keller Williams Realty . . . . . . . . . Keller Williams Realty - Midwest Property Sisters . Murney Associates, Realtors . . . . . . . Murney Associates, Realtors - Debi Murray . . . Murney Associates, Realtors - Donna Cleous . . Murney Associates, Realtors - Rebecca Martin . . Tri-Lakes Board of Realtors . . . . . . . Rebar DeVille Steel Inc. . . . . . . . . . . Fimco Steel Supply Co. . . . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Remodeling: Commercial BP Builders LLC . . . . . . . . . . Friga Construction Co. Inc . . . . . . . HA Construction Design . . . . . . . . Master’s Plan Construction, LLC . . . . . . Rock Solid Renovations . . . . . . . . Steward Construction, LLC . . . . . . .
887-6177 886-5024 . . 724-1018 . . 887-7134 . . 594-0632 . . 889-6000 . . 581-8096 . . 886-8976 . . 887-7707 . . 886-5882 . . 425-9401 . . 501-5133 .
Remodeling: Kitchen & Bath BP Builders LLC . . . . . . . . Built By Brett . . . . . . . . . Curran Construction, LLC . . . . . . Friga Construction Co. Inc . . . . . Master’s Plan Construction, LLC . . . . Rhoads Design & Construction . . . . Rock Solid Renovations . . . . . . Sam Bradley Homes . . . . . . . Steward Construction, LLC . . . . . Superior Exteriors & Remodeling . . . . The Property Doctors . . . . . . . White House Renovations, LLC . . . . Remodeling: Repairs HA Construction Design . . . . . . Steward Construction, LLC . . . . . Superior Exteriors & Remodeling . . . . Remodeling: Residential BP Builders LLC . . . . . . . . Built By Brett . . . . . . . . . Curran Construction, LLC . . . . . . Eck Group Building & Development LLC . . First Choice Construction, LLC . . . . Friga Construction Co. Inc . . . . . Gene Douglas Construction . . . . . HA Construction Design . . . . . . John Marion Custom Homes, LLC . . . Master’s Plan Construction, LLC . . . . Millstone Custom Homes . . . . . . Monticello Custom Homes & Remodeling . Rhoads Design & Construction . . . . Rock Solid Renovations . . . . . . Sam Bradley Homes . . . . . . . Steward Construction, LLC . . . . . Superior Exteriors & Remodeling . . . . The Property Doctors . . . . . . . White House Renovations, LLC . . . . Remodeling: Restoration . . . . . . Gene Douglas Construction . . . . . HA Construction Design . . . . . . Rental Equipment Hayden Machinery, LLC . . . . . . Wildcat Tool Rental . . . . . . . Residential Cleaning Bixler Corporation . . . . . . . . Residential Designs B&G Drafting, Inc. . . . . . . . Dale Peer Home Design, Inc . . . . . Gina McMurtrey Interiors LLC . . . . Insight Design Architects, LLC . . . . . J.L. Thompson Design Group, Inc . . . Roll Off Dumpsters Republic Services . . . . . . . . Waste Corporation of America . . . . Roofing Contractors A-1 Guarantee Roofing . . . . . . D Man Construction, LLC . . . . . . Dale’s Roofing, Inc . . . . . . . Glennstone Roofing and Fence . . . . KennCo Construction . . . . . . . Midwest Lifetime Roof Systems, Inc. . . . Roofing Suppliers ABC Supply . . . . . . . . . Arrowhead Building Supply . . . . . DJ Roofing Supply Inc. . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . Meek’s Insulation & Drywall . . . . . Safe Room FamilySAFE . . . . . . . . . Screen Repair American Glass . . . . . . . . Screenmobile of the Ozarks, LLC . . . .
883-5420 . 889-3545 . . 343-6058 . . 724-8553 . . 230-2524 .
863-0613 . 882-9595 . . 882-2158 . . 860-8125 . . 881-8147 (913) 393-3008 .
831-1830 879-7000 . . 865-4266 . . 889-1929 . . 883-0066 .
. 886-8032 . 883-9777 . . 866-4361 . . 831-7100 . . 725-5220 .
. 873-9696 881-3772 . 862-2446 .
. 224-3926 268-7399 . . 732-7233 . . 200-0052 .
Stair Lifts and Ramps Country Home Elevator & Stair Lifts . . . Lifemark Bath & Home Solutions, LLC . . Stairs & Railings Advanced Welding & Ornamental Iron . . Carnahan-White, Inc . . . . . . . Janss Lumber Co., LLC . . . . . . MMC Fencing & Railing . . . . . . The Millwork Shoppe . . . . . . . Stamped Concrete Concrete Enhancements . . . . . . Mocrete . . . . . . . . . . Tidwell Concrete, Inc. . . . . . . . Wightman Construction, LLC . . . . . Steel Siding ABC Seamless Siding & Windows . . . Steel Supplier Advanced Metal Fabricators . . . . . DeVille Steel Inc. . . . . . . . . Fimco Steel Supply Co. . . . . . . Storm Shelters Alternative Energy Construction . . . . F-5 Storm Shelter . . . . . . . . FamilySAFE . . . . . . . . . TF Forming Systems, Inc. . . . . . . Structural Insulated Panels Monticello Custom Homes & Remodeling . Structural Steel Fabricator DeVille Steel Inc. . . . . . . . . Fimco Steel Supply Co. . . . . . . Structured Media Systems Southwest Audio-Visual . . . . . . Sun & Pet Screens Screenmobile of the Ozarks, LLC . . . . Sun Rooms Gene Douglas Construction . . . . . Liberty Home Solutions, LLC . . . . . Screenmobile of the Ozarks, LLC . . . . SmithCo Exteriors, LLC . . . . . . St. Clair of the Ozarks . . . . . . White House Renovations, LLC . . . . Sustainable Housing Solutions HP Construction, LLC . . . . . . . Insight Design Architects, LLC . . . . . Sun Solar . . . . . . . . . . Swim Spa Le Dipping Parlor Spas . . . . . . Swimming Pools American Pool & Spa . . . . . . . Buster Crabbe Pools, Inc. . . . . . . Cutting Edge Homes LLC . . . . . . R.L.’s Swimming Pools . . . . . . . Springfield Pool & Spa . . . . . . Tables Custom Granite & Tile, LLC . . . . . Tankless Hot Water Systems Air and Water Solutions . . . . . . Connelly Plumbing Company . . . . . Tile Reed’s Plumbing & Excavation . . . . Acme Brick Company . . . . . . . Acme Brick Company . . . . . . . Casual Carpets, Inc. . . . . . . . Color Tile and Carpet . . . . . . . Custom Granite & Tile, LLC . . . . . Dal-Tile . . . . . . . . . . . Discount Dave’s LLC . . . . . . . Home Design Wholesale . . . . . . Kitchenland U S A . . . . . . . . Missouri Tile . . . . . . . . . Ozark Mountain Granite Co . . . . . Stoneridge Flooring Design . . . . . Unique Tile, LTD . . . . . . . .
881-0898 . . . .
Title Company Fidelity Title Agency . . . . . . . Great American Title . . . . . . . Hogan Land Title Co . . . . . . . WACO Title . . . . . . . . . Title Insurance Fidelity Title Agency . . . . . . . Great American Title . . . . . . . Hogan Land Title Co . . . . . . . WACO Title . . . . . . . . . Tools HK&W Supply . . . . . . . . . Missouri Tile . . . . . . . . . Nixa Hardware & Seed Co . . . . . Topsoil Gillespie Excavating Co, LLC . . . . . Trade Association MO Propane Education & Research Council Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce . Treated Lumber Herrman Lumber Company . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . Tree Service Gabris Landscaping, LLC . . . . . . Tub Liners Custom Surface Solutions . . . . . . Liberty Home Solutions, LLC . . . . . Springfield Rebath . . . . . . . . Top Tier Kitchens & Baths . . . . . . Universal Design Built By Brett . . . . . . . . . HP Construction, LLC . . . . . . . King Built Properties, LLC . . . . . . Lifemark Bath & Home Solutions, LLC . . Reid Homes, Inc. . . . . . . . . Steward Construction, LLC . . . . . Superior Exteriors & Remodeling . . . . Wise Built Homes . . . . . . . . Used Building Materials Archer Construction Company . . . . Habitat For Humanity . . . . . . . Utilities City Utilities of Springfield . . . . . Gillespie Excavating Co, LLC . . . . . LaFollette Excavating . . . . . . . Webster Electric Cooperative . . . . . Video Productions ADsmith Marketing & Advertising . . . Vinyl Specialist Color Tile and Carpet . . . . . . . Discount Dave’s LLC . . . . . . . W Bar Y Fence . . . . . . . . Walk In Tubs Lifemark Bath & Home Solutions, LLC . . Springfield Rebath . . . . . . . . Wall Covering Contractors Superior Interiors, Inc. . . . . . . Waste Disposal Republic Services . . . . . . . . Sunbelt Environmental Services . . . . Waste Corporation of America . . . . Water Damage Restoration Bixler Corporation . . . . . . . . KennCo Construction . . . . . . . Water Treatment Air and Water Solutions . . . . . . Culligan of Springfield . . . . . . Hewitt-Messenger Well Drilling . . . . Lefty’s Pump and Drilling . . . . . . Water Technology of the Ozarks . . . . Wildman Plumbing . . . . . . .
886-5024 . 887-6682 . 849-9817 . . 881-5433 . . 840-1616 . . 887-7707 . . 886-5882 . . 689-4224 .
. 888-2398 862-3283 . 862-5115 .
Water, Sewer, & Storm Drains Air Services/All Service Plumbing . . . . . Connelly Plumbing Company . . . . . . . Gillespie Excavating Co, LLC . . . . . . . LaFollette Excavating . . . . . . . . . Waterproofing Advanced Foundation Coatings, Inc. . . . . Anderson Construction Co., Inc. . . . . . . Dal-Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . Foundation Recovery Systems . . . . . . P.E.P. Waterproofing, LLC . . . . . . (573) Well Drilling Hewitt-Messenger Well Drilling . . . . . . Lefty’s Pump and Drilling . . . . . . . . Sunbelt Environmental Services . . . . . . Windows ABC Seamless Siding & Windows . . . . . ABC Supply . . . . . . . . . . . Alside . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Glass . . . . . . . . . . Andersen Windows . . . . . . . . . Arrowhead Building Supply . . . . . . . Bolivar Insulation of Spfld, LLC (A G5 Company) . D Man Construction, LLC . . . . . . . . Dyke Lumber Company . . . . . . . . Herrman Lumber Company . . . . . . . Janss Lumber Co., LLC . . . . . . . . KennCo Construction . . . . . . . . . Liberty Home Solutions, LLC . . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s Design Center . . . . . . . . . Midwest Window & Door Corp. . . . . . . Pella Window & Door of Springfield . . . . . SmithCo Exteriors, LLC . . . . . . . . Southern Supply Company . . . . . . . Southwestern Professional Exteriors . . . . . St. Clair of the Ozarks . . . . . . . . The Millwork Shoppe . . . . . . . . . Window World of Springfield . . . . . . Windsor Windows & Doors . . . . . . . Wood Floors Acme Brick Company . . . . . . . . . Bearden Carpet . . . . . . . . . . Casual Carpets, Inc. . . . . . . . . . Classic Wood Floors . . . . . . . . . Color Tile and Carpet . . . . . . . . . Creative Associates, Inc . . . . . . . . Discount Dave’s LLC . . . . . . . . . Heartwood Lumber Sales, Inc . . . . . . Home Design Wholesale . . . . . . . . Meek’s - The Builder’s Choice . . . . . . Meek’s Design Center . . . . . . . . . Midwest Rug Company . . . . . . . . Mouery’s Flooring . . . . . . . . . . Springfield Carpet One . . . . . . . . Stoneridge Flooring Design . . . . . . . The Carpet Shoppe, Inc. . . . . . . . . Vermillion Hardwood Flooring . . . . . .
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2010-10-01 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=26709596&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US6054337(A) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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2012-09-24 PTAB case IPR2012-00033 filed (Settlement) litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/IPR2012-00033 Petitioner: Institution date: 2013-02-26 Termination date: 2013-12-20 "Unified Patents PTAB Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
A method of making a multichip package includes providing a flexible substrate having a plurality of conductive traces and flexible leads connected to outer ends of the conductive traces adjacent the periphery of said flexible substrate. The flexible substrate includes conductive terminals accessible at a surface thereof connected to at least some of the conductive traces. The method includes providing a first microelectronic element having a front face including contacts and a back surface and assembling the front face thereof with the flexible substrate; depositing a compliant element over the back surface of the first microelectronic element; providing a second microelectronic element having a front face including contacts and assembling the front face thereof with the compliant element so that the second microelectronic element overlies the first microelectronic element; and electrically interconnecting the first and second microelectronic elements with one another and with the conductive terminals by connecting the flexible leads to the second microelectronic element and connecting at least some of the traces to the first microelectronic element.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/033,352 filed Dec. 13, 1996, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to the art of electronic packaging, and more specifically relates to compliant multichip packages and to methods of making the same.
Modern electronic devices utilize semiconductor chips, commonly referred to as integrated circuits which incorporate numerous electronic elements. These chips are typically mounted on external circuit elements, such as printed circuit boards, which physically support the chips and electrically interconnect each chip with other elements of the circuit. As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,148,265; 5,148,266; 5,455,390, 5,518,964 and the corresponding WO 96/02068 published Jan. 25, 1996, as well as in co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 08/653,016 filed May 24, 1996; 08/678,808 filed Jul. 12, 1996 as well as Ser. No. 08/532,528 filed Sep. 22, 1995, the disclosures of which are all incorporated by reference herein, it may be desirable to provide interconnections between the contacts on a chip and the external circuit element by providing a flexible dielectric element having conductive terminals and flexible leads. The dielectric element is generally a flexible substrate and is typically referred to as an "interposer" or a "chip carrier." The dielectric element is preferably juxtaposed with the chip so that the chip and the dielectric element may be electrically interconnected by connecting the leads of the dielectric element to the contacts of the chip. The electrically interconnected chip and dielectric element is typically referred to as a "chip package." In turn, the terminals on the dielectric element may be connected to the external circuit element by, inter alia, solder bonding the terminals to the contact pads of the external circuit element. During operation, the dielectric element of the package remains movable with respect to the chip so as to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction of the elements. In other words, the chip can move with respect to the dielectric element as the chip grows and shrinks during changes in temperature. In a particularly preferred arrangement, a compliant dielectric layer is incorporated into the package. The compliant layer, which may be formed from a soft material such as a gel, elastomer, foam or the like, preferably lies between the chip and the terminals of the dielectric element. The compliant layer mechanically decouples the dielectric element and terminals from the chip and facilitates movement of the chip and the dielectric element relative to one another. The compliant layer may also permit movement of the terminals in the Z direction, i.e. towards the chip, which further facilitates testing and mounting of the chip package. As further disclosed in the above-mentioned patents and patent applications, one or more chips may be mounted to a common dielectric element or interposer. Alternatively, several chips may be mounted in a single package, commonly referred to as a "multichip module." These chips may be connected to one another and to a common set of external connecting elements, so that the entire chip package can be mounted to the substrate as a unit. The dielectric element may incorporate conductive traces which form interconnections between the various chips and electronic components of the package and which completes circuits as required.
The size of the chip and the chip packages is a major concern, because the size of each such package influences the overall size of the electronic device. Moreover, the size of each package controls the required distance between each of the chips within the package as well as the distance between each chip and the other elements of the circuit. Delays in transmission of electrical signals between chips, which limit the operating speed of the device, are directly related to these distances. For example, in a computer where a central processing unit operates cyclically, signals must be interchanged between the central processing unit chip and other chips during each cycle. The transmission delays inherent in such interchanges often limit the cycling rate of the central processing chip. Thus, more compact interconnection assemblies, with smaller distances between chips and smaller signal transmission delays, are necessary to provide for faster operation of the central processing chip.
One embodiment of the invention taught in the above-mentioned '265 Patent includes a plurality of semiconductor chip assemblies stacked one atop the other. Each individual semiconductor chip assembly includes a chip having a front contact-bearing face and a rear surface. The assembly includes an interposer overlying the front face of the chip and having central terminals which are connected to the chip contacts through conductive leads. In turn, the leads have outer extensions extending outwardly beyond the chip contacts and beyond the edges of the chip. A sheet-like backing element having conductive terminals on a surface thereof abuts the rear face of chip, so that the chip is sandwiched between the backing element and the interposer. A plurality of the above-described chip assemblies are combined to form a larger, multichip circuit assembly, whereby the chip assemblies are electrically interconnected and stacked one atop the other, with the backing element of each chip assembly overlying the interposer of the next lower chip assembly.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,159, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, also discloses a stacked chip assembly including a plurality of semiconductor chips which are stacked one atop the other and electrically interconnected. In one embodiment, a stacked chip assembly includes three chips: a top chip, an intermediate chip and a bottom chip. The chips are electrically interconnected with one another and the assembly is electrically connected to an external circuit element.
The stacked circuit assemblies or multichip packages shown and described in the '265 and '159 Patents are particularly useful for accommodating large numbers of chips in a small area. The chips are stacked in essentially the same circuit board area as ordinarily occupied by a single chip. These stacked packages are especially useful with memory chips such as random access memory chips, whereby the chips are provided with parallel connections to a data bus.
However, still further improvements in chip assemblies and in the methods utilized to make the same would be desirable.
One aspect of the invention provides a multichip package. A package in accordance with this aspect of the invention includes a substrate, most preferably a flexible substrate such as a dielectric sheet. The substrate has a plurality of conductive traces and flexible leads connected to outer ends of said conductive traces adjacent the periphery of said flexible substrate. The substrate also has conductive terminals accessible at one or more surfaces thereof which are connected to at least some of said traces.
The package also includes first and second microelectronic elements. The first microelectronic element typically is a relatively small semiconductor chip such as a memory chip, and has a front face including contacts and a back face. The front face of the first microelectronic element confronts the flexible substrate, typically adjacent the center of the substrate. The second microelectronic element typically is larger than the first microelectronic element. Preferably, the second microelectronic element is a chip such as a microprocessor, microcontroller or application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC") which must interchange signals with the first microelectronic element during operation. The second microelectronic element has a front face including contacts. The second microelectronic element overlies the first microelectronic element and substrate, with the front face of said second microelectronic element facing toward said substrate. Typically, the second microelectronic element extends outwardly beyond the first microelectronic element.
Most preferably, the package also includes a compliant element disposed alongside the first microelectronic element, between the second microelectronic element and the substrate. The compliant element desirably includes a compliant layer extending between the back face of the first microelectronic element and the front face of the first microelectronic element.
The flexible leads, and hence at least some of the traces, are connected to the contacts of the second microelectronic element. At least some of the traces are connected to the contacts of the first microelectronic element and to the contacts of the second microelectronic element for electrically interconnecting the first and second microelectronic elements with one another and with the terminals on the substrate.
Packages in accordance with these aspects of the present invention provide microelectronic elements stacked closely together in a vertical configuration, and connected to one another. Stacking the microelectronic elements closely together reduces both the distance between the microelectronic elements and the length of the conductive traces interconnecting the microelectronic elements. As a result, the signal transmission time between the microelectronic elements will be shorter and the clock speed of the microelectronic elements may be increased. In certain cases, the chips packaged in the multichip package of the present invention can perform more functions in the same amount of time than similar chips provided in standard microelectronic packages. For example, the operating speed of a microprocessor is sometimes limited by the speed at which the microprocessor can exchange data with an associated memory. Where the memory and the microprocessor are provided in a package according to this aspect of the invention, the rate of data exchange, and hence the speed of operation of the microprocessor, may be increased.
The stacked multichip packages according to this aspect the present invention also save valuable "footprint" space on the circuit board so that the overall size of the electronic devices incorporating the package may be reduced. The package which provides interconnection between the first and second microelectronic elements also provides electrical connections between one or both of these elements and a larger circuit. Thus, the packaged microelectronic elements can be connected to a larger circuit by connecting the terminals on the substrate to the larger circuit, as by bonding the terminals to contact pads on a circuit panel. Moreover, the compliant element and flexible leads provide mechanical decoupling at least between the relatively large second microelectronic element and the substrate. The package therefore can compensate for thermal expansion and contraction during operation while maintaining reliable electrical connections.
Further aspects of the present invention provide methods of making a compliant multichip packages. Such a method desirably includes the steps of providing a substrate, most preferably a flexible substrate such as a sheet-like dielectric film, having a plurality of conductive traces and flexible leads connected to outer ends of the conductive traces adjacent to the periphery of the flexible substrate, the flexible substrate including conductive terminals accessible at a surface thereof connected to at least some of the conductive traces. The flexible substrate has a first surface and a second surface and may include an interior bond window. The inner ends of the conductive traces may extend at least partially across the interior bond window. In certain embodiments the inner ends of the conductive traces may also include flexible leads. The flexible substrate may also include an exterior bond window adjacent the periphery of the flexible substrate, with the flexible leads connected to the outer ends of the conductive traces extending at least partially across the exterior bond window. The flexible substrate preferably includes an inner region and an outer region surrounding the inner region with the exterior bond window lying between the inner and outer regions. The inner region of the flexible substrate desirably includes a central region which is bounded and defined by the interior bond window.
A first microelectronic element, having a front face including contacts and a rear surface is assembled with the flexible substrate. The front face of the first microelectronic element preferably includes a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion, with the contacts of the first microelectronic element disposed in the peripheral portion thereof. During assembly with the flexible substrate, the central portion of the first microelectronic element is abutted against the central region of the flexible substrate with the contacts of the first microelectronic element aligned with the interior bond window and the interior ends of the traces.
A second microelectronic element, such as a microprocessor or microcontroller, preferably having a front face including contacts is assembled with the first microelectronic element and substrate so that the front face of the second microelectronic element overlies the first microelectronic element and the flexible substrate. The second microelectronic element is preferably larger than the first microelectronic element, and the second microelectronic element thus protrudes beyond the periphery of the first microelectronic element. The front face of the second microelectronic element may include a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion with the contacts of the second microelectronic element disposed in the peripheral portion of the front face. During assembly, the contacts of the second microelectronic element are aligned with the flexible leads connected to outer ends of the conductive traces adjacent the periphery of the flexible substrate.
The first and second microelectronic elements are preferably electrically interconnected with one another and with the conductive terminals by connecting the flexible leads to the second microelectronic element and connecting at least some of the inner ends of the conductive traces to the first microelectronic element.
A compliant element, preferably comprising a resilient material such as a silicone elastomer, most preferably is provided in the space between the second microelectronic element and the substrate. Thus, the compliant element extends alongside of the first microelectronic element. The compliant element desirably also extends between the rear surface of the first microelectronic element and the front surface of the second microelectronic element. The compliant element may be provided as a pre-formed element such as a substantially continuous compliant pad which is deposited over the rear surface of the first microelectronic element and the flexible substrate, during the assembly process. The compliant pad desirably includes a pre-formed cut-out region therein having dimensions substantially similar to the dimensions of the sides and rear surface of the first microelectronic element. The cut-out region preferably intimately surrounds the sides and the rear surface of the first microelectronic element after being deposited thereover.
The compliant element may also be formed by allowing a curable liquid to flow into the assembly and curing the liquid. For example, standoffs, such as a plurality of compliant pads defining channels therebetween, may be provided between the first and second microelectronic elements, between the second microelectronic element and the substrate, or both. When the curable liquid is introduced the curable liquid flows through the channels between the compliant pads. Before the curable liquid is introduced, a protective layer, such as a coverlay, is preferably provided to cover the interior and exterior bond windows and protect the terminals from contamination by the liquid.
The multichip package may be connected to an external circuit element, such as a printed circuit board, via the conductive terminals of the flexible substrate.
Further aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments set forth below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1A shows an exploded side view of a compliant multichip package according to one preferred embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 1B shows a front view of a first microelectronic element shown in FIG. 1A.
FIG. 1C shows a front view of a second microelectronic element shown in FIG. 1A.
FIG. 2A shows a bottom fragmentary view of a flexible substrate used in the compliant multichip package shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2B shows a close-up view of a portion of the flexible substrate shown in FIG. 2A.
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the compliant multichip package shown in FIG. 1 during further stages of an assembly process.
FIG. 4 shows the package of FIG. 3 during further stages of an assembly process.
FIG. 5 shows a bottom fragmentary view of the flexible substrate shown in FIG. 1 according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows an exploded side view of a compliant multichip package according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 shows a side view of the compliant multichip package shown in FIG. 6 during further stages of an assembly process according to preferred embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 9 shows a side view of the package shown in FIG. 8 during further stages of an assembly process according to preferred methods of the present invention.
FIG. 10 shows a side view of the package shown in FIG. 9 during further stages of an assembly process according to preferred embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 11 shows a fragmentary side view of a plurality of compliant pads used during assembly of a compliant multichip package according to further preferred embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 12 shows a fragmentary side view of the compliant pads shown in FIG. 11 during further stages of an assembly process according to preferred embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 13 shows a fragmentary side view of a compliant multichip package according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 shows close-up fragmentary side view of the compliant multichip package shown in FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 shows a side view of a compliant multichip package according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 shows a side view of a compliant multichip package according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 shows a fragmentary top view of the package shown in FIG. 16 during one stage of an assembly process.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-2B, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method of making a compliant multichip package 20 which includes providing a flexible substrate 22 having a top surface 24 and a bottom surface 26. The flexible substrate 22 preferably includes a sheet-like dielectric film of the type used in tape automated bonding ("TAB") processes. The flexible substrate 22 is provided with sprocket holes 28 to facilitate feeding and movement of the flexible substrate 22 during various assembly processes. The flexible substrate is preferably about 0.01 to about 0.1 millimeters thick. The terms "top" and "bottom" are used herein to indicate directions relative to the structure of the compliant multichip package itself. It should be understood that these terms are used to refer to the frame of reference of the package itself, and not to the ordinary, gravitational frame of reference. Likewise, the terms "front" and "rear" and "upwardly" and "downwardly" should also be understood as referring to the frame of reference of the component itself.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the flexible substrate 22 has an interior bond window 30 and an exterior bond window 32. The interior bond window 30 and the exterior bond window 32 include gaps in the form of elongated channels which extend through the flexible substrate 22 from the top surface 24 to the bottom surface 26 thereof. The interior bond window 30 includes two channels which are substantially parallel to one another; however, the interior bond window may have more or less than two substantially parallel channels depending on the chip or microelectronic component selected for attachment to the flexible substrate 22. The exterior bond window 32 includes gaps which are contiguous with one another to form a square or ring-shaped bond window. The flexible substrate 22 includes an inner region 34 and a peripheral region 36 which surrounds the inner region 34, the exterior bond window 32 lying between the inner region 34 and the peripheral region 36. The inner region 34 of the flexible substrate 22 also includes a central region 37 which is bounded and defined by the interior bond window 30.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the flexible substrate 22 includes a plurality of conductive traces 38 having outer ends 40 extending toward the peripheral region 36 of the flexible substrate and inner ends 41 extending toward the central region 37 of the flexible substrate. The conductive traces 38 are desirably photolithographically defined from a single sheet of copper attached, such as by lamination, electroplating or sputtering processes, to the top surface 24 of the flexible substrate 22. The substrate includes flexible leads 42A connected to outer ends 40 of the conductive traces 38. The flexible leads 42A at the outer ends 40 of the conductive traces 38 extend at least partially across the exterior bond window 32. Thus, the inner region 34 of the flexible substrate 22 is temporarily connected to the peripheral region 36 of the flexible substrate 22 by the flexible leads which extend across the exterior bond window 32. The flexible leads 42A connected to the outer ends 40 of the conductive traces 38 are preferably configured to be detachable from the peripheral region of flexible substrate 22. Detachable lead structures are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,489,749 and 5,536,909, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Flexible leads 42B connected to the inner ends 41 of the conductive traces 38 extend at least partially across the interior bond window 30. Leads 42B may be detachably secured to the central region 37, or else may be permanently secured on both sides of the slot or interior bond window 30. The flexible substrate 22 includes conductive terminals 44 accessible at the bottom surface 26 thereof which are connected to at least some of the conductive traces 38.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1B, a first microelectronic element 50, preferably a relatively small semiconductor chip such as a memory chip, has a front face 52 including contacts 54 and a rear surface 56. The first microelectronic element 50 has a central region 58 and a peripheral region 60 surrounding the central region 58 with the contacts 54 on the front face 52 thereof being disposed in the peripheral region 60. The first microelectronic element 50 is assembled with the flexible substrate 22 so that the central portion 58 thereof is abutted against the central region 37 of the flexible substrate 22, with the contacts 54 aligned with the interior bond window 30. Alignment of the contacts 54 with the interior bond window 30 facilitates bonding of the flexible leads 42B at the inner ends 41 of conductive traces 38 with the contacts 54 of the first microelectronic element 50. In certain preferred embodiments, a bonding tape or adhesive (not shown) may be provided between the flexible substrate 22 and the first microelectronic element 50 using standard lamination or screen printing techniques to form a strong bond between the first microelectronic element 50 and the flexible substrate 22. The flexible leads 42B at the inner ends 41 of the conductive traces 38 are then bonded to the contacts 54 on the front face 52 of the first microelectronic element 50, such as by using an ultrasonic or thermosonic bonding technique conventionally known in the art or by using the various bonding techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,398,863; 5,390,844; 5,536,909 and 5,491,302.
A pre-formed compliant element 58, such as a compliant silicone elastomer material, is then deposited over the rear surface 56 of the first microelectronic element 50 so that the compliant element 58 completely covers the edges 60 and the rear surface 56 of the first microelectronic element 50. The compliant element 58 preferably includes a substantially continuous compliant pad having a pre-formed, cut-out region 62 or indentation having dimensions substantially similar to the external dimensions of the edges 60 and rear surface 56 of the first microelectronic element 50. The compliant element includes a relatively thick, rectangular ring-like structure 59 surrounding indentation 62, and a relatively thin compliant layer 61 forming a floor at the rear surface of the indentation. The cut-out region 62 intimately surrounds and engages the edges 60 and rear surface 56 of the first microelectronic element 50.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1C, a second microelectronic element 64, which typically is a relatively large semiconductor chip such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller or an ASIC, is then provided over a rear surface 66 of the compliant element 58 remote from the rear surface 56 of the first microelectronic element 50. The second microelectronic element 64 is larger in size than the first microelectronic element 50. The second microelectronic element 64 desirably includes a front face 68 having a central portion 70, a peripheral portion 72 which surrounds the central portion 70 and contacts 74 disposed in the peripheral portion 72. The second microelectronic element 64 is assembled with the compliant element 58 so that the central portion 70 thereof is abutted against the rear surface 66 of the compliant element 58. Thus, the front face 68 of second microelectronic element 64 faces toward the first microelectronic element 50 and the substrate 22. Compliant layer 61 is disposed between the confronting faces of the microelectronic elements, whereas the ring-like structure 59 extends alongside of the first microelectronic element in the space between the second microelectronic element and substrate 22.
Referring to FIG. 3, after the second microelectronic element 64 has been assembled to the compliant element 58, the second microelectronic element 64 overlies the first microelectronic element 50 and the flexible substrate 22, with the contacts 74 of the second microelectronic element 64 aligned with the exterior bond window 32. The flexible leads 42A at the outer ends 40 of the conductive traces 38 are then connected to the contacts 74 of the second microelectronic element 64. In this process, flexible leads 42A are bent downwardly to the vertically-extensive configuration depicted in FIG. 3. In this configuration, leads 42A extend alongside the outer edges of the compliant element 58.
When leads 42A are connected, traces 38 electrically interconnect the first and second microelectronic elements 50 and 64 with one another. Connection of flexible leads 42A to the second microelectronic element 64 also serves to connect the second microelectronic element to terminals 44. Only some of the conductive traces 38 are connected to the conductive terminals 44. For example, the conductive trace 38A shown on the left side of FIG. 3A interconnects the first and second microelectronic elements 50 and 64 with one another and with the conductive terminal 44. The conductive trace 38B on the right side of FIG. 3A interconnects the first and second microelectronic elements 50 and 64 with one another, however, it is not connected to a conductive terminal. Also, only some of the conductive traces 38 interconnect the first and second microelectronic elements. Thus, trace 38C connects the second microelectronic element to a terminal 44, but does not make connection with the first microelectronic element 50.
Referring to FIG. 4, a curable liquid encapsulant 76, such as a liquid silicone elastomer, is then introduced between the second microelectronic element 64 and the first surface 24 of the flexible substrate 22. Before the curable liquid encapsulant is introduced, a protective coverlay 78, such as that disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/032,871 filed Dec. 13, 1996, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, is provided over the bottom surface 26 of the flexible substrate 22 to cover the interior and exterior bond windows 30 and 32. The coverlay, prevents the liquid encapsulant from flowing through the bond windows and contacting the terminals 44 at the bottom surface 26 of the flexible substrate 22. The curable liquid encapsulant 76 is then cured to form a compliant material, using energy such as heat or ultraviolet light. The compliant material formed from the cured encapsulant merges with the compliant material of the original compliant element 58 to form a larger compliant element encompassing the first and second microelectronic elements and flexible leads 42A.
The finished package can be handled, stored and shipped as a unit. It can be connected to a circuit panel (not shown) by bonding terminals 44 to contact pads on the circuit panel, as by solder bonding the terminals to the contact pads.
FIG. 5 shows a flexible substrate 222 according to yet another embodiment which includes conductive terminals 244B which are accessible at the central region 237 of the flexible substrate and which are connected to conductive traces 238 running to the interior bond window 230. The flexible substrate also includes conductive terminals 244A which are accessible at the inner region 236 of the flexible substrate 222 and which are connected to conductive traces extending toward the exterior bond window 232 or which extend between the exterior bond window 232 and the interior bond window 230. Substrate 222 can be used in the same manner as the substrate discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-4.
Referring to FIG. 6, in another embodiment of the present invention the compliant element includes a plurality of central compliant pads 358 which are provided over the central region of front face 368 of the second microelectronic element 364. The compliant element also includes a plurality of peripheral compliant pads 371 provided over the peripheral region of the second microelectronic element. As shown in FIG. 7, a stencil 380 having a top surface 382 and a bottom surface 384 with a plurality of apertures 386 formed therein is provided over the central region of front face 368 of the second microelectronic element 364 so that the bottom surface 384 of the stencil mask 380 abuts against the front face 368 of the second microelectronic element 364. A curable liquid material 388, such as a curable silicone elastomer, is then screened or stenciled printed across the top surface 382 of the stencil mask 380 so that the silicone elastomer 388 fills the apertures 386. The stencil mask 380 is then removed from engagement with the front face 368 of the second microelectronic element 364. The uncured silicone elastomer pads 358 remain on the front face 368 of the second microelectronic element 364. Peripheral compliant pads 371 are formed using a similar stencil (not shown) overlying the peripheral region of the microelectronic element. The compliant pads 358 and 371 preferably are only partially cured, so that they have sufficient rigidity to remain in place but still remain tacky. The cure is not completed until later stages of the assembly process.
Referring to FIG. 8, the rear face 356 of the first microelectronic element 350 is then abutted against surfaces of the compliant pads 358 which are remote from the front face 368 of the second microelectronic element 364. The flexible substrate 322 is then assembled with the first and second microelectronic elements 350 and 364 so that the interior bond window 330 is aligned with the contacts 354 of the first microelectronic element 350 and the exterior bond window 332 is aligned with the contacts 374 of the second microelectronic element 364. The peripheral region of substrate 322 is supported by the peripheral compliant pads 371. The first and second microelectronic elements 350 and 360 are then electrically interconnected with one another and with at least some of the conductive terminals 344 using the bonding techniques described above. In a variant of the process, the pad assembly process described above may be reversed. In these embodiments the first microelectronic element 350 is assembled with the flexible substrate 322 and the compliant pads 358 are assembled with the rear surface 356 of the first microelectronic element 350. Peripheral pads 371 are assembled to the peripheral region of the substrate. The second microelectronic element is then assembled with the compliant pads 358 and 371, and the first and second microelectronic elements 350 and 364 are then interconnected with one another and with at least some of the conductive terminals 344.
Referring to FIG. 9, a curable liquid encapsulant 376 is introduced between the second microelectronic element 364 and the flexible substrate 322 in accordance with the methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,952, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Before the liquid encapsulant is introduced, a protective coverlay 392A, such as that disclosed in copending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/726,697, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, is provided over the second surface 326 of the flexible substrate 322 to prevent the curable liquid encapsulant 376 from flowing through the interior and exterior bond windows 330 and 332 and contacting the conductive terminals 344 accessible at the second surface 326 of the flexible substrate 322. A second protective coverlay 392B may be provided over the rear surface 394 of the second microelectronic element 364. After the liquid encapsulant 376 is introduced, it surrounds the conductive traces 338 and passes through the channels 390 between the compliant pads 358 and 371. The encapsulant is then cured using energy such as heat or ultraviolet light. The encapsulant 376 is preferably CTE matched with the compliant pads 358 and 371 so that the pads and the encapsulant form a uniform compliant element between the second microelectronic element 364 and the flexible substrate 322. The protective coverlays 392A and 392B may be removed after the curable liquid encapsulant 376 has been cured or may remain in place while the package is in storage to protect the package and the conductive terminals 344 from contamination. As a final stage in the process, the outer portion of the compliant element formed by encapsulant 376 may then be severed outside the periphery of the second microelectronic element 364, along the axis designated A--A, to provide an individual compliant multichip packages of precise size.
Referring to FIG. 10, after the encapsulant layer 376 has been severed, the encapsulant layer extends beyond the perimeter of the second microelectronic element to provide resilient bumpers 390 around the perimeter of the package.
Referring to FIG. 11 in another preferred embodiment of the present invention the plurality of compliant pads 458 described above may be transferable, such as those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/879,922, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. In this particular embodiment, the plurality of compliant pads 458 are initially stored separately from the other package elements, between a first storage liner 494 and a second storage liner 496. The first and second storage liners 494 and 496 include a tacky material 498, such as an adhesive, which provides tack to the top and bottom surfaces of the compliant pads 458. The tacky material 498 may be an adhesive such as a pressure sensitive adhesive or other known adhesive for providing the surface regions of the compliant pads 458 with tack. During assembly operations, the first storage liner 494 is peeled away from the plurality of compliant pads 458 to expose the bottom surfaces of the compliant pads. Prior to peeling off the first liner 494, heat may be applied to the exterior surface of the first liner 494 to reduce the level of tack between the first liner 494 and the compliant pads 458 to thereby ensure that the compliant pads 458 will remain attached to the second liner 496 until it is desirable to remove the second liner 496. After heat has been applied, the first liner 494 should preferably be pulled at a severe angle which further ensures that the compliant pads 458 remain attached to the second storage liner 496.
Referring to FIG. 12, after the first liner has been removed, the compliant pads 458 are assembled to the front face 468 of the second microelectronic element 464. The second storage liner 496 is then removed from the compliant pads 458 to expose the top surface region thereof and the rear surface of the first microelectronic element (not shown) is preferably abutted against the top surface of the compliant pads 458. The flexible substrate is then assembled with the first microelectronic element as described above with reference to FIGS. 8-10. Peripheral compliant pads (not shown) are provided by a similar process. In other preferred embodiments the transferable compliant pads are first assembled with the rear surface of the first microelectronic element and with the peripheral portion of the substrate.
Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, in other preferred embodiments of the present invention the inner ends 541 of the conductive traces 538 which extend to the interior bond window 530 are releasably attached to the flexible substrate 522. In these embodiments, the inner ends 541 of the conductive traces 538 bridge the bond windows 530. The inner ends 541 are bonded to the contacts 554 of the first microelectronic element by advancing a thermosonic, ultrasonic or other similar bonding tool into the bond window to form permanent bonds 595 between the lead ends and the contacts 554. Although the bonds 595 are depicted in FIGS. 13 and 14 as having some downward bending relative to the rest of the conductive traces, this is not essential. The inner ends of the traces need not be flexible. Rigid connections between the inner ends of the traces and the first microelectronic element do not provide for mechanical decoupling of the first microelectronic element and the substrate. However, where the first microelectronic element is relatively small, the stresses created during operation by differential thermal expansion and warpage of the first microelectronic element are also relatively small. Therefore, the absence of mechanical decoupling can be tolerated at these connections. However, the outer ends of the leads, which are connected to the larger, second microelectronic element, should be flexible to accommodate the larger relative motion of the contacts on the second microelectronic element. Stated another way, mechanical decoupling of the second microelectronic element from the substrate is more important than mechanical decoupling of the first microelectronic element from the substrate.
Referring to FIG. 15, in another embodiment of the present invention the conductive traces 638 are provided over the second surface 626 of the flexible substrate 622, facing away from the microelectronic elements. The contacts 654 of the first microelectronic element 650 electrically connected to the conductive traces 638 through conductive vias 697 extending through the flexible substrate 622.
Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flexible substrate 722 includes an interior bond window 730 which is a unitary central aperture extending between the top and bottom surface thereof. In this embodiment, the central region of the substrate inside of the interior bond window used in the embodiments discussed above is omitted. The conductive traces 738 extend across the first surface 724 of the flexible substrate 722. The inner ends 741 of the conductive traces 738 include flexible leads 742 which are cantilevered over the central aperture. The flexible leads 742 at the inner ends 741 of the conductive traces 738 are connected to the contacts 754 of the first microelectronic element 750 through conventional tape automated bonding techniques. The flexible leads 742 at the outer ends 740 of the conductive traces 738 are connected to the contacts 774 of the second microelectronic element 764 in a substantially similar manner. The conductive traces 738 are electrically connected to the conductive terminals 744 through conductive vias 797 extending through the flexible substrate 722. The flexible leads 742 at the inner and outer ends of the conductive traces 738 are preferably encapsulated using the curable liquid encapsulant processes described above. The encapsulant (not shown) is then cured to provide a compliant layer for the package 720.
As will be appreciated, numerous further variations and combinations of the features discussed above can be utilized without departing from the present invention as defined by the claims. For example, the compliant layer disposed between the first and second microelectronic elements, such as compliant layer 61 (FIGS. 1A, 3 and 4), may be omitted. The rear surface of the first microelectronic element may be bonded to the front surface of the second microelectronic element. This results in loss of the mechanical decoupling function provided by the compliant layer. Conversely, an additional compliant layer can be provided between the first microelectronic element and the substrate, and flexible leads can be used at the inner ends of the traces. These features provide mechanical decoupling of the first microelectronic element and the substrate. Additional microelectronic elements may be stacked atop or between the first and second microelectronic element and electrically interconnected thereto, preferably by traces on the substrate. In these embodiments, additional compliant elements may be provided between each additional microelectronic element. In other embodiments, the multichip packages may include the first and second microelectronic elements provided one atop the other with additional microelectronic elements provided to the side(s) of the first and second microelectronic elements. The additional microelectronic elements provided to the side(s) are also disposed within the package. In still other embodiments, the package may include additional packaging elements such as a metallic heat sink or protective cover overlying the rear surface of the second microelectronic element and preferably surrounding the other components. In further preferred embodiments, a plurality of the above-described multichip packages are provided side-by-side so that the packages may be simultaneously encapsulated to provide a unitary compliant element extending into several packages. The unitary compliant element is then severed to separate the packages from one another. For example, the second microelectronic elements may be chips constituting parts of a wafer, and the remaining process steps may be performed before severing the chips from one another while also severing the unitary compliant element. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the preferred embodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation of the invention as defined in the claims.
(e) electrically interconnecting said first and second microelectronic elements with one another and with said conductive terminals by connecting said flexible leads to the contacts of said second microelectronic element and connecting at least some of said traces to the contacts of said first microelectronic element.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of providing a compliant element includes the step of providing a compliant layer between said first and second semiconductor chip.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said substrate is flexible.
4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said flexible substrate includes an interior bond window and said conductive traces have inner ends extending at least partially across said interior bond window.
5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said inner ends of said conductive traces include flexible leads.
6. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the assembling said first microelectronic element step includes the step of aligning said contacts of said first semiconductor chip with said interior bond window of said flexible substrate.
7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the assembling said second microelectronic element step includes the step of aligning said contacts of said second semiconductor chip with said flexible leads connected to said outer ends of said conductive traces.
8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said flexible substrate has an exterior bond window, wherein said flexible leads connected to outer ends of said conductive traces extend at least partially across said exterior bond window.
9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said flexible substrate includes an inner region and an outer region surrounding said inner region, said exterior bond window lying between said inner and outer regions.
10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said inner region includes a central region which is bounded and defined by said interior bond window.
11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the front face of said first semiconductor chip includes a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding said central portion, said contacts of said first semiconductor chip being disposed in said peripheral portion of said front face.
12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the assembling said first microelectronic element step includes the step of abutting said central portion of said first semiconductor chip against the central region of said flexible substrate.
13. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said flexible substrate has a first surface and a second surface, the assembling said first microelectronic element step including the step of abutting said first semiconductor chip against the first surface of said flexible substrate.
14. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said compliant element includes a substantially continuous compliant pad, the providing said compliant element step includes assembling said continuous compliant pad between said first and second semiconductor chips so that said continuous compliant pad completely covers said first semiconductor chip.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said substantially continuous compliant pad includes a pre-formed cut-out region having dimensions substantially similar to the dimensions of said first semiconductor chip so that said cut-out region intimately surrounds said first semiconductor chip after the depositing said continuous compliant pad step.
16. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said step of providing said compliant element includes the step of allowing a curable liquid encapsulant to flow between said second semiconductor chip and said flexible substrate after the electrically interconnecting step and curing said encapsulant.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said step of providing a compliant element includes the step of providing a plurality of compliant pads defining channels therebetween so that said curable liquid encapsulant flows through said channels between said compliant pads during the allowing a curable liquid encapsulant to flow step.
18. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said flexible substrate has interior and exterior bond windows, the inner ends of said conductive traces extending across said interior bond window, said flexible leads extending at least partially across said exterior bond windows, and wherein the allowing a curable liquid encapsulant to flow step includes providing a protective layer over a surface of said flexible substrate remote from said first and second semiconductor chip so as to cover said interior and exterior bonding windows.
19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the providing a protective layer step includes the step of covering any of said conductive terminals accessible at said remote surface of said flexible substrate so as to isolate said conductive terminals from said curable liquid encapsulant.
20. A method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising the step of severing said cured encapsulant to provide resilient bumpers around the periphery of said package.
21. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein a plurality of said multichip packages are simultaneously encapsulated during the allowing a curable liquid encapsulant to flow step.
22. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front face of said second semiconductor chip includes a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding said central portion, said contacts of said second semiconductor chip being disposed in said peripheral portion of said front face.
23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the assembling said second microelectronic element step includes the step of abutting the central portion of said second semiconductor chip against said compliant element.
24. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second microelectronic elements are semiconductor chips.
25. The method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising the step of encapsulating the leads.
26. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the step of encapsulating the leads includes the step of encapsulating the leads in a compliant material.
(d) electrically interconnecting said first and second microelectronic elements with one another and with said conductive terminals by connecting said flexible leads to the contacts of said second microelectronic element and connecting at least some of said traces to the contacts of said first microelectronic element.
28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein said first and second microelectronic elements are semiconductor chips.
29. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said substrate is flexible.
30. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein said flexible substrate includes an interior bond window and said conductive traces have inner ends extending at least partially across said interior bond window.
31. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein said inner ends of said conductive traces include flexible leads.
32. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the assembling said first microelectronic element step includes the step of aligning said contacts of said first semiconductor chip with said interior bond window of said flexible substrate.
33. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the assembling said second microelectronic element step includes the step of aligning said contacts of said second semiconductor chip with said flexible leads connected to said outer ends of said conductive traces.
34. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein said flexible substrate has an exterior bond window, wherein said flexible leads connected to outer ends of said conductive traces extend at least partially across said exterior bond window.
35. A method as claimed in claim 34, wherein said flexible substrate includes an inner region and an outer region surrounding said inner region, said exterior bond window lying between said inner and outer regions.
36. A method as claimed in claim 35, wherein said inner region includes a central region which is bounded and defined by said interior bond window.
37. A method as claimed in claim 36, wherein the front face of said first semiconductor chip includes a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding said central portion, said contacts of said first semiconductor chip being disposed in said peripheral portion of said front face.
38. A method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the assembling said first microelectronic element step includes the step of abutting said central portion of said first semiconductor chip against the central region of said flexible substrate.
39. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein said flexible substrate has a first surface and a second surface, the assembling said first microelectronic element step including the step of abutting said first semiconductor chip against the first surface of said flexible substrate. | 2019-04-19T05:28:50Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US6054337A/en |
P. Sudhakar Rao & Ors. Vs. U. Govinda Rao & Ors.
1. There is a clear distinction between weightage given for years of service rendered by an employee for purposes of promotion and weightage given for years of service rendered by an employee for purposes of seniority in a grade. While the first concerns eligibility for promotion to a higher post, the other concerns seniority for being considered for promotion to a higher post.
2. To consider the validity of weightage for seniority purposes and its impact on the seniority of other employees, the following question has been referred to a larger Bench in these appeals. The reference order is reported as P. Sudhakar Rao v. U. Govinda Rao, (2007) 12 SCC 148. - "Whether the decision given in Devi Prasad v. Govt. of A.P. [1980 (Supp) SCC 206] and State of A.P. v. K.S. Muralidhar [(1992) 2 SCC 241] laid down the correct law or the decision given in G.S. Venkat Reddy v. Govt. of A.P.[1993 Supp (3) SCC 425], K. Narayanan v. State of Karnataka [1994 Supp (1) SCC 44] and State of Gujarat v. C.G. Desai [(1974) 1 SCC 188] laid down the correct proposition of law?"
4. Initially, the State of Andhra Pradesh had a single engineering department. This was subsequently broken-up into several - departments but we are not concerned with that. What we are concerned with is that at all material times, engineers in Andhra Pradesh were either in the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Subordinate Service or in the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Service.
5. The Andhra Pradesh Engineering Subordinate Service consisted, inter alia, of Junior Engineers who possessed a degree in engineering and Supervisors who possessed a diploma in engineering. Upon recruitment, both categories of engineers were placed in the same pay scale but Junior Engineers, by virtue of a better academic qualification, had a higher starting pay while Supervisors were placed in the minimum of the pay scale. Functionally, both had more or less similar duties to perform. A Supervisor could, while in service, obtain an engineering degree and if he did so, he would be designated as a Junior Engineer and given a higher pay in the same pay scale.
ii. Draughtsman, Special Grade and Draughtsman Grade-I of the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Subordinate Service.
9. The mode of recruitment for Junior Engineers in the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Service was now by direct recruitment. This meant that despite having an engineering degree, Supervisors were not eligible for appointment as Junior Engineers on transfer. However, the mode of recruitment for the next higher post of Assistant Engineer was by way of direct recruitment, by promotion of a Junior Engineer having not less than 5 years service in the grade and by transfer of a Supervisor having a minimum service of 10 years in the grade.
10. To remedy this situation in the case of Supervisors who had obtained an engineering degree prior to 28.2.1972 the State Government issued G.O.Ms No. 893 dated 15.6.1972 inserting a note being Note 2 under Rule 4 of the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Service Rules. Through this Note, a Supervisor was given a weightage of 50% of service rendered by him on his acquiring an engineering degree while in service. The weightage was subject to a maximum period of 4 years service rendered prior to acquisition of the degree. The weightage was available as if the service had been rendered by the Supervisor in the post of Junior Engineer. The weightage was, therefore, available for inclusion for appointment to - the post of Assistant Engineer. However, the weightage was subject to certain conditions, one of them being that it was available to only those Supervisors who had obtained a degree prior to 28.2.1972.
ii. They should be considered to have been placed below the list of the Junior Engineers of the year after giving weightage as indicated above.
iii. They should put in a total service of 5 years as Junior Engineer inclusive of the period given as weightage.
iv. The benefit of weightage given above shall be given effect for the purpose of all selections that are made by Public Service Commission pertaining to the years from 2nd January, 1968 onwards till 28th February, 1972." [Note: Clause (4) was subsequently amended but we are not concerned with the amendment].
12. The benefit of weightage granted to Supervisors by G.O.Ms No. 893 dated 15.6.1972 was challenged as being arbitrary, - unreasonable and violating Article 14 of the Constitution. This Court rejected the challenge in Devi Prasad and held that the benefit of weightage was a matter of government policy which needed no interference since it was not unreasonable or arbitrary.
13. In what appears to be an oblique reference to loss of promotional chances that Junior Engineers may have to suffer due to weightage being given to Supervisors this Court observed as follows: "Perhaps there is force in the submission of Dr. Chitale that the Junior Engineers have to face adversity in the matter of promotions. All that we can do is to emphasise that this being a matter of government policy, the State will receive any representation that may be made for change of policy from the Junior Engineers and consider whether any such change in the policy is justified in the circumstances of the case. In so doing, there is no doubt that the other affected groups will also be heard because administrative fair play is basic to satisfaction of government servants as a class. We say no more nor do we indicate that in our view there is any hardship. We only mean to say that government will remove hardships if by modification of policy it can achieve this result. Undoubtedly, in this process, both sides will have to be heard not as a rule of law but as a part of administrative fair play."
14. As mentioned above, the benefit of weightage was available to only those Supervisors who had obtained an engineering degree - before 28.2.1972. There was no provision relating to those who had obtained a degree post 28.2.1972.
15. Apparently to overcome this anomaly, and as a result of representations made, the State Government issued G.O.Ms No. 451 dated 10.6.1976 containing a decision that Supervisors who have acquired a graduate qualification while in service should be appointed temporarily as Junior Engineers (prospectively) with immediate effect. This decision was implemented.
ii. A Supervisor, who is appointed as Junior Engineer, shall be entitled to count one-third of the service rendered by him as Supervisor, before his appointment as Junior Engineer, subject to a maximum of four years, for the purpose of computing the service as Junior Engineer, which will render him eligible for consideration for promotion as Assistant Engineer.
v. No Supervisor shall ordinarily be eligible for appointment as Junior Engineer unless he has not in a minimum service of three years as Supervisors. A Supervisor with less than three years of service, who is appointed as Junior Engineer for any special reason, shall not be entitled to any weightage for his past service. 3. Necessary amendment to the Special Rules for the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Service will be issued separately."
20. In its decision regarding retrospective operation given to the G.O.Ms the Tribunal held, relying upon a Constitution Bench decision in B.S. Yadav v. State of Haryana, 1980 Supp SCC 524 that retrospective operation could be given to the G.O.Ms and that there was no illegality in this regard. It was further held that the impugned G.O.Ms merely gave statutory recognition to a situation existing through the executive order contained in G.O.Ms No. 559 dated 18.7.1977.
21. The Tribunal also upheld the grant of weightage given to Supervisors who obtained a graduate degree. For arriving at this conclusion, the Tribunal referred to Devi Prasad which had found the benefit of weightage to be neither arbitrary nor unreasonable. A - reference was also made to Muralidhar in this regard. The Tribunal rejected the contention that because the post of Junior Engineer had become a gazetted post in a different cadre, a Supervisor who subsequently became a Junior Engineer was not entitled to weightage. It was held that Supervisors and Junior Engineers continued to perform substantially the same functions and hold the same responsibilities. Therefore, the mere gazetting of a post and change of cadre would not make any material difference to the principle laid down by this Court.
i. "The Junior Engineers on acquisition of Degree qualification in Engineering would be entitled for weightage of those appointments are made or deemed to have been made under the Rules providing for such appointments and weightage with reference to their dates of appointment (not with reference to acquisition of degree qualification) against a vacancy in the cadre of Junior Engineer.
iii. regularly appointed Junior Engineers were being subjected to a loss of seniority at the instance of those Supervisors who had been regularized subsequently.
27. The High Court then relied upon B.S. Yadav, K.C. Arora v. State of Haryana, (1984) 3 SCC 281, P.D. Agarwal v. State of U.P., (1987) 3 SCC 622 and K.V. Subba Rao v. Government of A.P., (1988) 2 SCC 201 to conclude that the civil right of seniority of the Junior Engineers could not be taken away by applying the impugned G.O.Ms retrospectively. Relying upon Devi Prasad and Muralidhar it was held that weightage of past service can be given to the Supervisors only from the date of appointment.
29. Feeling aggrieved, Supervisors before the High Court preferred these appeals. Since the issue of weightage of service for eligibility purposes was decided in their favour, the principal grievance (if not the only grievance) raised by them, as noted by the Bench that earlier heard these appeals is "the validity of the rule by which - retrospective seniority benefit was given to the Junior Engineers by G.O.Ms No. 54 Irrigation (Service IV-2) dated 15.2.1983." Indeed, before us also, the only contention related to the issue of striking down the benefit of retrospective seniority given to the Supervisors.
30. The question referred to the larger Bench arises in this context, but as noted above, it has wider implications.
b. those promotee Deputy Engineers who had rendered service as officiating or temporary Deputy Engineers prior to their promotion.
32. The case of the category (a) employees was that their 'pre direct recruitment' services should be counted as 'eligibility service' for purposes of their next promotion as Executive Engineers since the 'pre- promotion' services of category (b) was being so counted. In other words, without the word 'weightage' having actually been used, the category (a) employees wanted some weightage to be given to their 'pre direct recruitment' services. This Court found no basis - for such an interpretation of the relevant recruitment rules. This Court also found that the directly recruited Deputy Engineers were not discriminated against vis-�-vis promotee Deputy Engineers in this regard since they fell in two distinct groups or classes having a rational basis. Consequently, there was no violation of Article 14 or Article 16 of the Constitution.
33. The following two paragraphs from the judgment of this Court give the essence of the view of this Court: "If a person, like any of the respondents, to avoid the long tortuous wait leaves his position in the "never-ending" queue of temporary/ officiating Deputy Engineers etc. looking for promotion, and takes a short cut through the direct channel, to Class II Service, he gives up once for all, the advantages and disadvantages that go with the channel of promotion and accepts all the handicaps and benefits which attach to the group of direct recruits.
He cannot, after his direct recruitment claim the benefit of his pre-selection service and thus have the best of both the worlds. It is well-settled that so long as the classification is reasonable and the persons falling in the same class are treated alike, there can be no question of violation of the constitutional guarantee of equal treatment. "As pointed out by this Court in Ganga Ram case [(1970 1 SCC 377] in applying the wide language of Articles 14 and 16 to concrete cases, doctrinaire approach should be avoided and the matter considered in a practical way. If the claim of the respondents to the counting of their pre-selection service is conceded, it will create serious complications in running the administration; it will result in inequality of treatment rather than in removing it. If the pre- selection service as officiating Deputy Engineers of direct recruits having such service, is - taken into account for the purpose of promotion, it would create two classes amongst, the same group and result in discrimination against those direct recruits who had no such pre-selection service to their credit."
34. The next decision in line is Devi Prasad which relates to the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Subordinate Service Rules and is, therefore, important for our purposes. This decision came to be rendered as a result of the issuance of G.O.Ms. No. 893 dated 15.6.1972 relating to Supervisors in the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Subordinate Service. By the said G.O.Ms. a note being Note 2 was inserted under Rule 4 of the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Service Rules.
35. Thereby a Supervisor working as a Junior Engineer was given a weightage of 50% of service rendered by him. This was treated as if the said Supervisor/Junior Engineer had rendered service in the post of Junior Engineer for the purpose of consideration for appointment to the post of Assistant Engineer from Junior Engineer. This G.O.Ms was challenged as being arbitrary, unreasonable and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.
36. As is evident, the effect of weightage was limited to eligibility for appointment to the post of Assistant Engineer from Junior - Engineer - it had no reference to seniority. This Court found that there was nothing capricious in the "limited benefit of weightage" being given to Supervisors. This Court also concluded that the grant of weightage was a matter of government policy which needed no interference since it was not unreasonable or arbitrary.
38. The benefit of G.O.Ms No. 893 dated 15.6.1972 was available to only a limited category of Supervisors, namely those who had obtained an engineering degree prior to 28.2.1972. Consequently, in response to representations made, the Andhra Pradesh Government issued G.O.Ms No. 451 dated 10.6.1976 containing a decision that Supervisors acquiring a graduate qualification even after 28.2.1972 should be appointed temporarily as Junior Engineers (prospectively) with immediate effect.
39. This resulted in consequential orders being G.O.Ms No. 559 dated 18.7.1977 relating to weightage of service rendered and the inter se seniority of Supervisors vis-�-vis Junior Engineers.
40. The interpretation of G.O.Ms No. 559 dated 18.7.1977 was considered in Muralidhar. This Court noted in the opening paragraph of its decision that "The dispute is regarding the inter se seniority between the Supervisors who are upgraded as Junior Engineers and the degree holders who are directly appointed as Junior Engineers."
v. The approval of the Public Service Commission in respect of these appointments and their seniority thus fixed need not be sought at this distance of time."
42. Effectively, therefore, this Court not only accepted weightage of service for the benefit of Supervisors for eligibility purposes, but also for purposes of seniority by accepting the concept of a notional date for such a determination. As mentioned above, this Court did not consider the legality of the seniority of Supervisors based on weightage vis-�-vis Junior Engineers.
43. Venkat Reddy was decided on its own peculiar facts and to deal with a specific situation. As mentioned in the beginning of the judgment, the controversy " relates to the determination of seniority between the appellants who entered service in the various engineering departments of the State initially as Supervisors and who on acquiring a degree in engineering were redesignated Junior Engineers and those graduate Junior Engineers who were temporarily appointed on ad hoc basis under Rule 10(a)(i)(1) of the Andhra Pradesh State and Subordinate Service Rules and whose - services were later regularised under GOMs No. 647 dated September 14, 1979."
ii. (a) the services of all temporary employees in all categories, other than LDCs, Typists and Steno-typists, in the Offices of the Heads of Departments and Junior Assistants, Typists and Steno-typists in the Secretariat, should be regularised from the next date following the date on which the last regular appointment in that category was made in the unit concerned or from the date of temporary appointment whichever is later;"
45. The controversy arose due to a ban on the recruitment of Junior Engineers through the Public Service Commission in Andhra Pradesh. To sidestep the ban, Junior Engineers were recruited on a - temporary and ad hoc basis under Rule 10(a)(i)(1) of the Andhra Pradesh State and Subordinate Service Rules (paragraph 2 of the Report). This rule provides that where it is necessary in the public interest to emergently fill a vacancy in the post borne on the cadre of a service, class or category and if the filling of such vacancy in accordance with the rules is likely to result in undue delay, the appointing authority may appoint a person temporarily otherwise than in accordance with the said rules (paragraph 10 of the Report).
46. In due course of time, the question of the regularization of these Junior Engineers came up for consideration. The State Government then lifted the ban on recruitment and decided to regularize the services of the temporary and ad hoc Junior Engineers after subjecting them to a Special Qualifying Test (SQT) conducted by the Public Service Commission.
47. Some temporary and ad hoc Junior Engineers were ineligible to take the SQT while others were eligible and they did take the test but did not qualify. It was to accommodate these Junior Engineers (and others similarly placed) that G.O.Ms No.647 dated 14.9.1979 was issued and it is under these atypical circumstances that Venkat Reddy was decided and the expression relating to - regularization "from the next date following the date on which the last regular appointment in that category was made" occurring in the said G.O.Ms interpreted. Given these facts, this decision does not impact on the question that we are concerned with in these appeals.
48. Narayanan concerned itself with the validity of the Karnataka Public Works Engineering Department Service (Recruitment) (Amendment) Rules, 1985. These were challenged by directly recruited Assistant Engineers, inter alia, for giving retrospective appointment to diploma holders and seniority even prior to the date of their eligibility. More specifically, this Court considered the impact of retrospective operation of an amendment to the rules made in 1985 with effect from 1976 and finding no nexus between the appointment and giving retrospective effect to the appointment, struck down its retrospective operation. In this context, it was observed: "The retrospective operation of the impugned rule attempts to disturb a system which has been existing for more than twenty years. And that too without any rationale. Absence of nexus apart no rule can be made retrospectively to operate unjustly and unfairly against other (sic). In our opinion the retrospective operation of the rule with effect from January 1, 1976 is discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 and 16."
49. This Court quoted Note (2) relating to the appointment by transfer of a Junior Engineer to the post of Assistant Engineer, as introduced by the impugned amendment. However, it did not deal with the issue of seniority, apparently since the retrospective operation of the impugned rule was struck down, which had its consequential effect. Note (2) as per the impugned amendment reads as follows: "2. Amendment of the Schedule: In the Schedule to the Karnataka Public Works Engineering Department Services (Recruitment) Rules, 1960, in the entries relating to the category of posts of 'Assistant Engineer' for columns (2) and (3) the following shall be substituted, namely: By direct recruitment or by transfer of a Junior Engineer. For Direct recruitment: Should be a holder of a degree in Civil Engineering or Mechanical Engineering depending upon the requirements, as the case may be or of a Diploma certificate from a recognised Institute of Engineers that he has passed parts A and B of the Associate Membership Examination of the Institute of Engineers or equivalent qualification. Age: Must not have attained the age of thirty-five years. For transfer: Must possess B.E., or AMIE (India) qualification in Civil Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
Note (1) The option of the Junior Engineer shall be obtained before such transfer within the time stipulated by the Government.
Note (2) The transfer shall be effective from the date of graduation subject to the availability of vacancies without ignoring the inter se seniority among those eligible for such transfer."
50. Without discussion, this Court restricted the applicability of Note (2) and held that it shall be read as providing eligibility only.
51. To sum up, therefore, Desai and Devi Prasad dealt with issues of granting weightage to a section of employees for the purposes of eligibility for appointment or promotion. In principle, this Court did not object to the grant of weightage, provided that it did not violate Article 14 or Article 16 of the Constitution. The principle having been settled by this Court, the validity of a statutory rule or executive order would have to be tested on that touchstone.
52. Muralidhar endorsed Desai and Devi Prasad on the principle relating to the grant of weightage for eligibility purposes. This issue, therefore, is no longer res integra. However, Muralidhar extended the weightage, sub silentio, to the issue of seniority as well without examining the legality or validity thereof. The issue of weightage for seniority was not specifically raised before this Court - and it also appears, as mentioned above, that this Court wanted to bring a quietus to litigation pending for about two decades on the issue. That the expectation of this Court was belied is clear from the fact that another two decades have gone by and we are still grappling with this issue.
53. Venkat Reddy was decided in the context of a specific situation and did not lay down any general principle for application either confirming or contradicting the principles laid down in Desai, Devi Prasad or Muralidhar.
54. Narayanan also did not concern itself with the validity of weightage of service for appointment or promotion nor did it concern itself with any issue of seniority. It was confined merely to the retrospective operation of a statutory rule, which it struck down with consequential effect.
55. Where does this leave us in so far as the decisions mentioned in the reference order are concerned? On the question of weightage of service for appointment or promotion the issue is now well settled. However, on the question of weightage of service for seniority, the issue is still open since the judgments in the reference - deal with different and, in some cases, specific or limited issues. Hence this reference.
58. Without intending to multiply precedents on this subject, reference may be made to a decision rendered by this Court more than two decades ago. In State of Bihar v. Akhouri Sachindra Nath, 1991 Supp (1) SCC 334 it was held that retrospective seniority cannot be given to an employee from a date when he was not even born in the cadre. So also, seniority cannot be given with retrospective effect so as to adversely affect others. Seniority amongst members of the same grade must be counted from the date of their initial entry into the grade. It was held: "In the instant case, the promotee respondents 6 to 23 were not born in the cadre of Assistant Engineer in the Bihar Engineering Service, Class II at the time when respondents 1 to 5 were directly recruited to the post of Assistant Engineer and as such they cannot be given seniority in the service of Assistant Engineers over respondents 1 to 5.
It is well settled that no person can be promoted with retrospective effect from a date when he was not born in the cadre so as to adversely affect others. It is well settled by several decisions of this Court that amongst members of the same grade seniority is reckoned from the date of their initial entry into the service. In other words, seniority inter se amongst the Assistant Engineers in Bihar Engineering Service, Class II will be considered from the date of the length of service rendered as Assistant Engineers.
This being the position in law respondents 6 to 23 cannot be made senior to respondents 1 to 5 by the impugned government orders as they entered into the said service by promotion after respondents 1 to 5 were directly recruited in the quota of direct recruits. The judgment of the High Court quashing the impugned government orders made in Annexures 8, 9 and 10 is unexceptionable."
"We are also of the view that no retrospective promotion or seniority can be granted from a date when an employee has not even been borne in the cadre so as to adversely affect the direct recruits appointed validly in the meantime, as decided by this Court in Keshav Chandra Joshi v. Union of India [1992 Supp (1) SCC 272] held that when promotion is outside the quota, seniority would be reckoned from the date of the vacancy within the quota rendering the previous service fortuitous. The previous promotion would be regular only from the date of the vacancy within the quota and seniority shall be counted from that date and not from the date of his earlier promotion or subsequent confirmation. In order to do justice to the promotees, it would not be proper to do injustice to the direct recruits. - "This Court has consistently held that no retrospective promotion can be granted nor any seniority can be given on retrospective basis from a date when an employee has not even borne in the cadre particularly when this would adversely affect the direct recruits who have been appointed validly in the meantime."
60. However, the mere existence of a vacancy is not enough to enable an employee to claim seniority. The date of actual appointment in accordance with the required procedure becomes important in such a case. This was so held in State of Uttaranchal v. Dinesh Kumar Sharma, (2007) 1 SCC 683 [followed in Nani Sha v. State of Arunachal Pradesh, (2007) 15 SCC 406] where it was said: "Another issue that deserves consideration is whether the year in which the vacancy accrues can have any relevance for the purpose of determining the seniority irrespective of the fact when the persons are recruited. Here the respondent's contention is that since the vacancy arose in 1995-96 he should be given promotion and seniority from that year and not from 1999, when his actual appointment letter was issued by the appellant. This cannot be allowed as no retrospective effect can be given to the order of appointment order under the Rules nor is such contention reasonable to normal parlance. This was the view taken by this Court in Jagdish Ch. Patnaik v. State of Orissa [(1998) 4 SCC 456]."
i. "(i) The effective date of selection has to be understood in the context of the service rules under which the appointment is made. It may mean the date on which the process of selection starts with the issuance of advertisement or the factum of preparation of the select list, as the case may be.
ii. (ii) Inter se seniority in a particular service has to be determined as per the service rules. The date of entry in a particular service or the date of substantive appointment is the safest criterion for fixing seniority inter se between one officer or the other or between one group of officers and the other recruited from different sources. Any departure there from in the statutory rules, executive instructions or otherwise must be consistent with the requirements of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.
iii. Ordinarily, notional seniority may not be granted from the backdate and if it is done, it must be based on objective considerations and on a valid classification and must be traceable to the statutory rules.
iv. The seniority cannot be reckoned from the date of occurrence of the vacancy and cannot be given retrospectively unless it is so expressly provided by the relevant service rules. It is so because seniority cannot be given on retrospective basis when an employee has not even been borne in the cadre and by doing so it may adversely affect the employees who have been appointed validly in the meantime."
"18. (4) Whether the direct recruits could claim a retrospective date of recruitment from the date on which the post in direct recruitment was available, even though the direct recruit was not appointed by that date and was appointed long thereafter?" This Court answered the question in the following terms: (Suraj Parkash Gupta case SCC p. 599, paras 80-81) "Point 4 Direct recruits cannot claim appointment from the date of vacancy in quota before their selection 80. We have next to refer to one other contention raised by the respondent direct recruits. They claimed that the direct recruitment appointment can be antedated from the date of occurrence of a vacancy in the direct recruitment quota, even if on that date the said person was not directly recruited. It was submitted that if the promotees occupied the quota belonging to direct recruits they had to be pushed down, whenever direct recruitment was made. Once they were so pushed down, even if the direct recruit came later, he should be put in the direct recruit slot from the date on which such a slot was available under the direct recruitment quota.
81. This contention, in our view, cannot be accepted. The reason as to why this argument is wrong is that in service jurisprudence, a direct recruit can claim seniority only from the date of his regular appointment. He cannot claim seniority from a date when he was not borne in the service. - This principle is well settled. In N.K. Chauhan v. State of Gujarat [(1977) 1 SCC 308], Krishna Iyer, J. stated: (SCC p. 325, para 32) Later direct recruit cannot claim deemed dates of appointment for seniority with effect from the time when direct recruitment vacancy arose. Seniority will depend upon length of service. Again, in A. Janardhana v. Union of India [(1983) 3 SCC 601] it was held that a later direct recruit cannot claim seniority from a date before his birth in the service or when he was in school or college. Similarly it was pointed out in A.N. Pathak v. Secy. to the Govt. [(1983) 3 SCC 601] that slots cannot be kept reserved for [the] direct recruits for retrospective appointments."
63. The facts of the appeals before us show that at least some of the Supervisors were given retrospective seniority on the date when they were not even eligible for appointment as Junior Engineers. The precedents referred to above show that this is impermissible. In addition as pointed out by the High Court, there is no indication of the vacancy position, that is, whether the Supervisors could be adjusted in the grade of Junior Engineers from the date on which they were given notional retrospective seniority. There is also no indication whether the quota of vacancies for Supervisors was adhered to as on the date on which they were given notional retrospective seniority. The case law suggests that this is an - important factor to be considered. Finally, it is quite clear that the grant of retrospective seniority to Supervisors has adversely impacted on the promotion chances of Junior Engineers by bringing them down in seniority. This too is impermissible.
64. From the various decisions referred to and from the facts of the case, it is clear that to pass the scrutiny of Article 14 of the Constitution, the seniority of Supervisors should be reckoned only from the date on which they satisfied all the real and objective procedural requirements of the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Service Rules and the law laid down by this Court. This has not happened in the present appeals creating a situation of unreasonableness and unfairness.
66. For the reasons aforesaid, we see no occasion for interfering with the view taken by the High Court to the effect that the grant of retrospective seniority to Supervisors on their appointment as Junior Engineers violates Article 14 of the Constitution. The weightage of service given to the Supervisors can be taken advantage of only for the purpose of eligibility for promotion to the post of Assistant Engineer. The weightage cannot be utilized for obtaining retrospective seniority over and above the existing Junior Engineers.
67. We may mention that in Asis Kumar Samanta v. State of West Bengal, (2007) 5 SCC 800, the question whether retrospective promotion or seniority can be granted or not has been referred by a Bench of two learned Judges to a larger Bench. It has been noted therein that the grant of retrospective promotions and seniority was accepted by this Court in four decisions while grant of retrospective seniority was held to be ultra vires in five decisions. When these appeals came up for hearing on 02.5.2013, learned counsel for Asis Kumar Samanta sought an adjournment to make alternative arrangements since he could not appear against the - State of West Bengal. Accordingly, that matter was adjourned beyond the ensuing summer vacations.
68. Be that as it may, the pendency of a similar matter before a larger Bench has not prevented this Court from dealing with the issue on merits. Even on earlier occasions, the pendency of the matter before the larger Bench did not prevent this Court from dealing with the issue on merits. Indeed, a few cases including Pawan Pratap Singh were decided even after the issue raised in Asis Kumar Samanta was referred to a larger Bench. We, therefore, do not feel constrained or precluded from taking a view in the matter.
69. The question referred to us is answered accordingly and the appeals are dismissed, but with no order as to costs. | 2019-04-26T08:35:38Z | https://www.advocatekhoj.com/library/judgments/announcement.php?WID=3652 |
Thyroid, Hypothyroid, Or Hormone Imbalance Cause Cholinergic Urticaria Hives?
Hello, I stumbled across your great website and thought I’d share my story with you.
At the apt. the Doctor thought I may have a Thyroid disorder (there is history of this in the family) as I had quite shaky hands. He said that the itchiness was probably down to a skin allergy and unrelated. I got a blood test which confirmed I had a hyperactive Thyroid disorder (Graves Disease) and I suspected the itchiness was related to the Thyroid problem.
I was sent to a Thyroid specialist to discuss my symptoms again bringing up the itchiness. He didn’t really explore if this was related. I started on anti-Thryroid medication and went for regular blood tests. After about 3 months my UC was completely gone. I got on with my life and forgot all about it. I was still taking the medication and eventually I was now told to reduce the dosage as my Thyroid levels were now in the normal range, eventually discontinuing with it altogether.
3 months after reducing the medication, I noticed my itchiness was back. I discussed this with the Thyroid specialist and he referred me to a dermatologist who diagnosed UC. I was prescribed various anti histamines. The UC was nowhere near as bad so I wasn’t overly concerned with taking the antihistamines.
About a year later and my UC had flared up to worse than it had ever been. I was getting attacks all the time. Something as simple as getting out of bed would result in an attack and the severity was worse than I had ever experienced. It was now happening with the slightest thing, lifting objects, hearing a door slam, getting dried from a shower and even waking me up whilst I was sleeping.
I arranged for a blood test to check my thyroid levels as I was also experiencing other thyroid related symptoms. Sure enough my Thyroid problem was back. Once again I started on anti-thyroid meds and once again my UC seems to be responding. It’s still here but not as bad. However I have been told the medication probably won’t be as effective this time round at treating the Thyroid so I suspect my UC won’t respond as well either.
It’s not something my doctors have really entertained when I’ve spoken to them but I’m convinced that in my case the problem is related to my Thyroid gland. I’ve searched the net and have found a few articles citing a link between the two conditions. If I can get my Thyroid problem solved I’m sure with it will cure my UC (which is by far the worst symptom).
I’ve also been looking at your article on Sun exposure and have to agree I generally have little Sun exposure. When I do which is mostly on holiday somewhere warm the UC is lessened or goes completely for the time I’m there and I can also sweat! It’s not something I’d thought about before but it does make sense.
I can relate with your itching in public, and how the the anxiety of having a public attack makes you worse!
I find the information you talked about with the Thyroid issue VERY INTERESTING. I have often wondered myself if perhaps I have some kind of hormone issue that could be behind cholinergic urticaria (at least, in some cases of it).
That is interesting how Cholinergic Urticaria seemed to go away when you got your thyroid treated, and then returned when your levels were out of whack again.
If my Cholinergic Urticaria is still here after this summer, I will definitely make an appointment to get lots of blood work, including thyroid testing. My wife said it is a really simple blood test that can tell if the thyroid levels are off. If anyone else on the forum has this done, please share the info of your results with us.
I also find it interesting that the times you had a lot of sun exposure, the Cholinergic Urticaria seemed to be better. I did a quick search online and it seems that they are finding in many cases of a thryroid problem (both hypo & hyper-thyroidism), there is a Vitamin D deficiency. Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D, so I wonder if lack of sun exposure could cause hormone imbalances with then lead to other problems (including Cholinergic Urticaria).
This just makes me wonder if the sun could be the one source in all of this Cholinergic Urticaria. But then again, I know many different things can cause thyroid levels to go out of whack, so I am not going to claim the sun is the “cure all.” But at the same time, I am intrigued and I can’t wait to see if steady sun exposure for a couple of months will correct this.
As I said, if the sun exposure theory I have doesn’t work this summer, by the end of the summer I will be making an appointment to do a huge test of my blood. By that time, I will know if the sun helped, and also I will have medical insurance.
Thanks again for AWESOME information, and I hope the hives get better. Please let us know if they start to get better, or if anything new happens.
Thanks for providing those links. I agree that the thyroid is definitely a possibility, and I still have thyroid on my checklist of things to try for sure. At least one person on here has said that they did have a thyroid issue, and when treated the first time for the thyroid condition (graves disease), they Cholinergic Urticaria cleared. Here is the thread: But I agree, the thyroid is definitely a possibility (at least in some cases) in cholinergic urticaria. Hopefully time will tell.
I don’t know much about thyroid problems (going to do some research now) but I believe low energy is part of it? I find that I’m tired most of the time I’m awake. I know it doesn’t help that I don’t exercise much (due to the UC) and that I very rarely get a full night of sleep but I’m tired all the time regardless.
My wife told me it is just a simple blood test. I suppose they take blood, and then check your thyroid levels. A couple of people have been on thyroid synthetic hormones, however, and it hasn’t helped their Cholinergic Urticaria as of yet. But it wouldn’t hurt to rule out thyroid.
has it helped so far?
i have been struggling with chronic urticaria and Cholinergic Urticaria for over a year and have seen every doctor up and down the country! (ok, not that many.) but my thyroid levels were tested at some point and shown to be slightly sluggish, but nothing off the charts. that’s just me though.
Urticaria is particularly common in thyroid patients. Studies have found that a significant percentage of patients with urticaria also have high levels of antithyroid antibodies, even though they may not have clinical thyroid disease. Interestingly, in one study, ten patients with chronic urticaria had normal thyroid blood test levels–but seven of the ten had elevated antithyroid antibodies and three controls had no antithyroid antibodies. After being treated with levothyroxine, the seven patients with antibodies reported their urticaria symptoms went away within four weeks. The three controls did not respond. In five patients, symptoms recurred after treatment was stopped; these symptoms again resolved after treatment was restarted.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Get yourself tested folks!
I made a post awhile ago that eliminating Dust-mites had been the cure for my hives. That was “kind-of” it. They would still sometimes come and go, but less frequently. Then I started doing some research about different OTC medicines. One interesting article was about how there are different “Histamine” blockers. Zyteric — blocks one type, and Zantac — blocks the other. I have found that if I take one Zyrtec in the morning along with one Zantac 150, it will keep my hives away for the full day (sorry didn’t mean to rhyme there). If i miss it, then they can arise that very day. Its definitely working for me. One other interesting thing, I can take generic Zyrtec, but have to use namebrand Zantac 150 — otherwise it doesn’t work.
So conclusion #1–See if this OTC combo works for you. (BTW—I can lift weights, and run etc. no hives with the med, without them, walking to a car they can come back).
Also–just wanted to let everyone know about something interesting. I had some blood work done, it looks like I have sub-clinical Hypothyroidism. With some google searching I found a very strong link with Urticaria and Hypothyroidism. I haven’t started any medicine for it yet, but some of the studies out there show that with treatment hives will go away.
Conclusion #2 –See if you can be tested for Hypothyroidism (get your T-3, T-4, and TSH tested). My T-3 and T-4 normal, but TSH was high.
If i start medicine for this, I will experiment and try to stop taking Zyrtec and Zantac to see if it was the cause of my hives. Dr. said it may take about 4-6 months to see results, so I will post then.
Has anyone been tested for Hypothyroidism? My allergy doc didn’t test for it, and its not a part of normal blood work; but its easy for them to add it to the test. My new family doc tested for it because “when you told me about the Uticaria, it made me think your immune system is acting funky, and one major cause of a lot of immune system wackyness is the Thyroid”.
If anyone has any questions for me; ask away.
Thanks for the great update antihives!
Whats sup guys, just like many of you I suffer from Cholinergic Urticaria, I have had it for almost 2 years now. I get a rash on my face and shoulders every time I take a shower and I also get rashes when I run, or do any type of heavy exercise. I also have a sweating problem, I could run a mile in the Florida heat and my skin will only get moist and before my problems starting occurring I use to sweat like crazy no problem with that at all. When I run, about a couple minutes in I feel this prickly sensation all over my body, mainly in my scalp and then the rash comes.
So far I have taken a number of tests. Hormone and other various tests including saliva tests to check stuff from yeast/metal/bacteria/vitamin deficiency etc. So far I have found out that I have a Thyroid problem, Low Testosterone problem, Really high pregnenlone, High DHEA, High cortisone, Vitamin D deficiency, elevated yeast growth, adrenal problems, and other hormonal problems.
I believe most people with Cholinergic Urticaria have hormonal imbalances like me, unfortunately most people don’t know because most doctors wont do an extensive blood work and most likely they will only check your basic levels which wont prove anything. I also believe that once I balance my hormones back to normal rages that my Cholinergic Urticaria will go away.
My next test will be, Metabolic Analysis Profile 24 hour urine test, which I will do tomorrow and then the next test will be, Essential & Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis: This test evaluates the level of red cell membrane fatty acids, imbalances of which significantly affect inflammatory and other disorders. By knowing the various fatty acid levels, one can re-establish a balance using nutritional intervention.
I believe those two tests will be crucial to finding out whats going on with my body along with getting my other hormone problems in control.
Once all these tests are complete I will put together a plan to hopefully balance my body out nutritionally and hormonally.
I will keep posting my results.
In the mean time, has anyone else gone through extensive testing? Have you guys tested ALL your hormone levels?…I’m not talking about your basic hormone blood test, I’m talking about an extensive blood work. Also has anyone done the two tests I mentioned above? Results? Curious to see how far people have gone into finding a cause.
That was an AWESOME post, and full of very useful information.
I agree that something definitely changed or went “off” in our bodies to cause this. It could very well be some hormonal issue. That is very interesting about the specific and detailed testing you are having done.
In terms of your question: I have never had any sophisticated hormone tests done. I hope others from the forum see this and reply about their experience in more detail.
I know many have been vitamin d tested, and were low. They were then put on supplements, but as of their last post, it was only helping a bit (they still had hives).
In terms of hormone tests, I know of a few posts where people have talked about low thyroid levels, and things like that. I don’t know the extent of their testing, but at least some tried this and it didn’t help.
I definitely am interested to see what results you have. It sounds like you have really taken initiative and apparently have a great doctor(s).
Please keep us updated if you find anything out. That would be nice if it were something correctable (ie, hormone imbalance).
Just finished my 24 hour urine test and saliva cortisol test today, will be sending those off tomorrow and hopefully will get those results next week. Then I will have one more test to take and I am confident with all these test complete I will know exactly whats going on in my body and how to fix it.
Yes, fortunately I have found two great doctors who are willing to work together and putting in the time it takes to get me back to normal again.
In about a month/month and a half I should have all tests done, still waiting to do that one test I mentioned because its expensive but my doctor says its key to finding out whats wrong so I guess I will pay for it.
This can be cured, there is a reason why this comes and goes in people, either it be environmental or hormonal, obviously they key is finding the cause which is why extensive testing needs to be done. Unfortunately there will probably never be a cure to this because I believe the core problem is different in just about everyone, one person may lack one hormone while the next person lacks a different hormone. Our hormone system is like a sea-saw, when one hormone is out of balance is causes a whole string of other hormones to become out of balance. The only solution is to take things in your hands and get tested like me, I can almost guarantee most people on here have some sort of hormonal imbalance and don’t know it.
Don’t let your doctors control your lives, take things into your own hands, get all the tests you want, if your doctor doesn’t want to do it, then it’s time you find a new doctor.
Hopefully when all my tests are done I can take all the stuff I need to to balance my body and then the rash should go away and my body return back to normal like I was before my body got out of balance.
Like I said I will keep you guys updated and if I see improvement I will list all the tests that need to be done.
I wouldnt expect them to get rid of their hives, vitamin D deficiency is likely 1 of several problems going on in their body, so treating one of the problems may help but it no means would they be “cured”.
Again, thyroid problem is more than likely a sign of other problems going on in your body. Like me for example, I have a thyroid problem, low t3 and high t4, whats going on is a conversion problem. My doctor firmly believes that because my adrenals and other hormone problems are out of range that it has caused the thyroid and the rash, he also believes that once I “reset” my body through medication and nutrients that my body will once be working like a normal person and my thyroid problem will go away.
He believes I will no longer have to take thyroid medication, which would be awesome.
Also most people go undiagnosed with a thyroid problem, doctors dont usually test your full thyroid, tsh doesnt matter, its all about t3 and t4.
Interesting, I have also read this somewhere. There does seem to be a high correlation between high thyroid antibody’s and Cholinergic Urticaria. I myself have high thyroid antibody’s, double the high end of normal range. I am currently on Levothyroxin (sp?) and have been for over a year and my thyroid antibodys have only gone up and my rash has also gotten worse. This is something I am going to start researching and discussing with my smart doctors ;D. I wish I could say more on this topic but I know nothing about thyroid antibody’s and what they actually are and what causes them to fluctuate.
This site is very interesting, with the few threads I have read it seems a lot of people all have similar problems, vit d/thyroid etc. This is a good starting point, but more tests need to be done.
Now time to go do some researching!
Wow, that is very exciting and I can’t wait to find out what the test results show, and if any treatments start to help.
I agree that it is probably a very complex issue with our hormones, vitamins, etc. Like you said, one thing may lead to another, and a whole lot of things get out of whack.
I also agree about the “cure”. Cure really isn’t the best word any way. “Treat and recover” is probably a better term. If we can at least find what the issues is (ie. what hormone/enzyme/vitamin) may be most to blame, then perhaps that could be a common thread in Cholinergic Urticaria that we all share.
About the adrenal thing—I also find it interesting how people’s Cholinergic Urticaria comes and goes (which definitely leads me to believe it is more of an internal thing (vitamin/hormone, etc.). Also, keep in mind that Cholinergic Urticaria often comes after a period of very high stress, and we know how stress can really play a huge role in adrenal gland production.
Anyway, this is what gets me excited about this forum: People like you and all of the others who contribute excellent information and share that with the whole community. I think we will learn so much about Cholinergic Urticaria over the next few years, and possibly even figure out this puzzle because of the hundreds of people working together.
Thanks again for the very interesting posts, and for sharing all of this with us all. I will definitely keep an eye out to see how you progress in your journey.
Test results are in, picking them up tomorrow, will post results for my metabolic panel and cortisol test to see what my adrenals are doing.
I don’t know if I want these test to come back normal or not :- lol, hoping something shows up wrong and that its fixable ;D.
Read up on antibody’s, from my understanding if you have elevated TPO than that means that your antibody’s are attacking your thyroid and that you do in fact have a thyroid problem or is a sign that you are close to have a thyroid problem and medication should be considered. So definitely make sure you get your tpo checked along with tsh t4 t3 etc.
I don’t know if I want these test to come back normal or not lol, hoping something shows up wrong and that its fixable.
I know exactly what you mean. So many times I have just wished that I could find SOMETHING wrong, just so I could know what was going on. On the flip side, I have also always hoped that whatever is wrong is fixable. It would be almost worse to find out something BAD is wrong, or that it isn’t fixable. That is exactly what I have always thought.
But good luck tomorrow. I hope something is wrong with you (that’s fixable). If it is not fixable, then I hope you are perfectly healthy 😉 (minus the hives of course).
Results back, have really low cortisol which is causing my adrenals to not being working properly.
Plan is to go on cortef to bring my adrenals back to life, apparently this will take about 3-4 months.
Once my adrenals get back to normal the rest of my imbalances will be fixed.
So its good news for me, originally suspected by one of my doctors was that I was missing an enzyme and those test proved I wasn’t so thats good, just need to fix my adrenals and them I’m confident my Cholinergic Urticaria will be gone.
VERY VERY interesting! I can’t wait to hear if this works. That is good news (that it is at least treatable). Congrats on that part.
Are you starting treatment immediately?
Please keep us updated every so often about this. It would be incredible if this is what is causing all of our symptoms. If this treatment works, I will probably get tested myself.
I’m hoping for the best, and congrats again.
Yes, starting treatment asap. Got a doc appointment Tuesday so I will get my meds then.
Will get tested again in 6-8 weeks to see how my levels are going. Fortunately I know whats wrong, unfortunately its not an over the night fix and will take about 3 months to wake my adrenals back up and for it to start working normally.
I believe most people with Cholinergic Urticaria have hormonal imbalances like me, unfortunately most people don’t know because most doctors wont do an extensive blood work and most likely they will only check your basic levels which wont prove anything.
As far as Cholinergic Urticaria possibly being related to hormonal imbalances. Have you found any research either in the U.S or abroad that connects this to hormonal problems? I’ve been trying to find the results of Cholinergic Urticaria studies that have been done in various countries.
Only study I have found is the one study where it showed a correlation with people who have Cholinergic Urticaria and elevated thyroid antibodies. But I mean there is like 0 actual studies done on Cholinergic Urticaria, right now there is only a bunch of theories.
But so far it’s been about a week since I started my new meds and I feel a lot better energy wise and I have been actually sweating with no effort which is a huge improvement, laid outside in the sun and had a decent amount of sweat. Still have not tested running yet, which will determine if I have gotten better or not. I might try to go for a run today, or I might wait a couple more weeks to test it out.
Update: Ran about a half mile and broke a little sweat, ran at 5:30 pm so sun is down and kinda cold so wouldn’t expect to sweat that much anyways. Did not once feel over heated, prickly etc, felt cool the whole time. Although I did not run very far because I kinda had chest pains and my heart felt like it was beating extremely fast, so to be on the safe side I stopped and walked back. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t ran much in the past two years ::) or if it was the pre-workout supp I took before hand ???.
But I know that before I would had broke out in a rash in the first couple minutes of running, so, so far I seem to be getting better but I’m not going to say I’m perfect yet, I still need to run a mile during mid day to see if I break out in a rash.
I can definitely say I feel a lot better though between the vitamin supplements and the other meds I am taking, definitely heading in the right direction.
My main goal over the last months was to get all my hormone levels in rage, its been a slow process, been fixing one thing at a time. Right now I have pretty much dialed in all of my hormones. Everything seems to be in range, still may take a little longer till I have all my levels where I want them to be. Just worked out for the first time today, took about a month off, and my body was sweating perfectly normal again which is allowing my body to cool down preventing a rash to form.
Will repost soon, just thought I would give a quick update.
and again if you can afford it or if you insurance will cover it please get your hormones checked out, if you want I can give you a full list of what you need just ask.
Also does anyone else have other problems unrelated like fatigue, low energy, tiredness etc?
Thanks for the update. That is excellent news and I am glad you were able to go directly into sweating!
So are you not having any Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms at all?
Again, thanks for the update and please continue to let us know how this treatment works out for you.
HEy guys I fond this realy interesting article about the function of our thyroid. Well they reported that if the thyroid is irregular or unbalanced it can cause skin problems like urticaria. The website said The high incidence of thyroid disfunction may be due to our heavily processed diet, heavy metal buildup, exposure to x-rays or other electromagnetic radiation, or emotional challenges – but the thyroid, sometimes called our “master gland,” is one of the most common weaknesses of the human body today. [/b] Read more at Suite101: Your Thyroid Gland: Improve energy levels, skin, metabolism & weight – via your throat –this makes sense because i got this condition when i became a teenager and lots of hormonal changes happen when you get older.
Step 2Take a brisk 30-minute walk every day to help improve thyroid function. Exercise is very important in treating an underactive thyroid.
Step 3Take a daily high-potency vitamin and mineral supplement that contains vitamin A, B2, B3, B6, C, E, tyrosine, zinc, and selenium all which are necessary for the thyroid to function properly.
Step 4Stay away from fluoride. Studies have shown that fluoride can inhibit the function of the thyroid gland and can contribute to the likelihood of developing an underactive thyroid.
Thanks for the great post and welcome to the forum. Since you posted the same message twice, I merged them into one to avoid confusion.
About the thyroid, I do appreciate that information. Some people on the forum have had thyroid tests & treatment, and it did help their Cholinergic Urticaria (but hopefully they will give another update soon on their current health). On the other hand, some have also had extensive testing and even treatment on thyroid, and it didn’t improve their Cholinergic Urticaria.
If anyone suspects a thyroid issue, they can certainly try those tips or see a doctor to test to be certain. It is very possible that Cholinergic Urticaria could be a complex hormonal issue, which may involve the thyroid. On the flip side, we can’t say with 100% certainty that everyone with Cholinergic Urticaria has a thryoid or hormonal issue since some evidence suggests otherwise.
Also, keep in mind that suite101.com is just a user-submitted article site, and the information is not always accurate. That was a good article, and most of the information seemed to be true at first glance. Just be careful because on sites like that the articles aren’t always 100% accurate (or any website for that matter).
But again, welcome to the forum and great post. I value your post, and I agree that it is certainly possible that-at least in some cases-Cholinergic Urticaria could be connected with a gland or hormonal issue.
Been awhile sine I last posted, and no I have not gotten any symptoms for awhile now. I am finally back running with out a problem, sweating like a pig. Even when I lay outside now I don’t get that itchy/prickly feeling like I always did.
The thing that did it for me was restoring my testosterone levels, since I started I have had 0 symptoms.
Thanks for the update cheezit.
That is great that your hives have been better since your therapy. I hope it continues to do well for you.
Please let us know if they come back, or if anything changes.
Oh my God!! I really wish I had read the above post before I posted my message on hormonal changes. Although I did get my thyroid tested some years ago and it was fine…Mmmm might not be fine now! Also I do eat a lot of turnip and cabbage and broccoli especially turnip though. I eat it nearly everyday!! Bloody hell I never new that those veggies could interfere with your thyroid like that. Unreal!! Praise the Lord you posted your message!!
Hello my name is Joe. I will be going on completing my 1st year having Cholinergic Urticaria. As a teenager this is really hard for me since I use to workout, and play sports I am no longer able to do that. The odd thing about me it started int he fall of it last year, but once my basketball season started, I did not experience the effects of it. Being on varsity I had physical activity five times a week. But know if I even lift/move stuff that causes stress I have an itch attack. Once basketball season ended I began to have itches again. This really interferes with my work as well since my work requires me to move a lot stuff. After meeting with a dermatologist they diagnosed me with Cholinergic Urticaria, I was prescribed two daily doses of Cimetidine and Fexofenadine. This medication worked for about four months until mid summer when I took a trip to subtropic country that is very humid, during my one week stay there I did not take my medicine at all and did not experience any symptoms of Cholinergic Urticaria. Upon my return to the USA I began my medicine again, except it does not work anymore. I contacted my dermatologist and they changed my adjusted my dosage to make it work. Unfortunately the medicine dosage change didn’t help what so ever. I once again contacted my dermatologist and they have scheduled a Complete Blood Count Test, Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Test, Antinuclear Antibody Test, Hepatitis C Test, and A Hepatitis B Test. in one of my appointments my doctor mentioned something about the possibility of a thyroid condition or something like that. I hope that these upcoming tests will be able to clear things up because I’m not sure how I will be able to work when my job starts up again in February.
Excellent post and welcome to the forum =).
So sorry to hear that you have battled this for the past year. That is indeed odd how it disappeared for your basketball season. But sometimes Cholinergic Urticaria can be really odd in that way. It can flare up, and sometimes flare back down.
That is strange how your body suddenly stopped reacting to the antihistamine, and the hives came out after your trip. For some reason, my body tends to adapt to antihistamines really quickly as well. And most of them do nothing, unless I take high doses, and I don’t like to do that just in case it isn’t safe over time to do so.
I think all of those tests are VERY interesting, and I hope you let us know how those tests turn out. It would be interesting if anything does show up, and you can treat it or find out what the cause may be. So please keep us posted when you find out.
I hope you are able to get the hives under control soon. Mine have been crazy for the past few months, and I am so glad cooler weather is here. Good luck with the test results, and thanks for the great post.
Well, my dad’s side of the family has a history of thyroid problems… and my doctor has encouraged me to get blood tested for it, but I haven’t yet. I’ve been suffering with cholinergic urticaria for a couple years now. This post definitely makes me want to get tested ASAP! If treating thyroid problems can eliminate the hives, I will be ecstatic! Thanks for posting.
Awesome, just read this post! I am going to definitely try and get tested this week, or as soon as possible! I will post my results as well. Thanks for all the info!
Good luck, and I hope you find something out. Just try not to get too much of your hopes up, because some people with Cholinergic Urticaria on here have had thyroid tests and they were normal. So it may or may not be the cause of yours.
But best of luck and let us know how it turns out.
Thanks for sharing these information. It gets me to think perhaps I may have some sort of thyroid problem but never dectected anything until this skin condition showed up. I just wanted to ask, how does one get their thyroid tested? It’s not a part of the normal blood test right? I never tested for anything else besides your regular doctor routine of blood test. For cholestrol and stuff like that.
Someone I know had his Thyroid checked but he said he had to take a pill and they had to stick a camera inside to check the thyroid function. I definitely don’t have the money for that so I’m not sure if there is a quick and sufficient way to check if it’s abnormal or not.
Yeah, to test thyroid it is usually just a blood test as far as I know.
I had my thyroid tested along with a slew of other blood tests through my allergy doctor. My thyroid is normal. This was one of the first tests I had done when my hives first started as he thought it was a thyroid problem but it wasn’t. But don’t get discouraged, it could very well be the case for others!
I’ve had Cholinergic Urticaria 3 times now, the first 2 times lasted about 4 years each. It just resurfaced this winter ( I mainly only get symptoms in the winter). I was hyperthyroid right around the last time I had cholinergic Urticaria. I never put 2 and 2 together that they might be related. I took some meds for my thyroid and got my levels under control, but I failed to keep up with the blood tests to keep monitoring my levels. My Urticaria also went into remission about this time. Now that my Cholinergic Urticaria has come back, I wanted to be proactive about it and get a bunch of tests done. I did a full battery of allergy tests and I was not allergic to anything. Antihistamines do nothing for me. However, my blood work showed that I was very slightly hypothyroid. Not only that, but my thyroid antibodies were off the chart. So , if you guys get tested for thyroid levels, make sure you are not only getting tested for thyroid hormone levels, but also for thyroid antibodies. This can be an autoimmune disease known as hoshimoto’s disease. I got started on a small dosage of levothyroxyzine (sp?) to attempt to get my thyroid levels back in normal ranges. Hopefully this helps out with my hives.
Were you the one who got rid of the old couch that had dust mites in it?
What are all the tests that you had? I had extensive blood work as well, but nothing was off, except my vitamin D levels.
Maybe I should ask too…did you get any medication for it?
I have what im almost certain is cholinergic urticaria as well as solar urticaria and I also have hypothyroidism. I have been on medication (levothyroxin) for my thyroid condition for close to a year now and it has not helped the urticaria, if any thing it has worsened it unfortunately. I hope to find a treatment that works very soon, this is something nobody should have to live with.
I started a new hormonal treatment thing today that was recommended by a homeopathic doctor. He reckons that my Chu was caused by either too much salt in my diet or a hormonal imbalance, or both (which is more likely). I now take medicine that is supposed to restore my hormone levels. This makes sense since I’m 17 years old. I’ll post the medicine that I’m taking later today, regardless of whether it works or not.
Do you want to stunt your growth? What medicine did he give you?
I wonder what stunting your growth has to do with anything. He didn’t even mention the hormone.
I would not be surprised at all if hormones played a big role with ChU since ChU develops more commonly among teenage males more than any other demographic.
Yeah, you’re right Duper, technically a hormone can be any chemical messenger in the body, but assuming the homeopath is a not a very literal biologist I doubt that’s what he means. I don’t want ken to think he needs to take an androgen blocker because he got ChU at 17. Maybe the medicine something related to the mineralcorticoids, since the homeopath thinks it’s salt. Maybe it’s an anti-anxiety medicine and he is trying to reduce stress, who knows. It’s a homeopath; it’s probably just a vial of sugar water, and I don’t know why I worry.
I was going to say something about a possible relation between the age of onset and the proposed pathophysiologies of ChU earlier, but didn’t have time. Since you brought it up Duper I thought I might as well say something.
If ChU was related to something that happened in the adolescent years, it might have something to do with hyperkeratinization of the sweat gland duct. Similar to acne, androgens and IGF1 could have an upregulating effect on keratinization, which could block the sweat glands and cause hypohidrosis. The average duration of the condition, 7 years, could be explained this way as well. Why exercise, a hot bath, and summertime seems to desensitize some ChU patients has already been theorized by researchers as working by sweat clearing the duct, preventing it from leaking into the dermis. Why sweat could cause an allergic reaction is less known, but it is not unheard of. In atopic dermatitis there are cases of IgE to inhalant allergens in sweat, specifically birch pollen and house dust mite (Jung et al. 1996). There is also an IgE specific to sweat antigen in atopic dermatitis, which one ChU study related to. This study found that incubation of basophils with semi-purified sweat caused histamine release.
Many people on this forum claim dust mite and pollen allergies. I have read a case where dust mite immunotherapy caused urticaria at the injection site after exercise, which the authors speculate could be ChU (Choi IS et al. 2004), and similarly in an acute case with pollen immunotherapy (which I can’t find the article for, sorry). Whether this could be the trigger in ChU is unknown.
So if this speculation panned out, a low glycemic diet would help. Also retinoids would help (dangerous though). Keratolytics, assuming they reach the plugs, would help. Zinc, maybe(?). Immunotherapy might help as well; although it caused it in a couple patients, it has been used in atopic dermatitis and recently chronic urticaria (Kasperska-Zajac A et al. 2009, Kasperska-Zajac A 2011.
I have had ChU all my life, but mine could be related to hyperkeratinization since I have had milia underneath my eyes and supposedly fast-growing nails all my life. Vinegar and salicylic acid seems to help me sweat, or rather make it less feel like a blister popping and more like a syringe when I sweat, but only for a short period of time. Some people at the Keratosis Pilaris Community take MSM as a regimen to help clear their skin; I’ve tried MSM and it’s helped me, but I have to take a lot of it.
However, I don’t know if this theory is that correct. I follow a low-glycemic diet for acne that has no effect on my symptoms. Cod liver oil also seems to have little to no effect, although I am unsure about the higher doses I’ve tried. No one on the forums has made any connection thus far with hyperkeratinization. One person on this forum even speculated if Accutane had caused his/her symptoms. Hives Guy did wonder if his keratosis pilaris had anything to do with ChU, but I don’t think that turned up anything. He tried an anti-dandruff shampoo (pyrithione zinc? ketoconazole? Idk.) and vinegar; both didn’t work.
So I don’t know, maybe. This is assuming growth or insulin resistance or w/e is the cause of keratosis in some ChU. If you have the type of ChU that gets better in summer or with exercise, it wouldn’t hurt to try some of these things.
For the past 3 days, I kept taking the medicine 3 times everyday. So far I actually see some improvement. Since my reactions always had no visible symptoms, I had to rely on the itchiness to tell me whether or not it’s getting better. It seems to be working. It might be from the sudden increase in hot weather in my area, though. I’m going to take a bath today to find out for sure.
Went to the doctor yesterday and they took some blood samples to see what was causing my Cholinergic Urticaria. The doctor told me if any relative of mine had thyroid problems and I said no because I didn’t know. Then after I got home my uncle told me that my grandma has thyroid problems. Could i have thyroid problems too which cause Cholinergic Urticaria?
People with chronic urticaria have a higher incidence of thyroid antibodies or thyroid disease, but in all the articles I’ve read on cholinergic urticaria there has never been any mention of thyroid antibodies. Either your doctor is getting these two conditions confused or is testing to see if there is any correlation in ChU.
I think a lot of diseases have a high correlation of anti-thyroid antibodies, and I guess that’s used as a marker of how susceptible to autoimmune disease you are. Not too sure.
I have been hyperthyroid in the past and I am currenty hypo-thyroid. I have low thryoid hormone levels and I have high amounts of thyroid anti-bodies in my blood. I have been told that my Cholinergic Urticaria can possibly be related to my thyroid issue, but it is all speculation at this point. I am currently taking meds to increase my thryoid hormone level, but my Cholinergic Urticaria has not gotten any better, so it is still questionable whether the two conditions are related or not for me.
I have had problems with rashes since birth, I am now nearly 46!
What others describe on this forum I have had since I was around 18. I come out in a rash when I go from hot to cold, have a shower, exercise, especially swimming, experience any type of stress, eat certain foods – though this last one is very unpredictable.
The condition became very extreme about 5 years ago, I was blotching, itchy and covered in lumps several times a day. I was also experiencing more a permanent skin condition (it turned out to be an allergy to painkillers, which I had taken for a cold/headache etc.) and was prescribed anti-histimines to help it.
The anti-histimines did help with the Cholinergic Urticaria, it only happened in very extreme circumstances e.g. rain and wind.
However, I also have an under-active thyroid, diagnosed 7 years ago. I recently read that anti-histimines affect the medication I take for my thyroid condition. As I constantly felt tired despite a high dose of thyroxine I decided to stop taking the anti-histimines.
I now feel I have more energy but I am now blotching and itchy again! | 2019-04-18T21:05:03Z | https://www.cholinergicurticaria.net/thyroid-hypothyroid-or-hormone-imbalance-cause-cholinergic-urticaria-hives/ |
PatLit is immensely grateful to Tim Powell (Powell Gilbert LLP) for information concerning an application for directions made last week before Mr Justice Floyd of the Patents Court for England and Wales. In Mobiqa Ltd v Trinity Mobile Ltd, an infringement/ revocation action involving a system for transmitting barcodes to mobile phones, he limited each side to two and a quarter hours of cross-examination in a trial fixed for two days.
"7. Whether or not one calls these directions a streamlined procedure or not, it seems to me from what I have been told about this action that this action should be capable of being tried within a two day time frame. It seems to me that the issues which are raised are not technically very difficult and given that the case is to be tried in the High Court, it should not occupy more time than is necessary for it to be fairly disposed of. I start therefore with the objective that this case should be capable of being tried within two days.
8. What then is there left to decide? Mr Cuddigan [for the defendant] is right that his clients are entitled to choose between giving disclosure of documents or providing a product and process description. Standard disclosure is a less compact way of addressing the issues of infringement. Standard disclosure means that the claimant has to read the documents which were not prepared with a patent action in mind and dig out from them such material as he considers is necessary to establish its case on infringement. A product and process description is a purpose built document which is designed to facilitate the trial of the action and to release the burden on defendants who would otherwise have to trawl through documents to be certain that they have disclosed all the documents which they are obliged to do. For my part, I cannot in the present case understand why the defendants have not yet decided which course they are going to take. Nor do I understand what considerations they say are material to their decision. Nevertheless, they are right that they have in the normal course a right to choose between the two courses. The date for compliance with their obligations, whether they produce a PPD or whether they go by standard disclosure, will be the same. For that reason, I am not going to force them to produce a product and process description rather than standard disclosure. I would hope that in a case such as the present, it will prove possible to confine the documentation to a well drawn up and concise PPD.
9. The next issue to consider is whether there should be any restriction of cross examination. I am of the view that in a case such as this it ought to be possible to complete the cross examination of two expert witnesses and any factual evidence within a day. That, it seems to me, is the sort of case which this is and for that reason I propose to make an order ... simply limiting the cross examination on both sides to a total of half a day, which I calculate at two and a quarter hours. That of course will be subject to review by the trial judge, but it does not seem to me that whatever the importance of the case to either side, the nature of this particular dispute justifies more than half a day's cross examination. That will enable the case to be decided within the two day window.
10. Both sides have made submissions about the importance of the case to them and the proportionality of the procedure that should be adopted in order to decide the case. For my part, the overriding consideration is the nature of the dispute and where it stands in the overall complexity of patent applications that come before this court. It seems to me that it is nothing like a three to five day case, as the defendants contend. For my part, I cannot conceive of what could be discussed to cause the case to last an entire working week. Once the court is put in possession of the prior art with properly written skeletons, and the issue on infringement is identified, the parties ought to be able to present their closing submissions in half a day each without the need for any elaborate opening. Accordingly, what I propose to do is to make an order in that form, requiring disclosure or a product and process description by 24th August [the trial being fixed for the first available date after 1 December] and limiting cross examination on both sides to two and a quarter hours, allowing for a trial with an estimated length of two days and prereading of half a day to one day".
PatLit expects to see case management of this nature increase as the next generation of judges, for whom case management is integrated into their experience at the Bar, ascends to the Bench.
As a new kid on the blog, having only gone live this February, PatLit was excited and honoured to have made the starting line-up for the poll of Top Patent Blogs 2009. The 50 "top patent blogs" according to Technorati and Alexa figures are listed on IP Watchdog's polling card and there are actually two separate polls. The first, for which each voter may cast just one vote, is for the blog which the reader likes the best. The second, for which the voter may cast as many votes as he or she needs, is for the patent blogs which that voter regularly reads.
Voting lasts till 30 June (i.e. today) and the results, once tabulated, will be published at the beginning of July.
PatLit is delighted to be doing so well despite its infancy. At present, in the first poll (the popularity poll) the blog lies in 25th position out of 50, tying with Duncan Bucknell's well-established IP ThinkTank. In the second (the 'which-blogs-do-you-regularly-read' one), PatLit is even higher, at number 23.
If you'd like to vote, or are just curious to read the list of leading patent law blogs, you can visit the polling site here.
Lost property: the European patent system and why it doesn’t work is the title of an 81-page report by Bruno van Pottsleberghe on behalf of Bruegel, "a Brussels-based think tank contributing to the quality of economic policy making in Europe". Unlike some commentators, the author has had some genuine experience of the system and its impact on innovation: a former Chief Economist of the European Patent Office from November 2005 to the end of 2007, he holds the Solvay S.A. Chair of Innovation and teaches courses related to the economics and management of innovation and intellectual property.
The Community patent and a unified and integrated European patent litigation system are key ingredients for ensuring that the EU single market works properly. The failure to implement them means missed opportunities. It is paradoxical to have a patent office – the EPO – that covers the largest market in the world, and which ensures high-quality examination services, but has not contributed to the development of the largest market for technology due to prohibitive cumulated enforcement costs and a high level of legal uncertainty. If European governments wish to foster innovation and create a suitable environment for fast-growing technology-based firms, the Community patent project should become a prime objective. A centralised patent litigation system would reduce the prohibitive costs caused by parallel litigation and ease the uncertainty generated by differing litigation outcomes (22).
(22) Local chambers for infringement and counterfeiting issues should be created, which would then lead to a central chamber for patent validity issues (and then back to the local chamber for infringement and counterfeiting) that could be used by third countries as well. The system should ensure that at least one member of the local chamber would be part of the centralised process, in order to keep a degree of coherence in the assessment. This is required because during the invalidity proceedings patent holders try to reduce the interpretation of the claims (ie limit the breadth of protection associated with the patent), whereas during infringement proceedings patent holders logically try to broaden the interpretation of the claims".
EPO appeal "invalid for insufficiency"
I've just come across (via PLC's IPIT & Telecommunications weekly email) the EPO Board of Appeal decision in Pipe for filling bottles/Gallardo Gonzalez, T 1581/08 - 3.2.07, 3 April 2009, a curious little decision in which the Board of Appeal refused to admit an appeal because it wasn't supported by proper grounds of appeal. Or, to put it another way, it's not just patents that can be invalid for insufficiency.
If no or insufficient relationship between the two can be established, the Board considers that the appeal is inadmissible.
The bottom line is that representatives of clients in appeal proceedings should check that the grounds for appeal do indeed actually specify the legal or factual reasons on which the case for setting aside a contested decision is based. These grounds should be analysed in detail in relation to the main reasons given for the contested decision.
In this case, said the Board, there was no analysis of the technical features of the claims -- there was just a vague reference to an unspecified document as prior art, so the grounds of appeal were insufficient.
"16. There have been growing concerns about increased pendency periods for patent applications. The EPO has itself mooted the existence of a phenomenon called “global patent warming”. This problem, according to the EPO, has three elements: “woolly boundaries” for patents, globalisation and increasing pendency periods owing to examination backlogs in patent offices. Can patent strategies that exploit this phenomenon, such as loading patent offices with multitudes of patent applications (often called “patent application loading”), have an adverse impact on consumer welfare? It is a feature of patent law that most patents are never worked and that many patents are never renewed. Many patented inventions have no commercial value, and by implication it is difficult to see how strategic use of the patent application process may in many situations have adverse welfare effects. Furthermore, many firms active in patent-rich markets may well be able to assess the viability of their competitors’ patents and, by extension, their patent applications. Lord Justice Jacob, an English patents judge, has said that what he calls patents with “woolly lines” are the ones that cause the trouble and lead to litigation. Moreover, patent infringement proceedings can only commence once the patent has been granted (though admittedly the infringement suit can extend of course to infringing acts done prior to grant) – as such, even marking items with “patent pending” does not necessarily mean that a competitor will not work the invention or “work around” it.
17. All that said, it may well be that, in some cases, pending patent applications will deter potential competitors from working the invention(s) to which the application(s) relates for fear of an eventual lawsuit, especially if the patent applicant is better resourced than the would-be competitor - who may be unable to risk eventual costly patent litigation even if, at the end of the day, the patent is declared invalid. In such a case, it is obvious that the public may be deprived of the benefits of competition with respect to the invention which is of dubious novelty, inventiveness or other aspect of patentability. Patent application loading may also have welfare implications by raising rivals’ costs, either by increasing the need for firms to conduct more extensive patent searches, assessing a greater number of their competitor’s patent applications, or unnecessarily incurring research and development costs in order to “work around” the inventions to which the applications relate. “Patent flooding” may similarly be problematic when engaged in by a firm that already has a myriad of patents in respect of competing technology: forcing cross-licensing may allow it to leverage its strength and raise prices across the board for the technology while potentially deterring innovation, particularly if the cross-licences include exclusivity provisions. Moreover, where “evergreening” at the end of the patent lifecycle occurs through myriads of applications for perhaps dubious improvement patents, then this may have the clear effect of excluding others from being able to work the technology in question in the most commercially attractive way and from delivering the benefits of competition".
PatLit doesn't get to hear much about Spain, so today's note in for International Law Office by Yvonne Sastre of Grau & Angulo was particularly welcome. Her article, "Preliminary Injunction Petition for Alleged Patent Infringement Rejected", discusses a decision last March of the Fourth Commercial Court, Barcelona, to dismiss the petition of Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb for interim injunctive relief against various pharmaceutical laboratories for alleged infringements of the Irbesartan patent. You can read the piece in full here.
In terms of European patent history, it's quite absorbing since the patent goes back to 1991 -- when chemical and pharma patents were not yet available in Spain -- and its history takes in the momentous changes resulting from TRIPS. The patent's post-grant history is even more remarkable, but PatLit won't spoil the story. The interesting thing here is to work out the grounds on which this elderly patent might have deserved preliminary injunctive protection on the facts as provided.
"Some of your readers may be unaware of the European Commission's Green Paper consultation on the Brussels Regulation 44/2001.
This is a broad consultation on the Regulation, based on a 2007 study. Importantly for IP practitioners, the Commission is considering some pretty fundamental changes to the conflict of laws rules applicable to IP disputes. In particular, there are proposals to deal with Italian or Belgian torpedoes and to reverse the outcomes of Case C-4/03 GAT v Luk and Case C-539/03 Roche v Primus, allowing cross-border infringement actions to proceed even where the validity of the patents is challenged before national patent offices or courts.
The website is here and the consultation closes on 30 June 2009.
An ad hoc committee of the LIDC (International League of Competition Law) was set up to respond to the consultation. The committee is chaired by Rhodri Thompson of Matrix Chambers and I've been asked to participate as a representative of the Competition Law Association, which is the British group of the LIDC. Members of the LIDC are welcome to send me their views, which I'll do my best to incorporate in the response (if I get them very soon)".
PatLit endorses the sentiment expressed by Christopher that anyone who wants to make his or her own submissions had best get a move on, given the short time within which one may do so.
"9. Professor Rothman is a consultant cardiologist and the Director of Cardiac Research & Development at Barts and the London NHS Trust and Honorary Professor of Interventional Cardiology at Queen Mary, University of London. Interventional cardiology has been the focus of Professor Rothman's entire career and he is recognised as one of its pioneers. He has worked with cardiovascular stents since the early 1980s and over the years has advised many different companies operating in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors in relation to a wide range of devices used in conjunction with interventional cardiology.
10. Edwards accepts that Professor Rothman is a skilled and expert cardiologist but contends his evidence was partisan, as illustrated by a marked shift in his opinions from those he held in an earlier case between Edwards and a company called CoreValve. I think it fair to say the opinions expressed by Professor Rothman in his reports in the two cases are indeed different in material respects and this formed the basis of a good deal of his cross examination. However, as Cook submits, opinions may change in the course of a case, particularly after cross examination, and I accept that in formulating his reports in this case Professor Rothman may have given further consideration to the abilities of the ordinary skilled person. Importantly, I believe Professor Rothman answered the questions put to him fairly and frankly and I found his opinions cogent and reasonable".
Ancon Limited v ACS Stainless Steel Fixings Limited EWCA Civ 498, a decision of the Court of Appeal for England and Wales, is what one might call a "minor appeal". The patent which was allegedly (i) infringed and (ii) invalid, depending on which side you are on, was low-tech. The trial judge was not one of the more techie members of the Patents Court and the appellate judgment, inclusive of a lengthy summary of the principles of claim construction, barely topped 30 paragraphs.
"Ancon say that the Judge construed claim 1 (the only claim that need be considered) too narrowly. ACS say he was right. So the whole question essentially turns on the proper construction of claim 1. In their skeleton argument for Ancon Mr Daniel Alexander QC and Mr James St. Ville tentatively advanced a further argument – that even if the claim as properly construed did not cover the ACS assembly, there was infringement nonetheless by virtue of the amendments made to Art 69 of the EPC and the Protocol thereto in 2000. In the event it is not necessary to consider this argument. All I would say is that has considerable difficulties both because our House of Lords has indicated it makes no difference ... and because a trawl through the travaux préparatoires to the EPC 2000 does not show a clear intention to change the law".
Patents County Court reform: now's the time!
Hot off the press today are the proposals published by the Working Group of the Intellectual Property Court Users' Committee for reform of the Patents County Court, England and Wales. The document is some 24 pages in length. It lists the Group's members, provides both background and executive summary, details the proposals and the legislation that would be required in order to implement them and also bravely addresses some potential difficulties.
The Group is made up of the Patents Court's three most patent-oriented members -- Mr Justice Kitchin, Mr Justice Floyd and Mr Justice Arnold -- together with the Patents County Court's Judge Fysh QC and representatives of both the professions and their clients: Richard Miller QC (for the IP Bar Association), Alan Johnson (secretary to the Patents County Court Users’ Committee), Philip Westmacott (secretary to the Intellectual Property Court Users’ Committee), Alasdair Poore (for the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys), Philip Harris (for the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys) and Tony Rollins (for the IP Federation).
"The Patents County Court (“PCC”) was created by Parliament to serve the interests of small- and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) by providing an affordable forum for intellectual property litigation. The PCC has not succeeded in providing this, however. There are two main reasons for this.
The first is the fear of having to meet a substantial, and unpredictable, adverse costs award if unsuccessful. The second is that the procedure of the PCC is itself costly, because it is identical to that of the High Court. Changes both to the costs regime and to the procedure of the PCC are therefore needed. As regards costs, we propose that the regime be altered so as to restrict costs recovery to a scale basis except where the conduct of a party has been unreasonable.
On procedure, we propose that procedural rules should be made specifically for the PCC which are tailor-made to enable affordable litigation of intellectual property disputes by SMEs.
to limit trials to one or at most two days.
We also propose that the PCC should be clearly differentiated from the High Court".
Time is of the essence. In order for comments to be carefully considered and then passed on to Lord Jackson by 31 July 2009, the Group asks that you let Philip Westmacott have your comments by not later than 3 July 2009 (you can email Philip here).
You can read the proposals in full here.
In TNS Group Holdings Ltd v Neilsen Media Research Inc. EWHC 1160 (Pat), a decision of Mr Justice Arnold of 20 May, the Patents Court for England and Wales ruled that the Patents Act 1977, s.72(1), which states that "any person" may apply to revoke a granted patent, means exactly what it says. On this basis, the intention of a claimant in revocation proceedings is irrelevant and it is not therefore an abuse of process to bring a revocation action even if the applicant has no commercial reason to do so. In this case, the patent owner had offered the claimant a licence to use the patent (for television audience management measurement systems) on terms which -- though confidential -- must have been sufficiently attractive for the patentee to be able to argue that the plaintiff would be no better off if the patent were revoked than if it remained in force.
"It is commonplace for parties litigating on the same European patent in a number of Contracting States to put before the courts of one Contracting State decisions arrived at in one or more other Contracting States. I do not see that such conduct can possibly be stigmatised as an abuse of process. That is particularly so given that such judgments may come to the attention of courts in other Contracting States in any event. The courts of all the Contracting States are seeking to apply the same substantive law. It would be most unfortunate if anything were to be done which made it more difficult for the courts of the Contracting States to arrive at common answers to common questions".
Having so held, Arnold J in any event refused to stay the revocation action before him, pending the outcome of opposition proceedings in the European Patent Office since the EPO proceedings would take at least two years longer than a final decision in the UK courts.
Translation costs: can anyone top this figure?
In this action, which involved a US patent for levofloxacin, the Federal Circuit upheld this assessment, with the exception of the cost of the depositions, which were split between this action and another in which the same patent was being litigated.
PatLit wonders whether its readers have ever seen larger translation bills. If you have, please email one of the team or post your figure by using the Comment feature below.
The European Union's Council Decision of 27 November 2008 concerning the conclusion of the Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters has been published today on the website of the Official Journal.
‘The European Community hereby declares that, when amending Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 on jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, it intends to clarify the scope of Article 22(4) of the said Regulation with a view to taking into account the relevant case law of the Court of Justice of the European Communities with respect to proceedings concerned with the registration or validity of intellectual property rights, thereby ensuring its parallelism with Article 22(4) of the Convention while taking into account the results of the evaluation of the application of Regulation (EC) No 44/2001".
"In proceedings concerned with the registration or validity of patents, trade marks, designs, or other similar rights required to be deposited or registered, the courts of the Member State in which the deposit or registration has been applied for, has taken place or is under the terms of a Community instrument or an international convention deemed to have taken place.
Without prejudice to the jurisdiction of the European Patent Office under the Convention on the Grant of European Patents, signed at Munich on 5 October 1973, the courts of each Member State shall have exclusive jurisdiction, regardless of domicile, in proceedings concerned with the registration or validity of any European patent granted for that State".
Evidence in process patent infringement proceedings: can you help?
"In process patent infringements the problem is that the patent holder has considerable problems in presenting evidence on the process actually used by the alleged infringer. In some cases the reversed burden of proof in TRIPS Article 34 (or rather its domestic implementation) may be applied. This does not however resolve the problem. The alleged infringer is usually more than eager to present evidence (via expert witnesses) that the process used is completely different from the patented process. The patent holder and the court may naturally rely on these expert witnesses, but due to risk of bias, since the witnesses have been called by the alleged infringer, the best way to resolve this evidentiary problem would be for the court to engage an independent expert who would visit the plant in order to find out what process has been used.
Now to my question: I have heard that Mr Justice Laddie may have used this type of independent expert at least in one case where the process was located in India. Have I been misinformed or is there such a case?"
Does anyone know? If you do, can you please post the response below so that all PatLit readers can share it?
"A one-stop system for filing and defending a patent in the EU has been a goal for decades but was thwarted by disagreement over which languages and court structure to use [These are only some of the issues. Others exist too].
Now EU states have been discussing a draft agreement [here] that would set up a unified patent litigation system with the European Court of Justice having a role.
Vladimir Tosovsky, industry minister for the Czech EU presidency, said the ECJ's opinion was needed before making further progress. "If such an agreement is concluded it would be much more effective to settle disputes in this area", Tosovsky told a news conference after a meeting of EU industry ministers [it's definitely preferable to settle disputes concerning the proposed system in advance and at the Commission's expense rather than in arrears and at litigants' expense -- but why can't we know what questions are being asked?].
In March the EU's executive European Commission formally asked member states for a mandate to set up a court system that would have jurisdiction over existing European patents and a future single EU community patent. This would avoid the need for a company to defend a patent in several national courts, a costly process.
"Once the Court of Justice gives an answer to the question then we will determine the further procedure," Tosovsky said.
If the ECJ gives the green light to details such as how many local and regional courts are needed, how to fund them and which languages should be used would have to be thrashed out"
We await further developments with excitement and trepidation.
"Based on an innovative analysis of surveys of senior industry figures globally and an array of published empirical data, the index provides an assessment of the best and worst jurisdictions to obtain, exploit, enforce and attack particular types of IP. Where once anecdotes, conjecture and even some prejudice may have informed our view of a particular jurisdiction, we are now able to rely on statistical analysis.
* assessments of the cost-effectiveness of enforcement in each jurisdiction".
Remarkably, the ratings for all jurisdictions have risen ..., with a narrowing of the margin between the lowest and highest ranked countries. The UK remains 1st and Germany has climbed into 2nd place ahead of the USA. Australia is now 4th ahead of the Netherlands and Canada. Ireland is a new entry in 8th place sharing the same rating as Singapore. Japan consolidates its mid-field position in 10th place and South Korea moves further up to 12th place.
Turkey is another new entry, in 17th place. Mexico, South Africa and UAE show strong gains in their ratings. The BRIC jurisdictions again occupy the bottom four places of the Patent Index although they have all gained points in their ratings. Russia is now leading this group with the strongest score gain of any country.
The biggest fallers in rank (ignoring the effect of new joiners) were Israel, Spain and Poland.
* Relatively speedy and effective procedures.
* Well-respected and experienced judges.
It was concluded in GIPI 1 and now confirmed by GIPI 2 that cost considerations play a role, but not a determinative one, in the ratings and ranks. This was somewhat unexpected, given the present adverse economic climate. When asked to score jurisdictions for cost-effectiveness of enforcement, the spread of scores was narrower overall. As with all the other major IP rights, Germany was rated highest for cost-effective enforcement by a clear margin and, as with trade marks, Mexico came 2nd. With virtually identical scores, New Zealand, Canada, France and the UK come next. The USA came last.
To have the UK ranked highly for cost-effectiveness may surprise some. This is not least given the very public criticism made by a High Court judge in his judgment last year against a patentee for racking up £6 million in legal fees on enforcing its patent and defending it against a revocation counterclaim. With losers generally having to pay a substantial part of the winner’s costs, the possibility that those costs can approach this figure is a disincentive to litigation. It has to be said that this case was exceptional, with costs about five times more than an average one. However, it has resulted in the English patent court judges taking a more proactive role in seeking to cap patent action costs.
Significantly, the USA was ranked bottom, alongside India as the least cost-effective country for patent enforcement (just below China). Aside from cost considerations, England is still perceived as somewhat anti-patent, at least for pharmaceuticals. It topped the score table, by some 40 points, for challenging patents. In fact, this reputation and that score may be less justified now since, in just over 30% of the English cases in 2008, the patent was held to be valid – considerably up on previous years.
In Germany, the EU Enforcement Directive was implemented during 2008 broadening patentees’ rights to information concerning the scope of infringing acts and gathering evidence. In particular, the court practice on granting pre-trial inspection orders was confirmed by statutory provisions added to the German Patents Act Although Germany and the US have tended to be regarded as patentee-friendly systems, they were likewise high scorers for attacking patents.
Other common law countries also saw gains in ratings but not necessarily rank: Australia is rated highly for obtaining and exploiting patents but drops back a little in the contentious arena. Judges and court users have long recognised a need to streamline the Australian patent litigation system. This has led to the Australian Federal Court to rolling out an intensive case management procedure that aims to limit discovery and expert evidence.
Israel’s drop in rank, but gain in rating, suggests its progress is not as good as others. It has notably remained in this year’s Special 301 Priority Watch List largely because its laws do not, according to the USTR, satisfactorily prevent unfair commercial use of undisclosed test data used in applications for marketing authorisation and makes no allowance in patent duration for delays in obtaining such authorisation (i.e. there is no equivalent to the UK Supplementary Protection Certificate). Mexico is likewise hauled up for this.
There was again major disparity across Europe for dealing with patent disputes. Score variances of 231 points (attacking patents) and 211 points (enforcing patents) arose between the top and bottom scoring EU Member States. The latter were Spain, Italy, and Poland. The rank variance was from 1st to 20th/21st, so almost the entire GIPI table. To the extent there is a centralized European system at all (for obtaining and attacking patents), the European Patent Office would have been placed 7th overall and slightly higher for obtaining patents. The latter may reflect the implementation of the London Agreement which has assisted in cutting back on the material cost of translation in obtaining European-wide patent protection.
However, responses expressed mixed feelings about the EPO:"
This year's survey is not only wider in scope and deeper in content -- it is also more rigorous in terms of methodology than its predecessor. Taylor Wessing has provided a valuable service to the patent litigation community in commissioning this work and making it available to the critical scrutiny of all. It would be good to think that work of this nature, which reflects the opinions of those who work within the patent dispute resolution system, would be given as much weight as some of the more academic materials on which Europe's leaders are likely to base their next moves towards European patent litigation reform. | 2019-04-23T17:50:14Z | http://patlit.blogspot.com/2009/06/ |
Double-stranded (ds) RNA, generated during viral infection, binds and activates the mammalian anti-viral protein kinase PKR, which phosphorylates the translation initiation factor eIF2α leading to the general inhibition of protein synthesis. Although PKR-like activity has been described in fish cells, the responsible enzymes eluded molecular characterization until the recent discovery of goldfish and zebrafish PKZ, which contain Z-DNA-binding domains instead of dsRNA-binding domains (dsRBDs). Fish and amphibian PKR genes have not been described so far.
Here we report the cloning and identification of 13 PKR genes from 8 teleost fish and amphibian species, including zebrafish, demonstrating the coexistence of PKR and PKZ in this latter species. Analyses of their genomic organization revealed up to three tandemly arrayed PKR genes, which are arranged in head-to-tail orientation. At least five duplications occurred independently in fish and amphibian lineages. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that the kinase domains of fish PKR genes are more closely related to those of fish PKZ than to the PKR kinase domains of other vertebrate species. The duplication leading to fish PKR and PKZ genes occurred early during teleost fish evolution after the divergence of the tetrapod lineage. While two dsRBDs are found in mammalian and amphibian PKR, one, two or three dsRBDs are present in fish PKR. In zebrafish, both PKR and PKZ were strongly upregulated after immunostimulation with some tissue-specific expression differences. Using genetic and biochemical assays we demonstrate that both zebrafish PKR and PKZ can phosphorylate eIF2α in yeast.
Considering the important role for PKR in host defense against viruses, the independent duplication and fixation of PKR genes in different lineages probably provided selective advantages by leading to the recognition of an extended spectrum of viral nucleic acid structures, including both dsRNA and Z-DNA/RNA, and perhaps by altering sensitivity to viral PKR inhibitors. Further implications of our findings for the evolution of the PKR family and for studying PKR/PKZ interactions with viral gene products and their roles in viral infections are discussed.
The double-stranded (ds) RNA-activated protein kinase PKR (eIF2aK2) is an integral component of the innate immune response (reviewed in [1–3]). In mammals PKR, which contains two N-terminal dsRNA-binding domains (dsRBDs) , is constitutively expressed at moderate levels in most cells types and can be transcriptionally induced approximately five-fold after immunostimulation by interferons or dsRNA. PKR is a first line defense molecule against viral infection. Immediately after infection or early during replication or transcription of viral genes, even before the interferon response kicks in, viral dsRNA can activate PKR. Elevated levels of PKR after interferon induction sensitizes cells to react even more strongly to viral pathogens leading to a general inhibition of protein synthesis and potentially to apoptosis.
PKR has been shown to be crucial for the host response against a variety of viral pathogens. An important role for PKR in the antiviral response is further supported by the finding that many viruses evolved inhibitors of PKR (reviewed in [1, 3, 5]). In one model for PKR activation, the two dsRBDs found in the amino-terminal part of mammalian and avian PKR are thought to fold back onto the kinase domain thereby inhibiting dimerization and kinase activity . Upon binding of dsRNA, this autoinhibition is relieved facilitating the dimerization of two PKR molecules. This dimerization is mediated by both the N-terminal dsRBDs as well as by residues of the kinase domain and is a prerequisite for the activation of PKR which is accompanied by the trans-autophosphorylation of many serine and threonine residues [7–11].
The best-characterized substrate of PKR is the α subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2), which is phosphorylated at Ser51. Phosphorylation of eIF2α is one of the best-understood mechanisms enabling cells to rapidly alter protein production in response to environmental stimuli (reviewed in ). eIF2 consists of three subunits, α, β and γ. When bound to GTP, eIF2 forms a ternary complex with initiator methionyl-tRNA, which is essential for cap-dependent translation initiation. Binding of this complex to the 40S ribosomal subunit generates a 43S preinitiation complex that binds mRNA and scans to identify a start codon. Following base-pairing of the anticodon of the tRNA to an initiation codon, scanning is halted, and the 60S subunit joins. This coincides with the hydrolysis of bound GTP to GDP and dissociation of eIF2. In order to allow a new round of translation initiation, the GDP bound to eIF2 must be exchanged for GTP by the guanine nucleotide exchange factor eIF2B. Phosphorylation of the eIF2α on Ser51 converts eIF2 into a competitive inhibitor of eIF2B, resulting in decreased levels of GTP-bound eIF2 and leading to the general inhibition of translational initiation [13, 14]. However, a small subset of mRNAs is translated more efficiently after eIF2α phosphorylation. The mRNAs encoding the transcription factors GCN4 in yeast (reviewed in ) and ATF4 in vertebrates contain short upstream open reading frames (uORFs), which inhibit the efficient translation of the genuine ORFs when the ternary complex is abundant . When the levels of ternary complex are reduced after eIF2α phosphorylation the genuine ORFs are translated more efficiently.
A family of protein kinases has been identified that mediate translational regulation through phosphorylation of eIF2α. These kinases all share phylogenetically closely related kinase domains that are linked to unique regulatory domains that determine the mode of kinase activation (reviewed in ). In addition to PKR, four other eIF2α kinases have been identified in vertebrates: the heme-regulated inhibitor kinase (HRI/eIF2aK1) is activated under conditions of heme deprivation and arsenite exposure, the PKR-like endoplasmatic reticulum kinase (PERK/PEK/eIF2aK3) is activated by unfolded proteins in the ER, and GCN2 (eIF2ak4) is activated by uncharged tRNA and thus senses amino acid starvation.
The fifth and most recently discovered member of the eIF2α kinase family is PKZ, which was cloned from goldfish, zebrafish and Atlantic salmon [18–20]. The kinase domain of PKZ is most closely related to PKR, however it contains two Z-DNA binding domains, called Zα domains, in the N-terminus instead of dsRBDs, as found in PKR [18, 19]. The Z-conformation is an alternative higher-energy form that can be adopted by double-stranded nucleic acids. In Z-DNA and Z-RNA the (deoxy)ribose backbone forms a left-handed zigzag helix, as opposed to the smooth right-handed helix in B-DNA and A-RNA [21, 22]. In cells, formation of Z-DNA is induced by negative supercoiling, generated by moving RNA-polymerases during transcription, and can modulate promoter activity probably by alternating the local architecture of promoter regions and nucleosome positioning [23, 24].
Zα domains specifically bind, stabilize and induce Z-DNA and Z-RNA [22, 25, 26]. They adopt a helix turn helix conformation [27, 28] that is structurally unrelated to the α-β-β-β-α fold adopted by dsRBDs . Until now, Zα domains have only been identified in three cellular Z-form binding proteins (ZBPs): the RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 (reviewed in ), which also contains three dsRBDs, Z-DNA binding protein 1 (ZBP1/DLM1) and PKZ. In all three proteins two Zα domains are found at the amino-terminus and are separated by a linker that varies in size between 16 and 91 amino acids . In addition, expression of these cellular ZBPs are highly induced upon immunostimulation, and the Zα domains determine the subcellular localization of the proteins [26, 31, 32].
Interestingly, the poxvirus protein E3L, one of the best studied PKR inhibitors, contains both a Zα domain and a dsRBD , combining the two nucleic acid binding domains found in PKZ and PKR. Both domains in E3L have been found to be essential for Vaccinia virus pathogenesis in a mouse model . The importance of Z-form binding is further indicated by the finding that single point mutations in the Zα-domain that prevented Z-DNA binding greatly reduced virus pathogenicity. Remarkably, pathogenicity was fully restored by substitution of the Zα domain of E3L with that of ADAR1 or ZBP1 despite a low sequence identity of about 25% (see ).
When transfected into mammalian cells, PKZ inhibited reporter gene expression to comparable levels as previously observed for PKR . However, an important difference is that a kinase inactivating point mutation in PKR (K296R) had stimulating effects on reporter protein expression (two- to six-fold) [36, 37], while kinase inactivated PKZ (K199R) had neither stimulatory nor inhibitory effects . These findings indicate that endogenous PKR, which is probably activated in every transfection, can be inhibited in a dominant negative fashion only by inactive forms of PKR but not by PKZ. Moreover, these results suggest that dsRBDs and Zα domains have different binding partners or activators. Identification of PKZ, a PKR homolog in fish possessing different nucleic acid binding domains, is striking and may reflect adaptation to the different viruses challenging these species.
Hitherto PKR has only been identified in mammals and chickens. However, similar activity has also been described in fish cells but the enzymes responsible eluded molecular cloning for a long time [38, 39]. The identification and characterization of genes that are important in the immune response in poikilotherm vertebrates is of considerable interest because their pathogens have seriously decimated both wild-type and farm-raised populations leading to significant ecological and economical losses . In this report, we characterize PKR genes of fish and amphibians, demonstrating the coexistence of PKR and PKZ in at least one fish species, and we identify lineage-specific duplications of PKR genes. Our findings support the notion that PKR and PKZ play similar but not identical roles in host defense and open the door to investigate the role of PKR in the innate immune response of poikilotherms and in the interplay with pathogens.
The sequences of two partial PKR genes representing parts of the kinase domains from the freshwater pufferfish T. nigroviridis have been reported . Since these sequences are incomplete and lack 5' and 3' regions it was not clear whether these genes contain dsRBDs, Z-DNA binding domains (Zα domains) or other regulatory domains.
Because the draft T. nigroviridis genome sequence was not of high enough quality for reliable gene prediction, we performed 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) experiments in order to obtain the complete gene sequences. Since both PKR and PKZ genes are inducible by immunostimulation, we treated a T. nigroviridis fish with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) for 12 h to induce expression. Different freshwater pufferfish species often look similar and reliable discrimination between these species can only be achieved by molecular techniques . To confirm the species of our pufferfish, a 306 bp fragment from the cytochrome B (cytb) gene was cloned and sequenced. The obtained sequence was 100% identical to 12 T. nigroviridis cytb gene sequences deposited in the database (e.g. accession number AJ248568). The closest related sequences were from T. fluviatilis, displaying 97% identity. These results demonstrate that our pufferfish belongs to the species T. nigroviridis. We designed primers from the available PKR1 and PKR2 sequences and performed 5' and 3' RACE polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For 5' RACE PCR of PKR1 and PKR2, 800 and 700 bp bands were observed, respectively (Figure 1A). The longest fragment obtained for PKR1 contained 872 bp with the first ATG at position +60 (relative to the presumptive transcription start site). An in-frame stop codon at position +55 preceded this AUG codon, which initiated an ORF that extended through the entire sequence. The 5' RACE for PKR2 yielded a 710 bp fragment with a start codon at position +29, that was preceded by an in-frame stop codon at position +18. The two lower molecular weight bands represent non-specific PCR products.
PCR for cloning of T. nigroviridis PKR genes. (A) Results for 5' RACE PCRs with T. nigroviridis cDNA are shown for primers specific for PKR1 (lane 1) and PKR2 (lane 2). M denotes the 1 kb marker. Fragments are labeled in kb. (B) shows the results of 3' RACE PCR using four different forward primers used in primary and nested PCRs for PKR1 (lanes 1–4) and three different forward primers combinations for PKR2 and PKR3 (lanes 5–7). The smaller fragment represents PKR2 and the larger one represents PKR3. (C) PCR products are shown using primers covering the complete open reading frames of PKR1 (lane 1), PKR2 (lane 2) and PKR3 (lane 3). (D) PCR reactions of overlapping regions were performed with genomic DNA to elucidate the genomic organization of PKR1. Lanes 1 and 2 show the PCR products obtained with primers spanning the region between the 5' untranslated region of PKR1 and exon 15 and exon 14 and the 3' untranslated region of exon 19, respectively. PCR product shown in lane 3 was obtained with primers covering exon 17 of PKR1 and exon 7 of PKR2. PCR products were cloned and completely sequenced.
Different primers were used for 3' RACE PCR of PKR1, which all yielded a single major band that was amplified to different extents (Figure 1B, lanes 1–4). For PKR2, two major bands were amplified (Figure 1B, lanes 5–7). Cloning of the PCR products showed that they all contained poly-A tails. The two fragments obtained with PKR2-specific primers displayed 87% identity in their deduced coding sequences. Since these two sequences represent two closely related PKR genes, we are referring to them as PKR2 and PKR3 in the following paragraphs.
Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR covering the complete ORF using primers derived from the sequences obtained from 5'- and 3'-RACE PCR, showed products of about 2.1 kb for PKR1 and about 1.2 kb for PKR2 and PKR3 (Figure 1C). Cloning and sequencing of the fragments showed that PKR1 contains an ORF of 2001 bp. Three dsRBDs (dsRB1-3) were identified in the N-terminal region using the conserved domain database (Figure 2C). While dsRBD1 and dsRBD3 showed highly significant expected values (E-value) of 3 × 10-13 and 1 × 10-11, respectively, the E-value for dsRBD2 was only 0.013. PKR2 and PKR3 contain 1272 and 1296 bp ORFs, respectively. Since only a single cDNA species was cloned for the 5' RACE of PKR2, the same forward primer originating from the 5' RACE of PKR2 was used for PKR2 and PKR3. The weaker band intensity of PKR3 is probably not a result of lower expression, as amplification worked comparably well for PKR2 and PKR3 in the 3' RACE, but reflects that the primer used has two mismatches to PKR3 in the middle of the primer and amplification was thus probably less efficient. Only one complete dsRBD was identified in PKR2 (E-value = 2 × 10-14), while only a partial dsRBD, which contains only the N-terminal portion of the dsRBD, is present in PKR3 (Figures 2D and 2E). TnPKR2 dsRBD is most closely related to TnPKR1 dsRBD1 (80% amino acid identity), followed by dsRBD3 (40% identity) and dsRBD2 (28% identity). Amino acid identity in the kinase domain of PKR1 with PKR2 and PKR3 is 49% and 49.4 %, respectively, while that of PKR2 and PKR3 is 88.5%. A muliple sequence alignment of the dsRBDs are shown in Additional file 1.
Schematic presentation of the domain organization of PKR and PKZ genes. The domain organization of PKR and PKZ genes from (A) H. sapiens (Hs), (B) X. laevis (Xl), (C)-(E) T. nigroviridis (Tn), (F) G. aculeatus (Ga) and (G), (H) D. rerio (Dr) are shown in the following colors: dsRNA binding domains (dsR), dark blue; Z-DNA binding domains (Zα), light blue; kinase domains (KD), red; kinase inserts (KI), yellow. Total length of deduced open reading frames in amino acids (aa) is indicated above the schematics.
We searched the genomic zebrafish (Danio rerio) database (see Methods) with the amino acid sequence of TnPKR1 in order to identify a PKR gene using protein query versus translated database (tblastn). We identified sequences with apparent homology to the 5' and 3' regions of TnPKR1 that were present in two different contigs. To determine whether the identified regions belong to a single gene, we designed primers from the predicted 5' and 3' untranslated regions, performed RT-PCR and successfully amplified fragments of about 2.1 kb from various organs (Figure 3, upper panel). Cloning of these fragments revealed an ORF of 2046 bp. Like TnPKR1, DrPKR contains three dsRBD (Figure 2G). Two major alleles, PKRa and PKRb, varying at four amino acid positions (V91I; P172Q; L355S; M615V) were identified.
Comparison of expression patterns of zebrafish PKR and PKZ after induction with poly(I:C). PCRs were performed with cDNA prepared from the indicated tissues with primers covering the complete ORFs of zebrafish PKR (upper panel), PKZ (middle panel) or RACK1, the latter of which is constitutively expressed and served as control (lower panel). Zebrafish were either treated with poly(I:C) (indicated by plus) or with PBS (minus).
In order to analyze whether drPKR displays a similar expression profile to the previously identified PKR relative PKZ and to investigate whether it is also inducible by poly(I:C), we performed RT-PCR with previously prepared RNA from different organs of zebrafish that were either treated with poly(I:C) or mock-treated with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for 12 h . Primers were used that cover the complete ORFs of PKR and PKZ. The housekeeping gene RACK1 was used as a control. As observed for PKZ, PKR was expressed at low to moderate levels in most untreated tissues expect for brain, where a strong signal was observed (Figure 3). In the poly(I:C) treated animals, PKR was highly induced in heart, muscle, skin, digestive organs, liver and spleen. In these organs PKR showed comparable induction to PKZ. No or only moderate induction of PKR was observed in the eye, brain and gonads. The most striking expression differences between PKR and PKZ were observed in the gonads, where PKR is almost absent and PKZ is moderately expressed but not induced, and in the brain, where PKR appears to be expressed at higher basal levels. The different bands observed for PKZ are a result of previously described different splice products . The occurrence of gene sequences in the database for expressed sequence tags (dbEST) can be used to roughly estimate the abundance of transcripts. Currently, seven D. rerio PKZ EST clones were found in the dbEST database, while none was identified for PKR.
Using the cloned fish PKR genes as probes, we used tblastn to search dbEST and genomic databases in order to identify more PKR genes. We identified two PKR genes in the genome of the fugu fish (Takifugu rubripes). They are present in scaffold 459 and are separated by approximately 3 kb. Owing to the relatively high sequence conservation in the kinase domains, we were able to identify these with a high level of confidence. On the amino acid level, the kinase domains of TnPKR1 and TnPKR2 are around 71% and 66%, identical to those of TrPKR1 and TrPKR2, respectively. We identified two putative dsRBDs, each encoded by two exons, in the 5' region of each T. rubripes PKR gene. Owing to the poorer sequence conservation outside the kinase domain, and the lack of expression analysis and ESTs, we could not reliably determine the exact structure of these genes.
We identified nine overlapping, high-quality EST sequences covering the complete 497 amino acids predicted ORF of a single PKR gene from the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Two predicted dsRBDs are present in the N-terminus (Figure 2F). The segment linking the 3' end of dsRBD2 and the 5' end of the kinase domain is remarkably small comprising only 29 amino acids. The complete gene was also identified in the G. aculeatus draft genome sequence on contig 5174. The kinase domain of a second PKR gene, whose expression is not supported by ESTs, was identified approximately 12 kb upstream of GaPKR1.
Searching the genome of the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes), we identified one PKR gene in the contig BAAF02021246. As for the TrPKR genes, we were able to identify the kinase domain with a high level of confidence but could not precisely define the rest of the gene or the exact borders of the exons encoding two putative dsRBD present in the 5' region.
The kinase domain of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) was reconstructed from four overlapping EST sequences and five EST sequences were identified that probably encode for two PKR dsRBDs. However, as the two constructed contigs did not overlap, it is presently unknown whether the dsRBDs and the kinase domain sequences belong to the same gene.
We screened dbEST for PKR genes from additional organisms. ESTs from the putative 5' and 3' end of a Xenopus laevis PKR gene were identified. We designed primers from the predicted untranslated regions of this gene, performed RT-PCR and cloned and sequenced XlPKR1 (not shown). The predicted 1737 bp ORF encodes for a 65 kD PKR ortholog, which contains two dsRBDs (Figure 2B). Eleven ESTs were identified for XlPKR1. Two additional X. laevis ESTs, representing parts of the kinase domain and showing 65–80% identity on the protein level compared with XlPKR1, were identified using tblastn. These ESTs probably represent a second PKR gene from this species.
Using XlPKR1 as a probe, we searched for PKR ESTs from the related species X. tropicalis and identified 22 ESTs. Since these ESTs are overlapping and span the complete predicted ORF, we were able to 'in silico' clone this gene, termed XtPKR1. Like XlPKR1, XtPKR1 contains two dsRBDs and displays 73% amino acid identity with the former. In addition, we identified eight ESTs from two closely related genes, which we named XtPKR2 and XtPKR3. Combining the sequences of these ESTs and the information from the draft genome of X. tropicalis, we were able to identify the complete kinase domains of these additional PKR genes. The three X. tropicalis PKR genes are tandemly arranged in head-to-tail (parallel) orientation on the same contig, in the order of PKR3, PKR2 and PKR1, with respect to 5' to 3' orientation of the genes, and are separated by approximately 10 and 6.5 kb, respectively (Figure 4). Sequences coding for putative dsRBDs were also identified 5' to the kinase domains of XtPKR2 and XtPKR3 and are partly represented in one EST for each gene. Owing to gaps in the genomic sequence and a high level of sequence variability outside the kinase domains, the determination of the exact gene organization was not possible.
Genomic arrangement of tandemly arranged PKR and PKZ genes in T. nigroviridis , X. tropicalis and D. rerio. The genomic arrangement and relative orientation of three PKR genes in T. nigroviridis and X. tropicalis and PKR and PKZ in D. rerio are shown. Arrows indicate 5' to 3' orientation of genes. The distance or approximate sizes of intergenic regions are indicated.
In an attempt to reconstruct the phylogeny of the PKR gene family, we aimed to identify mammalian PKR sequences in addition to those already deposited in GenBank. Owing to the relatively high conservation of sequences and exon-intron boundaries in the PKR genes within the primate family, we successfully identified the PKR gene of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta (Mam)) using tblastn searches of the draft M. mulatta genome sequence. The coding exons of MamPKR were found in seven contigs that ranged in size between 1 and 50 kb. The obtained sequence is identical to the recently released MamPKR sequence (accession number NP_001077417), except for an Asn to Arg substitution at position 384, which most likely represent different alleles. The sequence identity of MamPKR is highest when compared with African green monkey (92%), human (80%) and chimpanzee (80%).
The putative PKR sequences of the monotreme Ornithorhynchus anatinus (platypus) and the marsupial Monodelphis domestica (gray short-tailed opossum), which were predicted using automatic gene prediction approaches, are found in the Ensembl database . Three alternative and likely mutually exclusive predicted transcripts are deposited for the PKR gene of each species. Careful examination of the suggested transcripts and multiple alignments with other PKR sequences indicate that ENSMODT00000030492 (for M. domestica) and ENSOANT00000006231 (for O. anatinus) contain the correct kinase domains that we used for further phylogenetic analyses.
We have previously shown that the kinase domain of fish PKZ is more closely related to that of mammalian and chicken PKR than to the other eIF2α kinases . In order to determine the phylogenetic relationship within the extended PKR/PKZ family we performed phylogenetic analyses with the sequences of the kinase domains, as described in Methods. Kinase domains of human and zebrafish PERK, which is the closest relative of PKR/PKZ , were used as outgroups for rooting the phylogenetic trees. These outgroups confirmed the stability of the topology of the trees. A comparable topology of the PKR/PKZ clade was obtained when the other two eIF2α kinases GCN2 and HRI were included in our phylogenetic analyses (data not shown). Both phylogenetic analyses resulted in the same tree topology (Figure 5). Significant bootstrap values above 70 (for maximum likelihood analysis) and significant posterior probabilities converted to percentages above 95 (for Bayesian analysis) are shown above and below the branches, respectively.
Phylogenetic relationship of PKR and PKZ genes. The phylogenetic tree was constructed from the kinase domains of PKR (blue branches) and PKZ (red branches), omitting the KI, using maximum likelihood and BMCMC approaches. Both analyses resulted in the same tree topology. Significant bootstrap values above 70 (for maximum likelihood analysis) and significant posterior probabilities converted to percentages above 95 (for Bayesian analysis) are shown above and below the branches, respectively. Asterisks denote evident duplication events. Human and zebrafish PERK were used as outgroups for rooting the phylogenetic tree. The following abbreviations were used: Bt, Bos taurus (cattle); Ss, Sus scrofa (pig); Cf, Canis familiaris (dog); Oc, Oryctolagus cuniculus (European rabbit); Ec, Equus caballus (horse); Mam, Macaca mulatta (Rhesus macaque); Cae, Chlorocebus aethiops (African green monkey); Pt, Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee); Hs, Homo sapiens (human); Mm, Mus musculus (house mouse); Rn, Rattus norvegicus (Norway rat); Ma, Mesocricetus auratus (golden hamster); Oa, Ornithorhynchus anatinus (platypus); Md, Monodelphis domestica (gray short-tailed opossum); Gg, Gallus gallus (chicken); Xt, Xenopus tropicalis (western clawed frog); Xl, Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog); Tn, Tetraodon nigroviridis (green spotted pufferfish); Tr, Takifugu rubripes (torafugu); Ga, Gasterosteus aculeatus (three spined stickleback); Ol, Oryzias latipes (Japanese medaka); Dr, Danio rerio (zebrafish); Pp, Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow); Ca, Carassius auratus (goldfish); Ssa, Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon).
Two major clades were recovered with high statistical support (Figure 5). While in one clade the fish PKR genes were nested with the PKZ genes, the other clade contained the PKR genes of all other vertebrates. This demonstrates that the fish PKR genes are more closely related to PKZ than to PKR of the other vertebrates. The pufferfish TnPKR1 and TrPKR1 sequences are nested with one another as well as TrPKR2 with TnPKR2 and TnPKR3. Within the fish PKR/PKZ clade, the occurrence of three independent duplication events is evident (marked with asterisks in Figure 5), the first of which resulted in the split into PKZ and PKR genes. The other major clade approximately recapitulates vertebrate evolution, with the Xenopus sp. sequences branching off in a basal node. A close kinship of the three X. tropicalis PKR genes is observed which probably reflects two gene duplication events (marked with asterisks in Figure 5). Chicken (Gg) PKR branches off before the mammalian PKR genes. Within the mammalian clade, platypus and opossum PKR genes are basal to the PKR genes of the placental mammals. It is important to point out that PKR genes of fish, for example the three PKR genes of T. nigroviridis, and amphibians, for example the three PKR genes of X. tropicalis, while sharing a common ancestor, arose from independent gene duplications and should therefore be viewed as paralogs, not orthologs.
Multiple sequence alignment of the kinase domains of PKR and PKZ genes (Figure 6; numbering of amino acid position is shown relative to human PKR), in combination with the phylogenetic tree, reveal a number of lineage-specific amino acid substitutions that are not found in genes of other lineages (highlighted in red in Figure 6). Some examples are mentioned hereafter. Residues specific for the Tetrapoda lineage are Gly329 and Glu468, the latter of which replaced a Lys that is found in fish PKR and PKZ as well as in PERK. Mammalia-specific residues are Leu390, Val423, Leu439 and Cys485. Eutheria-specific residues are Tyr300 and Ala479. Leu386, Val484, Asp486 and Ile503 are specific for primates. Residues found specifically in PKZ genes are Pro328, Arg386, Glu467 and Thr469. A three amino acid deletion between residues 510 and 511 is specific for the eutheria lineage.
Multiple sequence alignment of the kinase domains of PKR and PKZ genes from various species. Multiple sequence alignment of the kinase domains PKR and PKZ from the indicated species (abbreviations are explained in Figure 5 legend) was performed using MUSCLE . Secondary structure elements as reported for human PKR as well as numbering of residues relative to human PKR are shown above the sequences. Residues involved in PKR inter-dimer contacts (pluses) and eIF2α recognition (asterisks) are marked above the sequences. Residues or deletions that show evidence for convergent evolution (blue) or are lineage specific (red) are colored. The backgrounds of residues that are highly conserved are colored as follows: 100% conservation, dark green; 90–99% conservation, light green; 80–89% conservation, yellow; conservation of functionally conserved residues, salmon pink.
A highly acidic kinase insert (KI) linking kinase subdomains IV and V is specific for eIF2α kinases and is highly divergent in length. A striking difference in the length of the KI is observed between PKZ and PKR sequences, which ranges from 14–34 residues for PKR and 66–80 residues for PKZ (see Additional file 2). This insert contains a high proportion of Ser/Thr residues that are targets for autophosphorylation. Taken together, the four amino acids Asp, Glu, Ser and Thr account for an average of 56.1% and 54.7% of all residues of the KI of PKR and PKZ, respectively.
Evidence for the convergent evolution of PKR genes, if the multiple sequence alignment (Figure 6) and the phylogenetic tree (Figure 5) are taken into account, is found at multiple positions. Examples where the same amino acid substitution apparently evolved independently (highlighted in blue in Figure 6), include position 261 (independent lysine, alanine, glutamate or serine substitutions), position 290 (independent glycine, lysine, asparagine, aspartate or glutamate substitutions), position 314 (independent lysine, arginine, aspartate, glutamate or threonine substitutions), position 400 (four independent lysine substitutions), position 449 (independent lysine, arginine, isoleucine and threonine substitutions), position 493 (independent lysine, glutamate or glutamine substitutions) and position 524 (independent glutamate, lysine or alanine substitutions). Of note is also the independent emergence of a tyrosine at position 363 in the fish PKR lineage and in XtPKR2 and OaPKR because it affects the sequence of the LFIQMEF motif that has been identified as important for eIF2α kinase activity .
Dimerization of eIF2α kinases that is partly mediated by residues in the kinase domain (dimer contacts as observed in the crystal structure are marked with plus signs (+) in Figure 6) is essential for kinase activity . A salt bridge formed between Arg262 on one protomer and Asp266 on the other is important for dimerization of hsPKR . While residues making this salt bridge are present in all but platypus (Oa) mammalian PKR genes, a predicted functional salt bridge is only found in 7 out of 17 non-mammalian PKR/PKZ genes. Another important contact as revealed by site directed mutagenesis is made with residues Asp289 and Tyr293 on one protomer with Tyr323 on the other protomer forming an H-bond triad. While Tyr323 is conserved in all PKR/PKZ genes, a tyrosine is found at position 293 in 27 out of 31 genes and an acidic residue at position 289 in 22 out of 31 sequences. Of the other contacts, only Val309 is highly conserved.
Residues that contact the substrate eIF2α are marked with asterisks (Figure 6). Of these only Thr(Ser)451, Thr(Ser)487 and Glu490 are highly conserved.
Owing to large gaps or large stretches of unknown sequences, the draft T. nigroviridis genome sequence was of limited help in the cloning process and in determining the genomic organization of T. nigroviridis PKR genes. Partial sequences of PKR1 and PKR2 were identified in the same contig in the genomic sequence, indicating close proximity of these genes. However, the last 189 nucleotides of the 3' coding sequence of PKR1 were missing in the draft genome as well as the first part of the 5' coding region of PKR2. In order to better understand the genomic organization of the PKR genes, we performed PCR from genomic DNA. We were successful in amplifying three overlapping fragments covering the complete PKR1 gene, the intergenic region between PKR1 and PKR2 and the first half of PKR2 (Figure 1D). This 8.3 kb region was completely sequenced. PKR1 consists of 19 exons covering approximately 5 kb (Figure 7). The overall genomic organization is remarkably similar to that of human PKR . Each dsRBD is encoded by two exons. The kinase domain is encoded by seven exons. The shortest exon (exon 10) of tnPKR1 is only 26 bp long. The transcription start site of TnPKR2 was identified only 1.1 kb 3' of exon 19 of TnPKR1 (Figure 4). In the current release of the T. nigroviridis genome, the tnPKR genes were found on chromosome 17 contig (TETRAODON7:17:1829792:5098209). The 3' terminal exons of PKR1 and 5' terminal exons of PKR2 as well as middle exons of PKR3 were still missing in this contig. In this contig we identified the transcription start site of TnPKR3 to be approximately 6.6 kb downstream of the last exon of PKR2. Thus, the three TnPKR genes are tandemly arranged in a head-to-tail orientation (Figure 4).
Exon/intron organization of PKR and PKZ genes. The exon/intron structure of T. nigroviridis PKR1, D. rerio PKR and PKZ, G. aculeatus PKR and H. sapiens PKR (as reported ). Untranslated regions of exons are represented as white boxes, while colored and gray boxes denote exons of ORFs. Exonic parts encoding dsRBDs (dark blue), Z-DNA binding domains (Zα; light blue), kinase domains (red) and KIs (yellow) are colored. Exons are drawn to scale. Lengths (in bp) of exonic parts contributing to the ORFs are shown below the exons. Lengths (in bp) of introns are shown in between exons. Question marks indicate intron sizes of unknown length.
In order to determine the genomic organization of zebrafish PKR, we searched the zebrafish genome at the Ensembl website with the cloned DrPKR cDNA sequence. The first (5' region) 1409 bp of the ORF were detected in scaffold2654.7 (annotated chromosome: 18), while the 3' region was found in scaffold1952 (annotated chromosome: 18). The complete PKR ORF could be identified in these contigs. The genomic organization of DrPKR is very similar to that of tnPKR1. Both are composed of 19 exons. In both genes dsRBD2 and dsRBD3 are linked by one exon, while dsRBD3 and the kinase domain are linked by five exons.
Exons 1–14 were identified on scaffold2654.7 and exons 15–19 in scaffold1952. Long dinucleotide repeats are present 5' to exon 14 and 3' to exon 15 that might have mixed up the annotation process. Adjacent to them are stretches of 951 bp that show 99% sequence identity. Thus, it is likely that both contigs represent the same chromosomal location. We tried in vain to amplify the segment linking exons 14 and 15 by long-range PCR from genomic DNA using various parameters including different primers, annealing temperatures and polymerases.
Remarkably, PKZ was identified around 8 kb 3' to DrPKR in scaffold1952 in a head-to-tail orientation (Figure 4). The genomic organization of PKZ based on the sequence in scaffold1952 is shown in Figure 7. The organization of the kinase domains is remarkably similar to that of the PKR genes with exception that the kinase insert in PKZ is encoded by four exons (exons 4 to 7) instead of two as in the PKR genes. The kinase domain in all PKR and PKZ genes is encoded by seven exons, two exons 5' of the kinase insert and five exons 3' to it. Moreover the first, fifth and sixth exon of the kinase domain in zebrafish PKR and PKZ have exactly the same length of 120, 102 and 63 bp, respectively.
The most striking difference is that both Z-DNA binding domains of PKZ are composed of a single exon as compared with PKR where each dsRBD is encoded by two exons. There are some discrepancies between the genomic organization of PKZ as depicted in Figure 7 and the version published earlier, which was based on PCRs from genomic DNA, partial sequencing and the genomic sequences available at the time . These discrepancies could be explained by contamination of the PCRs with cloned plasmid PKZ and by errors in earlier draft genomic sequences. However, the most important features, including a single exon encoding the two Zα domains, the boundaries of the exons 5 and 6, which are spliced out in one splice variant, and the length and position of a retained intron in other splice variants are concordant.
G. aculeatus PKR1 is organized in a similar manner to the other PKR genes. As in hsPKR, the two dsRBDs are not separated by an additional exon. Interestingly, the small linker between dsRBD2 and the kinase domain is encoded by a single exon, as in drPKZ, and as opposed to five exons in TnPKR1 and DrPKR.
The budding yeast S. cerevisiae has been used to characterize vertebrate eIF2α kinases . To test whether zebrafish PKR and PKZ can phosphorylate yeast eIF2α, we sub-cloned these genes into a yeast expression vector containing a galactose inducible promoter. The resulting PKR and PKZ plasmids were introduced into isogenic yeast strains lacking the only endogenous S. cerevisiae eIF2α kinase GCN2, expressing either wild-type eIF2α (H2557) or non-phosphorylatable eIF2α-S51A (J223). Strains transformed with empty vector and a human PKR expression construct were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. All transformants grew well under non-inducing conditions on glucose medium (Figure 8A, left). When expression was induced on galactose medium, HsPKR, the two DrPKR variants and DrPKZ exhibited strong cytotoxicity in the strain carrying wild-type eIF2α (Figure 8A, upper right). This cytotoxicity was blocked in the eIF2α-S51A mutant strain, indicating that both zebrafish PKR isoforms and PKZ can phosphorylate yeast eIF2α.
Both zebrafish PKR and PKZ phosphorylate yeast eIF2α. (A) Plasmids expressing full-length human (hs) PKR or zebrafish (dr) PKZ or two different alleles of PKR, under the control of a galactose-inducible promoter, were introduced into S. cerevisiae strains H2557 (wild-type eIF2α, upper plates) and J223 (eIF2α-S51A, lower plates) as indicated. After two rounds of single colony purification, the transformants were streaked out simultaneously on SD-ura (non-inducing conditions, left) or SGal-ura (inducing conditions, right) medium and grown for three days (SD-ura) or four days (SGal-ura). (B) Western blot analyses of extracts from strain H2557 transformed with vector, HsPKR, DrPKR or DrPKZ. SDS-PAGE was used to separate 4 μg of WCEs which were blotted onto nitrocellulose membranes. Tagged PKR and PKZ were detected using anti-Flag-tag antibody (upper panel). eIF2α phosphorylated on Ser51 and total eIF2α are shown in middle and bottom panels, respectively.
To examine eIF2α phosphorylation in yeast directly, whole-cell extracts (WCEs) of strain H2557 transformed with the expression plasmids for HsPKR, DrPKRa and DrPKZ were prepared. Following 12 h induction on galactose medium, Western blot analyses using an eIF2α 51-phospho-specific antibody confirmed that these kinases phosphorylated eIF2α on Ser51 (Figure 8B, middle panel). No eIF2α phosphorylation was observed in cells transformed with the empty vector. The eIF2α 51-phospho-specific antibody used does not react with eIF2α-S51A in the J223 strain .
Western blot analyses with anti-yeast eIF2α antibodies revealed comparable levels of eIF2α (Figure 8B, lower panel). Expression of PKR and PKZ, monitored with anti-Flag tag antibody (Figure 8B, upper panel), indicated that the kinases were expressed at comparable levels and had the expected molecular masses (65.4 kD for HsPKR, 80.5 kD for DrPKR and 61.7 kD for DrPKZ). These data confirm that drPKR and drPKZ are eIF2α Ser51 kinases.
Although PKR-like activity had been observed in fish cells, the responsible genes eluded molecular cloning for a long time. The identification of goldfish and zebrafish eIF2α kinases (PKZ), which are most closely related to PKR, was surprising because they contain two Zα domains in the N-terminus instead of dsRBDs as found in PKR [18, 19]. This raised the question of whether the Zα domains actually replaced the dsRBDs in fish or if species can be identified in which PKR and PKZ actually coexist.
We have now shown that fish and two amphibian species actually possess PKR genes. Interestingly, phylogenetic analyses of PKR and PKZ genes revealed that fish PKR genes are more closely related to fish PKZ than to PKR of the other vertebrates. This indicates that a duplication of an ancestral eIF2α kinase occurred in the fish lineage after divergence of the tetrapod lineage approximately 450 millions years ago and led to the emergence of both fish PKR and PKZ. It is most likely that this kinase was an ancestral PKR gene that presumably contained two dsRBDs. The most likely scenario is that the dsRBDs of one duplicated copy were replaced by Zα domains. Since both Zα domains in PKZ are encoded by a single exon, it suggests that they might have been acquired from another cellular ZBP. So far PKZ has been only identified in fish species of the orders Cypriniformes and Salmoniformes. We could not identify it in other fish species. At present it is not clear whether PKZ is present in fish species of other orders. It might have been lost during evolution in some species or just evolved in a common ancestor of Cypriniformes and Salmoniformes.
In addition to the early duplication leading to fish PKZ and PKR genes, four independent duplication events are evident. Two of these duplications can be observed in T. nigroviridis: first, an early duplication that gave rise to TnPKR1 and an ancestral PKR gene and, second, duplication of the latter gene led to the emergence of TnPKR2 and TnPKR3 relatively late in the evolution of this species. The other two duplications apparently occurred sometime during amphibian evolution and can be observed for X. tropicalis. Since all of the lineage-specific duplications resulted in tandemly repeated genes that are located within 1 to 10 kb, they most likely resulted from independent tandem duplication events. This is noteworthy, because a whole genome duplication occurred early during fish evolution [50, 51], which is apparently not the mechanism for the origin of the duplicated PKR genes. The observation that all tandemly duplicated PKR/PKZ genes are arranged in a head-to-tail orientation is consistent with reports obtained for mammals, where the majority of tandemly arrayed genes (68–76%) were found in this orientation . The presence of the duplicated genes in the same chromosomal neighborhood might be important for similar transcriptional activation after immunostimulation. This notion is supported by the comparable strong induction of zebrafish PKR and PKZ after poly(I:C) stimulation in six out of nine investigated tissues. However, high constitutive PKR expression in brain and absence of PKR expression in gonads, where PKZ is constitutively expressed at moderate levels but not induced upon stimulation, appear to be important differences. Such expression differences might have been important in the fixation of these duplications. In addition, given the important role for PKR in host defense, the duplicated PKR genes probably provided a selective advantage by leading to the recognition of an extended spectrum of viral nucleic acid structures, including both dsRNA and Z-DNA/RNA, and maybe by altering sensitivity to viral PKR inhibitors. Fixation of these duplications indicates that they provided selective advantages.
A strikingly high number of sites at which convergent evolution is evident are found within the PKR/PKZ family. At these sites, the same amino acid substitution evolved independently. At many of these sites, non-conservative amino acid substitutions can be observed. An explanation for the observed convergent evolution and the high divergence at multiple sites is that viral inhibitors of PKR and PKZ might exert strong selective pressure on these genes. A growing number of viral PKR inhibitors have been identified [1, 5]. While some of these appear to directly interfere with dsRNA-mediated PKR activation, others target the PKR domain directly. Among the best-characterized PKR antagonists are the Vaccinia virus proteins E3L and K3L, orthologs of which are found in many poxviruses. E3L and K3L are important virulence factors and are involved in determining host range . E3L probably inhibits PKR activation by preventing its activation by dsRNA and forming inactive heterodimers with PKR [54, 55]. In addition, E3L has been reported to bind to the PKR kinase domain directly [55, 56]. K3L shares homology with the N-terminus of the PKR substrate eIF2α and acts as a pseudosubstrate . Iridoviruses, which are important pathogens of lower vertebrates including fish and amphibians, possess different eIF2α-related proteins called vIF2α. The 90 N-terminal residues of vIF2α display homology to the N-terminus of eIF2α, while the C-terminus of vIF2α, which is comprised of 140–150 residues, is unique and does not share any detectable homology with other proteins . It has been suggested that vIF2α acts similarly to K3L to inhibit PKR-related proteins in the infected species [58, 59]. The molecular characterization of amphibian PKR and fish PKR and PKZ genes paves the way for the study of viral antagonists of these kinases.
We have previously shown that zebrafish PKZ inhibits protein expression when transfected into mammalian cells . In this study, we used the budding yeast S. cerevisiae as another heterologous system to study the functionality of both PKZ and two PKR alleles from zebrafish. This system has been used previously to study other eIF2α kinases including human PKR . Similar to human PKR, both zebrafish PKR alleles and PKZ were highly toxic when expressed in yeast. This cytotoxicity was inhibited in a yeast strain expressing the non-phosphorylatable eIF2α-S51A mutant. Furthermore, expression of human PKR and zebrafish PKR and PKZ resulted in comparable levels of eIF2α phosphorylation. These findings formally demonstrate for the first time that zebrafish PKR and PKZ are eIF2α kinases, and they underscore the usefulness of this system to further characterize these kinases and their viral inhibitors.
Dimerization of PKR, which is partly mediated by residues in the kinase domain, is essential for PKR function as well as for the other eIF2α kinases. Multiple sequence alignment of the kinase domains of PKR and PKZ genes shows that only some of these residues are highly conserved. A dimer contact that is essential for activity of human PKR is mediated by a salt bridge between residues Arg262 and Asp269 . While mutation of one of the residues impaired eIF2α phosphorylation, reciprocal mutation of both residues restored kinase activity. This salt bridge has also been shown to be important for yeast GCN2 and human PERK function . However, amino acids forming this salt bridge are missing in 11 out of 31 sequences. Since dimerization is probably important for the activity of all PKR and PKZ proteins, it is likely that other residues in these proteins mediate dimerization. Consistently, second-site mutations that promoted kinase domain dimerization suppressed the requirement for the salt-bridge interaction in human PKR .
The same is probably true for the residues mediating the contacts between PKR and its substrate eIF2α because only 3 out of 12 of these residues are highly conserved. The residues of eIF2α, on the other hand, are highly conserved between the different species, that is, 100 amino acids surrounding the phosphorylation site in eIF2α are identical between zebrafish and human and hence no evidence of co-evolution between PKR and eIF2α was observed. However, this lack of sequence conservation in PKR and PKZ is consistent with the observation that most eIF2α contacts to PKR are directed at the main chain and not the side chains of the amino acids .
A specific feature of eIF2α kinases from multicellular eukaryotes is the presence of a highly acidic KI linking kinase subdomains IV and V. The KI is highly divergent in length ranging from 14 amino acids in C. familiaris PKR to 248 residues in Caenorhabditis briggsae PERK and it appears to be important for eIF2α phosphorylation [9, 60, 61]. Substitution of the Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites in the KI of human PKR by alanine in combination with a T446A mutation reduced PKR activity . It has been recently shown for PERK that the autophosphorylated KI is important for the recruitment and phosphorylation of eIF2α in the cell . A striking difference between PKZ and PKR proteins is the length difference of the KI between PKZ (66–80 residues) and PKR (14–34 residues). PKZ evidently acquired a longer KI after the duplication that led to the emergence of fish PKR and PKZ genes by the inclusion of two additional exons. As both zebrafish PKZ and PKR are functional eIF2α kinases (Figure 8), the significance of this difference has still to be established. However, it is intriguing that the second most abundant splice variant of zebrafish PKZ encodes for a truncated KI of 15 residues . In this splice variant, the two PKZ-specific exons (exons 5 and 6) are spliced out. The longer KI in primate PKR compared with PKR from other mammals is probably a result of a duplication of the KI. This duplication comprises a perfectly conserved stretch of five amino acids and apparently occurred in the beginning of primate evolution. Lineage-specific amino acid substitutions and deletions/insertions provide also intriguing insights into the evolution of PKR genes. Two amino acid substitutions, as well as a three amino acid deletion, have been identified that are exclusively present in all eutherian sequences. This pattern indicates that all of the eutherian PKR genes descended and evolved from a single ancestral allele.
Zebrafish is the first species known in which PKZ and PKR coexist. Together with HRI, PERK and GCN2, which are also found in zebrafish, the total number of different eIF2α kinases in this species is five. Even more eIF2α kinases genes (six) are found in X. tropicalis and T. nigroviridis, where we identified three PKR genes. These species also possess HRI, PERK and GCN2 (Rothenburg, unpublished).
A better understanding of the immune system of lower vertebrates and the mechanism by which pathogens circumvent the host defense response is of considerable ecological and economical importance. Viruses of lower vertebrates are abundant worldwide and have been implicated in large losses in wild fish and amphibian populations, as well as in those raised in commercial farms [40, 59, 62]. We have discovered heterogeneity for both zebrafish PKR, with at least two different alleles differing in four amino acids, and as well as previously for PKZ (nine alleles) . Given the critical antiviral function of PKR in mammals and the importance of allelic variation in immune system-related genes in general, we hypothesize that genetic heterogeneity in the PKR/PKZ system decreases susceptibility to viruses that directly target PKR or PKZ. It might be critical to identify the genes of the innate immune system such as PKR and PKZ for economically important species and take the genotyping into consideration for animal breeding in order to achieve high levels of heterogeneity and optimal natural resistance. Furthermore, the low level of sequence conservation between PKR/PKZ genes in different species might actually be important in limiting inter-species transmission of viruses.
In this paper, we have demonstrated the presence of PKR genes in various fish and amphibian species. Independent duplication events occurred in different fish and amphibian lineages during the evolution of PKR and PKZ leading to tandemly arrayed genes. Fixation of these duplications indicates that they provided selective advantages presumably by leading to the recognition of an extended spectrum of viral nucleic acid structures and perhaps by altering sensitivity to viral PKR inhibitors. Our findings support the notion that PKR and PKZ play similar but not identical roles in host defense and open the door to the investigation of the role of PKR and PKZ in the innate immune response of poikilotherms and in the interplay with viral proteins and nucleic acids. The finding that both zebrafish PKR and PKZ phosphorylate eIF2α in yeast is an indication of the usefulness of this system for the characterization of the interaction of viral gene products with PKR and PKZ.
Twelve hours after intraperitoneal injection of 10 μg/g bodyweight poly(I:C) (Sigma) for 12 h, total RNA was prepared from a T. nigroviridis fish, which was purchased in a local pet shop, using Trizol (Invitrogen). cDNA was prepared using SuperScript II reverse polymerase (Invitrogen) using random hexamers according to manufacturer's protocol. Cytochrome B (cytb) gene was amplified with primers described in and sequenced. Sequences of primers described hereafter are shown in Table 1.
We performed 5' and 3' RACE experiments using 5' RACE and 3' RACE systems (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Relative positions of primers used for these experiments are shown in Additional file 3. Briefly, for 5' RACE, 2 μg of total RNA prepared from skin was primed with tnPKR1race1R and tnPKR2race1R. Initial PCRs were performed with Abridged Anchor Primer and tnPKR1 2R or Tn PKR2 2R for 25 cycles at 95°C for 30 s, 58°C for 30 s and 72°C for 2 min. Nested PCRs were performed using Abridged Universal Anchor Primer and tnPKR1 3R and tnPKR2 3R using identical cycling conditions as noted above. Reactions were performed using AmpliTaq Gold polymerase (PE Biosystems) and initiated with a heat activation step at 95°C for 4 min. For 3' RACE, RNA was primed with Adapter Primer. Initial PCRs were performed with primers tnPKR1 1F (reaction a), tnPKR1 2F (reaction b), tnPKR2 1F (reaction c) and tnPKR2 2F (reaction d) for 25 cycles at 95°C for 30 s, 60°C for 30 s and 72°C for 3 min. Nested PCRs were performed with Abridged Universal Anchor Primer using tnPKR1 3F and tnPKR1 5F with reaction a (Figure 1B, lanes 1 and 2) and reaction b (Figure 1B, lanes 3 and 4) as templates, respectively. Reaction c was used with primers tnPKR2 2F and tnPKR2 3F (Figure 1B, lanes 5 and 6), respectively. Reaction d was used with forward primer tnPKR2 3F (Figure 1B, lane 7). Identical PCR cycling conditions were used as in the initial PCRs. Complete ORFs were amplified using tnPKR1 5'1F × tnPKR1 sto1R (for PKR1), tnPKR2 st1F × tnPKR2 sto2R (for PKR2) and tnPKR2 st1F tnPKR3 sto1R (for PKR3) using Platinum Taq DNA Polymerase High Fidelity (Invitrogen) and the following PCR conditions: 2 min at 95°C followed by 34 cycles at 95°C for 30 s, 60°C for 30 s and 72°C for 3 min. PCR with genomic DNA from T. nigroviridis skeletal muscle was performed with Platinum Taq DNA Polymerase High Fidelity (Invitrogen) at 94°C for 2 min followed by 36 cycles of 95°C for 30 s, 60°C for 30 s and 72°C for 8 min. All PCR products were cloned using TOPO-TA cloning kit (Invitrogen) and completely sequenced.
PCR spanning the 5' untranslated region of PKR1 and exon 15 of PKR1 was performed with primers tnPKR1 5'1F × tnPKR1 2R. The region spanning exon 14 and the 3' untranslated region of exon 19 of PKR1 was amplified with primers tnPKR1 1F × tnPKR1 3'utr 1R. Primers tnPKR1 5F (in exon 17 of PKR1) and tnPKR2 g4R (in exon 7 of PKR2) were used to amplify the intergenic region between PKR1 and PKR2. After cloning into the TA-Topo vector, all inserts were completely sequenced using walking primers.
The complete ORF of D. rerio PKR was amplified using Platinum Taq with primers drPKR 2F and drPKR 5R for 95°C for 2 min followed by 32 cycles of 95°C for 30 s, 60°C for 30 s, 72°C for 2.5 min). Expression analysis was performed with cDNA from poly(I:C) and PBS (control) treated zebrafish as described previously . PCRs for PKZ and RACK1 were performed on the same day as amplification of PKR as described .
cDNA from X. laevis spleen was PCR amplified using KOD polymerase (Novagen) with primers xlPKR1 1F NheI and xlPKR1 1R for 2 min at 95°C followed by 32 cycles at 95°C for 30 s, 55°C for 30 s and 72°C for 2 min, digested with NheI and KpnI and directly cloned into pcDNA3.1 myc-his (Invitrogen) and completely sequenced.
Zebrafish PKR and PKZ as well as human PKR were sub-cloned into the yeast expression vector pYX113 (R&D systems) containing the GAL-CYC1 hybrid promoter and the selectable marker URA3. The vector was modified to contain a Precision protease target site and His(6) and Flag tags at the 3' end of the multiple cloning site. Standard methods were used for culturing and transforming yeast strains. Yeast strains H2557 (MATαura3-52 leu2-3 leu2-112 gcn2Δ) and J223, a derivative of H2557 in which wild-type SUI2 (eIF2α) was replaced with SUI2-S51A , were transformed with the expression plasmids using the LiAcetate/PEG transformation method and grown on SD-ura plates. For each transformation, four single colonies were picked and colony purified. Colonies were streaked out in parallel on SD minus uracil (non-inducing conditions) and Sgal minus uracil medium (containing 10% galactose and all amino acids except uracil; inducing conditions) and grown at 30°C for 3–4 days.
For immunoblot analysis, yeast transformants were grown overnight in SD + trp medium. Saturated cultures were diluted to 1:35 in synthetic complete medium minus uracil (SC-Ura, containing 2% dextrose and all amino acids except uracil) and grown for 6 h at 30°C (OD600 ~ 0.8–1.0). Cells were harvested by centrifugation, resuspended in SGal minus uracil medium (Sgal-Ura, containing 10% galactose and all amino acids except uracil) and grown at 30°C for 12 h to induce PKR/PKZ expression. Cells were harvested, washed with ice-cold water, resuspended in breaking buffer (40 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.4, 15 mM EDTA, 1 mM PMSF, 45 mM NaF, 1 μM 2-aminopurine, 25 mM β-glycerophosphate, 120 mM (NH4)2SO4, 1 mM DTT and one protease inhibitor tablet (Roche diagnostics) per 10 ml buffer) and broken using glass beads by continuous vortexing for 15 min at 4°C. WCEs were clarified by centrifugation at 13,000 rpm for 20 min. SDS-PAGE was used to separate 4 μg of WCEs. Proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes at 20 V for 2 h at 4°C and probed with rabbit phosphospecific antibodies directed against phosphorylated Ser51 of eIF2α (BioSource International). The membrane was stripped and probed with polyclonal antibodies against eIF2α (see ). Flag-tagged proteins were detected with anti-Flag Antibody (Applied Biological Materials).
The amino acid sequences of PKR, PKZ and PERK kinase domains (see Table 2 for accession numbers) were aligned using MUSCLE, a multiple sequence alignment software , and the resulting alignments were checked using MacClade (Sinauer Associates). The phylogenetic relationships within the extended PKR/PKZ family were analyzed with the amino acid sequences of the kinase domains, excluding kinase inserts between β-sheets 4 and 5, which are highly variable in size and sequence, thus not permitting expedient alignments. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum likelihood with nodal support assessed via bootstrapping (1000 pseudoreplicates) as implemented in PHYML and Bayesian methods coupled with Markov chain Monte Carlo (BMCMC) inference as implemented in MrBayes v3.1.2 . Model selection for these analyses was performed using ProtTest . The best model chosen for this data set was JTT+I+G+F, selected by the Akaike information criterion (AIC). For the BMCMC techniques, two independent analyses were run each consisting of four chains. Each Markov chain started from a random tree and ran for 107 cycles, sampling every 1000th generation. In order to confirm that our Bayesian analyses converged and mixed well, we monitored the fluctuating value of likelihood and compared means and variances of all likelihood parameters and likelihood scores from the independent runs using the program Tracer v1.2.1 . The two independent BMCMC runs resulted in identical results. These phylogenetic analyses were performed on the supercomputing cluster of the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University.
* For phylogenetic analyses a Macaca mulatta PKR sequence was used that is identical to the deduced amino acid sequence EF467667, except for an Asn to Arg substitution at position 384.
** Ensembl identification numbers are shown.
The most current database releases at NCBI and Ensembl (genomic and ESTs databases, using BLASTN and TBLASTN) were searched for PKR and PKZ genes using various known PKR and PKZ sequences as probes.
The sequences reported in this paper have been deposited with the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database: T. nigroviridis PKR1 (genomic) [EMBL:AM850084]; T. nigroviridis PKR1 [EMBL:AM421523]; T. nigroviridis PKR2 [EMBL:AM421524]; T. nigroviridis PKR3 [EMBL:AM421525]; D. rerio PKR allele a [EMBL:AM421526]; D. rerio PKR allele b [EMBL:AM421527]; G. aculeatus PKR1 [EMBL:AM850085]; T. rubripes PKR1 [EMBL:AM850086]; T. rubripes PKR2 [EMBL:AM850087]; O. latipes PKR [EMBL:AM850088]; P. promelas PKR [EMBL:AM850089]; X. laevis PKR1 [EMBL:AM421528]; X. tropicalis PKR1 [EMBL:AM850090]; X. tropicalis PKR2 [EMBL:AM850091]; X. tropicalis PKR3 [EMBL:AM850092].
We thank Friedrich Haag, Friedrich Koch-Nolte and the members of the Institute for Immunology in Hamburg and Dever Laboratory for helpful discussions and Kristina Reutlinger, Sandra Gehendges and Chune Cao for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by funding from the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf to SR, a graduation stipend from the Werner-Otto Foundation to ND, and by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, NICHD to TED.
SR and ND performed cloning, expression analyses and database searches. LT and SR performed sequence alignments and phylogenetic analyses. MD and SR carried out yeast experiments. SR prepared the figures and wrote the paper with contributions from all authors. The study was conceived and supervised by SR with important contributions from TED. | 2019-04-18T21:24:07Z | https://0-bmcbiol-biomedcentral-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/articles/10.1186/1741-7007-6-12 |
Around this time I was making the tie bar/ actuators which I use and have done for many years. It could not be simpler it uses the fact that the baseboard is a certain thickness and they slide back and forward against the underside of the board and maintain the height of the rail in the simplest of ways. I make mine out of copper clad sheet which have in stock there have to be a couple of slots cut to maintain electrical separation of the two lengths of brass wire that are soldered to the copper and then passed up through the holes to be soldered to the blades. They are adjustable from above the boards once fitted. Here a strip of them is marked out and slots cut before dividing up into individual units for fitting. If making these and fitting them against a wooden surface the underside of the board can be polished with a wax candle to make it frictionless. In this case the underside of the foam board is paper and there is no problem with friction.
The markings on the copper clad are the centre line and this is the slot which will be cut later for insulation, the two outer lines are marked for the positions for the brass wire 0.8 to be fitted. and the lines going across are for the separation of the actuators.
On the rear all that is required is for there to be a similar line going across to maintain electrical separation between the wires. It is in a slightly different position from the top one so that you are not creating a weak point in the actuator. It is worthwhile cutting the two slots first and test that they are electrically insulating as planned open out the slot using a needle file if necessary, blow out the dust and try a fairly high voltage across and see if there is any burning out, there may well be due to the dust left, but if you have done it correctly there should be no short.
When fitting, the actuator can be held temporarily in place using a small piece of bluetack which allows the hands free to do the necessary above board. I will come back to this soon.
Having spent much time on trying to get the track bed right - note I did not lay the track directly on the foam board, but glued on a layer of cork which can be sanded to take on a gradient and also to take out any bumps and distortions which might have an effect on the top surface, it seems right that I use the effort applied to that to ensure the track follows what has already been laid down. This means that I have followed a less than conventional way of laying the track.
I know this looks messy but this is me laying one of the points which takes off from the main line and allows locomotives down to the shed and works. I have applied white contact glue to the underside of the sleepers on the key area across the crossing V and to other key areas of the point. You can also see that the point has a piece of string which of course is the start of the cant. This has been glued down and held in slight tension by the drawing pins which will be removed now that the glue has dried holding the string in place.The wire for the V to be powered has been bent ready to go through the baseboard and soldered to the underside of the rail. Normally I have used brass strip and riveted it on, but have used this method as I was working against the clock and had run out of suitable material. I may just regret this later , but provided the solder joint is good then it should be fine.
Once the glue has been applied I take the track and press gently on to the cork to leave some of the glue and separate again to allow the glue to go off. Being a contact glue it is important that proper alignment is achieved and this is where the markings of sleeper ends comes in.
Here we see the next point in line being laid and again there is only glue on key areas where levels must be maintained. Other areas are allowed to float in the meantime.
Here is the other half of the crossing being fitted in place and the first point is shown pined down using drawing pins. The pins are only there to give the lightest of pressure and make sure that the sleepers are glued to the cork at the extremes. This allows the track to follow any cant put on it. Nothing is pinned down heavily. The pinning also allows time for slight adjustment of track flow as very little is actually being glued. If there was a problem after trialling some uncompensated stock over it then it can even be lifted and relaid if necessary, although I have to say I have only ever had to do this on one occasion. and that was because I had forgotten to put in the uncoupling units under the track! So not a fault of the track laying as such, more just a fault of my own memory. Until I am ready to ballast, all my track is lightly glued in place. I rely on the ballasting process to hold the track in place. It means that I can test everything and there is no worry about whether the track can be lifted without difficulties. I know there will be others who will recommend other methods and I have tried a wide range myself over the years, however this is a thread about what I am doing on my own work bench and how this particular layout is being built.
Here we see the point held in place at the other end using pins and the cut outs for the actuators have been drilled out and cleared back to below the rails so that maximum movement is available for the actuator. The actuator is placed between the point blades as shown and given maximum clearance within the hole. I make my holes quite big as I do not want any friction occurring between the baseboard and the actuator's wires. This all looks very rough and ready at this stage I know, but finishing and detailing is something that will come along later. I also solder fishplates in place between sections of track at this stage - this might require a little removal of paint here and there, same with the blades if some has managed to get on during the painting of the sleepers. Note that the brass wires are sitting well proud of the rail tops at this time, better more than less I would suggest.
This photo shows me checking one or two things. What I am looking at here is the alignment of the point blade with the rail leading in. I want to make sure that any flange is not going to ride up on the facing blade edge. I do this on both sides of course and whether I thought they were fine or not when they were built in the jig I still may take a little metal off here and there. I will also make a check of all the key dimensions as soon as the point is laid, this is particularly important if you have built interlaced pointwork as sometimes it can become distorted when taken from your jig and can go out of gauge. So check everything out while it is still easy to ease the odd sleeper here or there. It is also clear in this photograph that there is plenty of clearance here before fitting the actuator. I like to get my points working first before any finishing of point detail. So Colin this is not going to look as good as your lovely trial piece, however it will do eventually. Promise!
The second blade required a bit shaving off as can be seen in this photograph. I also take a small skim off the top approaching edge of the point blades after doing this.
When soldering up the actuators to the blades I trim to leave a certain amount of metal on the brass wire to allow for a proper solder joint to form and with a cigarette paper between point blade and stock rail I solder the joint. There is no attempt at this stage to set the blade distance. The brass wires are allowed to spring the blades against the stock rails.
Only at this stage when the first blade is secured do I tweak the two wires together with a pair of pliers from above the layout holding the actuator firmly from below. (That is why there is no photograph of this part of the process!) The second point blade is now fitted using my trusty old P4 gauges and rail level checked and held on both sides while the second actuator wire is soldered in place. This is done having discarded the cigarette paper used during the first solder. To make sure there is no twisting effect due to the soldering. I move the actuator over and reverse the gauges and put some heat on first one side then the other. It also allows me to check to see that the rail heads are all level and remain so when the actuator is moved. Again I try to run an uncompensated vehicle through it, sometimes using a piece of spare track to look for evidence of anything wrong.
Movement of the actuator should set the blade against the stock rail and the other blade should give proper clearance to allow the passage of wheels without any hindrance.
There is the problem of board ends and the fact that track can be damaged near the ends during transit and setting up. There are any amount of solutions. What I do is as follows. I make sure that there is wooden framing close into the board joint - you might want to re-acquaint yourself with this by looking further back. Here is the photograph showing my board ends with the end protectors fitted and being held in the lower position. This is all prior to the baseboard tops being fitted.
I take the point in this case and lay it in position without the last couple of sleepers in place (this is an interlaced point). I place the sleepers in place to hold the rail and glue them there. I remove the point and drill with a small drill which is slightly narrower than the brass panel pins I am using, down into the wood layer below the baseboard layers. I use quite long brass panel pins because of the thickness of the board tops. The panel pins are tapped gently into the holes until the pin tops are level with the underside of the rails which can then be soldered to the pins.
It may be that you cannot get brass panel pins in your local B&Q or whatever, but a good place to try is a ships chandlers. All screws and pins are made of brass in boats, so you will have a better chance of getting them there. Living inland I would suggest using the internet of course.
Brass panel pin heads are much the same size as the rivets used for track construction. They can also be filed down a bit if slightly oversize.
The laying of plain track is much the same as I use as little glue as possible.
It may not be immediately obvious in the photo above but the far away rail is a section of check rail on the curve coming down the gradient. I was asked about how I glued down my super elevated track and I think this shows better just where I glue. Again like the points there is no real pressure applied by the drawing pins they just lightly hold the track in place as I glue the rail ends with white glue in this case, again if there was some reason that the track misbehaved it just means cutting through the glue at the sleeper ends and an alteration made.
I had laid all the track up the gradient and left it at this stage prior to the Glasgow Show Unfortunately it was the only board and track end which did not have full protection up to the rail end height. It was also the only one not to have long pins in place to hold the rail ends as I had used foam right up to the end of the board with the intention of substituting a block of wood at the very end of the banking. There had been no time to work up this solution so the layout went as it was to the show. Remember it was there as a work in progress. It was damaged somehow on the way back from the show and not going, fortunately.
Track laying was quite rapid after I managed to get started The view below shows the yard tracks being laid. Lengths of rail (I am using the HI-nickel type) are threaded with chairs and the sleepers are laid along an outer line marked on the cork. The end sleepers at the joints are being laid using the panel pins. Glueing is simple, a squeeze of Bostik down the middle of the track with some fairly rapid placing of sleepers making sure they are laid flat is all that I do when laying out the sleepers. On this board the points were placed and glued etc. first then the sleepers were laid throughout all six loops before any rail was fitted. I tend not to glue any more than about 6" or 15cm at a time as the glue dries quite rapidly.
I pencil in a line running along where the sleeper holes are and use that as a rough guide when laying in the first rail. I give a good soak of solvent and pin the rail down to the sleeper. Once the rail has been attached to the sleepers on one side I double check for straightness, before I fix the second rail in place. I do this once the solvent has dried off and the pins are taken off, this can be after a complete length of the board has been done as I was able to do on this board.
The photograph below shows my use of a length of aluminium marked out with the sleeper spacing. Looking at the track in the yard it is obvious that sleepers have been replaced over the years in ones and twos and the distance between has just been by eye and approximate. The yard is not for high speed and liable to subsidence as well so I don't want it looking too perfect. This is in contrast to previous layouts which have used jig built track work throughout. Unfortunately it is still just a bit too regular as it stands.
The following shows the end sleepers being fitted with rail over the joint once all is soldered it will be tidied up using a small grinding tool. I prefer to make sure there is plenty of solder and grip on the rail ends. You are less likely to have the joint give way when cutting as well. The joint already soldered behind shows just how much solder I use prior to cleaning up. This lies on the locomotive lye at the end of the yard where engines would have fires etc. cleaned during down time.
One of the new C&L gauges being used to set the gauge of the second rail. The new gauges allow the rail to take on the angle set by the chairs - something discussed elsewhere where Society members have had problems with the gauges making the track go tight to gauge as most other gauges hold the rail vertical and it stays there until the solvent dries, then of course when you take the gauge away the rail follows what the chair wants it to do and you end up with the gauge of the track too tight. In places I am deliberately allowing a small margin of gauge widening as I want my wagons to hunt a little at slow speeds as they are taken up the yard an everyday sight in colliery lines all over the land.
Having laid the tracks going down to the shed and works I was going to have to simulate the hard standing between the rails. I used a method I used first of all on Dubbieside almost 50 years ago now and that was to use thin polystyrene sheet marked and cut out then fitted in place between the rails. In the past I used Berol white Printmaking sheets for children doing instant printing. It came in sheets about 9 inches square and was of a fairly uniform density. I used it on Dubbieside to do the hard concrete areas and dock walls as well as buildings. You can create a variety of surfaces with the material and simply draw on detail and it takes a perfect imprint. However I have been collecting pizza bases which come along with the pizza as part of the packaging which is just about as good. It only has one smooth side but is perfectly serviceable. It has an extremely long life this stuff and I have had no indication of anything made with this showing signs of any disintegration in the time I have used it.
Pieces are cut and fitted to the areas to be done in this way. This particular stretch outside the shed was built up using old sleepers and they will be drawn on later before painting. Once they are placed they should be pressed firmly down and a mark of the rails underneath will be transferred to the underside of the styrene. Use something fairly flat to apply the pressure.
Here we see the grooves made by the rail heads.
I fit the areas between the tracks first by cutting to the edge of the rail and clipping the pieces in place.
Then fitting the other sections in after taking out the rail markings. If you don't allow for the rail to be cut out this is the way it will look. It is worth taking a minute to trim down with a nice sharp blade.
Once you have cut out the parts and made sure that they fit then glue down and pin the material in place while it dries The styrene by the way does not suffer from expansion problems and will stay in place once glued. The pin holes will be filled during the next stage which you carry out after the glue has dried.
Careful study of the area you are doing will show up any interesting features, in this case areas between rails which have infill of ash instead. If this was concrete there may be drain covers and channels , anchoring points, jointing using tar etc.
I use the lightweight coving plaster to fill any holes and gaps at this stage using a pallet knife. It dries rapidly.
Before it dries I use a pair of wheels EM re-gauged for S4 to run along the tracks and clear any plaster in the wrong place before cleaning up. I use the same simple attachment consisting of a wagon w-iron and a section of rectangular tubing which I use for wheel painting normally.
Many years ago, when we built Bonnybridge Central, you produced a stuff called, I think, Waverley Board, which was exactly the same as the stuff now to be found in Pizza bases. It was thin sheets of expanded polystyrene, smooth on both sides, and could be scribed very easily to replicate rough stone walls. I used it for bridge wing walls and also for a couple of cottages. But I've never seen it available since then.
Allan Goodwillie wrote: I have been collecting pizza bases which come along with the pizza as part of the packaging which is just about as good. It only has one smooth side but is perfectly serviceable. It has an extremely long life this stuff and I have had no indication of anything made with this showing signs of any disintegration in the time I have used it.
I sold the material as Waverley board when in the museum as so many people wondered what the material was that was used in the harbour and buildings. The company that produced it at the time for schools was called Berol. I used it regularly in my classroom for printing but soon realised that it was a very useful material as it will take a pencil mark cleanly and so a building can be reproduced stone by stone. You can even, if you have a drawing and a light box transfer the drawing dimensions directly on to the board. With the buildings I have built I have often put in a card backing, just to add a bit of stiffening. You can build very quickly using this stuff and there is no mess. It also takes Pollyfilla happily although I would put this on a thin layer of PVA. It is great for weathered stone in particular.
Both buildings are coming up to fifty years old and showing little deterioration - the plasticard bits are the more fragile parts. The third photo gives a rough view of the concrete infill and dockside. Despite the layouts age it still looks good in today's company, but I am hoping that Scotts Road will be better and keep me going to exhibitions at least for a little while.
that's the stuff and I am fairly sure it will still be available to schools as it was very useful stuff. The Goodwillie family do like a nice bit of Pizza from time to time!
I missed out this photo during the last upload it shows clearly the pizza base being used!
Thanks, Steve for this, I actually found it last night. Always amazing what you can get! I also have a few Pizza bases in my raw materials box, but we don't eat them much!
Getting away fro Pizza for a while!
I often have a number of things all running along at the same time and with the layout at different stages for the "Work in progress" at Glasgow it has meant me laying track on some boards as well as doing the groundwork on others and preparing all the electricals at much the same time. The illustration below is in another part of the works yard where they had a reservoir of water for feeding the engines and the works. This was fed by a stream diverted from the Lappy Burn - I love the name as it suggests the sound the burn made as it ran through the countryside.
After marking in the positions of the buildings which I have already built I marked in the area of water and cut down as far as the MDF filling as the foam part of the board comes out it leaves the paper layer stuck to the board. This can be carefully smoothed ready to take paint. I have also used the polly board cuttings sanded to shape to make the angled edge of the reservoir.
In this case I have painted the base area it a light muddy grey colour assuming a certain amount of settlement from the stream and The edges are removed while I cut and fit the water. I am using the same technique as I used on Burntisland when I was asked to come up with an idea of how we could have a large continuous area of water. The method I used was to buy a length of neutral mid grey gel from our local theatre lighting company which I had dealt with on many occasions, in this case Black Light in Edinburgh. The gel is used in theatre lights to colour the lighting on stage - there is a huge range. I suggest the neutral one is best as you can put a colour under it to get variation.
The only problem with Burntisland is that the dock edges had already been fitted and the water (when it gets warm at shows) can expand and what is really needed is for the edges of the area to be covered. In this case I am using the sloping sides of the reservoir to do this. If you want to suggest extra depth then putting a second small strip of the material around the sides helps to give a shadow effect as you look down into the water. ON Burntisland I also cut shadows for the ships and one of the piers. A finishing touch on Burntisland was to put in the wash of the ships using shaving foam. It has to be the cheapest one. Poor Richard Darby one time when I was not away with the layout went out and bought "Nothing but the best for the layout", but this was disastrous as the more expensive stuff has lanolin in it and this is almost impossible to get off the gel without damaging the gel so be warned.
If you want to mark gel before cutting as above then use a permanent marker of some sort as nothing else will work. Below we see the gel in place with the edges fitted temporarily. The idea is that the gel works more or less the same as wooden flooring does in a house when it is fitted under the skirting board of the house to let it expand and breathe.
Below I am marking out the second strip which will give me my darker edge. This gets cut and fitted under the first shape that was cut before final fitting of the reservoir edges.
Here we have the final stage with the reservoir sides being glued to the surrounding foam board - Not the Gel! the pins are there as a temporary measure while the glue sets and will be removed. Note that the edges of the reservoir are now darker and I have left a couple of shadows for a pair of swans which will be added at a later date. The Wemyss family had a swan as a mascot on the coat of arms and I thought it would be a nice idea to have them paddling about on the reservoir - I wonder if this ever happened in real life? There was a Swan Brae in Buckhaven where my mother took me in the pram to watch the trains climbing up on the Wemyss line from the washer.
Just to refrsh my memory of your layout build so far, I have just re-read the topic from the beginning! There are so many innovative methods, it is hard to take it all in on one go. The idea of constructing track to have some minor 'faults' is a revelation to me. All your years of experience of building layouts comes shining through here. Also, you have planned and designed some complex gradient changes and super-elevations which do not look to be for the faint-hearted (or beginner). Thanks for sharing your work in such detail, it has provided me with a useful resource.
Looking forward to some more updates!
This layout takes into consideration a number of key things. One was the amount I have learned when building my experimental layout Grayrigg.
The second is that I am 70 this year and still want to build and take my own layouts around the country. Although I have put many long hours into various club layouts including Burntisland most of the layouts are becoming difficult for me to help carry around. We have large paired wooden boards which are paired together and it is like moving a grand piano - two of us have had hernia operations in recent years due to this. I realised that possibly taking Burntisland to exhibitions was becoming more difficult for an ageing group and for me in particular. There has been discussion I know within the committee that the group should take on another major layout, but not for me I am afraid. I have started a starters group for those up here who would like to build their own layouts, with a bit of help through the more difficult bits, which may in the end lead to a number of individual's layouts coming on to the circuit in the following years which I hope the East and the West Groups will benefit from eventually.
Layout construction ideas I have had for a while might still allow me to continue in the hobby. I have also been thinking that there may be other things in terms of making layouts more economic to take to shows. I have many friends all over the country, so I do not intend having a fixed group of operators, but having various friends involved and part of the layout can be operated in a very straightforward way so that anyone can pick up an operating position and be operating effectively within minutes.
This would allow managers to have local modellers help out and spend time with us and we can enjoy their company over a weekend. I might do this with either Scalefourum or Scalefour North when the layout is finished, I hope within the next two years. (Health permitting) I already have had a contact from the Wigan show and Perth people asking when the layout might be ready. If the layout has say 4 operating positions that would mean normally a minimum of 6 but preferably 8 operators (we are all getting on). So instead of six operators coming with me and a more tiring weekend. We could come as 4 with the extended layout travelling in the two cars and 4 people local to the exhibition helping out on operation - so the managers are not having to pay for an additional 4 people travelling a distance and their cost of stay over a weekend.
Hopefully we can also have a bit of fun together - we always have a meal out each evening and would hope they would enjoy this time with us. There are Society members all over the country, many working on their own and it may not be for everyone, but I thought it could be just a different way of doing things. You would be most welcome Colin if you felt up to it. It would also be a chance for those of us meeting and exchanging ideas on the internet to enjoy one-another's company and layouts if others fancy taking on a similar idea on their layouts.
Last year I spent some time on an artist's exchange in China. We had wonderful translators with us and visited many artists and their families at home, having meals together etc. and it was great to meet and exchange ideas, changed my views about China in so many ways.
I would be interested in hearing people's views on that including your own.
Allan, I have to agree with your sentiments above. It is the interactions between people which make this hobby an interesting one. Ok I am in Australia and totally agree with the idea of meeting S4 members when they come through Melbourne. In fact as a number on the board can attest the local group does make a special outings and meals so we too can get to know the UK modellers. So if your ever dropping by Melbourne Australia I suggest you get in touch. We also enjoy seeing you at home too, I guess that is why many of the local contingent gets to scalefourum relatively regularly. We all have a common interest but the distances might restrict us staying for a day operating your layout as we have come a long way and need to cram as much in a possible.
A man after my own heart, sadly I have never been to Australia, although I do know it is a fantastic place. My friend John next door has a brother out there who lives well into the outback and keeps sending fantastic photographs of the area around his steading. I have a friend Bob Barnes from college days who chats to me over Skype and he lives on Tasmania, quite different I know, but equally fascinating.
I look forward to seeing Michael Godfrey every year at Scalefourum when he is across seeing his family. Michael's trackwork pieces are works of art and I do not think he will ever incorporate them in a layout, but they should be framed and seen as the works of art they are with all the technical skill involved, he is also a really nice person when you meet him. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, time can be precious at Scalefourum and I was working on John Stocks lovely layout and missed getting together with him this year which was a bit unfortunate.
I will be at Scalefourum this year again as Terry has asked me to be there with some of the starters Group I have been organising as he thinks it is interesting as a concept and it would be good to have a few of them available talking about their experience and showing samples of work etc. as it is something that other like minded individuals may take up in their area. So if you or any of your friends are over, come and see us and if you let me know beforehand we might manage to add a few more places at the table!
Skype is very useful as well as being free, the time difference between Australia and here make it only possible to have a chat at a civilised hour at the early or late part of the day, however since it is live video linking it is possible to put things on the screen that you are working on and show directly techniques etc. Bob and I show paintings we may be working on which is all very nice.
As to having a brief spell on the layout, generally I am not in favour of just allowing chums on a layout for the first time at Scalefourum, however Scott's Road has been specifically designed as two layouts in one, similar to the way Dubbieside ran in recent years with two independent lines. As well as doubling the entertainment factor the Buckhaven line which did run by, alongside the Wemyss system, can be built as a minimalist railway - just a through railway with simple storage at either end - no complication, just a simple passage of trains which anyone can pick up and do, whereas The Wemyss part of the layout I intend to be a bit more sophisticated and requiring more concentration and thought to operate well.
Thanks for corresponding from so far away, isn't the internet amazing! Hopefully we may get the chance to meet up some day Doug I would like that very much. Stranger things have happened, my daughter lives in Chicago and before going over for the first time I tried to make contact with at least one of the local clubs just to see if I could meet up with one or two local members. My now friend Mel corresponded and asked me to come along to a club night when we were there and after a wonderful evening there I had several invites to go look at a number of wonderful home layouts including Mel's. Every time since when we are over we do the rounds and it is so good to meet up with what are now old friends when we go over.
Some amazing stuff over there and I am sure you guys are the same.
The idea of easily handled and transported layout components certainly appeals to me. My days of struggling with large, heavy elements are over and minimum weight of boards is now the goal. Having a pool of local operators keeps costs down too - plus as you say, you get to meet more people on your travels. This is something that used to happened to me at shows, with people offering to help out (in advance, rather than just wandering in) and often doing a better job of it than myself!
At the last show that I attended, we had a 'real' engine driver assisting us with operating the layout. He was very thorough. It is not really viable to travel with enough operators to have a second shift and expect the show organisers to fund them all. However, I note that my old layout, which with one or two exceptions two of us set up and operated for most of the time, now travels to shows with five in the crew.
Allan, Michael Godfrey is one of the local group and we catch up regularly. If you do decide on the world tour and come to Melbourne the group will always make S4, EM and other members very welcome. As you have mentioned the reason for this is the interaction and the sharing of knowledge. We have a couple of P4 layouts here which are home based. No doubt Jim Summers can give you a run down as we made him feel welcome!
Unfortunately I don't think I will make it to S4um for a number of years as my kids (James has his photo in the 2014 S4news along with my good self and the rest of the Aussie contingent from that year ) Are getting bigger and eating me out of house and home, let alone the rest of the day to day costs. So I guess my next attendance will be in about 2024! unless other things happen like a lotto win. In the mean time I will continue to build my kits and bits!
Jim did mention that he had a wonderful time in Australia with yourselves and clearly you had made him feel very welcome. 2024 may not seem all that far off, but I am not entirely sure if I will still be around by then - I will be 76 by then, but you never know in this world. I did have a cancer scare not all that long ago and had a pretty worrying time until all the tests were done and they declared I was clear. In fact I lost two years of modelling time on my present project as my mother's health went down and she eventually died after many months of me being with her most days. I was unable to do any work on our group projects and took a back seat as far as modelling went as I tried to set up things better for my family etc. if I was no longer here.
It is good to be looking forward again and producing something new. During this difficult period of time I had one exhibition commitment which was to take Dubbieside to Glasgow and the old layout had to go with very little preparation, but it operated well all weekend despite its extreme age. Unfortunately it is quite heavy to take around and was going to be replaced by this new layout anyway. Dubbie might be out again, never say no, but I am beginning to think ahead and looking forward to going to shows with my new layout. Scotts Road is a complete rethink of everything based on an awful lot of thinking and problem solving - which is what design is all about. I used to teach art and design.
Burntisland has been fun and I have many friends within the East Group which I started all these years ago, but this has changed so much over the years and I can't see me helping much to build another large layout which seems to be what is being discussed. The West Group have been developing well in recent years and their layout works well, the character of the two groups is quite different, but I enjoy being a member of both.
If any of your members are planning a trip to Scotland then please let me know and I would be happy to take them around to meet some of our local modellers, both EM and Scalefour. Keep in touch - the forum is a good way to do that.
Allan Goodwillie wrote: Scotts Road is a complete rethink of everything based on an awful lot of thinking and problem solving - which is what design is all about. I used to teach art and design.
Allan Goodwillie wrote: 2024 may not seem all that far off, but I am not entirely sure if I will still be around by then - I will be 76 by then, but you never know in this world.
Ditto for me......totally aware of my mortality........but fingers crossed!! October when I become a septuagenarian and you Allan?
You young whippersnappers! I'm trying not to buy any more kits these days - doubt if I'll be able to build all the ones I've already got.
But, thanks to Allan, I now know what to do with all the pizza bases I've been collecting, telling Mrs Enigma - "they'll come in useful one day just you wait and see!" | 2019-04-25T13:03:36Z | https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=5510&start=75 |
6. Franchisee desires to be licensed to operate a HAPPY NAILS AND SPA salons pursuant to the provisions hereof and at the location specified herein, and Franchisee has had a full and adequate opportunity to be thoroughly advised of the terms and conditions of this Agreement by counsel of its own choosing.
Franchisor hereby grants to Franchisee the right to use its trade names and trademarks as follows: HAPPY NAILS and "HAPPY NAILS AND SPA", and said HAPPY NAILS system and all other rights in connection therewith at the location referred to in paragraph 3, and Franchisee hereby accepts same for the period and upon and subject to the terms, conditions and covenants hereinafter set forth.
(ii) At all times during the term of this Agreement, the equity owner(s) of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the voting stock of a corporation franchisee or the general partner of a limited partnership or the general manager of a corporation or limited partnership, or the members of a limited liability company shall have attended and successfully completed the training as stated in Paragraph 7(b) hereof.
control of the salons unless and until a successor General Manager is approved by Franchisor. Any General Manager shall have attended and successfully completed the training as stated in Paragraph 7(b) hereof.
(iv) The ownership of a corporate or limited liability company Franchisee or limited partnership will continue to be in the percentages set forth hereinabove unless approved by Franchisor.
(the "licensed premises"). In the event the location of the licensed premises has not been selected and approved as of the effective date of this Agreement, then the parties shall, when it has been selected and approved, describe it in an exhibit which they shall initial, date and annex to this Agreement as Exhibit "A". When annexed hereto, said Exhibit shall be incorporated into this Agreement by this reference as though set forth herein in full.
So long as Franchisee is not in breach of its obligations contained in this Agreement or any other agreement with Franchisor, Franchisor agrees not to open or franchise a HAPPY NAILS AND SPA salons nearer than one-half (1/2) mile from the licensed premises nor nearer than one (1) mile from the licensed premises where the new salons would be on the same street, boulevard or highway.
The term of this Agreement shall be for a period often years. The term shall commence on the date this Agreement is executed between Franchisor and Franchisee and shall terminate five years thereafter. Renewal of the franchise term is at Franchisor's discretion and Franchisee must be in good standing.
(a) By payment of TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($10,000), in cash upon execution hereof, and the balance of FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($15,000) payable upon signing of the lease or sub-lease for the location as the case may be.
(b) The amounts paid pursuant to paragraph (a) above are fully earned and non-refundable upon payment.
Franchisee acknowledges that the grant of the franchise constitutes the sole consideration for the payment of the franchise fee and that said sum shall be fully earned by Franchisor upon execution and delivery hereof. In the event a promissory note or other evidence of indebtedness is accepted by Franchisor as partial payment, then the prompt and faithful discharge of such obligation shall be a material consideration for Franchisor's entering into this agreement. Failure of Franchisee to pay such obligation on its due date shall constitute a material default of this agreement and Franchisor shall not be obliged to give notice of such default, anything in Paragraph 17 hereof to the contrary notwithstanding.
such additional service fee shall be paid during the ensuing year on the fifth day of each month. If this agreement commences on a date other than the first day of the month, then the first month's service fee shall be pro-rated for the first month.
Franchisee further agrees to record in writing all gross sales made on the licensed premises and to furnish Franchisor a statement thereof upon Franchisor's request for the entire month's sales including a tabulation of the cash register's tape totals certified to be true and accurate by Franchisee. In addition to the above referred to statement, Franchisee agrees to provide all other financial information that may be requested by Franchisor regularly or from time to time in connection with the operations conducted on said premises in the form, at the times and in the manner that may be required by Franchisor. Franchisee further agrees to keep all such records, statements, and forms pertaining to sales made on the licensed premises in good order for a period of three (3) years and will make such records available to the representative and officers of Franchisor for their inspection at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner.
(a) Drawings and specifications for for signs and other approved displays and uses of the HAPPY NAILS and HAPPY NAILS AND SPA trade name for the fee of $750.00. Drawings and specifications for construction of a salon upon the licensed premises and for furnishing and equipping such premises shall be provided to Franchisee upon request by Franchisee. The costs of all design, drawings and specifications as well as any other development on construction costs shall be sole responsibility of Franchisee.
(b) Initial 8-hour-mandatory training in managerial and operational aspects of HAPPY NAILS AND SPA salons. Franchisee agrees to attend and successfully complete such initial training.
The cost of such training shall be from $500-$ 1,000 per manager at the discretion of the franchisor.
(c) A confidential business policies and operations data instruction manual (hereinafter collectively called the "manual") a copy of which is (or will be) delivered and loaned to Franchisee for the term hereof.
(d) Training seminars and meetings for continued training in the operational aspects of the HAPPY NAILS AND SPA salons and such training of Franchisee as may appear appropriate to Franchisor. Franchisee agrees to attend and successfully complete any training program that may be arranged by Franchisor at the time and at the location designated by Franchisor and pay Franchisor's then current changes therefore.
(e) Its program to continuously evaluate and test quality of service for possible use in the HAPPY NAILS system and to evaluate and test new operational methods of serving existing or new nail or aesthetic care and supply items.
(f) Training of employees in the art and techniques of manicure and pedicure at the rate of $50 per employee.
(g) A reliable source of approved nail polish and other supplies necessary for the efficient operation of the franchisee's business.
(h) Opening supervision and assistance from employees of Franchisor at Franchisee's premises.
(i) Such merchandising, marketing and advertising research data and advice as may be from time to time developed by Franchisor and deemed by it to be helpful in the operation of franchised salons.
(j) Such new salons services and other operational developments as may be from time to time developed by Franchisor and deemed by it to be helpful in the operation of franchised salons.
1. All advertising and promotion of any kind conducted by the Franchisee shall be done at the sole cost and expense of the Franchisee and shall be done in conformity with and subject to the written approval of Franchisor as to form and content. If there is no written disapproval within fifteen (15) days after submission of the advertising and promotion to Franchisor, then approval shall be deemed to have been given for that particular advertising and promotion, but this does not waive Franchisor's right to disapprove future advertising and promotion. It is understood further that no trade name other than HAPPY NAILS and HAPPY NAILS AND SPA shall be employed in any advertising or promotion. As an additional advertising and marketing obligation, Franchisee shall execute concurrently herewith a Promotional Allowance Assignment assigning and conveying to Franchisor all of Franchisee's right, title and interest in and to any marketing or promotional allowances.
2. Franchisee further agrees to pay a contribution for advertising as determined from time to time by the Franchisor. It is anticipated that such amount will vary from $50-$500 when requested. Such amount will be pooled with the advertising contributions of other franchisers and used for general advertisements. If the contribution as determined by the Franchisor is more than the minimum advertising obligation, Franchisee agrees to pay same. Any individual advertising shall be at the discretion of Franchisee and at its sole cost and expense.
3. Advertising, as used hereinabove shall be defined in its broadest sense, including, but not limited to, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, billboards, premiums, point of sale materials, coupons, public relations activities, and any other activities reasonably determined by Franchisor to promote the sale of the HAPPY NAILS AND SPA services.
expense or amount of payment for any such licenses or permits.
(a) All service provided by Franchisee hereunder will be of the highest quality and the method of techniques, and service thereof and therein will be in complete conformance with the specifications, standards and instructions as given Franchisee in writing from time to time by Franchisor. Franchisor shall have the right to inspect the licensed premises from time to time without notice, but within regular business hours to determine the Franchisee's compliance hereunder.
(b) Franchisee will not serve, process, prepare, advertise, promote or sell any nail or aesthetic cares provided by Franchisor or otherwise, except as directed from time to time in writing by Franchisor and will provide such care only at retail and not wholesale and will further provide only at such location or locations referred to herein or otherwise designated by Franchisor. Franchisee agrees that all service-menus, service, techniques, procedures and other matters relating thereto may be altered, changed or amended from time to time by Franchisor and that Franchisee shall promptly comply with any such alteration, change or amendment on written notice from Franchisor.
(c) Franchisee shall at all times maintain and operate the licensed premises, including, but not by way of limitation, service areas, storage and display, interiors and parking areas appurtenant to the licensed premises in a high standard of sanitation and cleanliness and at all times in compliance with local and state laws and regulations pertaining to such operations. Further, all personnel working or employed in said premises shall be appropriately attired in complete compliance to Franchisor's requirements in regard thereto and shall observe the highest standards of personal hygiene. Franchisee shall, at request of Franchisor, send any personnel to designated training sessions of Franchisor at Franchisee's sole cost and expense. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, FRANCHISEE SHALL COMPLY WITH ALL SANITATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE CALIFORNIA BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY.
(d) All service- menus used on the licensed premises shall be exclusively in the form, size, color and content specified by Franchisor. In this connection, Franchisee agrees that Franchisor shall have the right to alter, change, modify the form, size, color and content of such menus from time to time and in such event Franchisee shall conform to the amendments within three (3) days after notice thereof in writing. Franchisee further agrees that, for purpose of advancing and promoting Franchisor's trademark and good will and Franchisee's business, Franchisor shall have the further right to require Franchisee to advertise locations and addresses of other franchisees as well as beauty supplies, specialty and novelty items that may be used or sold by Franchisor or other franchisees.
(e) All interior and exterior decorating of the licensed premises shall strictly conform to the plans, specifications, designs and colors required by Franchisor In this connection, Franchisee agrees that Franchisor shall have the right to alter, change and modify such specifications from time to time and in such event, Franchisee shall conform to such amendment(s) within fifteen (15) days after notice thereof in writing.
(f) If any building or appurtenance thereto is to be constructed or altered in any way upon the licensed premises, any such construction or alterations made thereon shall be in strict conformance with plans and specifications that may be furnished by Franchisor therefor and Franchisor may supervise the construction or alteration to insure such conformity therewith. Franchisee shall not undertake any construction or alteration upon said premises without the prior written approval of Franchisor, and no change shall be made in any plan or specification in such construction or alteration without written consent of Franchisor.
(g) Franchisee shall install and use upon the premises such furnishings, furniture, signs and equipment as may from time to time be required by Franchisor and shall conform to the standards of quality, quantity, design, size, color and other specifications that may be required by Franchisor. In the event that Franchisor, in its sole, subjective judgment, determines that new or additional equipment will provide new or improved services to customers of the salons and so notifies Franchisee, Franchisee agrees, at its sole cost and expense, to acquire and use such equipment within thirty (30) days following receipt of such notification and to cease using any outmoded or superseded equipment. In the event Franchisee shall fail to acquire and use such equipment within said thirty (30) days, Franchisor will acquire and install such equipment at Franchisee's sole cost and expense.
(i) Franchisee shall not employ or use any vending machine, video or pinball machines, or coin or token operated machines on the premises.
(j) Franchisee shall maintain the licensed premises open for business for such hours and days as may from time to time be specified by Franchisor.
(k) Franchisee shall not issue its own gift certificates. Franchisee shall purchase gift certificates only from Franchisor. Franchisee shall accept gift certificates issued by Franchisor as a method of payments and return the used gift certificates to Franchisor for the payment.
(a) Franchisee shall purchase for the purpose of inventory use and resale on the licensed premises, only those supplies approved in writing by Franchisor that may in most cases be provided Franchisee by Franchisor.. Franchisee acknowledges that Franchisor marks up its sale of beauty supplies to Franchisee by________________.
(c) Franchisee shall acquire from sources approved by Franchisor in writing equipment required to be installed on the licensed premise.
(d) Franchisor shall furnish to Franchisee at his request the then current standards and specifications applicable to any equipment, supplies, trademarked paper goods or other products required by Franchisor to be utilized in the operation of the licensed premises.
(e) Franchisee acknowledges that quality control of products used or sold by franchisees of Franchisor is both proper and essential to the operation of Franchisor's system and to the protection of Franchisor's trade name, trademarks and service marks and that the provisions of this paragraph pertaining to the approval of products and suppliers are reasonable for the purposes of maintaining quality control.
days of the receipt of the sample. Within 5 days thereafter, Franchisor shall inform Franchisee of its decision. If the new product is not approved, the Franchisor shall state the reasons therefore in writing.
It is understood and agreed that the trade name, HAPPY NAILS and HAPPY NAILS AND SPA, is the sole and separate property of Franchisor and that nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as giving the Franchisee or any other person any right, title or interest therein, except as to the license herein expressly granted to use such name for the period on the conditions herein stated. Further, that immediately upon termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever, Franchisee, its heirs, administrators, executors, agents, successors in interest or assigns, shall immediately thereupon and forever cease the use of said name and all formulas, menus and processes connected therewith or in any way related thereto and shall thereupon at Franchisee's sole cost remove from any premises owned or in the possession of Franchisee or over which Franchisee has any control, all signs, service-menu boards, writings and notices and any other indicia or material related to or referring in any way to said trade name, trademark or service mark and shall repaint the salon to remove the colors associated with a HAPPY NAILS AND SPA salon. In the event Franchisee shall fail to remove all such signs and notices as aforesaid, Franchisor may enter on such premises for such purposes without notice other than hereby given and remove such signs and notices and Franchisee shall be obligated to reimburse Franchisor for any costs incurred thereby. Upon and after any termination hereof, Franchisee shall not use the name HAPPY NAILS or HAPPY NAILS AND SPA, or any name or names similar in form, spelling or sound to the name HAPPY NAILS or HAPPY NAILS AND SPA anywhere in the world.
Franchisee shall not disclose to any other person, except in the normal course of business, any information pertaining to the formats and methods of conducting business under this Agreement and shall cause its agents and employees to conform and agree to this provision. Franchisee further agrees, and will cause its agents, employees and associates to agree, that Franchisee shall in no way compete with Franchisor and its other franchisees or utilize directly or indirectly any information herein and hereby obtained in a business employing the same or similar services or products during the life of this Agreement.
During the term hereof and, upon termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever and for a period of five (5) years thereafter, neither Franchisee, its officers or principals (including stockholders, licensees, joint venturers or partners) shall directly or indirectly by way of stock interest or otherwise, engage in the same or similar business (i.e. owning, operating, or providing manicures, pedicures, or related spa services) at or within a radius often (10) miles of the Franchise premise that was the subject of this agreement or within a ten (10) mile radius of any premise operated by Franchisor or Franchisor's franchisees, and in no event shall Franchisee at any time, except for the purpose of complying with the terms of this Agreement, utilize the name "Happy Nails" or "Happy Nails and Spa" or the overall look and feel of the Happy Nails and Spa salons including, but not limited to, the color scheme used by the Happy Nails and Spa salons. Nor shall Franchisee use or utilize any techniques or processes obtained or learned as a result of entering into this Agreement or as a result of rendering any performance hereunder. In the event it shall be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that this paragraph is unenforceable under the laws of a state other than the state in which the licensed premises are located, nonetheless, this paragraph shall be valid and fully enforceable in the state in which the licensed premises are located.
In the event that Franchisee is an existing Happy Nails salon, then Franchise shall enter into that certain AGREEMENT TO CONVERT EXISTING SALON TO A FRANCHISE (the "conversion agreement"). The terms of this Agreement and the conversion agreement shall govern the duties, obligations, and benefits between Franchisor and Franchisee, except that in the event of a conflict the terms of the conversion agreement shall control. The conversion agreement provides that the Franchise Fee provided in section 5 of this Agreement shall be waived for existing salons that elect to convert. The conversion agreement also provides that the Franchise Service Fee provided in section 6 of this Agreement may be negotiated between the Franchisor and the converting Franchisee.
1. Franchisee shall neither sell, assign, transfer nor encumber this Agreement or any right or interest therein or thereunder, nor suffer or permit any such assignment, transfer or encumbrance to occur by operation of law unless the written consent of Franchisor be first had and obtained. The assignment of any interest, other than as provided in this article, shall constitute a material breach of this Agreement. A transfer of more than a 10% interest in a corporate, limited liability company or limited partnership Franchisee shall be deemed a transfer and assignment.
2. In the event of the death or disability of an individual Franchisee, Franchisor shall consent to the transfer of the interest to Franchisee's spouse, heirs or relatives, by blood or by marriage, whether such a transfer is made by will or by operation of law, if, in the sole discretion and judgment of Franchisor, such person or persons obtaining said interest shall be capable of conducting said business in a manner satisfactory to Franchisor and, in addition, satisfies the current requirements of Franchisor pertaining to an assignment or subletting.
(a) Assignor must satisfy fully all obligations to Franchisor or others arising out of the operation of the franchised salons.
(b) Assignee must satisfactorily demonstrate to Franchisor that it meets at least the same financial and managerial criteria required of the Franchisee in qualifying for this Agreement.
(d) Assignee must agree to meet with Franchisor's and Franchisor's staff personnel and agree to take whatever tests are required by Franchisor to determine his aptitude and ability to own and operate a salons.
(e) Assignee must agree to avail itself of the training required of new franchisees and pay Franchisor's then current charges therefor.
(f) Assignor shall pay to Franchisor the sum of One thousand dollars ($1,000.00) as an assignment expense.
(g) Assignee, if required by Franchisor, shall sign Franchisor's then current franchise and sublease agreements which may contain different provisions, including those relating to amounts to be paid Franchisor or to be expended on advertising, than contained in this Agreement.
(h) Assignee shall pay to Franchisor a security deposit equal to one (1) month's payments to Franchisor under the Franchise Agreement, Sublease and/or any equipment lease.
(i) Assignor and/or Assignee shall make such improvements and/or additions to the facilities and equipment comprising the HAPPY NAILS AND SPA salons as Franchisor may require.
(j) Assignor shall execute Franchisor's standard Continuing Guaranty guaranteeing to Franchisor the obligations of Assignee, if required by Franchisor.
partnership capacity, Franchisor will consent to the assignment of this Agreement to a corporation approved by Franchisor provided Franchisee complies with the provisions hereinafter specified and any other condition that Franchisor may require, including a limitation on the number of stockholders or limited partners of the assignee corporation. Such assignee corporation shall be closely held. Franchisee shall pay to Franchisor a document preparation fee of TWO HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS ($250.00) each time Franchisee assigns to a corporation or limited partnership pursuant to this Section. In the event that any additional legal fees are incurred by the assignment, Franchisee is solely responsible for its costs and fees.
said franchise agreement and to restrictive provisions of the charter and by-laws of this corporation.
Franchisee acknowledges that the purpose of the aforesaid restriction is to protect Franchisor's trademarks, service marks, trade secrets and operating procedures as well as Franchisor's and Franchisor's general high reputation and image, and is for the mutual benefit of Franchisor, Franchisee and other franchisees of Franchisor and that any attempt by the Franchisee to transfer any of its rights or interests under this Agreement without the written consent of Franchisor shall constitute a material breach of this Agreement and Franchisor shall have the right to terminate Franchisee's rights under this Agreement upon written notice to the Franchisee.
(a) If Franchisee shall be adjudicated a bankrupt, becomes insolvent, or if a receiver (permanent or temporary) of its property or any part thereof is appointed by a court of competent authority; if it makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or if a final judgment remains unsatisfied of record for thirty (30) days or longer (unless supersedeas bond is filed) or if execution is levied against Franchisee's business or property, or suit to foreclose any lien or mortgage against the premises or equipment is instituted against Franchisee and not dismissed within thirty (30) days.
(b) if Franchisee defaults in the performance of any term, condition or obligation in payment of an indebtedness to Franchisor, its suppliers or others arising out of the purchase of supplies or purchase of equipment for operation of its said salons.
(c) If Franchisee defaults in the payment of franchise service fees or advertising costs due hereunder or fails to submit profit and loss statements or other financial statements or data or reports on gross sales as provided herein, or if Franchisee makes any false statements in connection therewith.
(d) If Franchisee fails to maintain the standards for operation of its salon as set forth in this Agreement, or as set forth by the California Board of Cosmetology, and as may be supplemented by the Manual, or if Franchisee repeatedly commits violations of such provisions.
(e) If Franchisee suffers a violation of any law, ordinance, rule or regulation of a governmental agency in connection with the operation of the franchised salons, and permits the same to go uncorrected after notification thereof, unless there is a bona fide dispute as to the violation or legality of such law, ordinance, rule or regulation, and Franchisee promptly resorts to courts or forums of appropriate jurisdiction to contest such violation or legality.
(f) If Franchisee ceases to do business at the premises or defaults under any lease or sublease or loses its right to the possession of the premises.
(g) If Franchisee violates any other term or condition of this Agreement.
2. Upon termination of this Agreement by lapse of time or upon occasion of default, Franchisee's right to use in any manner the service marks or any other mark registered by Franchisor or insignia or slogan used in connection therewith, or any confusingly similar trademark, service mark, trade name, slogan or insignia shall terminate forthwith. Franchisee shall not thereafter, directly or indirectly, identify itself in any manner as a Franchisee, or publicly identify itself as a former Franchisee or use any of Franchisor's trade secrets, signs, symbols, devices, formulas, or other materials constituting part of the system. Franchisee grants to Franchisor the option to purchase any or all products, supplies, paper goods, containers, signs, service-menus and any and all insignia bearing Franchisor's trade name or marks thereon at the lower of cost or fair market value at the time of termination.
3. Upon termination of this Agreement by lapse of time or default, Franchisee will immediately make such removals or changes in signs and colors of buildings and premises and structures as Franchisor shall request so to distinguish effectively said premises from their former appearance and from any other HAPPY NAILS AND SPA salons. If Franchisee shall fail to make such changes forthwith then Franchisor may enter upon Franchisee's premises and make such changes at Franchisee's expense.
4. In the event of termination for any default of Franchisee, the extent of all damages which Franchisor have suffered by virtue of such default shall be and remain a lien in favor of Franchisor against any and all of the personal property, machinery, fixtures and equipment owned by Franchisee on the premises at the time of such default.
5. No failure by Franchisor to take action on account of any default by Franchisee, whether in a single instance or repeatedly, shall constitute a waiver of any such default or of the performance required of Franchisee. No express waiver by Franchisor of any provision or performance hereunder or of any default by Franchisee shall be construed as a waiver of any other or future provision, performance, or default.
Franchisor shall have the right to take any and all action that directly or indirectly verifies or encourages Franchisor's performance or non-performance of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement, including but not limited to installing within the licensed premises cash registers, security systems, computer systems, and/or other monitoring devices, receiving from Franchisee's distributors any information relating to any products delivered to Franchisee, reasonably inspecting any and all records or products and/or other inventory for the licensed premises, surveying or questioning customers, and/or any other action deemed appropriate by Franchisor.
Franchisor hereby guarantees the full and faithful performance of the obligations of Franchisor set forth in this Agreement.
harmless therefrom and shall indemnify Franchisor from and against any such debts and any other claims, liens, judgments or encumbrances and costs (including attorneys fees and other legal costs) that may be asserted or suffered by Franchisor by reason of any act or omission of Franchisee.
Franchisee agrees to keep the contents of this Agreement secret and to refrain from communicating the contents or any of the provisions of this Agreement to any third party except when required to reveal such contents for the purpose of obtaining bank credit, of satisfying a governmental agency or a court of law or of negotiating a sale to a bona fide purchaser as referred to hereinbefore, or for such other purpose as Franchisor may give its prior written approval.
In connection with the operation of the licensed premises, Franchisee will at all times carry liability insurance, general commercial insurance, workmen's compensation insurance, products liability insurance and insurance against such other hazards, in such amounts and with such insurers, as Franchisor may require. Franchisor shall notify Franchisee, in writing, of the nature and amounts of the insurance required hereby within twenty (20) days prior to the estimated date of possession by Franchisee. Within ten (10) days thereafter, Franchisee shall furnish to Franchisor written evidence of insurance in the amounts and types required by Franchisor. If Franchisee shall fail to provide such evidence, Franchisor may, and without relieving Franchisee of its obligations to provide such insurance, cause such insurance to be obtained at the cost of Franchisee. Said cost shall be paid by Franchisee to Franchisor within ten (10) days after the date of possession. It is agreed that Franchisor shall be named as additional insureds under all of the said policies and that Franchisee shall furnish a certificate of insurance to Franchisor promptly after execution of this Agreement. Franchisee shall save Franchisor harmless from any loss or damages howsoever caused by reason of any injury sustained by any person or to any persons, or property upon the licensed premises, save and except that caused by the negligence of Franchisor and/or, its agents or employees. Franchisor shall not be liable to Franchisee or other person by reason of any act, omission, neglect or default arising on the licensed premises, because of any act or omission of Franchisee, or any of the Franchisee's agents or employees and Franchisee shall pay all to be paid or discharged in case of action for any such damages or injuries. If the Franchisor is sued in any court for damages by reason of the acts referred to in this paragraph, Franchisee shall defend said action at its own expense and shall pay and discharge any judgment that may be rendered against the Franchisor in any such action, and if Franchisee fails or else neglects to so defend said action, Franchisor may defend the same and any expense, including the counsel fees which Franchisor may pay or incur in defending the action, and also any judgments in any such action, which Franchisor may be required to pay shall be repaid to Franchisor by Franchisee.
Any monies due the Franchisor by Franchisee for any reason pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed delinquent if not paid on the dates stated in this Agreement, time being expressly deemed of the essence. All monies are due and payable and must be received at the Franchisor's and Franchisor's office or such other address designated by Franchisor on the dates stated in this Agreement. In the event Franchisee shall not timely pay any such monies said delinquent monies shall bear interest at the lesser of the maximum lawful rate of interest for a non-personal loan in the state in which the licensed premises are located or eighteen percent (18%) per annum from the date due until the date of payment. In addition to such interest, if Franchisee shall fail to timely pay any monies due Franchisor hereunder, Franchisee shall pay to the Franchisor a late charge equal to ten percent (10%) of the delinquent monies. Franchisee agrees that such late charge is a reasonable compensation to Franchisor for the additional services and expenses required of Franchisor because of such failure to pay.
Franchisor. Franchisee hereby indemnifies and holds Franchisor, its officers, directors, affiliates and owners from any costs (including attorneys fees and legal costs), liabilities, or damages relating to taxes, assessments or withholding requirements not paid or met by Franchisee.
6. In the event that either Franchisor or Franchisee shall institute any action or proceeding against the other relating to the provisions of this Agreement, or any default hereunder, then and in that event, the unsuccessful party in such action or proceeding shall reimburse the successful party for its reasonable attorney's fees, court costs and all other costs reasonably incurred by the successful party.
7. Should any part of this Agreement be declared invalid for any reason, at Franchisor's option, such decision shall not affect the validity of any remaining portion, which remaining portion shall remain in force and effect as if this Agreement had been executed with the invalid portion thereof eliminated.
8. The parties agree that the place of making and entering into this Agreement shall be deemed to be at Franchisor's principal office located in Tustin, California, and that the laws of the State of California shall be the law applied in construing any of the terms and conditions hereof.
9. Time is of the essence of this Agreement.
notices shall be effective two (2) days after delivery thereof to the United States Post Office.
11. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of Franchisor.
12. In all matters concerning the validity, interpretation, performance, effect or otherwise of this Agreement or arising in any way out of this Agreement or related to this Agreement, the laws of the State of California shall govern and be applicable. Any actions or proceedings instituted by either party under this Agreement with respect to any matters arising under or growing out of this Agreement, shall at the option of Franchisor, be brought and tried only in the courts located in the County of Orange, State of California, and Franchisee expressly waives its rights under any applicable statute to cause any such actions or proceedings to be brought or tried elsewhere, it being agreed between the parties hereto that the majority of any witnesses required in any such action or proceeding will be situated in or about the County of Orange, State of California.
13. This Agreement contains all of the terms and conditions agreed upon by the parties with reference to the subject matter hereof. No other agreements, oral or otherwise, shall be deemed to exist or to bind any of the parties hereto and all prior agreements, understandings and representations are merged herein and superseded hereby. Franchisee represents that there are no other contemporaneous agreements or understandings between the parties that are not contained herein. No officer or employee or agent of Franchisor has any authority to make any representation or promise not contained in this Agreement, and Franchisee agrees that he has executed this Agreement without reliance upon any such representation or promise. This Agreement cannot be modified or changed except by written instrument signed by all of the parties hereto.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this agreement to be duly executed the day and year first above written. | 2019-04-19T18:18:33Z | http://www.freefranchisedocs.com/happy-nails-Franchise-Agreement.php |
For the past centuries, there have been countless of developments and advancements in the world.
For the past centuries, there have been countless of developments and advancements in the world. Scientists and researchers have continued to discover new things and expand our understanding and knowledge of the natural phenomena happening around us.
In the 21st century, there are thousands of scientific breakthroughs. These have helped in improving our way of living while some are the key to greater innovation in the future.
In this article, we ranked the greatest scientific discoveries and inventions of the 21st century.
Through the help of biomechanics and engineering, scientists have devised robotic body parts. The University of Twente has developed robotic arms that can aid those individuals affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This will allow patients to amplify residual function in the arm. They also applied Darpa’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics project of creating prosthetics to wounded US military personnel, in developing robotic limbs. Today, scientists are studying on the viability of making these robotic body parts or exoskeletons controlled by the mind to help disabled individuals, survivors of stroke and elderly people.
Paleontologists have discovered a partially fossilized and decomposing femur of a Tyrannosaurus rex which was believed to be 70 million years old already, or a date closer to the biblical date of creation. Mary Higby Schweitzer of North Carolina State University and Montana State University found out flexible and transparent vessels. This soft tissue discovered is preserved because of the iron between the leg bones. The T.Rex tissue is very essential in determining the physiology of dinosaurs and to study its cellular and molecular structures. They have found out that dinosaurs are closely related to big birds, like the ostrich.
According to HIV.gov, there are over 36.7 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, in which 1.8 million of it is children. HIV/AIDS remain to be one of the deadliest diseases in the world. On the other hand, HIV treatment has been available in Germany for more than two decades already. Antiretroviral therapy allows HIV/AIDS patients to live longer. However, no definite cure is still discovered. In 2007, Dr. GeroHütter was the first one to successfully cure an HIV/AIDS patient named Timothy Ray Brown by transplanting bone marrow from an HIV-immune patient.
In 2006, a team of researchers has found an evidence that proves the existence of dark matter. They inferred the presence of dark matter by measuring the bullet clusters or the location of mass in the collision of galaxies. According to Maxim Markevitch of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, the dark matter can be proven by the bulk of visible matter in the clusters that have been disconnected to the rest of the mass. According to NASA, it is still a complete mystery. What they can prove for now is that 68% of the universe is composed of dark energy.
In 2003, scientists completed the sequencing of the human genome or genetic blueprint that points out the mutations leading to cancer. It took three years for them to finish drafting the three billion letters that compose the human DNA. The Human Genome Project helped scientists in treating a deadly type of skin cancer and understanding the genes involved in leukemia, eczema, and diabetes. Now, cancer genome sequencing is integrated into medical care facilities. It characterizes and identifies DNA or RNA sequences of cancer cells.
A face transplant is a medical procedure that replaces a person’s face using the tissues of a dead person. In 2005, Isabelle Dinoire of France was the first person to have partial face transplant while the first full face transplant happened in Spain in 2010. Face transplants have been popularly carried out in the United States, Spain, France, and Turkey. This is applicable for people with birth defects or disfigures caused by burns, disease, and trauma.
Teaching students how to conduct a research is important. It introduces them how to expand their body of knowledge and seek for understanding of the natural occurrences in their environment. One of the most effective tools in engaging students to research is requiring them to produce a scientific research paper.
A scientific research paper involves the conduct of experimentation, observation, and other strategic processes to gather data and analyze them to obtain results. It helps students understand various issues that surround them. Further, it follows an organized and comprehensive structure that will guide the students on how to perform the study. Most scientific research papers adopt the standard outline and format used by researchers.
The most important part is your title. It gives your readers a clear and concise description of your research. It should be informative and specific and uses no jargon. According to St. Lawrence University, titles should be simple and direct, instead of making titles that are too witty and impressive.
Instead of writing “Measure a nerve response in a dog”, consider narrowing it down to “The Effects of Ethanol on the Compound Action Potential of a Dog Sciatic Nerve”.
Take note that the title page appears on the cover page of your published study. All nouns should be capitalized in the title.
This section includes the name of the researchers who contributed to the conduct of the study. In most research papers, authors are just listed in names. On the other hand, you may write the description of each author, including their degree of study, achievement, affiliation with science and other information. It always depends on the requirement of your instructor.
An abstract is a one paragraph consisting of 250 words that summarize the problem, investigation, methods used, summarized results and major conclusions. An abstract should be self-explanatory and shall extract the most important points from each section of the paper. According to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, readers should automatically assess your study by just reading your abstract. Abstracts are usually written after finishing everything in the research.
This section introduces the problem of the study which is the main focus of the research. This will give your readers understanding of what the study is all about. In most science papers, these are the following sections that should be included in the introduction chapter.
This part provides readers the background of your study. It elaborates the problem by discussing the underlying causes of the problem, its impact on the society or environment, and other essential elements involved. The background will let readers understand the need to stop the problem.
This portion isolates the problem. It should be stated in clear and specific terms. The statement of the problem is usually in question form. These questions will be answered throughout the research.
A hypothesis a proposed explanation of the problem. It is an educated, wild guess that can answer the statement of the problems. In research, two hypotheses are compared – the null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. Null hypothesis negates the relationship between variables in the study, whereas alternative hypothesis says otherwise, that there is some kind of relationship between variables.
Apparently, this part lists down why it is important to conduct the study. This includes benefits, advantages, important results and justifications of the conduct of the study.
The scope refers to the boundaries and limits within which the study needs to be kept. This may include reasons like historical, ideological, geographical or persons. This will help narrow the focus of the study.
This section explains the variables and key terms involved in the study. The use of the terms may be different from others. Thus, this section is used to clarify and specify the definition of each key term.
Also called as Materials and Methods, this chapter will describe the complete steps, methods, strategies, materials, and instruments used in the conduct of the study. The methods and materials of quantitative and qualitative research differ from each other. In this part, the important data will be gathered to draw results.
In this section, the researcher presents summarized for data. Include tables, graphs, figures, and numbers that represent the data. Write a narrative text that summarizes and describes the data presented in the tables and figures, among others. Do not interpret yet the data as they will be done in the discussion section.
The data will be analyzed and interpreted in the discussion section. Researchers will find the relationships or correlations among experimental variables. In discussing, theories, approaches and perspectives will be used to elaborate and clearly explain the results. The discussion will provide a detailed explanation and answer to the statement of the problem.
The conclusion includes the summary of the results and findings that answer the statement of the problem and the hypotheses. The conclusion is one of the sections that most readers go through first, along with the introduction. It gives them the totality of the study or research. This is also usually done in a numbered or bulleted list.
The acknowledgment is done after the conduct of study but usually, this section is situated before the abstract page. It provides an opportunity for the authors and researchers to thank their teachers, mentors, parents, respondents, friends and all people who take an active part in accomplishing the study.
This section cites all the sources of information used by the researchers. It cites the works mentioned in the study. This includes books, journals, online articles, related studies and other references. It follows a bibliographic style. This is important to justify the substantiality of the study and to avoid plagiarism.
Lastly, an appendix is a compilation of supplementary materials involved in the conduct of the study. This includes instruments and materials used in gathering data, supporting documents and pieces of evidence in the acquisition of results. The appendix section is placed in the past part of the research.
That’s it! We hope you are ready to present your work to the science fair or congress.
Biomechanics is one of the most fascinating sciences that frequently goes under-appreciated by much of the general public.
At its core, biomechanics is the study of the movement and locomotion of biological systems.
Arms, legs, tails, and wings are all within the domain of Biomechanics, and the study of these vital tools of the movement of living creatures has had surprising effects on our lives.
Every movement we make is powered by carbon-based machinery which often takes advantage of the laws of physics in breathtaking and creative ways.
Experts of biomechanics have, through careful research and reverse engineering, discovered not only the secrets of our own bodies’ functions but found incredible applications which have resulted in some of the most futuristic and exciting inventions of the modern era.
Biomechanics is truly only just beginning to pick up speed; who knows what the future may hold?
Predicting the future is nearly impossible, but an idea of where things could be in a few years’ time can be gleaned by looking backward and comparing it to the modern day.
To understand the history of biomechanics is to understand the history of the function of the living beings of this Earth, whose bodies function with such incredible diversity as to be stunning and that have led us to discover new technologies like the internet, where we now trade, communicate and play online game (the like of which can be found at Casingdom).
While the formal school of biomechanics can be traced back to the first uses of the word in 1899, the earliest revelations of biological mechanisms are rooted in the scientific traditions of ancient Greece.
Aristotle was the first known thinker to categorise animals as a form of machine, and he wrote a book known as On the Movement of Animals.
Following in his footsteps many years later, the Roman doctor Galen created a similarly titled book known as On the Function of the Parts, which focused on the human body and its functions.
The Renaissance brought with it great advancements in the understanding of organic motion, thanks to philosopher-inventors like Leonardo Da Vinci, who studied the body for the purposes of both art and science.
Thinkers who challenged the status quo of the pre-Renaissance era saw the value in understanding the intricate processes of the body and pursued the unknown by carefully studying not only the human form but its internal functions as well.
It was during the late 1800s and early 1900s, though, that the greatest strides were made (at least until the modern day.) Biomechanics was formally established as a school of science, and the advancement of photographic technology allowed for the revelation of motion via photographs taken in rapid succession.
French scientist Étienne-Jules Marey realised that photography could be used to capture images of animal and human motility. His work established the foundation for the future analysis of film to reveal otherwise unobservable motion.
In addition to the understanding of basic organic mobility (swimming, walking, climbing,) research into biomechanics revealed such valuable information as the movement of blood through the veins, the function of the valves of the heart, the growth of various organs and limbs, and the foundations of aerodynamics.
The sheer amount of information made available to biomechanic researchers thanks to modern recording technology is unprecedented, and the applications are stunning.
Perhaps the most fascinating and cutting-edge application of biomechanics is the development of artificial or prosthetic limbs. Modern prosthetics go far above simple visual facsimiles of lost or stunted limbs, instead venturing far outside of the box to provide creative solutions for those with disabilities.
One such example is the prosthetic “tentacle” invented by Taiwanese inventor Kaylene Kau. This futuristic limb is able to curl and uncurl by the use of simple controls, allowing disabled individuals to easily regain the ability to hold and lift objects.
In addition, advancements in both neurological biomechanics and 3D printing are opening the doors for prosthetics that actually connect into the nervous system of the users, granting them the ability to regain complex movements of their limbs.
By 3D printing new prosthetics, overhead costs of both research and production can be kept low, allowing for more extensive distribution and study.
Modern biomechanics has also revealed a plethora of information about our digestive systems, resulting in fascinating inventions like the LINX, a carefully-crafted, fine titanium ring that may allow for the retirement of invasive stomach surgeries for acid reflux sufferers.
The ring was developed following research into the delicate muscles around the end of the oesophagus, which can become weak if damaged by repeated exposure to stomach acid. The LINX reinforces and strengthens these muscles without adding detrimental effects to digestion that are common with more invasive surgical solutions.
Biomechanics is proving to be one of the most promising fields of research of the Information Age, and that fact is only becoming clearer as other advancements in the fields of imaging, 3D printing, and robotics reinforce or catalyse the study of biomechanics.
With the leaps and bounds made in the understanding of the function of the human body in the last century, it doesn’t seem out of the question that scientists could develop nearly identical human limbs to replace lost limbs.
The regrowth of teeth, bones, and vital organs by utilising already existing processes in the human body are being researched currently; the success of such research could change the future forever.
Biomechanics, an ancient science that has only just taken concrete form within our minds, promises to bring us some of the most-needed developments of our time.
The future of the human race relies on us coming to understand ourselves, and we can only do that through the careful study of the mechanics of our existence.
Everywhere in the world, science is being celebrated through fairs, festivals, congress, competitions, and conferences. Scientists, researchers, teachers, students, and individuals gather to celebrate the gift of knowledge and discovery.
Let us get a roundup of the 18 biggest science fairs and festivals in the world.
The World Science Festival is definitely one of the largest and the most celebrated annual science festival. It is produced by a World Science Foundation which is headquartered in New York City. Its primary mission is to promote science as an essential tool in preparing people for the future.
This festival is a multi-week event that focuses on bringing interactive science learning opportunities to different counties in North Carolina. This is initiated by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center which aims to make the understanding of science accessible to all.
Since 1989, this science festival is celebrated every April in Edinburgh, Scotland. It aims to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to love science. This is considered one of the largest science festivals in Europe that feature talks, tours, and exhibitions. It is also the world’s first public celebration of science and technology.
This festival is one of Europe’s leading annual popular science events and is the largest science festival in Sweden. It started in April 1997. This science festival is attended by more than 100,000 visitors each year. They give researchers and experts the opportunity to meet students and the public.
Cheltenham Science Festival is one of UK’s leading science festivals. It is part of Cheltenham Festivals which also celebrates music, dance, and literature. This festival was participated by more than 2,500 musicians, writers, scientists, performers, and thinkers, among others. Cheltenham Festivals was inaugurated in 1945, but it was only in 2002 when Science was integrated into the event.
This science event is also one of Europe’s longest standing science festivals that is being celebrated in different places in the United Kingdom. It gathers hundreds of scientists, technologists, engineers and social scientists. They provide free talks, workshops and drop-in events about a wide range of science topics.
This annual fair sponsored by Intel is celebrated by more than 7 million high school students all around the world. They celebrate science, technology, math, and engineering. A total of USD 4 million in awards and scholarships is awarded to almost 2,000 winners of local, regional, state, and national competitions.
This science event was known as Westinghouse Science Talent Search for the past 57 years and Intel Science Talent Search from 1998 through 2015. It is a competition participated by high school seniors in the United States, showcasing their science research. It is considered US’ oldest and most prestigious” science competition.
Broadcom MASTERS which stands for Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering Rising Stars is a US-based science competition participated by more than 6,000 middle school students. It is a program of Society for Science & the Public and is sponsored by Broadcom Foundation.
This competition funded by Siemens Foundation started in 1999. It is one of United States’ premier science research competitions that is dedicated for high school students. They aim to promote excellence by engaging students into science research projects and future careers in these disciplines.
Wide Science Festival is an annual science fair in Canada which started in 1962. It is participated by more than 25,000 competitors from over 100 regional science fairs throughout Canada. On the actual festival, over 500 projects and students are judged. This fair provides an opportunity for students to celebrate their passion for science and technology.
AYPT is a team-oriented physics competition participated by high school students. Participants will face 17 problems covering various physical disciplines. They will present their solutions to the problems, which will be criticized and debated by other students during the tournament. The team with the best solution is determined by an expert jury.
Also known as MILSET, International Movement for Leisure Activities in Science and Technologyis a non-profit organization which aims to organize science fairs, camps, congresses and other activities that develop a scientific culture for young people.
This science event is initiated by the European Commission and is part of the European Union Framework Programmes on Research. It promotes understanding of science among young and aspiring scientists. This contest is held in different countries. The first EU contest took place in Belgium in 1989.
Jugendforscht, translated as Youth Research is one of the largest European contests in science and technology dedicated for the young minds. Every year, they organize over 110 competitions and other activities that interest children and adults in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology.
SciFest is an annual scientific festival that is conducted at the local, regional, national and international level. It is participated by almost 4,000 students and 500 teachers showcasing over 3,000 projects. This science event also partnered with International Environment and Sustainability Project Olympiad (INESPO).
Eskom Expo for Young Scientists is South Africa’s only existing science fair for students to showcase their scientific investigations and engineering projects. It is also participated by teachers, professional organizations and 35 affiliated regions in South Africa. Eskom Expo aims to increase awareness of the amazing wonders of science and engineering.
JSHS is a science symposium administered by the Academy of Applied Science. It is designed to encourage students to engage in learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It helps them advance their skills to prepare them for their undergraduate and graduate pursuits and future careers.
Science is indeed widely celebrated in the world. All of these events aim to showcase the body of knowledge.
A science fair is one of the unique ways of celebrating science. It also provides the opportunity for students, teachers and other people to improve their understanding in science and share their research projects and investigations. Indeed, a science fair is a good form of knowledge-building and social development.
In organizing a science fair, there are basic steps that you should do. Usually, a science fair should be prepared two to three months ahead of the actual fair for it to be successful.
To start organizing the science fair, you have to gather a group of people who will be responsible for the conceptualization and the implementation of the science fair. It could be a group of teachers, students, and researchers, among others.
The science fair should be celebrated for a reason. It is important that you set goals for the program. These are the objectives that you and your participants should achieve at the end of the fair. You have to make the experience positive for the participants. They should feel a sense of accomplishment. It is also your goal to give ample opportunity for students to showcase what they researched or developed.
Find a location that can accommodate the number of participants that you expect and the materials that are needed in the fair, including chairs and display boards. You can always make use of your library, classroom, gym or cafeteria for the science fair to too many costs. In determining the date, avoid scheduling it on a day that is full of activities.
Basically, one of the activities for the science fair is the showcasing of the students’ investigatory and research projects. But apart from that, you can devise other fun and interactive activities such as science-inspired games. You can also invite prominent resource speakers to have a talk about biology or anything related to science.
Draft the schedule for the event. This will be needed for your invitation. Calculate the amount of time for each activity. Let us say the time dedicated to setting up the room will be at least six hours. So, the preparation should start the day before the fair. Judging should take 3 hours, visitation of booths shall be at least one hour, and so forth.
You cannot do it alone. Of course, you have to ask the help of volunteers. The number of volunteers depends on the size of the event. The volunteers will help in the room setup, registration, ushering guests, monitoring the event and others.
Consider if you want to acknowledge the participation of the students. You can create a customized certificates which will be distributed on the day of the fair. Determine the awards (first-place, second-place, third-place, minor awards, etc.) and create the criteria for judging.
Promote your event through various strategies. You can post on your bulletin boards or announce it publicly. You can also use the power of social media to spread the science fair. Of course, to be formal, you can produce invitation cards. These will be given to special guests and judges. Include in your invitation the schedule, date and location, program, awards and other benefits.
After all the preparation you have made, it is time for the science fair!
Ask the volunteers and the school custodians to help you in setting up the room. Use your layout map to help direct those involved in the fair. Make sure that the stage and podium are presentable. Setup the tables, chairs, area for judges, display boards, research projects and everything that should be showcased in the fair.
Record the attendance of the students and the participants. If they have submitted their projects for the fair, then give them a project code especially if judging has been blinded. Track any changes that may affect the fair, like students backing out of the fair. Direct the students and guests to the appropriate specific locations.
If the judges are complete, make sure that you orient them very well about the mechanics of the program and the criteria for judging. Ensure that the hold no bias in judging. Also, you can utilize blind judging to avoid favoritism.
The fair should start by now. The hosts shall have opened the science event and welcomed the guests. Now, you have to monitor the flow of the fair. Of course, it is normal that there are unexpected circumstances along the way. You have to manage it smoothly so as not to affect the fair. Always check if the students, judges, and guests are enjoying or doing well. Stick to your schedule to avoid inconsistencies.
After the ample time given for judging, tabulate the scores carefully. Total the score on each sheet, file each score by category and collate score sheets. This is one of the most crucial stages. You have to be careful in tabulating the results as these will determine the winners. Create an official list of winners.
It is recommended that you conduct a small awarding ceremony on the last part of the science fair. It is a unique way of acknowledging the hard work and the brilliance of the students for their entries. Distribute certificate of participation for all students who attended. Also, acknowledge the presence of special guests and judges. Lastly, announce the major awards.
After the successful implementation of the science fair, the work still continues. There are certain things that you should do after the science fair.
Review if the goals and objectives of the program are being met. Assess how well you and your staff achieved in the fair. You can also send evaluation forms to the students who participated so that they can rate the science fair and provide feedback and suggestions for the improvement of the science fair.
Lastly, you have to be proud of the science fair. Publicize the event in your school paper or in your official social media page. Include photos of the highlights of the science fair, winners, awards, etc.
Biomechanics provides understanding the relationship between the human anatomy and the mechanical properties. It analyzes body movement to improve performance and decrease the risk of an individual to certain injuries.
Since the ancient period, the study of biomechanics has started to roll. Many scientists who specialize in various fields – anatomy, physiology, mathematics, biology, physics, and engineering have contributed to the understanding and knowledge of biomechanics. In the present time, more scientists have conducted their own research on how biomechanics can improve human existence. There have been various scholarly societies that unite to celebrate biomechanics and further the body of knowledge.
There are a lot of things about biomechanics that is yet to be discovered. If you are interested contributing to the knowledge of science, you should be aware of the methods of analyzing biomechanics. Further, you should utilize certain approaches and other disciplines of science to better understand what biomechanics is.
In conducting a scientific research, there are two basic methods used in gathering data – qualitative and quantitative research. The two have different goal or aim. They also vary in usage, instruments in gathering data, approaches and the types of data, among others.
Qualitative research is a research method that is exploratory in nature. Its primary goal is to provide a complete and thorough explanation of the research topic. It is broader and more focused on the bigger picture of the topic. In conducting a qualitative research, the researcher can conduct in-depth interviews, engage in focus groups, analyze documentaries, use archival research or do participatory observation. This method is recommended for the earlier phases of the research.
According to Knudson & Morrison (2002), the qualitative analysis in biomechanics involves “systematic observation and introspective judgment” of the quality of human body movement in order for the researchers to identify and determine the appropriate approach and intervention in improving the performance. Qualitative analysis remains the most used approach by kinesiology professionals in understanding human movement problems. However, it requires that the researcher is skilled with critical thinking and wide knowledge in science.
Quantitative research aims to generate measurable data like statistical models, percentages, figures, and numbers. It also uses systematic empirical investigation and mathematical expressions. The problem studied in quantitative analysis is more narrowed and focused. In gathering data, quantitative research employs various data-gathering strategies, including survey questionnaires. This type of research is suitable for those who want to get numerical data and clearer picture of the results.
In biomechanics, qualitative research involves the measurement of biomechanical variables. It also requires a computer to perform huge numerical calculations. It needs thousands of samples of data to be gathered, scaled and analyzed. In contrast to qualitative research, quantitative generates a more accurate, consistent and precise results that are not biased and opinionated. Most quantitative biomechanical analysis utilizes devices that measure biomechanical variables. This includes timing lights, timing mats, radar and quantitative videography systems, among others.
In understanding biomechanics, other disciplines and fields of sciences are used as lens or tool to strengthen research. In the journal of Anne Atwater of the University of Arizona entitled Biomechanics: An Interdisciplinary Science, she mentioned that there are five disciplinary categories that exemplify biomechanics research. These fields of sciences are specified by the American Society of Biomechanics.
Biology is relevant in studying biomechanics, as it is where biomechanics is derived. Biomechanics who specialize in biological science work in the department of biology, zoology, anthropology and veterinary sciences, among others. Their focus of the study is to know the mechanics of animal locomotion. They understand why and how land animals walk, hop, gallop and jump; snakes crawl in the ground; fishes swim; monkeys glide and hang; etc.
Apart from animal movements, they learn the animals’ morphology, physiology, and anatomy. For example, biomechanists study the essence of the backbones of the fish in making them move in the waters. Also, fishes who have different forms of backbones have different styles and techniques of swimming. Through biomechanics, they will be able to understand the relationship of body composition or structure and movement.
Ergonomics is defined as the applied science concerned with the design and arrangement of things that people use for efficient and safe interaction. On the other hand, the field of human factors includes how humans respond to a certain stimulus or the effects of human interaction. Biomechanists who work closely with ergonomics specialize in a variety of disciplines including industrial engineering, public health, and occupational safety.
Biomechanists study how workers, especially those engaged in heavy loads can prevent injuries in performing their risky tasks. Moreover, biomechanics will teach them the proper techniques in carrying load or pushing and pulling loads that will improve their performance and promote their safety.
Engineers are among the most active in developing a better understanding of biomechanics. Basically, engineers deal with the invention, innovation, designing, building, and development of structures. In biomechanics, instead of structures and tools, they analyze the living systems and materials. They are employed in the study of biological tissues including bones, tendons, cartilage, and ligaments. With the integration of physics, they will analyze the relationship between structure and motion in the human body. Further, biomechanists engineer devices that can be helpful in human movement.
In the 20th century, biomechanists who specialize in engineering devised prosthetic limbs to help those soldiers and victims of World War I who lost their limbs, disabling them to walk.
Biomechanics is also understood through knowing the mechanisms of health sciences. Biomechanists who specialize in health sciences are found in the departments of restorative medicine, rehabilitation sciences, orthodontics, orthopedic surgery and other disciplines of science that involve human health. Biomechanics has been helpful in understanding health problems such as scoliosis, cervical spine injuries, and others.
Lastly, biomechanics is involved in exercise and sports sciences. Biomechanists who specialize in this discipline are involved in sports medicine, exercise science, athletics, physical education, and kinesiology. Earlier, we discussed how biomechanics improve the performance of athletes and prevent them from obtaining injuries.
Biomechanics has been a popular choice of study for many researchers all around the world. Many scientists are interested in expanding the understanding of biomechanics. However, apart from scientists, other people are exploring biomechanics because of its potential in improving human life.
The study of biomechanics is important for people to know about how to improve their performance and prevent from acquiring injuries. Biomechanics has been applied in sports for many years now as it is helpful in teaching athletes techniques that will better their performance in sports.
If you are one of the people who wish to know more about biomechanics, there are a wide range of avenues and outlets where you can explore the world of biomechanics.
One of the greatest sources of knowledge about biomechanics is textbooks. There are lots of biomechanics books available in the library and even in bookstores. Students who are learning about biomechanics can review their coverage of research through textbooks. One of the advantages of learning through textbooks is its organization of topics and sub-topics. Every basic thing you need to learn about biomechanics is introduced in textbooks.
If you want more convenience in accessing these books, then you can purchase them online. If you want to have a concise explanation of biomechanics, you can read the book Basic Biomechanics (2011) by Susan Hall. Basic Biomechanics features balanced coverage of biomechanics, anatomical structure, and applications, among others.
If you are a sports enthusiast or an athlete, read the book Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise (2013) by Peter McGinnis which provides a unique approach to the presentation of sports biomechanics. Another book is the Biomechanical Basis of Human Movement (2014) by Hamill, Knutzen, and Derrick which explores the full continuum of human movement potential. Lastly, we also recommend the book of Duane Knudson entitled Fundamental of Biomechanics (2007) which elaborates the different applications of biomechanics in human life.
Another way to learn about biomechanics is the use of computer and internet. There are thousands of computerized bibliographies and online books that talk about biomechanics. For those students who are taking Kinesiology course, you may refer to SportDiscus, MEDLINE, and Embase, among the greatest electronic sources.
SportDiscus is a comprehensive collection of online resources under EBSCO databases. It has more than 660 full-text journals published from 1930 to the present. It also has almost 1,000 abstracts for journals. Moreover, it features sports-related videos and articles. Apart from sports, physical fitness, training, coaching and education, they also include subjects like kinesiology, biomechanics, health and nutrition, occupational safety, orthopedics, injury prevention rehabilitation and physical therapy, among others.
MEDLINE is the premier bibliographic database of U.S. National Library of Medicine. It contains more than 24 million references including journals, news, overviews, tutorials, training resources, and abstracts for biomedical literature. They have Literature Selection Technical Review Committee that examines the references and resources from over 5,600 worldwide journals and 69,000 citations written in more than 60 languages, for both new and old journals. Their topics include behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, life sciences and most especially, bioengineering.
Embase is one of the most trusted bibliographic databases that provides unparalleled coverage of the biomedical literature. According to their site, they have more than 32 million records from over 8,000 currently published journals. They are also proud to include more than six million records and almost 3,000 journals that are not covered by MEDLINE. Embase keeps records of conference abstracts from conferences since 2009. Currently, they have indexed more than 7,000 conferences.
In surfing the web, you have to be very careful in looking for your resources. Most journals now are optimized for search engines, so you just have to choose the right keywords. In keying in your queries, you can link keywords through Boolean (and, or) operators.
Some online resources also have a .pdf version which makes it easier for you to access. Just make sure that the author and the source of that reference are reliable and trusted.
Lastly, there are dozens of scholarly organizations in your place and all around the world that are dedicated to the study of biomechanics. Scholarly societies sponsor meetings, publications, and research for the development and better understanding of their chosen field of study. In biomechanics, there are prominent organizations that conduct international congress and assemblies to celebrate and showcase their studies.
We have discussed earlier in one of our contents the International Society of Biomechanics. It is a renowned international science organization that promotes a better understanding of biomechanics. It was founded on August 30, 1973. Its first International Congress on Biomechanics was held in Zurich, Switzerland. The United Kingdom was given the opportunity to host the 25th Congress at The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC). The most recent congress was held in Brisbane, Australia.
ISEK is a multidisciplinary organization that specializes in health-related fields and basic science, including human movement, neuromuscular system, engineering, physical education and physical therapy. The organization was founded on August 13, 1965, during the International Congress of Anatomy in Germany. Every two year, these scientists also gather at a Congress. Their first ever congress took place in Montreal, Canada in 1968. Their 21st ISEK Congress was held in Chicago, Illinois from July 5 to 8, 2016. They are heading to their 22nd Congress at Dublin to be held on June 30 to July 2, 2018.
SHAPE America or Society of Health and Physical Educators (formerly known as American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance) is an organization that specializes in health, physical education, and dance. They promote education and leadership for more creative, healthy and active lifestyles.
American College of Sports Medicine is an organization with more than 50,000 members and certified professionals who specialize in sports medicine and exercise science. They provide access to publications, research opportunities, career development resources and online learning courses, among others.
There has been a rising demand on expanding human understanding and knowledge of biomechanics. Many scientists specializing in different fields of science – biology, kinesiology, engineering, and physics, are interested in studying biomechanics. According to Knudson (2007), biomechanics is becoming more interesting because people marvel at the ability and beauty of human and animal movement.
In the world of sports, biomechanics has been applied greatly because of its ability to analyze sports movements in order to decrease the athlete’s risk to certain injuries and improve their overall performance. But this does not apply in sports exclusively. Our understanding of biomechanics is needed for our daily activities. As humans, we are not immune to injuries and we are not at all times in our maximum performance. Biomechanics is essential to know how forces can create our movement and how this can affect our performance.
The science of improving our performance involves neuromuscular skills, physiological capabilities, cognitive abilities and anatomical factors. Of course, it is hard to go through all of these. Well, biomechanics offer a simplified understanding onto how we can improve our performance by understanding the science of our movements.
Most professionals prescribe the use of techniques and instructions of biomechanics in improving performance. According to Knudson (2007), biomechanics is most useful in improving the performance of an athlete through improving the technique rather than relying on physiological capacity and physical built. Therefore, human movement is the most important contributor to performance.
According to a study, a coach was observing a gymnast in which the coach noticed that the gymnast poorly performed the angle of takeoff from the round-off and body arch. Prior to that, the gymnast has problems with her back handspring, although, the gymnast is physically fit and has a perfect built for the sport. The coach decided to improve her techniques. The coach’s background with biomechanics helped him instruct the gymnast on working on her “arch” following the round-off which resulted in the improved performance of the gymnast.
Another example is a coach observing another gymnast completing a double somersault in the floor exercise. In order to improve the gymnast’s performance, the coach suggested jumping higher, tucking tighter and swinging her arms vigorously before takeoff. Based on the principles of biomechanics, jumping higher allows the gymnast to have access to more air in completing the somersault. Tucking tighter promotes faster rotation because the angular momentum is being conserved. Lastly, swinging the arms more vigorously generates more angular momentum.
Teachers and coaches are encouraged to learn biomechanics. It will help them to correct actions of the athletes in executing the skills and acts perfectly. According to Peter McGinnis in his book Biomechanics of Sports and Exercise, coaches can use qualitative biomechanical analysis in everyday teaching to improve the technique of the athletes, resulting in better performance. It will also allow them to discover new techniques.
Another way in which biomechanics can help in improving performance is integrating it in exercise and conditioning programs. Biomechanics was used by experts in developing exercise programs and training devices to improve performance. Strength and conditioning professionals apply the principle of biomechanics in training athletes. Biomechanics research also leads to the development of new techniques.
One popular research of biomechanics that changed the sport of swimming was the study done by Ronald Brown and James “Doc” Counsilman in 1971. They indicated that the lift forces acting on one hand as it moved through the water is the key in propelling a swimmer through the water. Thus, instead of pulling the hand in a straight line backward, the swimmer should move his or her hand back and forth to produce propulsive life and drag forces. This technique in swimming has dramatically improved the way swimmers should swim through the water.
Other examples were new techniques discovered in improving javelin throwing, high-jumping, and cross-country-skiing, among others.
Biomechanics is also useful in promoting movement safety and injury prevention. Sports injury and medicine professionals studied the cases of injuries endured by athletes to know and identify what caused the injuries and how to prevent them. They have found out that the application of biomechanics can help in reducing the risk of the athletes from getting injuries. According to Knudson (2007), biomechanics provide knowledge on the mechanical properties of tissues, muscles, and bones that will help coaches and trainers in providing preventive measures and rehabilitative therapies.
According to Boden, Griffin & Garret (2000), female athletes are more vulnerable to anterior cruciate ligament injuries than males. The primary factor that these researchers attribute to the injury is biomechanical factors. Thus, they continued integrating biomechanics in sports medicine and therapy to find out why female athletes are more at risk of this type of injury.
Moreover, occupational therapists and surgeons use biomechanics in devising equipment that will prevent the onset of injuries not just to athletes, but to everyone. Specially-designed running shoes have been developed through the principles of biomechanics. Further, the invention of helmets for motorcycle riders was based on biomechanics. Researchers studied auto accidents and applied biomechanical testing. Thus, they designed helmets to protect the important parts of the head during a collision or accident.
On the other hand, severe accidents that result to body deformities or worst the amputation of certain parts can be addressed through biomechanics. To allow humans to continue its function in walking or moving their arms, they devised prosthetics. Prosthetics followed mechanical properties which match the movement of the human body. Because of prosthetics, disabled individuals are now able to function very well.
Other applications of biomechanics in preventing and treating injury include forensic biomechanics and orthotics. Forensic biomechanics specialize in reconstructing the origin of injuries from basing it to accidental accounts and measurements. On the other hand, biomechanics aid in the development of assistive devices or orthotics. Orthotics are objects that are used to support or correct deformities in the body, including joints. Orthotics may come in braces and large assistive devices like canes or walkers. Moreover, biomechanics help therapists in performing rehabilitative exercises. | 2019-04-24T23:57:25Z | https://www.isbglasgow.com/ |
Our official relationship with our parent organization, The Christian and Missionary Alliance and as a corporation within the state of Washington require the adoption of and adherence to bylaws which flow out of a prescribed constitution set forth by the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
In short, the Constitutional parts of the following document (in italics) can be changed only by the denomination at the national level. Bylaws (in plain text) can be altered by the local church through the process prescribed in the document in order to meet the changing needs or convictions of the church.
Original bylaws adopted January 17, 1990 by charter members. Revised, January 1991, January 1992, January 1994, August 1996, September 1998, June 2004.
Each accredited church of The Christian and Missionary Alliance shall adopt and be governed by the following Constitution.
The New Testament teaches that the local church is the visible organized expression of the Body of Christ. The people of God are to live and serve in obedience to the Word of God and under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Christian and Missionary Alliance operates on the presupposition that the congregation finds broader meaning and outreach in fulfilling its biblical responsibilities within the life and witness of the denomination.
1. Set out in general an outline for organization and administration for this church.
2. Define the relationship of this church to the district of which it is an integral part.
work of The Christian and Missionary Alliance is carried out.
The Uniform Constitution for Accredited Churches has been framed and adopted by the General Council, the denomination’s highest governing body. The accredited churches of The Christian and Missionary Alliance have participated in this process through their authorized delegates. This church can, in accordance with this Constitution and in a manner that is consistent with the Bylaws of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, formulate its bylaws so as to carry out its ministry appropriately and efficiently.
The official name under which this church is incorporated or organized is Ferndale Alliance Church of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
This church is connected with and subordinate to its parent religious organization, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, a Colorado nonprofit corporation. In consideration of the mutual benefits generated and derived from this relationship, and understanding that The Christian and Missionary Alliance is relying hereon in agreeing to initiate or continue such relationship, this church agrees to be subject to and abide by the terms and conditions of Article XV hereof relating to the reversion of property of accredited churches.
1. Confession of faith in Jesus Christ and evidence of regeneration.
eternal salvation of all who believe in Him and the eternal punishment of all who reject Him.
Alliance and cooperation by systematic support of its work.
5. Such other qualifications for membership as may be stated in the bylaws.
1. Applicants for membership must be 16 years of age. The minimum age for voting in all legal matters is 18 years.
3. Applicants to membership must attend the regular services of the church on a consistent basis for a period of three months prior to being given membership status. Exceptions shall be made for applicants transferring as members in good standing from another C&MA church. The Membership Committee shall determine whether the applicant meets this requirement.
a. The importance of personal saving faith in Jesus Christ and the Biblical basis for assurance of salvation.
b. An introduction to Albert B. Simpson, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, and Ferndale Alliance. Emphasis will be placed on history, distinctives, and the Mission Statement for Ferndale Alliance.
c. An introduction to the Biblical picture of the church as “the body of Christ” with Christ as the “head” and all the other different body “parts” as working together “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4; Romans 12; 1 Peter 4; etc.).
d. An introduction to the missions emphasis of the C&MA, the Great Commission Fund, and the Faith Promise Card.
e. A brief introduction to the Fourfold Gospel, the C&MA logo, and the 11 Articles of Faith of the C&MA.
f. Note: Attendance in the “Welcome to Ferndale Alliance” class may be waived by the Membership Committee to applicants who are transfer members in good standing from another C&MA church. The Membership Committee may require the “Welcome” class to any and all transfer applicants.
a. Clear evidence of saving faith in Jesus Christ, usually through the sharing of applicant’s personal testimony.
b. Agreement and support of C&MA doctrines, emphasis, and ministry.
c. A desire to live for Jesus, to seek regular fillings of the Holy Spirit, and to be used by Him in the furtherance of God’s kingdom through the ministry of Ferndale Alliance Church.
d. A willingness, as God provides and enables, to support the regular ministries of the local church and the Great Commission Fund through regular attendance and financial support.
By the grace and help of God, is it your intention . . .
1. To live for Christ by faith, seeking the infilling and refreshing of the Holy Spirit, promising to make the Scriptures the rule of your faith and practice, maintaining a godly home life by encouraging Bible study and prayer for such as may be under your care, and seeking by example to win unbelievers to Christ?
2. To attend, as far as possible, the regular services of the church; to uphold its program of worship, training and teaching; to pray for and honor those who pastor and lead the congregation; to observe its ordinances and affirm its doctrines; to be led with others by the Holy Spirit to minister together in and through the church peacefully, lovingly, humbly, and prayerfully?
3. To recognize that the Great Commission is incumbent upon every follower of Christ and, therefore, it is your responsibility to pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send forth laborers in missionary work from this church and to pray for those who represent us in the task of worldwide missions?
4. To give regularly and cheerfully of the means and resources that God has entrusted you with for (1) the ministry of the local church, (2) the worldwide work of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and (3) the benefit of the needy?
Section B: MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: The Membership Committee shall consist of at least two elders/pastors of the church. The board of elders shall meet at least once yearly to update the membership roll of the church.
Section C: YOUTH MEMBERSHIP: Youth in the church under sixteen (16) years of age may meet all the requirements of membership and upon being received into youth membership shall enjoy the privileges of full membership except the privilege of voting. At age sixteen such youth members in good standing shall be interviewed by the membership committee and shall become regular members of the church. They should be received into membership at a regular public service of the church.
2. By written request of the member.
3. By transfer. Members in good standing may ask for and shall receive a letter of transfer from the pastor or Ministry Leadership Board. Upon granting of such letter membership is terminated.
4. By absence. If a member is inactive or absent from regular services of the church for a period of six months, and efforts from the Elders Board to communicate with and restore member to active fellowship have failed, then he/she may be given “inactive membership” status by the Elders Board. Inactive members shall have the full right of church membership without the right to vote. Inactive members will remain on the inactive list for up to two years after which their membership will be evaluated by the elders. Inactive members will be dropped from membership after two years by a majority vote of the Ministry Leadership Board if there is not just cause for their nonattendance and nonsupport of the church. Allowances may be made for special circumstances which would not allow active participation in the local church such as temporary job relocation, college, missionary work, illness, etc. Inactive members may be reinstated as active members at their request and upon action by the Elders Board (Rev. January 1991).
5. For heresy (teaching or promoting doctrine contrary to the C&MA statement of faith) or willful and persistent sin or conduct which disrupts the harmony of the congregation. Primary action and emphasis shall be placed on restoration and reconciliation based on such Biblical principles as found in Matthew 18:11-35 and Galatians 6:1. After which, member may be ejected from membership roll upon majority vote of the Ministry Leadership Board. The congregation shall be informed of all such dismissals.
Section E: RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP: The elders of the church shall decide upon the conditions of membership renewal.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are recognized as the two ordinances of the church. Believers’ baptism by immersion is taught and practiced as the scriptural mode. The pastor or other elders shall oversee baptism. They shall provide the instruction about baptism and shall administer the baptisms themselves or choose other spiritually respected people to do these ministries.
The Lord’s Supper is administered regularly. The pastor or other elders shall oversee Communion. They shall provide the instruction about Communion and shall administer the Communion themselves or choose other spiritually respected people to do these ministries.
There shall be an annual meeting of the members of this church to be held at a time specified in the bylaws at which time the members shall receive reports of ministries, including audited reports of the treasurers, and shall elect church officers, elders, and members of the governance authority. Additional ministry positions shall be filled as specified in the local church bylaws. The governance authority, as specified in the local church bylaws, shall conduct the affairs of the church between annual meetings and shall be amenable to the membership and the district superintendent as constitutionally defined. Other meetings of the members may be called by proper notice to the membership as specified in the bylaws. On general church matters in which no legal questions are involved, it is understood that all members in good and regular standing who have reached the age of 16 years are entitled to vote, but in matters involving titles of property or legal procedure, the laws of the state determine the age at which members are eligible to vote.
1. A meeting shall be held in late May or June (date determined by the Ministry Leadership Board) to hear reports from the various ministries of the church as directed and prescribed by the pastor. Election of Ministry Leadership Board officers shall take place at this time. Officers shall begin serving July 1.
2. A meeting shall be held in January or February (date determined by the Ministry Leadership Board) for the purpose of conducting the financial business of the church, including a review of the previous year’s finances and the adoption of the new year’s budget.
Section B: NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETINGS: The notice for annual congregational meetings shall be made from the pulpit and in the church bulletin the two Sunday mornings before the meeting.
Section C: SPECIAL MEETINGS: Special meetings may be called by the senior pastor or by two-thirds of the Ministry Leadership Board. The purpose for the meeting shall be given and reasonable attempt must be made to inform the majority of the congregation.
Section D: CHANGE OF DATE: For reasonable cause the Ministry Leadership Board has the authority to reschedule the annual meeting(s) after meeting date has been set and announced, but must do so by letter, email, or phone call to each active member of the congregation.
Section E: QUORUM: The members present at the meeting shall be recorded and they shall represent a quorum.
Section F: CHAIRMAN: The chairman of the congregational meeting shall be the senior pastor, then the vice-chairman of the Ministry Leadership Board, then one appointed by the Ministry Leadership Board. Minutes shall be recorded by the secretary of the Ministry Leadership Board.
Section G: MOTIONS: Motions shall be passed according to a simple majority of the votes cast, with the exceptions of (1) the adoption or amending of bylaws and (2) the purchase or sale of land or buildings which shall require a two-thirds vote to carry.
Section H: FISCAL YEAR: The fiscal year of the church shall correspond to the calendar year.
Section 1. General. Each local church shall structure its governance authority in accordance with the governing documents of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, the definition of elder authority, the bylaws of the district, and the laws of the state in which the church is located. The members of the governance authority shall satisfy the scriptural standards for church leadership and shall be members of this church. The senior pastor shall be chairman or, at his request, the governance authority shall elect an elder as chairman. An elder also shall be elected as vice chairman. Meetings shall be held for prayer and business, and abbreviated minutes shall be reported to the church as the church may decide. Special meetings may be called by the chairman or by written request of one half of the governance authority membership. All officers, committees, and organizations except the Nominating Committee are amenable to the collective oversight of the elders.
Section 2. Removal. In consultation with the district superintendent and the senior pastor, any officer or auxiliary official, except licensed pastoral staff, of this church, whether elected at the church annual meeting or appointed by the governance authority, or any individual member of the governance authority, may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the governance authority and the approval of the district superintendent if, in the judgment of the governance authority, the best interests of this church will be served thereby.
least six months and meet the scriptural qualifications of church leadership.
faithfulness, service, grace and unity in church body life.
b. Past failures in marriage shall not, in and of themselves, disqualify a person for church leadership as long as candidate now demonstrates an attitude of repentance for past failures and confesses an understanding and conviction of the Biblical position on divorce and remarriage as reflected in the entire statement included in the current Alliance manual (1989, pages 227-234). In this allowance we affirm the restorative grace of God and the integrity and sanctity of marriage.
c. We insist that all married candidates for church office have healthy, growing, Christian marriages.
Section C: MINISTRY BOARD SECRETARY. At the earliest meeting a secretary shall be appointed by and from among the MLB members.
Section D: VICE-CHAIRMAN: At its first meeting of each year, the Ministry Leadership Board shall elect a Vice-Chairman and a second Vice-Chairman from among the elders to serve in the pastor’s absence.
Section E: TERMS: All terms for officers of the Ministry Leadership Board shall last one year except pastor and elders. Elders shall serve three-year terms with the election of elders occurring as such so that one elder is elected each year.
Section F: VACANCIES: All vacancies that occur during any term shall be filled by Ministry Leadership Board appointment.
Section G: QUORUM: A quorum for business shall be considered 51% or more of the MLB.
Section H: VOTING: All members shall have one vote except the chairman who shall vote only in the case of a tie. All motions shall be passed by a simple majority.
Section I: REPORT TO THE CONGREGATION: A report of the business conducted by the Ministry Leadership Board at each meeting shall be available to the congregation.
The officers shall be members of this church and shall satisfy the scriptural standards for church leadership. They shall consist of the following who, with the exception of the senior pastor, shall be elected at the annual meeting of the church: senior pastor, secretary, treasurer, assistant treasurer, and such other officers as may be designated in the church bylaws or in the state law.
The office of treasurer and missionary treasurer shall be filled by the same person. At Ferndale Alliance the treasurer is also called the Church Financial Director.
The governance authority shall not give consideration to any candidate for the pastoral staff without the approval of the district superintendent. Pastoral staff members shall be called by the governance authority and appointed by the district superintendent. The district superintendent shall suggest to the governance authority the names of such workers as in his judgment have proper qualifications for pastoral staff. Upon appointment by the district superintendent, a pastoral staff member and spouse become members of this church. Pastoral staff include all those whose position calls for licensing as an “official worker,” as defined in the General Regulations in the Manual of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. Any member of the pastoral staff may resign from this church by giving due notice of this intention to the district superintendent and the governance authority. The governance authority may, in conjunction with the district superintendent, ask for the resignation of any member of the pastoral staff. Before such action is taken, the governance authority and that member shall follow the guidelines as prescribed by the district superintendent. The district superintendent, with the approval of the District Executive Committee, shall have the authority to remove or transfer a member of the pastoral staff when the governance authority is in disagreement or whenever circumstances make such removal or transfer advisable.
Section A: The elders of the church shall recommend to the Ministry Leadership Board job descriptions for any pastoral staff additions.
Section B: The Ministry Leadership Board and all the elders shall function collectively as a single board for the purpose of interviewing and hiring pastoral staff.
Section C: Any proceedings designed to call for the resignation of any pastor shall begin with the prayerful attempt to build up and make effective that pastor and his ministry.
Section A. Senior Pastor. The senior pastor shall have oversight of this church. He shall be chairman of the governance authority except as he may choose to proceed according to the provisions in Article VI. He shall preside at all regular or special meetings of the church membership. He is a member ex-officio of all church committees and organizations. When the membership has no pastor, the chairman or vice chairman of the governance authority shall have oversight of the church in conjunction with the district superintendent. The senior pastor shall be the president of this church where such office is required by law.
Section B. Secretary. The secretary shall keep the minutes of membership meetings and conduct the correspondence of this church as directed by the governance authority. The secretary shall attend and keep minutes of other meetings as specified in the local church bylaws.
The secretary shall record minutes of all ministry board meetings which shall then be provided to the board before the next meeting for review. Once reviewed by the pastor, board chairman, or vice chairman, minutes shall posted for the congregation in a public area of the church. The secretary shall also record attendance and minutes of all congregational meetings. In his/her absence, the pastor or acting board chairman shall appoint from the Ministry Leadership Board a substitute secretary.
church finances are managed with absolute integrity.
finances. The bookkeeper shall be accountable to the CFD, pastor, and MLB.
committee will also present to the MLB the next years budget in a timely manner.
an elected position at Ferndale Alliance.
Section D. Missionary Treasurer. When required by local church bylaws, the missionary treasurer shall account for all missionary moneys and oversee the forwarding of the same to the treasurer of The Christian and Missionary Alliance on or before the tenth of the following month.
Section E. Assistant Treasurer. The assistant treasurer shall, with another person or persons appointed by the governance authority, be responsible to count all moneys and keep a separate record of all receipts. The assistant treasurer may be empowered to issue receipts to the donors. The Assistant Treasurer is also called the Offerings Steward at Ferndale Alliance.
It is a policy of the local church that no offering moneys shall be handled by only one person. Moneys shall be counted and receipts signed by at least two persons approved by the Ministry Leadership Board.
Section F: Alliance Women President/Director of Women’s Ministries. Working with the Board of Elders, the Alliance Women President/Director of Women’s Ministries shall preside over the Alliance Women (formerly, Women’s Missionary Prayer Fellowship-“WMPF)” as prescribed by the Constitution of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and shall share in the spiritual oversight of the women of the congregation.
Section A. Elders. The elders shall be male members of this church and shall be elected as specified in the church bylaws. With authority from Christ the Chief Shepherd and confirmed by the church membership, the pastor and the other elders are the highest level of servant leadership in the local church. As undershepherds, elders shall serve with the senior pastor to oversee the local church and its ministries to accomplish Christ’s mission. They shall constitute the Committee on Membership. They shall be the Committee on Discipline in accordance with the Uniform Policy on Discipline, Restoration, and Appeal of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
1. The Elders Board of the church shall consist of the pastor(s) of the church, the elders of the Ministry Leadership Board, and additional elders, known as associate elders, who shall be recognized and appointed by the Ministry Leadership Board.
2. An elder shall be recognized as a man who meets the scriptural qualifications of an elder as prescribed by the apostles in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5. He shall be an active member of the church.
3. An associate elder shall be appointed by the Ministry Leadership Board to serve a two-year term. This term may end sooner by a decision of the Ministry Leadership Board.
4. The Elders Board shall be responsible for membership interviews and updating membership rolls.
5. The chair of the Elders Board shall be appointed by the Ministry Leadership Board.
6. The elders shall pray fervently and regularly for each pastor and his family.
7. There is no limit as to the number of qualified elders who may serve on the Elders Board.
Section B. Deacons. The deacons shall be members of this church and shall be appointed or elected as specified in the local church bylaws. The deacons shall have charge of those ministries and charities of the church as specified in the bylaws, receive offerings for such purposes and dispense the same, and make monthly reports as directed. Where there are no deacons, the governance authority shall assume responsibility for their ministries until such are elected or appointed.
1. Deacons shall be appointed by the Ministry Leadership Board to serve one-year terms (Rev. January 1991). Their term may end sooner by a decision of the Ministry Leadership Board. Their responsibilities shall be defined by the Ministry Leadership Board.
2. A deacon shall meet the scriptural qualifications as given in 1 Timothy 3 and shall be an active member of the church.
Section C. Deaconesses. Deaconesses shall be members of this church and shall be appointed or elected as specified in the local church bylaws. The deaconesses shall have charge of those ministries as specified in the bylaws. Where there are no deaconesses, the governance authority shall assume responsibility for their ministries until such are elected or appointed.
1. Deaconesses shall be appointed by the Ministry Leadership Board to serve one-year terms (Rev. January 1991). Their term may end sooner by a decision of the Ministry Leadership Board. Their responsibilities shall be defined by the Ministry Leadership Board.
2. A deaconess shall meet the scriptural qualifications as given in 1 Timothy 3:11 and Titus 3:3-5. She shall be an active member of the church.
Section D. Trustees. The trustees shall be members of this church and may be appointed or elected as specified in the local church bylaws. Trustees shall have charge of those ministries and duties as specified in the bylaws, or the laws of the state in which the church is located. Where there are no trustees, the governance authority shall assume responsibility for those ministries and duties until such are elected or appointed.
Section E. Missions Committee. A Missions Committee shall be appointed by the governance authority as specified in the local church bylaws. The purpose of the Missions Committee is to assist the pastor in administering the year-round missions program, planning and promoting the annual Missions Conference, recruiting candidates, and promoting the financial and prayer support of the worldwide ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Section F. Sunday School/Bible Teaching. Each church shall have a Sunday school or a comparable disciplemaking ministry. The mission of disciplemaking ministries is to bring people to a saving knowledge of Christ, teach biblical principles emphasizing missions and the centrality of Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King, and equip people for evangelism and Christian service.
Section G. Disciplemaking Ministries Council. A Disciplemaking Ministries Council shall be appointed as specified in the local church bylaws. The Council shall oversee the disciplemaking ministries for children, youth, and adults.
Section H. Alliance Women Ministries. Local church Alliance Women Ministries may be established. They shall be organized according to the Alliance Women Ministries Local Constitution as contained in the Manual of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. The mission of Alliance Women Ministries is to support and pray for Alliance missionaries and their ministries.
Section I. C&MA Men’s Ministry. A C&MA Men’s Ministry may be established in the local church. They shall be organized according to the Local Constitution of C&MA Men’s Ministry as contained in the Manual of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. The mission of C&MA Men’s Ministry is to bring men to Christ and engage in ministries that are consistent with the objectives of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Section K: Missions Committee. A Missions Committee shall be appointed by the Ministry Leadership Board as specified in the church bylaws. The purpose of the Missions Committee is to assist the pastor in administering the year-round missions program, planning and promoting the annual missions conference, recruiting candidates, and promoting the financial and prayer support of the worldwide ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Section L: Finance Committee. A finance committee shall be appointed annually by the Ministry Leadership Board and shall include the senior pastor, at least two members of the Ministry Leadership Board, and two other non-Ministry Leadership Board members of the congregation. The finance committee shall present to the Ministry Leadership Board the first draft of the new annual budget by its December meeting.
A missions conference shall be held annually for the promotion and support of the worldwide work of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
The missionary conference shall be considered a highlight of the church’s calendar year. The leadership of the church shall encourage generous participation in the Great Commission Fund by the congregation. A “Faith Promise” shall be received.
Section 1. Property. This church may acquire, own, dispose of, improve, encumber, and convey property, real and personal, for church purposes, in conformity with the laws of the state where the property is situated. Real property may be purchased, sold, conveyed, exchanged, mortgaged, or encumbered only by order of the membership through the governance authority in consultation with the district superintendent. In states where trustees are required, the order of the membership shall proceed through them.
Section 2. Records. The official records of all officers of the church and all its departments are the property of the church. In the event of the death or resignation of the incumbent or upon the election of his successor, the current records of the office shall be passed on to the newly elected officer. All records other than current shall be kept in a secure repository selected by the governance authority.
Section 3. Audit. All financial records shall be examined annually or at more frequent intervals on order of the governance authority. At least three persons, none of whom is a financial officer or a church staff member, shall be appointed by the governance authority to conduct the examination. They shall follow procedures set forth in the current edition of the Manual for Alliance Church Treasurers (and Pastors). The governance authority shall authorize actions to conform with additional audit standards that may be required by the jurisdiction in which the church is located.
A Nominating Committee shall consist of the senior pastor, two elected by but not necessarily from the governance authority, and two elected by the membership at least one month prior to the annual meeting. Members of the Nominating Committee shall be members of this church and shall be elected by ballot at a regular or special meeting of the governance authority or membership meeting, respectively. The governance authority and the membership shall elect by ballot from among at least four nominees.
A congregational meeting shall be held immediately before or after a Sunday service at least five Sundays before the annual election meeting of the congregation. Two non-Ministry Leadership Board members of the congregation from at least four nominees shall be elected at that time to serve on the Nominating Committee. The Ministry Leadership Board may choose to elect from the Ministry Leadership Board for one or both of its positions on the Nominating Committee. All members of the nominating committee should be faithful, mature, godly, and prayerful members of the congregation who will embrace the importance and seriousness of this ministry responsibility with humble dependence upon the Lord and a view toward church health, unity, vision, and growth.
In consideration of elections, the Nominating Committee shall present at least one name for each office to be filled. Other nominations may be made from the membership. The officers shall be elected by ballot at the annual meeting. Where only one name is presented, the ballot may be waived by unanimous vote.
Section A: The Nominating Committee shall present to the congregation its nominees at least three Sundays before the annual election meeting.
Section B: After the posting of said nominees, members of the congregation may present to the Nominating Committee recommendations for other nominees. The Nominating Committee shall determine the eligibility of nominees for church office and may refuse to submit any recommendations to the congregation. The Nominating Committee may consult with the elders board.
Section C: Recommendations by members of the congregation for nomination shall be made to the Nominating Committee prior to contacting said individuals. The Nominating Committee shall then contact those nominated for their consent. This shall be done prior to the election meeting.
Section D: Members of the congregation or adherents may submit reasons in a signed statement to the Nominating Committee why a candidate may not be qualified for a given position prior to the election meeting.
Section E: No nominations shall be made from the floor.
Section F: All nominees shall be presented to the congregation in such a way as to indicate which nominees were selected by the Nominating Committee.
Section G: A nominee must receive at least 50% of the votes to become elected.
Recognizing the purpose of the members of this congregation to support both the doctrines and the mission of The Christian and Missionary Alliance through the contribution of their tithes, offerings, and special gifts, and to ensure that the future use of such assets and real property as this church may from time to time acquire shall not be diverted from this purpose, this church adopts the following property reversion clause.
1. Property Reversion Events. Any of the following shall constitute a “property reversion event:” (a) the decision or action of this church to disaffiliate or otherwise separate itself from The Christian and Missionary Alliance without the prior written approval of such decision or action by the District Executive Committee (or its equivalent) of the district in which this church is located, (b) the failure for any reason of this church to be subject to or abide by any of the purposes, usages, doctrines, or teachings of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, (c) the failure for any reason of this church to qualify as an “accredited church” of The Christian and Missionary Alliance (as such term is defined in the Bylaws of The Christian and Missionary Alliance), or (d) the termination of this church’s existence for any reason.
2. Determination of a Property Reversion Event. The determination of whether a property reversion event has occurred shall be considered and decided by the District Executive Committee (or its equivalent) of the district of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in which this church is located in accordance with procedures established from time to time by the Board of Directors of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. The decision of such District Executive Committee (or its equivalent) shall be final and binding on The Christian and Missionary Alliance, the district of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in which this church is located, and this church, and may not be challenged by any party in the absence of fraud, collusion, or arbitrariness.
3. Consequences of a Property Reversion Event. Upon the occurrence of a property reversion event as determined in accordance with item 2 above, legal title to all real and personal property (tangible and intangible), appurtenances, fixtures, and effects of whatever type then owned, held, or used by this church, without regard to how or from whom acquired, shall, upon the demand of the district of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in which this church is located, revert to and become the property of such district of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. During the period of time between the occurrence of the property reversion event and the complete and final transfer of legal title to the district of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in which this church is located, this church shall hold such property in trust for such district to be used exclusively to further the purposes, usages, doctrines, and teachings of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
4. Waiver of Certain Property Reversion Events. In the event of a property reversion event attributable to differences in doctrine between this church and The Christian and Missionary Alliance, the property reversion process set forth above may be waived upon the approval of (a) at least two-thirds of the active, attending members of this church, (b) the District Executive Committee (or its equivalent) of the district of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in which this church is located, and (c) the Division of National Church Ministries of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Church bylaws not in conflict with the provisions of the Bylaws of The Christian and Missionary Alliance or the laws of the state are required and will be adopted by a duly called meeting of the church. As a minimum, the church bylaws will include provisions for the composition and name of its governance authority that is in keeping with Article VI above. A copy of such bylaws shall be filed with the district superintendent.
Bylaws may be adopted, amended or rescinded by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any congregational meeting duly called for such a purpose. Proposed changes in the bylaws must first be submitted in writing to the membership at least three weeks in advance of said meeting, after having been approved by a two-thirds vote of the Ministry Leadership Board.
This Constitution may be amended only by the General Council of The Christian and Missionary Alliance by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.
In cases where any provision of this Constitution may not conform to state laws, the district concerned shall be authorized to make such adjustments as necessary in counsel with the vice president for National Church Ministries of The Christian and Missionary Alliance so as to conform to such laws. | 2019-04-20T05:05:38Z | http://ferndalealliancechurch.org/fac-bylaws/ |
The Education of Henry Adams (1907) would be, I thought as I was reading it, the perfect last book to write about at Wuthering Expectations. It is more or less exactly about the disintegration of the 19th century in the 20th, a memoir of change, of obsolescence.
So I am using it this week as a source of context-free quotations that I find hilarious. There are many more that I am not going to use. What a great book!
Today, finishing Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth (1905), I have completed my non-neurotic chronological reading of Western literature through 1909; Rilke’s The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge awaits in 1910, based on a list I made twenty years ago and have fussed with and expanded ever since. Any such list is capricious and arbitrary, but everything I have read has been displayed in public for the past ten years, so it should be clear enough that I have not been all that capricious. It has been a little more substantial than a push through some “100 Greatest” list. In the sense of dragging my eyes a single time across the pages of well-known books, I have covered a lot. I make no claim beyond that. Real experts do not read like this.
I keep the list in a spreadsheet. No, you cannot have it. It is essential, for your education, that you make your own. I mean, if you are tempted by this kind of thing.
My 19th century Humiliations, the most famous 19th century books I have not read, are now, I don’t know, The Last of the Mohicans, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, The House of the Dead, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I should read a Maupassant novel some time, right? We could extend this list.
As happy as I am to extend the long 19th century to November 11, 1918, if I were not going to France I would still face this problem a year from now – I am moving away from the 19th century. My chronological drift has taken me far from the 1830s, where I happened to be back in 2007. I am, aside from the usual re-reading, more curious about what is going on in the 1910s and 1920s. My real Humiliations are The Magic Mountain, The Age of Innocence, Sons and Lovers, and The Master and Margarita. I want to revisit some writers I have not read for a long time, maybe decades – Kafka, Faulkner, Woolf. Heck, I am more interested in finally trying The Tale of Genji or The Dream of the Red Chamber than reading my fifteenth Trollope novel, as much as I would enjoy it.
None of this will happen now, or for a long time. Instead, I will go to France. I do not want to guess how much reading I will do, much less what reading, or what I will do with it, or what I will want to read, or write, once I return.
As a final note, I want to thank everyone who had the energy to leave a comment or correction, here or elsewhere. I have learned so much from other readers. This is my selfish, but selflessly selfish, reason for writing Wuthering Expectation. On paper, all of my factual errors, bad arguments, and conceptual mistakes sit there uncorrected; they are repeated, magnified, and ideas shrivel. Not on the blog. The conversation with all of you has been so helpful. I am a better writer than I was ten years ago, and a better reader, and a lot of the credit goes to everyone who took the time, and fought Blogspot, and said something. Thank you so much.
This may be my favorite kind of reading, not so far from my experience reading Henry Adams. It is rarer than it used to be, but plenty frequent. “What is this?” The move from not-knowing to knowing can be a deep, difficult pleasure.
I think many readers are searching for repetitions of youthful pleasures, perhaps from the moment they really fell in love with reading. Which books will have something that repeats the pleasures of that intense scene in Jane Eyre or The Return of the King? Not many, but what a search it will be. I suppose I am doing something similar, even if the great experience was decoding Pale Fire’s index or thinking through the infinite loops of “The Library of Babel” rather than identifying with a character. Some readers get this pleasure from philosophy, or theory, codes I have never cracked. That set goes to graduate school in literature, something I never had the imagination to contemplate.
Eventually I discovered that the study of literary history is itself a giant puzzle to solve, and that texts that are not themselves puzzles, and are perhaps even terrible as art, are pieces of a larger puzzle, and that the puzzle thus has an endless number of pieces and no solution, which on a table-top would be frustrating but as an intellectual pursuit is perfect. What fun.
Having accumulated nearly a decade of bloggy wisdom, my advice to new bloggers has not moved beyond “Know thyself,” useful fairly generally. I knew I needed a strong schedule, I knew I would not take free books, I knew I would write short, although I swelled over time, I knew I was not so interested in “reviews” as such. But when I started Wuthering Expectations I had been reading seriously for twenty years or more. Twenty years is two thousand books read, which is twice as many as I had read ten years before. I cannot imagine starting a literature blog in my twenties. I have great admiration for the confidence of anyone who does – they, you, are right to do it.
I should have included more posts that were just lists. People love lists. I know they love lists; I love lists. I am suspicious of them as criticism. They have kind of poisoned popular music writing – ranking every Beatles song is the kind of writing that gets clicks, I guess. But this is a blog, so relax a little, right? D. G. Myers was good with lists. I remember a commenter asking him what database he was using to pick his Top 5 I-don’t-remember-what novels. “My brain!” he snapped.
I don’t know. I read a lot of good criticism in magazines, but it was missing something. I am not sure what. May be just me. Literary criticism was missing me. And now it has had a fair amount of me.
At some point it occurred to me that I might get an English degree. I began taking survey classes to see what they were like, and because they were fun. Read Shakespeare, watch Shakespeare, talk about Shakespeare. All right!
But the life-changers were British Literature I and British Literature II, both taught right out of the Norton anthologies (5th edition), and both taught by the same professor, Chester Sullivan.
Sullivan was an Arkansas novelist and expert on Southern literature. I have read his two most recent novels, Answered Prayers (1992) and Rattlesnakes in the Rock Chalk (2012); they are so specific to Lawrence, Kansas that I am not sure I could recommend them widely. Micro-regionalism. I loved the novels and pray that he does not need twenty years to finish the next one.
Why Sullivan was teaching Brit Lit survey classes I do not know. Another prof had suddenly quit? He lost a bet? Later I took a “Southern Fiction” class from him. That was a good class, too, but not the revelation of those surveys.
British Literature I was taught chronologically, moving steadily through the Norton anthology, hitting high points (Beowulf, Chaucer, Marlowe, Johnson) with more eccentric choices sprinkled in. I remember the “Courtier” section of the Hoby translation of Castiglione’s The Ladder of Love to be especially baffling. But as in Tom Lorenz’s “Innovative Fiction” class, the great question, over and over, was “What is this?” It was in some sense a traditional “coverage” course that I took at the exact time I was ready for coverage.
I would not have used the term at the time, and chronology is, heaven knows, only one of many organizational principles, but it was in this course where I learned that literature is not just a collection of texts but a field of knowledge. I have studied it as such ever since.
Yes, exactly, the Martian is describing my Caxton, my Norton. I wish I could remember if we, or Sullivan, read the poem aloud or if we all read it silently before diving in.
The class felt free, like we were playing with two hundred years of British literature. Sullivan approached each text as if he were reading it for the first time, as if he were asking the same questions that we all were. I now see this as an act. It worked on me.
It took me a while, and a lot of reading, to synthesize the classes, to combine the literary history approach of the first with the leaps of the second. Henry Adams, writing about his discovery of fine art, laments that “Once drawn into it, one had small chance of escape, for it had no centre or circumference, no beginning, middle or end, no origin, no object and no conceivable result as education” (Ch. XIV, “Dilettantism”). Right again, Henry! I eventually discovered on my own that the same approaches were useful for painting, film, music, everything. I eventually discovered on my own that the more I knew about the history of a field, the more fun it was to play with it. Eventually I had the confidence to have my fun in public, here.
Those are the last lines of the chapter titled “Harvard College.” Henry Adams has just graduated. No offense meant to Harvard, but I did better than Adams at the University of Kansas. I have long wanted to write about a couple of professors I had in college who led me to where I am, and now seems to be the time.
Tom Lorenz taught creative writing and was a novelist. His two books are Guys Like Us, a comedy about amateur softball in Chicago, and Serious Living, which goes somewhere deeper. They are both excellent. I do not believe he has published a third. While finishing the second, he was thinking about the third, wondering if he should try something more, let’s say, innovative; thus, in the spring 1988 semester he taught a freshman honors seminar titled “Innovative Fiction” which changed my life.
Like I knew any of this. I signed up for a class with an interesting title.
The syllabus (caveat to everything here – “as I remember it”) was: Madame Bovary, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, The Metamorphosis, The Sound and the Fury, Ficciones, Pale Fire, and Cosmicomics. I suppose I had read Faulkner before, maybe “Barn Burning,” but nobody else. I had not heard of several of the authors, or their names had no associations at all.
Later Lorenz told me that he had picked The Sound and the Fury because someone had told him (or he had read?) that it was unteachable. I cannot imagine a better motive.
My responses to the texts were something like, in order: “I don’t get it,” “wait, what is this?,” “wait, what is this?,” “this is awesome,” “awesome,” “awesome,” “awesome.” Look, "awesome" was a popular word among young people at the time.
Perhaps because Lorenz was a novelist, we rarely interpreted the book or came up with a “reading,” so much as we asked and answered, again and again, for a book or passage or detail, the “What is this?” question. “What is this?” can be a hard question, worth a lot of work. And these are books where the answer to that question is directly tied to style, so much of the discussion was less about meaning than style, or about how style can be made inseparable from meaning. Why tell the story like this?
Honestly, I had had no idea that the body of work labeled “literature” contained such things as these books. I could barely believe it. Why had no one told me before? Well, never mind, Tom Lorenz told me.
Within a couple of years, I had read much of what was available by all of these writers, including Flaubert, who was upgraded to “awesome.” These writers led me to all sorts of precursors, disciples, and fellow let’s still call them innovators. Education had begun.
I was not so interested in older books, not yet. That’s tomorrow’s professor.
I’m going for a long time, I mean, for ten months or so. I’m going in a week. What an adventure! But it means this other adventure will have to adapt. To end, in an important sense. The tenth anniversary of Wuthering Expectations would be at the end of September, so I appreciate the pleasing, non-neurotic irregularity of changing now.
A decade ago when I embarked on this folly, I knew – oh, I knew so many things – I knew that I needed a strong structure to keep myself going. Few things in life are easier than not writing a blog post. Thus the idea of writing something every workday, something, something. And I think I have done it, five days a week, excepting vacations and holidays and, to my memory, one day.
I won’t miss giving up that.
It is time to consider other kinds of writing: other lengths, venues, subjects, forms. France will give me a chance to play around, perhaps even, who knows, to think. Perhaps I will convert the website into an early film blog, or the glutton blog I have always dreamed of. Whatever I do, I will put it here, somehow. Why not?
I have no preconceptions. No idea what I will write, or how much, or for that matter – more importantly, right? – what I will read, or how much. The funny thing is that my reading will be more English-language than ever, since my French is too poor to read much – my hope is that I can convert my bad A2 French into decent A2 French – and the hardest books to find in France will be anything in English translation. But I will have Conrad’s Under Western Eyes for the airplane, and I’ll have the internet, and France has libraries, good ones. And bookstores, oh what bookstores, although the last thing I should do in France is buy books.
I do plan to be at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, and the Quais du Polar in Lyon in April, not to buy books, but just to see them. They should be interesting, yes? I can file dispatches, pretending I am a bookish reporter.
Henry Adams wrote about himself in The Education (1907) “that what he valued most was Motion, and that what attracted his mind was Change” (Ch. XV). Me too, mostly, and I will be getting plenty of that.
I had the idea, once, that I would wind up Wuthering Expectations with a series on Daniel Pennac’s The Rights of the Reader (1992) – please see Book around the Corner, off to the right somewhere, and down a bit, for all ten rights – which was appealing in part because #10 is “The right to be quiet.” But I’m not going to be quiet, so that won’t work.
But this five posts a week nonsense has to go, except for this week, the last one. Four to go.
Jürgen Osterhammel is a German historian at the University of Konstanz, a specialist in Chinese history and globalization. His 2009 The Transformation of the World: A Global History of the Nineteenth Century is a massive synthesis of the state of the field – the fields, history and the social sciences – on every big topic: cities, frontiers, imperial systems, etc. Those are chapter titles. The book is 1,500 pages in German. Princeton published it in 2014, in the heroic translation of Patrick Camiller, in a mere 1,167 pages, not by omitting anything but by making the pages irritatingly large.
The bibliography and notes are of course enormous. I may not quote from the book, which is written crisply enough but is not exactly written in the prose of Gibbon, but I am tempted to quote the bibliography. It is, on its own, full of riches.
Osterhammel is an expert on China, and is himself German, and here we see much of the value of this particular massive history: as much attention as Great Britain and the United States get, inevitably, neither nation is the center of the history. There are always competing centers. I found this, by itself, informative. If things are organized a certain way in the United States – and I likely knew that they were – they were organized some other way entirely in Qing China, Meiji Japan, and the Dutch East Indies.
Ironically, Princeton UP has published the book in a series titled “America in the World.” Osterhammel has said that he barely knew anything about U.S. history before conceiving this book. I would never have guessed. His claim may be highly relative.
Osterhammel organizes the book in a German fashion. My impression is that in the U.S., it is thought to be essential that the argument of a book be put up front, maybe even first. Here is the surprising claim I am making. Here is why you should keep reading. Osterhammel begins with a hundred pages of methodology and definitions. I am not sure he even has much of an argument, except that many particular claims look different in a global context, and many older global claims fall apart upon comparative inspection. He just assumes that his book is worth reading.
Actually, this book may not be worth reading, exactly, not as such. It is perhaps foolishness to read it through, although in fairness to myself I have been chipping away at it since 2014. Any individual section can be read on its own. Which sections would I particularly recommend to readers most interested in literature? “V. Living Standards: Risk and Security in Material Life,” “VI. Cities: European Models and Worldwide Creativity,” and maybe “XVI. Knowledge: Growth, Concentration, Distribution.” These fill in a massive amount of context around many 19th century novels. I mean, the discussion of monetary policy, gold and silver standards, is exactly as fascinating in Osterhammel as in anyone else’s account, but thankfully has little to do with any novel anyone ever wrote that is worth reading.
The chapter on “Cities” I find almost baffling. Every claim has to be tested against every major city, and heck if that is not what he does. How did he keep track of it all? How did he research it? That bibliography.
Anyways, what a book. Between the Sante and Osterhammel books I have been cramming myself with information. Will I remember any of it, any at all? Who knows.
The other Paris in Luc Sante’s The Other Paris (2015) is that of the criminals, flaneurs, ragpickers, prostitutes, anarchists, saloon singers, and weirdos. But it is something much more specific, a history that re-creates the Paris in Sante’s head, which comes into existence sometime after Napoleon, is under constant threat by Haussmann and other urban renewers, and is finally destroyed in the 1960s by Andre Malraux. The book, to my surprise and delight, spends half its time in the 19th century.
Sante’s book is a history, and his Paris is real but it is constructed out of books, out of literature, out of Baudelaire and Eugène Sue’s The Mysteries of Paris (1842-43) and super-criminal Eugène François Vidocq’s Memoirs (1828). Les Halles, the giant food market, last seen at Wuthering Expectations in Zola's The Belly of Paris, is Sante’s great symbol of this other Paris, or at least it’s destruction, “replaced by a hellish subterranean shopping mall that is nowadays topped by that urbanist cure-all, an espace vert,” symbolizes the end of the subject of his book (10). Sante builds his Paris out of images, too, with one or two on every page, magazine illustrations, sheet music, and numerous postcards, street scenes from circa 1910.
Then come stories about a man who kept a fifty-two goat dairy on the sixth floor of his apartment building, and the woman who farmed ants, selling the eggs to pharmacies and the zoo (“for pheasant chow”).
And those are just the ordinary occupations. Prostitution gets its own chapter (“The Business”), as do professional criminals and singers. Edith Piaf, as far as this book is concerned, is the professionalized end of a long, sordid, wild tradition. “It was certainly not her fault that when she died, Paris was on the verge of becoming the trade name ‘Paris’” (190).
What a thrill to get to know a city this way; Sante has done it with New York City and Paris. A disadvantage, in a sense, of The Other Paris, is that it is so hard to map the book onto the existing Paris. He is writing about exactly the buildings, streets, and people that are least likely to have been saved.
I would like to read a book about another other Paris, the one that does exist today. Is there such a book in English? It would almost have to be by a writer of a younger generation, and a different ethnicity.
To me, this is heavy. But it is only, thank goodness, a rhetorical flight, a bit of pompousness to get me in the right mood to meet his characters, many of whom are themselves heavy, rhetorically and in one case physically. Knocking characters against each other, hopping among points of view, Galsworthy is nimble, faun-like.
The glue and “stealthy” strike me as particularly good.
In a 1922 preface, Galsworthy writes that The Forsyte Saga “is no scientific study of a period; it is rather an intimate incarnation of the disturbance that Beauty effects in the lives of men.” He means “men” literally, but “Beauty” is curious. “Incarnation” is curious. Most of the Forsyte men are art collectors of some kind – one owns, or thinks he owns, a Turner! – concerned with money but beneath that, secretly, aware of something else.
Setting the mockery aside, this is the strange heart of The Man of Property, the sorting of the various Forsytes by their sense of the things that are things, and the tragedy that occurs when the thing that is a thing is not a thing, but a person.
John Galsworthy must introduce more characters in fewer pages than – well – it seems like a lot. The first chapter of The Man of Property is a party for the announcement of June Forsyte’s engagement to the poor architect Philip Bosinney, an event that leads, eventually, to tragedy. The Forsytes are suspicious from the beginning. “The Forsytes were resentful of something, not individually, but as a family… as a family, they appeared to have an instinct of being in contact with some strange and unsafe thing” (1.1). For all the good is does them.
The important thing is that there are so many Forsytes, ten siblings, age 65 to 86, with twenty-one children among them. Poor June is the eldest grandchild. Not all of these people are important, and not all are introduced in the first chapter, but then the third chapter is also a Forsyte party, and so is the fifth, by which time almost everyone is at least mentioned. The family tree as the beginning of the Oxford paperback is so useful. And the novel is only 282 pages long; it may have fewer characters than, I don’t know, Bleak House, although it may not, but they are really crammed in there.
Galsworthy is so good with minor characters, whether recurring or one-scene wonders, that he has no qualms about introducing more of them, friends of the family and so on, all the way to the end of the book. In a great running gag, one of the ten siblings, Timothy, is often mentioned but never appears. I began to wonder if he was not a figment.
Then the scene ends with Timothy still offstage, unseen. When he finally appears, I felt a shock – the line “It was Timothy” gets and deserves its own paragraph, even if the whole thing is an anti-climax worthy of Ford Madox Ford.
For the first third of the novel I wondered if it had a story. Maybe Galsworthy was content just moving his puppets around, describing their houses and possessions, much like Soames Forsyte enjoys the paintings he collects but hides from everyone. “Without a habitat a Forsyte is inconceivable – he would be like a novel without a plot, which is well-known to be an anomaly” (1.8). In the tradition of Trollope and Thackeray, I think I mentioned. And then in the second third, a story begins to appear, based around a Forsyte’s habitat, the consequences of Soames hiring the unsafe Bosinney to build him and his wife, who does not love him, and never did, a nice house in the country.
But his story really is a comedy, in the old sense, with a rising action, so Old Jolyon starts low and ends high. Not everyone is so lucky.
For the purposes of these posts, I am going to pretend that there is no such thing as The Forsyte Saga. No Nobel prize, no BBC series. Just a single short novel, The Man of Property (1906), from an author not exactly young but early in his career. It would be another twelve years before Galsworthy thought to write a short story about one of the characters, and two after that before the Saga was conceived.
So for a long time there is just this one novel. It is in the “way we live now” genre, or I guess the “way we lived then,” since it is set in 1886. Like Bennett’s The Old Wives’ Tale (1908, which begins in the 1860s) and Forster’s A Room with a View (1908, contemporary, in a sense), Galsworthy is laying into those stuffy, narrow, prudish, prejudiced Victorians, people not like him.
Like those books, The Man of Property is in the mode of Thackeray and Trollope, with a forceful, opinionated narrator, unafraid of saying something perhaps even a bit cruel about his characters.
Forsyteism is commercial, practical, and tenacious. It is not, in an interesting twist, exactly Philistine. It has an aesthetic. Maybe I will push that idea to another post.
The title is employed ironically in a number of ways, falling most heavily on Soames Forsyte, a lawyer with a beautiful wife who does not love him. He is the main “man of property” in the book.
The Man of Property is a comedy that turns serious, that darkens, much like Howards End (1910) or Vanity Fair (1848), or for that matter The Way We Live Now (1875). The tragedy of the novel lies in the presence of the word “wives” between those parentheses. I do not suppose the novel has many readers now who would argue the point, but it is useful – chilling – to see Galsworthy work through a case in such sad detail.
I’m working backwards. Volume One of The Golden Bowl is “The Prince,” ending with a thirty-page book club discussion. Then comes “The Princess,” full of Maggie Verver’s intense, interior perceptions, ethical doubts, intuitive leaps, all of that late James stuff. It is focused and exhausting, but at least I think I know what I am reading. The first section, even setting the book club aside, moves around. The point of view can be anywhere; years pass between sections; characters marry; children are born – well, one vague child.
James is teaching me, in the first volume, how to read the second. But I am still not sure how to read the first.
Do I really know what this means, even in context? No. But I am pretty sure that the Prince is giving up too quickly. “That artless theories could and did prevail was a fact he had ended by accepting, under copious evidence, as definite and ultimate…” – this sounds like, in Jamesian aesthetics, an error on top of an error.
The Prince is all jittery because he has just become engaged and is having doubts. His restlessness launches the novel.
Someday I will read The Golden Bowl novel again. I prepare for that day by assembling a cabinet of the book’s curiosities.
The heroine of The Golden Bowl enacts the style of the novel in her story, which is a good trick, but Henry James has a second one nearly as good. He adds, to the quartet at the center of the book, an outside observer couple, Fanny and Bob Assingham. Fanny is both tangled in the story and an outsider; Bob merely watches. The couples are given long scenes in which they discuss the novel.
I mean, they discuss the characters, who are their friends. But they have enough distance, Bob especially, that they sound little different than if they were discussing the novel. It is as if they are reading The Golden Bowl together, perhaps aloud to each other before bed, and then talking over the events of the last chapter. Fanny is, honestly, a better, more attentive reader of James, but Bob is a different kind of reader, so they do well together.
Chapters 3.10 and 3.11 are the clearest place to see this effect – this is the pre-bedtime scene. The chapters end the longish first “half” of the novel, dead center in the book, before Maggie’s detailed interiority takes over. The Assinghams sum up the first 270 pages with some efficiency, work through the relevant issues, and speculate on what will happen in the next 270.
The main reason The Golden Bowl did not seem especially difficult to me was that James frequently follows substantial passages of meticulous ambiguity and obscurity with much more clear explanations, often in dialogue, of the novel’s events. He catches me right up with what I missed, and confirms what I caught.
Fanny, in the reality of the novel, is the confidante of a number of characters, so she is a privileged position, always knowing things that other characters do not. In other words, she is in the position that I, the reader, am in. But Bob is even more like me. These people are less real to him than they are to his wife.
Martha Nussbaum has two essays on The Golden Bowl in Love’s Knowledge: Essays on Philosophy and Literature (1990). One is on the moral seriousness of Maggie Verver’s struggle – on the moral seriousness of the novel as such – while the second is in large part about the Assinghams. Nussbaum makes one error when she describes them as “perform[ing] the function, more or less, of a Greek tragic chorus” – less, definitely less. They are novel readers.
Bob is the non-Jamesian, “a man devoted to rules and to general conceptions” and has trouble with “nuance and idiosyncrasy” (157-8). His wife chose this novel for their bedtime reading. Bob, when it is his turn, will pick the Galsworthy novel I am currently reading. “Fanny, on the other hand, takes fine-tuned perception to a dangerously rootless extreme.” She is too Jamesian. “She delights in the complexity of these particulars for its own sake, without sufficiently feeling the pull of a moral obligation to any” (158). After they discuss the book, they both understand it better. Discuss their friends, understand them. They complement each other. Their scenes are arguments for the value of talking about books.
The Golden Bowl is a quartet novel, with two couples and an adulterous affair. The second turn of the screw is that the wife and husband of the adulterers are father and daughter, and are unusually close. The daughter, Maggie Verver, marries an Italian prince, Amerigo, and it is not that the marriage is a failure but that even after her marriage she never separates herself from her father. To help her have her own life, her father, Adam, marries a young beauty, Charlotte. But Charlotte, unknown to the Ververs, used to be Amerigo’s girlfriend! This could lead to trouble. A little melodrama, even. Well, some parody of melodrama.
I suppose the novel is largely about Maggie’s moral growth. She is not just innocent, but possibly even too good, too unwilling to cause pain to anyone. She learns to cause pain.
Maggie is given much of the second half of the novel. Her story gets moving when she discovers the affair, or thinks she does.
‘It’s your nature to think too much,’ Fanny Assingham a trifle coarsely risked.
That is practically an instruction for the baffled reader of The Golden Bowl. Maggie is modeling the process of reading a late Henry James novel. Every little nuance in the faces and tones of the people around her is a source of discovery. The true stories can be understood by observing the absence of evidence – silences are more important than speech, the avoided glance more important than the meeting of the eyes.
The other way that Maggie becomes like James, and like a good Jamesian reader, is that she thinks metaphorically. The “situation” was “the very centre of the garden of her life,” or like “some strange tall tower of ivory, or perhaps rather some wonderful beautiful but outlandish pagoda,” or “a Mahometan mosque.” She is always coming up with new ones, while developing the old ones. Maggie “tried to deal with herself for a space only as a silken-coated spaniel.” The spaniel has a “generalizing bark,” which is amusing. Her stepmother is in a cage, or perhaps in a French prison during the Terror – James has returned to the metaphor that so puzzled me in The Wings of the Dove.
Since all of this is, for a long chunk of the novel, internal, all thought, there is the possibility that Maggie – or the reader – is completely wrong about what is going on, or who knows what is going on, or who knows what other people know about what is going on – the second half of the novel is recursive. This is not exactly the story James tells, but it is implicit, ready for Ford Madox Ford to write it in The Good Soldier.
Maggie’s “discovery” section is just about the ideal fit between James’s late style and the matter it represents.
Sometimes I start a round of posts on a big book with my complaints. Let’s do that again. It works. The book is The Golden Bowl (1904). These are hardly even complaints. It is just an attempt to see straight.
Then the two women hug. This passage has two and a half of the four aspects of late James that most get on my nerves. First, the conversations built out of repetitions; second, the baffling directions to the actors – I even tried, aloud, to bring out the last line roundly, but I have not the slightest idea if I succeeded; and third, and it is just hinted at here, what I call, in honor of Daffy Duck, the incessant “pronoun trouble,” the constant confusion, by the speakers, within their own conversations, of exactly which “he” or “her” is under discussion, again in a novel where it is only a few people exist. The fourth nerve-wearer, not in this example (although there is one a few paragraphs earlier) is the use of adjectives like “splendid,” “magnificent,” and “immense” to describe people as if the words have some well-defined meaning.
Yes, these are all tics of dialogue. That’s where I had to brace myself for James’s mannerisms, and those of his characters. To James, these are assuredly not mannerisms but central, well-worked aspects of his style, essentially his, part of who he is. True Jamesians presumably love them all. And I have perhaps even understood some of them, sometimes, like the ingenious way James developed the seemingly empty word “wonderful” in The Ambassadors. Or for that matter, look at the jokey use of “immense” in this description of the guests at a dinner party: “a large, bright, dull, murmurous, mild-eyed, middle-aged dinner, involving for the most part very bland, though very exalted, immensely announceable and hierarchically placeable couples” (3.6) “[I]mmensely announceable” is immensely deflating.
This is a long way of saying that Henry James, by this late point, writes like himself and no one else and that his characters live in Henry James novels and behave accordingly. So I am not so much complaining as acknowledging fixed facts. All right, so sometimes James’s dialogue drives me crazy. Now, on to the rest of the book.
The Horseman on the Roof (1951) was so unusually good that I tried another Jean Giono novel, Blue Boy (1932, tr. Katherine A. Clarke), one of those autobiographical numbers, only barely a novel in form or content. Little Jean is let’s say ten or so when the novel starts, which would put it in 1905. Giono is exactly the same age, within two days, of his fellow Provencal writer Marcel Pagnol, so the autobiographical stories of his Provence childhood are contemporary.
Giono lives up in the hills, and his father is an anarchist cobbler, and his Provence is not as tourist-friendly as Pagnol’s. Lots of death, especially, from disease, accident, suicide. Jean is sent to a village for his health just in time to witness a kind of suicide epidemic, an infectious melancholia. Not that Pagnol’s Provence is all sunshine and lavender.
A maze of little streets twisted in a net about the church, just beneath the campanile. It seethed like the veins in an ash leaf: it was blacker than the night, it smelled of stink and the stable. There were odors of bread and dried fagots. The dull sounds of stamping could be heard behind the walls. A small window bled great globs of light that splotched the pools of liquid dung.
Now that is some vigorous translation. Globs, splotched, dung. And it turns out to be bread. Life over here; filth and disease and death over there – but almost right here – is perhaps the argument of the novel.
There, that has many of the novels motifs in one place. Bread, death, bad smells, birds. Perfect. This stew is not the food for which tourists visit Provence, but I am not exactly kidding about Giono’s novels, even with their cholera and suicides, being tourist books. It is a place that gets astounding numbers of visitors; here are books that show aspect of it that cannot be seen now. They are hidden to outsiders, or they are gone forever, except in books. Good books, luckily.
If some other book blogger would systematically work through the available Giono in English, that would be quite useful – thanks in advance.
The echoes of Lorca’s murder that now ring through his poems is almost irritating. The “Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias” (1935), which is about the death of a bullfighter, is almost unreadable. “The rest was death, and death alone.” It is a poem of great power in English and beauty in Spanish, and is not about Lorca’s murder a year later.
This is the Lorca invoked by so many American Beat poets. They thought they knew what he meant. I’m happier with Lorca the singer, the balladeer, but I hardly know his poems.
I read the 2005 edition of Selected Poems, which includes an unusually personal introduction by W. S. Merwin, who says that his undergraduate encounter with a single Lorca poem was the life-changing cause of his discovery of 1) translation and 2) “Modern poetry began for me, not in English at all, but in Spanish, which I scarcely knew, in the poems of Lorca, and even more specifically in one book of his, the Romancero Gitano (Gypsy Ballads), which Lorca had finished in the year I was born” (xi).
All right, that was some Spanish literature for Spanish Literature Month. Now with the holiday and a little trip I’m done for the week. Maybe I’ll have The Golden Bowl done when I get back.
The last three novellas in Death in Venice and Other Stories form a “bourgeois trilogy.” Thomas Mann, white-collar professional, an ordinary Municher with kids, a dog, and Italian beach vacations. The most recent story, “Mario and the Magician” (1929), just uses the narrator and his family as a point of view. Since the story is about a powerful hypnotist and his perhaps final melodramatic performance, I do not understand the need for this particular set of characters, but perhaps they were just at hand. If Mann is going to send some Germans to Italy, why not make them a lot like those in “Disorder and Early Sorrow” (1925).
That one really is about the Mann-like family, with a college professor, a couple of teenagers who throw a party, and some littler kids who get to tag along, with tragic, in a very limited little kid sense, consequences. That’s the “Early Sorrow.” The “Disorder” is partly personal to the professor, partly a description of the party and its crazy jazz records, and partly the chaos of Weimar Germany – “the salary Cornelius draws as professor of history – a million marks.” Pretty interesting.
Maybe the whole thing is a parable about Weimar. I hope not. But that Italian hypnotist in “Mario the Magician” is in some sense Mussolini. What do I know.
“A Man and His Dog” (1918) is not a parable, is it? A symbolic whatnot about the war? What makes this novella or memoir the most guacamolesque piece of Mann’s, enjoyed by readers who otherwise have little patience with Mann’s symbolizing, is that it genuinely appears to be about Mann’s “short-haired German pointer” Bashan. It is a great piece of dog writing. Over seventy pages it is inevitably digressive, but the digressions are mostly about the dog, and the exception is a long description of the woods where the dog likes to hunt.
The story is warm, lightly humorous, a deep act of sympathy and imagination that gives the dog a lot of character without compromising his doggishness. Maybe that’s the parable – maybe it’s about the core fictional act, the creation of a character who is not the author. Bashan is very much himself.
And what do I say to him? Mostly his own name, the two syllables which are of the utmost personal interest because they refer to himself and have an electric effect upon his whole being. I rouse and stimulate his sense of his own ego by impressing upon him – varying my tone and emphasis – that he is Bashan and that Bashan is his name. By continuing this for a while I can actually produce in him a state of ecstasy, a sort of intoxication with his own identity, so that he begins to whirl round on himself and send up loud exultant barks to heaven out of the weight of dignity that lies on his chest.
Maybe the hypnotist is not Mussolini but the author, making his characters do anything he wants. Or maybe the hypnotist is his opposite – he suppresses his victims’ identities, while the author creates them and sets them loose on the world.
A writer can do a lot with a walk with a dog.
I last read Death in Venice and Seven Other Stories, the Vintage International collection of Thomas Mann’s novellas, when I was an undergraduate. I read it with outstanding – perhaps even perfect – incomprehension. Have I made any progress in thirty years?
All this I might have borne. But not the pimples with which Müller-Rosé’s back, chest, shoulders, and upper arms were thickly strewn. They were horrible pimples, red-rimmed, suppurating, some of them even bleeding; even today I cannot repress a shudder at the thought of them. I find that our capacity for disgust is in direct proportion to our capacity for enjoyment, to our eagerness for the pleasures which this world can give.
I believe that long ago I took this all more literally. I suppose I attributed banal insight that the actor so sublime on stage is much less so up close and without his artificial aids, or the last bit of supposed wisdom, obviously false, to Mann himself. But no, it’s a parody, meant to be funny, even. All right. At least I can see that now.
“Death in Venice” is the perfect chaser to The Horseman on the Roof, the 1832 cholera epidemic followed by the last gasp of cholera. An esteemed writer, quite a bit older and narrower than Mann himself, vacations in Venice, where he totally crushes on a beautiful fourteen-year-old Polish boy staying in his hotel. He becomes a stalker, harmless but creepy; meanwhile, here comes the cholera. The whole thing is a riff on Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music (1872), a struggle between the Apollonian and the Dionysian, with the embrace of the Dionysian spirit meaning both ecstasy and death.
There he sat, the master; this was he who had found a way to reconcile art and honours; who had written The Abject, in a style of classic purity renounced bohemianism and all its works, all sympathy with the abyss and the troubled depths of the outcast human soul… His eyelids were closed, there was only a swift, sidelong glint of the eyeballs now and again, something between a question and a leer; while the rouged and flabby mouth uttered single words of the sentences shaped in his disordered brain by the fantastic logic that governs our dreams.
A paragraph of such sentences follows, dream-stuff that I do not really understand (“’And now, Phaedrus, I will go’”), but more importantly I see that the author, “the master,” is or becomes another grotesque. He is a parody, the ideas attributed to him not to be taken so seriously. The one thing I have learned.
A camera on a tripod stood at the edge of the water, apparently abandoned; its black cloth snapped in the freshening wind.
There has not been a photography theme in the story, nor another camera. It is on the beach that is a major setting. “Here you go,” says Mann, “a symbol – enjoy!” It is so detached from everything else. Maybe it symbolizes death.
I don’t know how this looks to you, but to me it looks like progress. Tomorrow I’ll look at “A Man and His Dog,” the most guacamolesque story in the collection. Guacamolesque is my new favorite word. It is French. | 2019-04-24T19:49:48Z | http://wutheringexpectations.blogspot.com/2017/07/ |
An embedded security subsystem, and method for implementing the same, which provide secure controllability of a data security device within a data processing system. The embedded security subsystem of the present invention includes a persistent enable flag for providing control access to the data security device, wherein the persistent enable flag is accessible only in response to a power-on reset cycle of the data processing system. The persistent enable flag is read-only accessible to runtime program instructions. A pending state change flag that is write accessible by runtime program instructions is utilized for setting an intended next state of the persistent enable flag such that control access to the data security device is enabled only during a subsequent power-on reset of said data processing system.
The present invention relates in general to data processing systems, and in particular to data security within such systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for setting a persistent data security state in a convenient manner impervious to runtime interference.
Computer security encompasses a number of different aspects, from passwords and permissions, to data encryption, virus protection, firewalls, and VPNs, software bugs, data backup and physical system security. The continued growth in electronic communication and commerce over expansive computer-driven networks has resulted in a dramatic proliferation of potential security data security problems as data is stored and delivered over multiple networked devices.
Specialized security hardware that complements transmission-based security has been developed to address the myriad of potential security threats to stored and/or transmitted digital data. Such complementary hardware security addresses hardening and assuring the integrity of the environment in which digital application data resides. This security hardware can be utilized for a number of purposes including securing storage of confidential information such as security keys, and off-loading of intensive security operations such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) processing or digital signature operations. So called “smart cards” and hardware tokens are among the most common forms of secured hardware storage. These mechanisms are tamper-resistant, preventing unauthorized access to security keys. security devices can also perform cryptographic operations solely from within a system thus providing both a secure environment to access of confidential data, as well as being able to off-load processor intensive operations from network devices.
One such hardware security device is known as an embedded security subsystem (ESS), which provides system security measures outside the interactive processing environment (i.e. the operating system). An ESS typically includes a protective enablement/disablement mechanism which serves to prevent both unauthorized access to sensitive data stored with the ESS as well as unauthorized enablement of ESS functionality. A major source of security vulnerability occurs incident to initial activation and enablement of an ESS, since such enablement signals or instructions are required when otherwise necessary authorization information (owner authentication, for example) is unavailable. ESS initialization techniques are therefore subject to unintended function disablement and/or denial of service (DoS) attacks.
The currently developed Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) specification addresses the vulnerability of ESS enablement/activation by requiring specialized forms of user authorization. These user authorization techniques typically rely on verifying physical presence of a user before ESS enablement/activation commands are allowed to operate. For a personal computer (PC), such verification might be implemented using manual switches or buttons, or using computer startup instructions. Such physical presence verification during initial enablement of an ESS are often cumbersome and preclude remote enablement of access to the features and data associated with the object ESS.
From the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a need exists for a system that provides secure access to ESS functionality while maintaining the flexibility afforded by remote initialization and management. The present invention addresses such a need by providing a system and method that utilizes a power-on reset requirement that avoids the aforementioned problems associated with physical presence verification before a change of enablement/activation status of an ESS can be implemented.
An embedded security subsystem, and method for implementing the same, which provide secure controllability of a data security device within a data processing system are disclosed herein. The embedded security subsystem of the present invention includes a persistent enable flag for providing control access to the data security device, wherein access to the persistent enable flag is gated by a power-on reset of the host data processing system. The persistent enable flag is read-only accessible to runtime program instructions. A pending state change flag that is write accessible by runtime program instructions, is utilized for setting an intended next state of the persistent enable flag such that control access to the data security device is enabled only during a subsequent power-on reset of said data processing system. In one embodiment, the power-on reset gating mechanism is implemented utilizing a sensed power cycle evolution, wherein the embedded security subsystem sets the persistent enable flag in accordance with the current state of the pending state flag in response to detecting a re-application of switched system power to the host data processing system. In an alternate embodiment, the power-on reset gating mechanism is implemented in association with startup program instructions that set the persistent enable flag in accordance with the current state of the pending state flag that was set during a previous power cycle.
FIG. 3 is a high-level flow diagram depicting steps performed for implementing secure controllability of a data security device utilizing the embedded security subsystem depicted in FIG. 2 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
This invention is described in a preferred embodiment in the following description with reference to the figures. While this invention is described in terms of the best mode for achieving this invention's objectives, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be accomplished in view of these teachings without deviating from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
As described with reference to FIGS. 1–3, the present invention provides a hardware security means by which enablement of a hardware security device within an embedded security subsystem (ESS) is gated by a power-on reset requirement as specified herein. The hardware device security means of the present invention is particularly useful within the context of a computer network in which it may be important to ensure that particularly sensitive data is uniquely maintained in a specified location in association with specified users (i.e. within a designated data processing system having designated users).
The hardware security enablement mechanism of the present invention may be executed in a variety of computer systems. The computer may be, for example, a personal computer, a midrange computer, a network computer or a mainframe computer. In addition, the computer may be a stand-alone system or part of a network such as a local-area network (LAN) or a wide-area network (WAN). For the purposes of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as described below, is implemented on a personal computer such as the Netvista A40, manufactured by International Business Machines Corporation.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is depicted a block diagram of a typical personal computer system that may be utilized to implement a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a central processing unit (CPU) 12, a flash memory 6, a Random-Access Memory (RAM) 14, a non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) 8, and a hardware security device 4, are connected to a system bus 11 of a personal computer system 10. CPU 12, RAM 14, flash memory 6, and NVRAM 8 are also coupled to a peripheral component interface (PCI) local bus 20 of personal computer system 10 through a PCI host bridge 16. Flash memory 6 is a special type of electronically erasable progammable read-only memory (EEPROM) that can be erased and reprogrammed in blocks instead of one byte at a time. PCI host bridge 16 provides a low latency path through which processor 12 may directly access PCI devices mapped anywhere within bus memory and/or input/output (I/O) address spaces. PCI host bridge 16 also provides a high bandwidth path for allowing PCI devices to directly access RAM 14.
Also attaching to PCI local bus 20 are a hard disk drive 5, a communications adapter 15, an expansion bus bridge 29, and a flash memory utility 7. Communications adapter 15 connects personal computer system 10 to a network 17. Expansion bus bridge 29, such as a PCI-to-industry standard architecture (ISA) bus bridge, may be utilized for coupling ISA bus 25 to PCI local bus 20. As shown, a keyboard 26 and a mouse 28 are attached to ISA bus 25 for performing certain basic I/O functions. A graphics adapter 21 is also attached to PCI local bus 20 for controlling visual output through display monitor 22.
In the depicted embodiment, hardware security device 4 includes a combination of hardware, firmware, and software functionality that serves to protect sensitive data stored within hardware security device 4. Alternatively, hardware security device 4 may include requisite processing functionality that provides secure portal access to sensitive data stored elsewhere within computer system 10. As explained in further detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, hardware security device 4 typically includes an enablement mechanism that enables/activates the functionality resident within hardware security device 4.
Conventionally, this enable/disable mechanism consists of an “enablement flag” that is set by a user having preestablished ownership status, or during a boot process of computer system 10 when physical presence of the user is used as the security measure.
A boot process for personal computer system 10 typically includes executing a bootstrap program which performs system initialization and loads an operating system by locating and executing an operating system loader from a partition within hard disk drive 5 into system memory (i.e., RAM 14). Utilizing the operating system loader, the bootstrap program loads operating system components such as device drivers, preferably into RAM 14, and initializes operation thereby.
Preferably, the bootstrap program is stored within flash memory 6. Further portions of the bootstrap program may also be stored in any other suitable machine-readable media such as RAM 14 and other disk and/or tape drive(e.g. magnetic diskette, magnetic tape, CD-ROM, optical disk, or other suitable storage media). While flash memory 6 contains static boot programs, NVRAM 8 and hard disk drive 5 preferably contain configurable settings for the boot program to utilize. Any suitable non-volatile machine-readable media may retain the operating system loader and associated operating system(OS), such as disk drive 5 and/or tape drive(e.g. magnetic diskette, magnetic tape, CD-ROM, optical disk, or other suitable storage media). Any suitable OS such as IBM's OS/2 operating system may direct CPU 12.
In the depicted embodiment, the functionality provided by hardware security device 4 defines a “trusted subsystem” within computer system 10 with which one or more data processing systems within network 17 may communicate sensitive data via communications adapter 15. One such context in which the need for hardware data security arises is in the development and improvement of security key technologies. As part of the security management employed by credit card companies, for example, public/private security key encryption systems are often utilized. In general terms, public/private key technology is utilized for mutual user authentication (via digital signatures, for example) between otherwise unfamiliar parties. Public/private key encryption allows a vendor (a credit card company, for example) to remotely install a private key into a designated user system module in a manner that the vendor is assured that any information intended for the private use of the user is secure.
Implementation of public/private key security systems requires user-side hardware security. The Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) is an industry consortium dedicated to improving trust and security on computing platforms. International Business Machines, Inc. (IBM) is included among the companies that founded and continue to develop TCPA specifications and guidelines. The current TCPA specification (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) defines a subsystem so that it may be trusted to interactively operate with other systems in a pre-defined manner. The subsystem includes an isolated computing engine (e.g. hardware security device 4) whose processes can be trusted because they cannot be altered locally or via network intrusion. One such security subsystem developed in accordance with TCPA guidelines is known as a Trusted Platform Management (TPM) module. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described herein in FIGS. 2 and 3 in the context of a data processing system employing a TPM. However, one skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the underlying principles depicted and explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 are more generally applicable to any application in which there exists a need to provide secured controllability of a dedicated hardware security device.
A major source of security vulnerability for sensitive data residing with computer system 10 occurs incident to initial activation and enablement of the security functionality within hardware security device 4, since such enablement signals or instructions are required when otherwise necessary authorization information (owner authentication, for example) is unavailable. The present invention, as implemented within the computer system depicted in FIG. 1, provides secure controllability of the hardware security enablement mechanism that reduces the risks associated with relying entirely on the power-on reset procedure to set or reset the state of a persistent enablement flag within hardware security device 4.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is depicted a block diagram illustrating an ESS 30 implemented within a data processing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, ESS 30 includes a TPM module 32 that serves to protect access to sensitive data stored within an internal non-volatile memory device 38. In addition, ESS 30 may be configured to provide secure access to data stored within an alternative data storage medium 42 that resides external to the physical boundaries of TPM module 32. TPM module 32 is typically an integrated circuit chip that is permanently coupled (typically soldered) to a planar (e.g. a motherboard) within computer system 10. Preferably, TPM module 32 is uniquely associated with a specified planar (not depicted) within computer system 10 such that TPM 32 is generally not transferrable to another planar.
A non-volatile memory device 38 and a processing unit 40 are included within TPM module 32 to provide a secure interactive data repository in which, for example, private security key data may be established and maintained within the host data processing platform. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the secure data stored within nonvolatile memory device 38 may be received from a remote system, such as a network server (not depicted). Processing unit 40 performs requisite data processing functions required for private key establishment and maintenance. The specifics of private key encryption and decryption are well known in the art and are not discussed herein.
The on-board/portal security functionality of TPM module 32 typically depends upon one or more control flags that are utilized to verify various data access parameters. Included among such data access parameters may be ownership authentication, and the enablement and activation states of TPM 32. The setting of such access parameters are determined by processing unit 40 which monitors the setting (i.e. set or reset) of an ownership flag bit 43, a TPM enable flag bit 45, and a TPM activation flag bit 47 (all three flags referred to alternatively as enablement flags). Since the state of persistent flags 43, 45, and 47 is essential to the reliable operation of TPM 32, all three are maintained as persistent, non-volatile bit flags.
In accordance with TCPA convention, ownership flag 43 is a non-volatile bit that which is set or reset to enable/disable the process of taking ownership of TPM 32. TPM activation flag 47 is a non-volatile bit used to activate and deactivate TPM 32 without destroying data protected therein. Activation and deactivation is subtly different from enabling and disabling TPM 32 in that an inactive TPM continues to recognize and execute more commands than does a disabled TPM. In particular, an inactive TPM does not block the enabling/disabling or taking ownership of the TPM.
The process of enabling and disabling TPM 32 uses the setting of non-volatile TPM enable flag 45. It should be noted that although strictly speaking TCPA convention sets forth a TPM “disable” flag, the function of TPM enable flag 45 as described herein is conversely equivalent. Conventionally, the TPM enable/disable flag is set or reset by one of two mechanisms. The first mechanism utilizes an owner-authenticated command that requires inputting and verifying an authorization string. The second mechanism uses commands which must be input in a manner that requires physical presence of the user at the platform. As explained in further detail hereinbelow, the present invention enhances the first, owner-authenticated, mechanism, and replaces the second, physical presence mechanism, with a power-on reset gated enable/disable mechanism.
Processing unit 40 is programmed to recognize that while TPM enable flag 45 is set (signaling enablement), the security of data stored within non-volatile memory device 38 and/or external storage medium 42 is assured, and normal processing and maintenance of the data continues. However, in response to detecting that the state of one or more of the enablement flags has changed (i.e. reset), processing unit 40 “disables” TPM 32 by becoming unresponsive to all external instructions except for a request to change the state of a pending state change flag 41. In addition, processing unit 40 may commence automatic predetermined data protection actions such as denying further access to the object data within memory devices 38 and 42, or removing the data from storage.
With control access to TPM 32 at stake, adequate security must be provided for accessing and manipulating the states of TPM enable flag 45. The present invention provides such persistent flag security with the combined utilization of pending state change flag bit 41 in conjunction with power-on reset procedures of the host data processing system. As explained in further detail hereinbelow, the present invention utilizes pending state change flag bit 41 to implement a power-on reset gating mechanism for setting or resetting TPM enable bit 45. In one embodiment of the present invention, detection of a power cycle evolution (i.e. removal and re-application of switched power to the host system) is utilized directly as the trigger for determining the state of TPM enable flag 45 in accordance with the current state of pending state flag 41. In an alternate embodiment, the power-on reset gating mechanism is implemented in association with startup program instructions that set TPM enable flag 45 in accordance with the current state of pending state flag 41 that was set during a previous power cycle. In this manner, the setting of TPM enable flag 45 does not depend on physical presence of an authorized user at the time of startup, and furthermore the system is impervious to denial of service attacks or otherwise undesirable enablement or disablement by a runtime owner-authenticated command.
As further depicted FIG. 2, ESS 30 receives input from a user input device driver 42. User input (via keyboard, mouse, touchpad, etc.) from input device driver 42 into TPM 33 is used to programmatically control (i.e. set or reset) the state of pending state change flag 41. It should be noted that access from input device driver 42 to pending state change flag 41 must be controlled in accordance with specified authorization parameters, such as verification of user identity, to maintain safeguards required to maintain the status of ESS 30 as a “trusted subsystem” with respect to other network devices. In the depicted embodiment, authorization to change the state of pending state change flag 41, if required, is enforced using an authorization string (password). If a TCPA “owner” has been established, the authorization string is used to authenticate the user as owner having authorized access to change pending state change flag 41. If no owner has been established in accordance with TCPA convention, no ownership authorization string is required to access pending state change flag 41.
As explained in further detail below, the state of pending state flag bit 41 is effectively an “intended next state” for one or more of persistent TPM enable flag 45. The effective utilization of pending state flag bit 41, as set during a current runtime interval, is realized in accordance with a subsequent power-on reset (i.e. reboot) of the host data processing system. In contrast to conventional TPM enablement techniques wherein computer startup instructions (i.e. bootstrap instructions) in conjunction with user input(s) are utilized directly to set or reset TPM enablement flags, the present invention employs a bifurcated mechanism that requires a subsequent power-on reset sequence to determine and implement an intended enablement status as set in the previous runtime interval of the host data processing system. Consequently, the determination of the state of pending state flag bit 41 protectively accessed during runtime operations and is only implemented as part of the subsequent boot process.
A boot process may be categorized as either a “cold boot”, in which the host system is completely shut down and switched power is removed from the system, or a “warm boot” in which the host system is reset (i.e. data or programs in memory are erased) without subsequently removing system power, and the system is returned to a pre-determined initialized state. As explained in further detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a first embodiment of the present invention is applicable to the system power interruption incident to cold boot evolutions, while a second embodiment is applicable to either a warm or a cold boot process.
As further illustrated in FIG. 2, ESS 30 receives power from the host data processing system via a system switched power input source 46. As utilized herein, “switched power” refers to a removable power source such as that applied to processing and volatile memory devices that is applied and removed from the system during a given power cycle (i.e. period between system startup). ESS 30 further includes a power-on reset state detection latch 48, which receives a signal from system switched power input source 46. Power-on reset detection latch 48 is set in response to receiving an asserted power input signal (Vcc or Vdd) from system switched power input source 46. In accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, processing unit 40, as part of system initialization, determines the state of power-on reset detection latch 48. In response to power-on reset detection latch 48 being set, processing unit 40 reads the state of pending state flag bit 41 and sets the state of persistent TPM enable bit 45 accordingly. In further response to power-on reset detection latch 48 being set, processing unit 40 performs a latch reset, such that the foregoing steps are performed only in response to an initial reading of power-on reset detection latch 48. In this manner, ESS 30 employs a power-on reset evolution to gate the setting of TPM enable flag 45 in accordance with the setting of pending state flag 41 in the previous power cycle.
A second embodiment of the present invention as implemented within ESS 30 will now be described, wherein the power-on reset gating mechanism is implemented in association with startup program instructions. Referring back to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 2, during the boot process of personal computer system 10, prior to the operating system (not depicted) taking over, a basic input output system (BIOS) code 36 (i.e. startup instructions) provides computer system 10 with a built-in starter kit to load and operate the rest of the software from hard disk drive 5. BIOS 36 is typically stored in flash memory 6 and is responsible for booting the computer by providing a basic set of startup instructions. The BIOS code performs all the tasks that need to be executed during a computer system startup including: power-on self-test (POST) which boots an operating system from hard disk drive 5, and providing an interface to the underlying hardware (an audio adapter 23 and graphics adapter 21, for example) for the operating system in the form of a library of interrupt handlers.
BIOS 36 first executes the POST code when it boots the computer system. The POST code is a built-in diagnostic program, normally stored within flash memory 6, which checks the hardware interfaces to ensure that all requisite hardware is present and functioning correctly before the BIOS begins the actual boot. During the boot process, POST continues with additional tests (such as memory tests for RAM 14 and NVRAM 8) as the boot process proceeds. In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, the POST code within BIOS 36 includes instructions for reading the state of pending state flag bit 41. In addition, BIOS 36 further includes startup instructions responsive to the determined state of pending state flag bit 41 for setting or resetting TPM enable flag bit 45 in accordance with whether or not pending state flag bit 41 is set. POST instruction execution is only performed during system power-on reset.
As described with reference to FIG. 2, the embedded security subsystem of the present invention maybe advantageously applied to subsystems developed under guidelines set forth by the TCPA, and more specifically to protection of data stored on a TPM. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate and understand the extensions necessary to extend the principles underlying the secure control access technique disclosed herein to other hardware security systems.
With reference to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a high-level flow diagram depicting steps performed for implementing secure controllability of a data security device in accordance with alternate embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the process begins at step 52 and proceeds to step 54 with a determination of whether or not a power-on reset (i.e. reboot) has commenced. As explained with reference to FIG. 2, such a determination is made by either detecting the application of system power to the TPM, or as a natural consequence of access to and initiation of startup instructions such as those contained within BIOS 36. During runtime operations under control of a resident operating system (i.e. no power-on reset underway), the hardware security device (such as TPM 32) within the host data processing system accepts or denies runtime input in accordance with the state of one or more persistent enablement flags (such as TPM enable flag 45) as depicted at step 68.
When a power-on reset is commenced, the state (i.e. set or reset) of a pending state change flag is determined as illustrated at step 56. As previously explained with reference to FIG. 2, the pending state change flag is write accessible with appropriate user authorization by runtime program instructions for setting an intended next state of one or more persistent hardware security enable flags. If, as depicted at steps 58 and 60, the pending state change flag is not set (i.e. reset), the TPM processing unit resets the corresponding persistent TPM enable flag. Next, as illustrated at step 62, the hardware security device is disabled in accordance with the reset state of its enablement flag. If, however, the pending state change flag is set, the TPM processing unit sets the corresponding persistent TPM enable flag, as depicted at steps 58 and 64. As a system-specified reaction to the setting of the persistent enable flag(s), the hardware security device is enabled for runtime operations as illustrated at step 66. Runtime operations with respect to enabled or disabled access to the object hardware security device are then commenced after the power-on reset sequence as depicted at step 68 and the control access process terminates as shown at step 70.
Preferred implementations of the invention include implementations as a computer system programmed to execute the method or methods described herein, and as a program product. According to the computer system implementation, sets of instructions for executing the method and system of the present invention are resident in a storage device such as the ROM or RAM of one or more computer systems. Until required by the computer system, the set of instructions may be stored as a computer-program product in another computer memory, for example, in a disk drive (which may include a removable memory such as an optical disk or floppy disk for eventual utilization in disk drive).
A method and system have been disclosed for providing secure controllability of a data security device within a data processing system. Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
a pending state change flag write-accessible by runtime program instructions, for setting an intended next state of said persistent enable flag such that control access to said data security device is enabled only during a subsequent power-on reset of said data processing system.
means for determining the state of said power-on reset detection latch.
determining a next state of said persistent enable flag in accordance with the determined state of said pending state change flag.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said persistent enable flag and said pending state change flag are non-volatile storage devices.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data security device includes memory for receiving and storing data.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data security device includes security portal functionality for controlling access to data stored within said data processing system.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control access to said data security device includes functionality for enabling or disabling ownership of said data security device, enabling or disabling enablement of said data security device, or enabling or disabling activation of said data security device.
setting or resetting said persistent enable flag in accordance with the state of said pending state change flag.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said power-on reset steps are preceded by the step of setting said pending state change flag in accordance with user input during runtime operations of said data processing system.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising, responsive to said pending state change flag being set, setting said persistent enable flag such that control access for said data security device is enabled following said power-on reset.
11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, responsive to said pending state change flag being reset, resetting said persistent enable flag such that control access for said data security device is disabled following said power-on reset.
only in response to execution of said startup program instructions within said non-volatile programmable memory unit, updating said persistent enable flag to said intended state in accordance with the state of said pending state change flag.
13. The method of claim 8, wherein said data security device includes memory for receiving and storing data.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein said data security device includes security portal functionality for controlling access to data stored within said data processing system.
15. The method of claim 8, wherein said control access to said data security device includes functionality for enabling or disabling ownership of said data security device, enabling or disabling enablement of said data security device, or enabling or disabling activation of said data security device.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, said method further comprising setting said pending state change flag in accordance with user input during runtime operations of said data processing system.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, said method further comprising, responsive to said pending state change flag being set, setting said persistent enable flag such that control access for said data security device is enabled following said power-on reset.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, said method further comprising, responsive to said pending state change flag being reset, resetting said persistent enable flag such tat control access for said data security device is disabled following said power-on reset.
responsive only to execution of said startup program instructions within said non-volatile programmable memory unit, updating said persistent enable flag to said intended state in accordance with the state of said pending state change flag.
21. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said data security device includes memory for receiving and storing data.
22. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said data security device includes security portal functionality for controlling access to data stored within said data processing system.
23. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said control access to said data security device includes functionality for enabling or disabling ownership of said data security device, enabling or disabling enablement of said data security device, or enabling or disabling activation of said data security device. | 2019-04-23T00:55:28Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US7107460B2/en |
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You can glimpse the outdoor seating area off to the side.
When I say old, I’m not kidding. Borghese took over the oldest vineyard on the North Fork—Hargraves—and is as serious about their wines as the Hargraves were. Though we have been there when they had music—a French Edith Piaf-type singer—or oysters or art exhibits (like the current one, curated by and featuring local women artists), the emphasis here is definitely on the wines.
The tasting room has a bar along one side, and then wine barrel tables where you can stand and taste. They also have some outdoor picnic tables, though it was (once again) much too hot to sit outside.
One side of the tasting room.
Though they have several tasting options, for $20 or $15, featuring from five to seven wines, we ended up getting a more or less custom tasting, since we were the only people there and our server appreciated the serious way we went about our sniffing and sipping. The pour is fairly generous, so sharing seven tastes was plenty for us.
They have a few wine-oriented gift items.
A few of the gift items–or you could buy a work of art from the gallery.
Meritage on the North Fork usually refers to red wines, so we were interested to taste this white blend. It includes semillon, sauvignon blanc, and chardonnay, and is a dry, citrusy—more lime than lemon—crisp wine. Our server informed us that the wine originated one year when they had a fair amount of semillon grapes, but not enough to bottle on their own. The menu notes this is a “limited release,” which means it won’t be made every year or in large quantities. I decided it is a very summery wine, with a faint aroma of peach.
We got this taste because, as I perused the menu, I noted that I would certainly not taste the barrel fermented chard, as I tend not to like them. “This one is on me,” insisted the well-informed and chatty retired gentleman who was our server. “I think you’ll like it because it is not like most oaked chardonnays. For one thing, it is aged in neutral oak.” “Neutral” oak barrels are barrels that have been used, so when they are re-used they do not impart as much oakiness to the wine, so you don’t get that buttery taste or unctuous mouth-feel of oaked chards that I dislike. Well, he wasn’t wrong. I smelled honey, but the wine itself is not at all sweet or heavy, with tastes of flowers and spice and pineapple. “It’s unexpectedly good,” I had to admit. Lesson learned—don’t reject oaked chards without learning more about each one.
“Ever hear of the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” asked our server. We had. “Well,” he continued, “this is an example of that.” In 2016 there was a nor’easter that literally blew the skins off one section of pinot noir grapes (Borghese grows, harvests, and makes all their wines.) What to do? This is the result—a white wine with just a tinge of pink and a taste that is more like a red than a white. The wine smells subtly piney, and tastes like those white cherries that have about a one-week season. A touch of citrus at the end. I could see having this with prosciutto and melon. It is good to be reminded that wineries are basically farms, at the mercy of the whims of nature.
At this point we have put ourselves totally into the able hands of our server, and let him choose our wines. This, he tells us, is, like most Borghese wines, made in the Old World style, aged in new French oak barrels. We discuss the observation that the Long Island has terroir has more in common with Europe than with California, which is not surprising when you consider both border the Atlantic Ocean—and were once, eons ago, part of the same continent. (When the idea of Pangea was advanced, I’m sure I’m not the only person who thought back to that time in elementary school when you looked at a globe and thought about how those curves of the South American eastern coast would fit perfectly into the African western coast.) Back to the wine, which is quite nice. We smell forest and plum, and taste blackberry. Some tannins. I think it would go with blue cheese, and he suggests lamb chops. Yup. Nice finish.
We get a new red-wine-friendly glass with the reds.
A 50/50 blend, this is a good summer red, comparable to a Beaujolais, with no tannins. The aroma is cherry and tobacco (unsurprisingly), and tastes like cherry, too. Dry. It would go well with burgers.
This is a good example of a somewhat typical North Fork merlot, with cherry aromas and flavors. It would go great with pasta Bolognese.
We like this one the best of the reds. The aroma is somewhat earthy, with lots of dark fruit tastes. It lacks the depth of a really good Bordeaux, though the menu says it is a “Bordeaux type” wine.
The actual truck–of which this is a painting–sits along Route 48, advertising Castello di Borghese.
Reasons to visit: you are serious about wine and want to go somewhere that values that seriousness (as opposed to the “sup”—shut up and pour—places); the merlot/cabernet sauvignon blend (we buy a bottle), the Bianco di Pinot Noir, the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (for those who don’t like barrel fermented chards); the art exhibits.
Anthony Nappa is the winemaker for Raphael, but he also has his own label, which he sells through the tasting room on Peconic Lane. Peconic Lane, by the way, is one of the few places on the North Fork where you don’t need a car to visit multiple wineries. If you start on Sound Avenue and head south, you can visit The Winemaker Studio, Peconic Cellar Door right next door, Sannino Bella Vita near the end, and finish with Greenport Harbor Brewing Company’s tasting room, where you can also get snacks or a meal, on the corner of Main Road.
As you look down the street, you can see Peconic Cellar Door right next to The Winemaker Studio.
The Winemaker Studio is housed in a cozy little store front site, augmented by a few outdoor tables in the summer. Some nice local art is hung on the walls. This is not a place for large groups, but if you want to taste some interesting wines with a couple of friends, this is a good spot. The menu offers five tastes for $15, and $3.50 for any additional tastes. They also always have a couple of local beers on tap, rotating the selections seasonally. Today they had one from Moustache Brewery in Riverhead and another from Greenport Harbor down the street. As our congenial and genial server noted, if he ran out he wouldn’t have far to go for a new keg.
The beer taps and a sign about their club. A member came in for a pick-up while we were there.
We decided to share one tasting, which was fine, as the servings were generous.
Why the name, I wanted to know. Our server replied that this is a limited production wine, with only enough produced for wine club members and those who come to the Studio. The fruit is from Raphael. Nappa doesn’t have his own vineyard, and so he buys his grapes from several different growers. This wine is made from 90% sauvignon blanc and 10% semillon grapes. The aroma is vegetal, with me suggesting asparagus and my husband suggesting Brussels sprouts. The wine itself is dry, with lots of minerality and a touch of citrus at the end. My tasting buddy says that this is the style of sauvignon blanc he likes. Steel fermented, it would make a great summer wine to drink with oysters.
As you can see, this looks like a rose.
The menu describes this as a white wine made from red wine grapes. Or one could call it a rosé. They used to call it Anomaly, until a winery of that name in California sued them. The wine has more heft than the usual rosé, with a slightly funky aroma with some candy smells. The taste combines strawberry and citrus and minerals. We decided it would be better with food than by itself, and could stand up to more flavorful foods than a typical rosé. We buy a bottle to have with barbeque this summer.
We were interested to taste this one for several reasons. It is made from certified organic grapes, grown in Calverton, though the wine itself is not completely organic, since they do add some sulfites. Also, it is aged in steel rather than oak. Made from 100% cabernet franc grapes, it is a light refreshing red and would, we suggested, be perfect with barbequed chicken. Our server agreed, and noted that he sometimes serves this chilled, like a white. The aroma is intriguing, with a touch of forest floor. The wine is dry, with some minerality, and not tons of fruit.
Served in a bottle with an ominous black label, the wine is simply named nemesis because the pinot noir grape is notoriously difficult to grow on Long Island. If you’re interested in learning about growing conditions on Long Island, and why it is better or worse for certain grapes, you might enjoy reading the page on the Winemaker web site titled “Growing Conditions.” On it, Nappa evaluates in detail each season since his arrival here in 2007. The grapes for this one come from Macari and Peconic Bay (which no longer makes its own wines). We like the aroma, which combines dark fruit and spice and tobacco. We also like the wine, which had some cherry flavor. It’s also a tad on the light side, so I wouldn’t pair it with steak, but it has some acidity and spice with might go well with lamb chops.
To say 2013 and Tredici is somewhat of a tautology, since the name refers to the year in which the grapes were harvested. And a very good year it was. A blend of 67% merlot, 15% cabernet franc, 18% cabernet sauvignon, aged in French oak, this is my favorite wine of the day. Fruity kazooty, I say. Well, I did mention that the servings were generous. Lots of rich fruit flavors and enough tannins that I’m sure, as our server points out, it could age for several more years. I could drink a lot of this. Yum. We buy a bottle.
In the summer they put tables and chairs like this outside.
Reasons to visit: pleasant intimate setting; all the wines, but especially the White Pinot Noir and the Tredici; no food, but you can go down the street to the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company afterwards; beer for a non-wine-drinking friend; dogs are allowed outside in the summer; knowledgeable and genial server with a real passion for the wines; we are served glasses of water along with our tasting, a nice touch; Peconic Lane and its mini winery-walking tour.
The pergola and pond make a pretty outdoor setting–but not in the winter!
We’ve driven past Pugliese many times in the summer, noting the crowds at the outdoor tables and the many limos (by appointment only) in the parking lot, and given it a pass. But we figured a March Saturday would be safe, and indeed, when we entered, there was only one other couple there. However, as we were leaving the first of what the servers told us would be several groups arrived, a bunch of bachelorettes in matching burgundy sweatshirts emblazoned with wine-related quips, with the bride-to-be in a matching white sweatshirt. “Rise and wine,” read the one on a cheery woman, who informed us that this was already (at 2 PM) their third winery.
The limos were starting to gather.
If we hadn’t been on our way out, I would have recommended that they start with the sparkling Blanc de Noir, which was one of the wines we did like, and would have been a suitably festive start to their tasting. But I would guess that many of the wines on the Pugliese menu are crowd-pleasers, as they are generally un-challenging and easy to drink, as well as moderately priced.
One view of the tasting rooms.
The tasting room itself is not huge, but there is a side room with tables. That space is lined with tables laden with gift baskets, which feature the pretty flower-decorated bottles of Pugliese wines and hand-painted wine or champagne glasses, all wrapped up in cellophane. If you need to pick up a gift basket in a hurry, this is the place. They also have a selection of matted photographs, mostly of local nature scenes, for sale at reasonable prices.
Made from 100% pinot noir grapes (all their grapes are grown on their estate, we were informed), this has the typical yeasty aroma of a champagne. It is a pleasant sparkler, not complicated, with nice bubbles and a bready flavor. It would work for a toast (no pun intended!).
We enjoyed the view as we sipped.
At first, I didn’t detect any aroma, but on a second sniff I decided it smelled like clover honey, plus minerals. It also tastes a bit like honey that has somehow had the sweetness removed from it, or like a tart dish that has been flavored with honey. My husband complained that it was “watery,” and I agreed that it was very light. Not a sipper, it needs to go with food, maybe charcuterie, though it has so little flavor most food would overwhelm it.
Why Veronica? “I wanted to name a wine after my niece,” said one server, who was most likely a member of the Pugliese family, since they are generally in the tasting room. This is another light, dry wine, with typical strawberry aroma and flavor, again not complex. It has a pretty pink color from the merlot grapes.
I commented on the pretty labels, and was thanked. On a previous visit I was told that Pat Pugliese painted the design.
They have an oak-fermented chard, but we decided to go with the steel, since we tend to prefer those. I was also thinking if we liked it we’d buy a bottle, to go with the fish we planned to buy at Braun’s later. However, we cancelled the trip to Braun’s when we realized we’d be stuck in the Cutchogue St. Patrick’s Day parade, and, though we found the chardonnay pleasant, we didn’t like it enough to buy it. (Instead we stopped at 8 Hands Farm and picked up some of their delicious bratwurst.) Though the chard is a bit sweet, it is balanced by good fruit flavors of citrus, mango, and pineapple. My tasting buddy says it would have gone well with a dish I made a couple of days ago, called Chicken Veronique, chicken breasts cooked with grapes and mushrooms.
The grape is the one used to make chianti, but this is not a very chianti-like wine.
I was interested to taste this, as it is advertised on the menu as “Long Island’s only chianti.” I like chianti. I wouldn’t have necessarily identified this as a chianti, however, and, considering that 2012 was supposed to have been a good year for reds on the North Fork, this was a rather disappointing wine. However, it is drinkable, with no tannins, very light and dry. Not much fruit. My husband says it has “no oomph,” sort of a “generic wine.” It would be okay with pizza.
Their reds certainly are reasonably priced for the North Fork. This is another light, easy to drink wine, with no tannins. You get a bit of fruit with the first sip, but the taste soon evanesces. You could pair this with pasta with a not-powerful sauce.
Nice aroma of dark fruit and berries precedes a taste also of dark fruit and berries, with a touch of tannins. It’s the best red so far, but again has no depth and is rather light.
Why sunset? “It’s just a name.” You need a non-varietal name for a blend, which this is, a mixture of merlot, cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon. It’s the best red of the day, which is not saying much. Again, it is a relatively simple, light wine, “tame,” according to my drinking pal. It is pleasant, but not worth the price.
Entrance–the little signs say no food inside and no pets inside–which I assume means both are okay outside.
Reasons to visit: pretty setting for sitting outside; very crowd-friendly if you’re coming with a limo (which I actually did one time); lots of choices on the menu; the Blanc de Noir, the Chardonnay Gold, the Sunset Meritage; you prefer light, easy-to-drink wines with no complexity; lots of gift baskets and hand-painted glasses.
The news was threatening an apocalyptic storm, so after a trip to the supermarket for a few essentials (milk, bread, toilet paper, and guacamole ingredients) we headed to Pellegrini to pick up our wine club shipment. When I looked in my notebook, I realized that, although we had been to Pellegrini many times and sampled wines, we hadn’t done a recorded tasting since 2016. As wine club members, we can do free tastings at any time, and since pick-ups happen four times a year, we often combine picking up our three bottles of red with either a glass of something or a full tasting.
The tasting room is not huge, but certainly adequate in the winter.
We chose the reds because Pellegrini does a better-than-North-Fork-average with them, though we like some of their whites as well. We also like Pellegrini because it is a pleasant setting in which to taste wine. Though the tasting room itself is small, there’s plenty of room in and around the courtyard, where we have often sat in the summer. It is a good place to bring guests because you can get your whole tasting on a tray and bring it to a table, where you can share snacks you’ve brought with you. The only food they sell is North Fork chocolate, though they do include a little bag of oyster crackers with each tasting.
They have a few tasting options, but the main ones are either three one-ounce pours at the bar for $8 or three two-ounce pours which you take to a table on a tray for $14. The latter option also includes a one-ounce pour of a wine they select, which this time was their rosé. When you get there, they hand you a menu on which you circle your three choices out of a possible fourteen wines. My husband and I decided to do three whites and three reds for our two tastings, sharing them, as usual. The room was empty on this winter mid-week day, so we opted to take our trays to a table by the window where we could take our time and chat as we sipped.
Pellegrini was having a good sale on their rosés, so though we prefer Croteaux, we decided to get the three bottles for $33.
This is a very pale pink rosé, with the typical strawberry aroma, plus a touch of petrol or some chemical. It is made from a blend of 66% cabernet franc, 24% cabernet sauvignon, and 20% merlot. Compared to Croteaux rosés, it is very light, almost more like a sauvignon blanc than a rosé. It is very dry, and drinkable but not one you would want to sip by itself. It could go with charcuterie.
I find gewürztraminers a little tricky, since sometimes I like them and other times I find them too sweet. I would hesitate to buy a gewürztraminer or a riesling I didn’t know. This one smells, I assert, “gewurzty”—floral, perfumey, ferny. I like the taste, which reminds me of ripe pineapple with a touch of lemon. Despite all the fruitiness, it has only a touch of sweetness, with a nice long finish. My tasting buddy suggest pairing it with mac and cheese, and I counter with weisswurst, since it is after all a German grape.
Our tray of whites. As you can see, the rosé, in the upper right corner, is almost as pale as the whites.
Though they have a couple of oaked chardonnays, I opt for the steel-fermented one, since I generally tend to prefer steel over oak. This one smells like honeysuckle and fruit salad, but the taste is very minerally, with not much citrus, and some green apple. It is so dry that some might find it harsh. Though it is not a sipper, I could see drinking it with something like a barbequed salmon burger.
Pellegrini often has special sales. Today they had one on the chardonnay and one on the rosé. We opted to get the rosé.
Because we’re not standing at the bar, I can’t ask about the origin of this name, but since it is a blend—of 58%chardonnay and 42% sauvignon blanc—I assume they had to give it a non-grape name. In any event, we like it. The aroma is lovely, with notes of pine needles and forest and what I insist is sweat (which doesn’t sound so good, but I liked it). It does not taste at all like the smell, notes my husband, saying it is more like lime than lemon. It is a good food wine, and if he catches any bluefish next summer (or we buy some at Braun’s) I may get a bottle to go with it.
The vines are bare now, but spring is coming. My chives are starting to grow.
Now we switch to the reds, which, because they have been sitting on our tray for half an hour, are at perfect room temperature. This merlot is in our shipment, so we are interested to try it. It is actually a bit of a blend, 90% merlot plus 7% cabernet sauvignon and 3% cabernet franc. It is a nice, not atypical Long Island merlot, with dark cherry aroma and flavor, more soft than tannic, with not a lot of fruit and some mineral and salt flavors. We like it, but more as a picnic red than as one to stand up to red meats. We decide that when we get home we will label it for drinking this year, rather than holding on to it for any length of time.
“Not a killer cab,” opines my drinking pal, though he also says it is a pleasant wine. It is aged 19 months in oak, and has an aroma of dark fruit and tastes of ripe purple plums. It may not be hefty enough at this point to go with a steak, but one could certainly pair it with pork or lamb chops. It has enough tannins that we decide to label it for a year from now when we stow away our wine club selections.
I have high hopes for this wine, since 2012 was a good year for reds on the North Fork and I often like petit verdot, and I am not disappointed. Yum. The aroma is like macerated raspberries, and it tastes like black raspberries. It is dry, with lots of tannins, and could definitely stand up to a steak. Their website describes the taste as “dark and brooding.” I don’t know about that, since I never saw a wine brood, but we like it.
In the summer I often try to angle my photos so I don’t include too many people. Not a problem today!
Reasons to visit: pleasant tasting room with ample outside space for summer tastings; outside food is allowed, so you can bring your own snacks; you can bring the tastings to a table so it is a nice place to sit with friends; the gewürztraminer, the Rejoyce, the cabernet sauvignon, the petit verdot. One note on the tray of tastes—in general, you want to go from whites to reds, and from top to bottom and from left to right.
We’ve often been here when they were setting up for weddings in the courtyard, when it is covered with a white tent.
You might guess from the red tile roof that there is some Mediterranean culture behind this winery. You’d be right.
I have been to wineries where the server knew just enough to spout a brief memorized description of the wines, and to others where the winemaker him or herself was there to tell me everything I could possibly want to know about the wines. Both models work, but there’s another way: a well-informed server who knows the wines and is enthusiastic about them, without getting too technical. The last is the type we encountered on a cold day in January in the almost empty tasting room at Pindar.
Don’t let that sunny blue sky fool you. It was COLD!
Since the tasting room is quite large, and obviously set up to serve many people, it felt kind of funny that there were at most two couples at any one time during the hour or so we were there. But it did mean that we got plenty of individualized attention from our excellent server. We learned some interesting details about the wines and some of the labels, and thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon.
Pindar requests that you not bring in outside food, and offers a selection of cheeses to which they will add crackers, etc. They also have a modest selection of wine-related gift items.
Snacks to have with your wine.
Some of the gift items for sale.
We started at the top of the menu with their sauvignon blanc, a wine we find often pairs well with oysters or clams. This one would do so, too, but has an assertive enough flavor that it could also go with bluefish. The aroma has a touch of cat pee, plus a fruit the menu identifies as white peach. The taste is pleasant, with a touch of sweetness, and some citrus and mineral notes.
The beautiful art is supposed to reflect the taste of the wine.
“What a beautiful bottle,” we said, and learned that it had been painted by Sylvia, a former patient of the founder of Pindar, Dr. Dan Damianos. We also found out that she was a quadriplegic who painted with a brush in her mouth, and that she designed the pretty pastel floral image to reflect the taste of the wine. Wow. Viognier is a grape you don’t find too often on Long Island (a quick search of my blog found three or four other wineries that had it), and our server told us that they didn’t bottle it every year, since the grapes did not always meet their standards. We’re glad it was on the menu this time. Though not a sipper, it is a really nice wine, with lots of tart pear and some woody/mineral tastes. She suggests serving it with shrimp or lobster, and I bet it would go well with Peconic Bay scallops, too. We decided to buy a bottle.
I love looking at the fields of sunflowers in the summertime on the North Fork.
We were going to try the Peacock Chardonnay, but our friend warned us that it had been reformulated and was on the sweet side. We had been reluctant to have the Sunflower, since the menu said it was 100% new barrel fermented, and we tend not to like really oaky chardonnays. However, she reassured us that it was not like that, but rather tasted mostly of pineapple. She was exactly right. She said that the particular clone of chardonnay that was used for this wine tended more towards tropical fruit flavors. Interesting.
Now we moved on to the reds, getting a clean glass for these tastes. The name of this wine, the images on several of the bottles, and the name of the winery, reference the Damianos family’s Greek heritage. (We went to a class on Greek wines several months ago, and were quite pleased to discover that they were no longer limited to retsina and harsh reds, but included many wines we enjoyed. Wines occupy an important role in Greek mythology, and not just because they have a god of wine!) This is their Bordeaux blend, and varies from year to year. It likely includes some combination of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot, and Malbec, and was described as a “good pizza wine.” That it is, and has lots of fruit with a touch of tannins. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably heavy on the merlot.
Another image made to hint at the flavor of the wine.
Here’s another label painted by Sylvia, which is supposed to convey the “stormy and dark” taste of the wine. Not so sure about the stormy part, but it is certainly dark, with black cherry flavor, a bit of oak, and nice tannins. It smells a bit like nutmeg. It is not complex, but is very good, and we also plan to buy a bottle of this one. It would go well with a soup and bread and cheese dinner.
A beautiful stained glass window in the tasting room.
We were going to give this one a pass, but now it seems we will be trying all of the reds. Our server has poured out a glass of one of the Limited Production wines, to let it breathe while we taste the others. The cabernet franc has lots of tannins, with some tastes of fruit, spice, and wood, and would be okay with food.
2014 was a good year for reds on the North Fork, so we’re not surprised that we like most of the reds we taste. This is a very drinkable red, not very deep or complex, with a pleasant fruity aroma.
Pegasus, the flying horse of Greek mythology.
Oops. Finally one we don’t particularly like. The smell is a bit funky and earthy, the wine rather thin. We dump the rest of this taste.
We like the image of the Argo, the boat for Jason and the Argonauts, better than the wine inside.
Like a number of the other reds, this is aged two years in French oak. We do detect a bit of oak in the aroma, plus purple plum and toast. The wine is quite yummy, though not complex, tasting of plums and cherries. It would be overpowered by red-sauce Italian foods, but would be good with meat loaf.
This one could be on the edge of going over the edge, we decide. It also has a somewhat funky aroma, and has a slight cherry taste. Just okay.
Their Meritage blend, this is 40% cabernet sauvignon, 30% cabernet franc, 10% merlot, 10% petit verdot, and 10% Malbec. Nevertheless, my notes say “not much to it.” I swear it smells like cheese, though the menu says it has “cassis, bing cherry and raspberry on the nose.” It is dry, with some tannins and dark fruit tastes.
A wine well worth buying.
After Dr. Damianos died, his children decided to make some special wines in his memory. They did a great job with this one, the special taste our server had set aside to breathe for us. Given the price point, it is quite impressive, with lots of delicious dark fruit tastes and some complexity. The tannins are strong enough that we feel it could age several years and get even better, so we decided to get a bottle of this and label it to be drunk a few years from now. It could stand up to steak or lamb chops, for sure.
Well, she had a bottle of this open and had served a taste to the other couple at the bar, so we might as well try it, too. We like this better than their other merlots. It tastes of black cherry and spice, perhaps nutmeg, with tannins that could let this one age as well.
Reasons to visit: big place that can accommodate a crowd (which it definitely gets in the summer); lots of different wines at good prices; despite the mass appeal, many of the wines are quite good; the Viognier, the Syrah, Dr. Dan’s Signature Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in particular, plus many of the other wines; dogs are allowed on the back deck in the summertime.
Someone collects corkscrews at Pindar!
We decided it would be fun to go to Osprey’s Dominion this week, having gone to Coffee Pot Cellars last week. Why? Because Adam Suprenant is the winemaker for both wineries, with Coffee Pot his own label. Would there be differences between his personal wines and those he made for a larger entity? We did find some differences, but both places have some really good wines.
Just one side of the expansive tasting room.
Despite the chilly weather, plenty of people opted to be outside. Note the wind vane!
The tasting menu is quite extensive, reflecting their 90 acres of grapes. A tasting is either three choices for $8 or five choices for $12, and you have the freedom to pick any you like from their menu. With eight whites (including one sparkling wine), one rosé, nine reds, plus five reserve wines and four dessert options, we actually needed some guidance! Our server kept good track of where we were in our tasting, providing a clean glass for each taste, and helped us choose when we asked. We decided to share two tastings of five, starting with the whites. Glasses of wine range in price from $6-$10, and if you’re heading outside with a glass, they give it to you in a plastic cup.
Lots of options on the white wine menu.
We started at the top of the whites menu with the steel-fermented sauvignon blanc, a dry wine with more acid than fruit. My husband said it was “strong.” Although the menu opined that it tasted of melon, I tasted more grapefruit than melon, or maybe even sour apple candy. That said, though it is not a sipper, it would probably pair well with chicken or fish in a creamy sauce, or with New England clam chowder. We liked Coffee Pot’s sauvignon blanc better, but then, it is from a different year.
Fumé blanc is basically sauvignon blanc that has been fermented in oak. I described this one as mouth-watering, with the acid balanced by some sweetness. It didn’t have much aroma, though we detected a trace of vanilla from the oak. I think it would pair well with escargots in garlic sauce, the thought possibly inspired by the French name of the wine.
Why the name, and why the ship under sail on the label? Our server wasn’t sure, but did opine that the name had belonged to a ship that sailed out of Greenport. In any event, this is a chardonnay that combines steel and oak fermented juice half and half. The aroma is grassy, with a hint of wood. Though it is not overly oaky we did find it too sweet for our tastes, comparing the tastes to apple sauce and honeydew melon. My tasting buddy found it “cloyingly sweet.” As a result, we asked for some guidance as to where to go next on the menu, and she suggested we look at the reserve menu.
We liked the label more than the wine, though if you like a sweeter chardonnay you might disagree.
Good choice! Though it was served a tad too cold, as we warmed it in our hands we smelled a faint aroma of orange peel plus a touch of funk. It is aged “sur lies” for six months, which may account for the layers of flavor we noted. It has a nice balance of tart and fruit, with some tastes of tangerine. It would be good with charcuterie. I used to think you needed red wine with cured meats, but now I think certain whites work better.
Rather than continue with the whites, which we were concerned might be too sweet for us, we decided to flip to the red side of the menu for the rest of our tastes. We were particularly eager to try this one, since it was on special at $75 for a case, and we’re always looking for inexpensive reds for daily consumption. This is a Bordeaux-style blend of 42% cabernet sauvignon, 11% pinot noir, 26% cabernet franc, and 23% merlot. We could definitely smell the cherry from the merlot, plus a touch of something chemical—they suggest eucalyptus. The taste is quite nice, combining cherry and other dark fruit with some spice, perhaps nutmeg, and maybe a bit of chocolate. Good pasta/pizza wine, like with the pizza my husband made the other day, topped with eggplant and black olives. Yum. Definitely buyable.
Go soon if you want to take advantage of the sale!
We went back to the reserve menu for our next taste, guided as to its position in our tasting by our server. Another good choice. The aroma is of wood and dried fruit. The wine is very dry, with lots of tannins, which made me think it could age well. Though it does not have much fruit, it is very tasty, with enough acidity to cut through the fat of a steak or lamb chops.
Another Bordeaux-style blend, of 39% merlot, 36% cabernet franc, 17% carménère, 4% cabernet sauvignon, and 4% petit verdot, this is also a really good red. Apparently, Wine Enthusiast agrees, giving it a grade of 90, we were told. I never actually know what to make of those grades. My husband felt the tannins “stick out,” so maybe it needs more aging. It tastes of cherry and purple plum and spice. We liked both this one and the Coffee Pot Meritage, which has a different composition and which we liked a little more.
My husband’s home-made pizza, which tastes as good as it looks, and would go well with the Richmond Creek Red Blend.
I was eager to taste this one, since Osprey is the only vineyard on Long Island that grows this grape, and it is more usually used in blends. The aroma is funky—basement, I say. Fortunately, it doesn’t taste like a basement! It is good—interesting, say my notes—very tannic, with spicy tastes of blackberry and pepper. Not a big fruity wine, but with a nice amount of fruit.
Some interesting information on the label.
The menu says this is a “tribute to the great wines of Cahors.” To me it seems more like a Long Island merlot—which is not a bad thing. Another good, tannic, dry red with some cherry flavors.
Since this is the most expensive wine on the menu, we expected it to be something special, especially since we were informed that it won “Best Pinot Noir in New York State in 2016.” To me, it seems comparable to a Beaujolais, a light, pleasant red. Easy to drink, it would be okay with roast chicken, but I doubt I’d give it a medal (though I’d have to see how it compared with the competition).
Reasons to visit: big, social winery with entertainment and good wines; the Fumé Blanc, the Reserve Pinot Gris, the Richmond Creek Red Blend, the Meritage Flight, the Carménère; very reasonable prices, especially for Long Island reds, especially when they’re on sale. We bought a case of the Richmond Creek Red Blend.
We heard there was also beer on offer outside.
In many ways, September is the best month on the North Fork, and our guests agreed. We had gone for a walk to Love Lane and a swim in the Peconic Bay, and now we were seated on the attractive patio of Lieb Cellars on Oregon Road, gazing out at beautiful farm fields. Later we planned to barbeque chicken from 8 Hands, plus eggplant and zucchini and corn from a farm stand. Perhaps we could cap off that menu with a bottle of wine from Lieb. However, we didn’t find any wine that we wanted to take home for that meal.
It was a warm day, so we appreciated the bottle of cool water we were given.
On the other hand, we enjoyed our tasting, if not so much the wines themselves, which was brought to us on trays so we could sit and sip and discuss and enjoy the lovely setting. The very enthusiastic and well-informed server, a young man who is really studying wine, gave us a quick (maybe too quick!) rundown on the wines we had ordered, and then left us to ourselves, just checking back periodically to see if we had any questions.
The menu includes snacks, plus drinks for your designated driver.
The menu offers three options: four whites plus the rosé for $16, five reds for $18, or six Reserve wines for $20. You can also get cheese and charcuterie plates, but we knew we had a lovely selection of cheeses from the Love Lane Cheese Shop waiting for us at home, so we opted not to get anything. They don’t allow you to bring your own food, but they do permit dogs on the outside patio. We decided to share one white flight and one red flight. The good-sized servings came out in attractive round-bottomed glasses, and we also were given a bottle of chilled water plus glasses for the water. Some of the wines are labeled Bridge Lane and others Lieb Reserve, which I abbreviate BL and LR.
The whites and the rose. Each glass sits on a coaster which identifies the wine and the order in which to drink them.
This is a white wine made from merlot grapes by not giving them any time on the skins. The aroma was nice—sweet, spicy, a bit minerally—but we found the wine itself lacked character.
They are very proud of their Pinot Blanc, but we were underwhelmed. It is very citrusy and tart, with not much fruit and a slightly chemical aroma.
We liked the patio, which we had to ourselves on this mid-week day. One time we arrived on a weekend and had to leave, as it was full.
We like this the best of the whites, finding it had a better balance than the others, with some richness. I liked it. It has a honeysuckle aroma and nice lemony notes. It would go well with food, though we felt it would not stand up to the spicy barbeque sauce we planned.
Our server cautioned us that this was not like a New Zealand sauvignon blanc. It was not at all floral, and my brother pronounced it “tame.” It smells almost like candy, with some minerality, and the taste is very light, almost evanescent.
Pink? Not so much. Another very light wine, this had no strawberry aroma. It is available in an eight gallon box.
Our server was very proud that he could inform us this was like a right bank Bordeaux, a blend of 44% merlot, 22% cabernet franc, 13% petit verdot, 12% malbec, and 9% cabernet sauvignon. You can sense in the taste that this spent a little time in oak—six months. It’s very soft, with a taste in which cherry predominates. I said it was okay for casual drinking, but my brother opined it was “completely uninteresting, like a person without a face.” Ouch.
Note the dogs in the background.
As we sipped this somewhat classic merlot, we got into a humorous discussion of the movie Sideways, and the damage it did to merlot sales. Nothing wrong with a good merlot, I said, but my brother felt this was a “Kool-Aid version of merlot.” Well, it would be fine with a burger.
I thought this cabernet franc was not bad, with dark fruit tastes of blackberry and plum, dry, with some tannins though overall rather soft. But I had to agree with my brother that it had no depth.
The Petit Verdot looks as good as it tastes.
Finally, a wine we could agree on. We all liked the petit verdot, made of 98% petit verdot and 2% “mystery grapes,” according to our server. 2014 was a hot season, so it was a good year for ripe red grapes. This wine is interesting, with a distinctive earthy, piney aroma and layers of flavor. We speculated that another brother would like it, since he favors “odd duck” wines. Long finish. If I were to sit and have a glass of wine here, this is the one I would get.
And here is their left bank Bordeaux style: 47% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 17% cabernet franc, 4% petit verdot, and 2% malbec. We made our server check the math! It worked out. The aroma is fruity, the taste less so. Given the tannins, it may age into something better, but for the moment it is a bit disappointing for the price. It would be okay as a $12 wine, opined my brother. Well, that’s a problem with North Fork wineries in general—because of the small size of their production, they can’t achieve the economies of scale from other places. Nevertheless, we like to support the local wineries.
The inside room is attractive and comfortable.
Reasons to visit: beautiful setting on a back road, surrounded by farm fields; the Unoaked Chardonnay, the Lieb Reserve Petit Verdot; you can bring your dog.
“We’re small,” said our very well-informed multi-tasking server, “only 3,500 cases per year.” She added that they have just eight acres of vines, and we discussed the issues Croteaux is having with Southold town over how many acres you need to have in order to do a tasting room. But Clovis Point is in the town of Riverhead, so no problem. Small also describes the one-ounce pour (which she warned us about in advance), but not the reputation of this boutique winery, which has garnered a number of high ratings from wine judges.
The tasting room, a former potato barn, is a nice size, and there is also a covered porch to one side. The walls are adorned with a display of art for sale, so the space functions as a gallery as well. The flower garden leading to the door is also esthetically pleasing!
The art on the walls is for sale.
The menu offers two flights: a Cold Flight of four wines for $13 and a Red Flight of four reds for $15, plus a few premium wines at $5 per taste. We were with friends, and decided each couple would do all eight wines, given that the pour is so small. We also bought a generous tray of Spanish cheeses and baguette slices for $12, plus an eight-dollar jar of delicious fig spread, much of which we took home. While we often don’t order food with our tastings, it is true that having wine with food enhances the experience.
We had pretty much decimated the cheese plate before I thought to take a picture. It was very good.
“This is a seasonal wine,” our server informed us, “and we usually sell out of it by winter.” I can see why, as it is a light, easy to drink summery wine, with a floral and mineral aroma and peach taste. Steel fermented, it is tart and dry.
Another steel-fermented wine, this chardonnay is mixed with 3% gewürztraminer, which might account for a touch of pineapple taste. The aroma is mineral, earth, and pine, and our friend says it tastes like a Granny Smith apple to her. We agree. Our server explains that because it is steel fermented it does not undergo malolactic fermentation, and therefore gives you the “pure expression” of the grape.
The arrowhead on the label is a Clovis point, a type of prehistoric arrowhead.
A nice touch—before each new taste, the server rinses the glass with a bit of the next wine. This is better than when they rinse the glasses with water, as a little water always is left behind and can influence the taste of the wine. And when they don’t rinse the glasses at all, you may get a bit of the previous wine mixing with your next taste. In any event, this chardonnay is a mixture of steel and oak fermented wine, so it is not heavily oaked. Not being fans of oaky chards, we are pleased with this one, which has lots of citrus taste and only a touch of vanilla. It’s not fruity.
You can see how small the pour is.
Also seasonal, according to our server, the rosé tends to sell out by the end of summer. It is composed of 100% cabernet franc, and is made by the saignée method, where the grapes sit on the skins for three days. This is such a light rosé that we agree one might, if tasting it with eyes closed, not know it was a rosé. It’s steel fermented and quite dry, with only a faint strawberry aroma and a taste more like raspberry than strawberry.
All the reds are aged in either French or Hungarian oak, we are told, as our server puts out fresh glasses for the red tasting. A blend of 85% merlot, 8% cabernet franc, 2% syrah, 2% malbec, 2% petit verdot, and 1% cabernet sauvignon, this is not as complex or deep as one would think given all the ingredients. However, it is a good merlot, dry and pleasant to drink. “It’s my after work wine,” notes our server. Yes, it would be relaxing to sit and sip a glass of this, perhaps with some cheese.
They have two bars for when the room gets busy.
Yum. This time I agree with Robert Parker, who has given this wine a score of 90%. A blend of 96% cabernet franc with 3% cabernet sauvignon and 1% petit verdot, this has fascinating aromas of mushroom, forest, and smoke, plus what our friend describes as “really ripe plums.” It is delicious, dry at the end with some nice tannins, tasting of over-ripe cherries. Nicely complex. If I were here for a music event, this is the wine I would get by the glass.
You can see how small the bottle is for the Syrah and the Malbec.
Syrah is usually blended with other wines, but Clovis Point decided to try bottling it by itself. Since they didn’t have that much of it, they also decided to use 500 ml. bottles, so that price is quite high. I insist that it smells like black olives, and my friend adds that it actually smells meaty. It is dry, tannic, and spicy. I like it.
Meh. Another 500ml. bottle, this is a blend of 94% malbec, plus 4% merlot, 1% cabernet sauvignon, and 1% syrah. It has a nice fruity aroma, but the wine itself is rather light, with no depth. “Flat,” says my friend. I add that it lacks body.
Reasons to visit: small winery with a nice room and some good choices; the 2015 chardonnay, the Black Label chardonnay, the 2014 Cabernet Franc; you are the designated driver but you want to taste the wines where the pour is small.
This giant apple marks the entrance to the Riverhead Cider House.
Shortly after we entered the cavernous tasting room at the newly opened Riverhead Cider House, we decided that we were not the target audience. Then we tasted their wares, and were sure. That being said, if you are a twenty-or-thirty-something heading East with a group of friends who like sweet-ish mildly alcoholic drinks or local beers, you might find the Cider House to be just what you’re looking for. As you enter, you’ll see a smaller room off to the side that can be rented for parties and a small alcove where a gift shop is located. Then you enter the large room lined on one side by a long bar and on the other by tables made from repurposed doors (knobs and all!) and tractor seats, plus more comfortable seating areas near the fireplaces. Twin “dueling grand pianos” are in the center of the room, and guitars hang on the walls with notes encouraging their use. Towards the far end is another alcove occupied by a café selling pizzas, salads, sandwiches, huge pretzels, and more. Out the back is a patio with more seating and what has become a necessity for many tasting rooms, bean bag toss games.
I would guess that on the weekends the bar is more crowded.
A huge sign over the bar lists the eight different hard cider flavors and the four local beers currently on tap. As we were familiar with the beers, we decided to get two tastings of four ciders each: what they call the Cider Master Flight, and then the other four, for $10 each foursome of two-ounce pours. The server was quite friendly, but gave us no guidance as to the order of the tastings, which are served on a square tray, so we took them to our table and drank them in whatever order we pleased. To accompany the tastings, we stopped into the café and bought one of their huge pretzels (and then another one, since the six of us—including two children—demolished the first in short order), which came with three dipping sauces, for $9.75.
Our guests, who are fond of dry European hard ciders, and the two of us agreed that these were not serious ciders, but would be fine for those who like sweet fruity drinks. We all went to the Woodside Cidery last year, and liked their ciders much better. The children enjoyed playing on the patio (supervised by an adult, of course) and looking at some of the quirky décor, so this is one of the places you can come with children—but not with a picnic, as they forbid outside food.
The patio, with the obligatory bean bag toss game.
You can also buy growlers of cider or beer to take home, at $8 for the bottle and $18 to have it filled.
The choices from the Cider Master Flight are marked with an *.
One of our flights, composed of the ciders that are not on the Master Flight.
Sweet. Tastes like apple juice. Maybe you could have this in a mixed drink with a spicy tequila.
You can buy the ciders by the bottle in the gift shop.
A bit on the dry side, though I don’t think it tastes much like a rosé or like a prickly pear.
If you like black cherry soda, get this one. It even has a bit of fizz. One of our guests, an excellent mixologist, thinks you could make a decent highball of this if you mixed it with bourbon and orange or angostura bitters.
You can see into the room where they brew the ciders.
Continuing the soda theme, this one smells and tastes like raspberry soda, though it is not cloyingly sweet.
We agree that this smells remarkably like Lemon Pledge. I don’t recall what Fresca tastes like, but one of our party opines that that is what this resembles.
Yuk. Tastes like “strawberry-flavored medicine,” we hear. Another mildly alcoholic soda-ish drink.
Sweet apple juice, very apple-y.
Our partially demolished pretzel. I liked both the cheese and one of the mustard sauces.
We like this the best—or dislike it the least! It is more like a wine than the others, fairly dry, and tastes more like a European hard cider than the rest.
Reasons to visit: you like sweet fruity alcoholic drinks; you are with a group and want to get pizza or huge pretzels and beer or cider; you want a place with a slightly funky vibe and a party atmosphere; the Benjamin’s Best.
The fireplace area looks like it would be quite cozy in the winter.
Not sure what the statue represents, but we did heed the sign next to it.
The view out the door to lovely Love Lane.
Roanoke Vineyards has a tasting room conveniently located on Love Lane in Mattituck, so you can browse the shops before or after your tasting. The shops include the excellent Love Lane Cheese Shop, the Sweet Shop, a toy store, a yarn store, an art gallery/framing store, a pet accessory store, a dress shop, Orlovsky’s Hardware store, Lombardi’s Market, and several restaurants. We decided to celebrate having seen a 70% solar eclipse with a wine tasting, while several members of our party (two of whom were too young to drink) cruised the shops. By the way, although there is parking on Love Lane, there is also ample free parking in the town lot to the west of the street.
One view of the tasting room.
The tasting room is small but attractive, and is augmented in warm weather by an enclosed patio in the back. We stood at the bar, which allowed us to chat with the very personable server. The menu offered two main options: The Summer Flight, of four wines for $14, or the Special Flight, of three wines for $12. The three of us decided to share one of each. The wines from the Special Flight are marked with an *. We also noted that the tasting room sells bottles of wine from two South Fork wineries—Channing Daughters and Wölffer Estates—and Red Hook. Good to know, since it is sometimes hard to find their wines in stores.
We started out with this steel fermented white, tart and spicy with some creaminess. We had an amusing discussion with the server over the aroma of cat pee, which I would also describe as the smell you sometimes get when you have kept flowers in water for too long. Fortunately, the wine does not taste like the smell.
Wild refers to the use of “wild,” or indigenous yeast, or in other words the yeast that just occurs naturally, rather than a purchased yeast. I would imagine that it takes some courage to do this, since you risk that the wine might not come out well. Happily, this chardonnay did, with an aroma of gooseberry and a rather nutty taste—as in it tastes like nuts. We all like it, and our son-in-law buys a bottle to take home.
This one is also delicious, a blend of 66% chardonnay, 25% sauvignon blanc, 5% viognier and 5% albariño. We taste pineapple and honeydew in this steel fermented white. Our relative notes that this is the type of wine, “I could drink all day.” Perfect summer white.
All the grapes for this merlot come from one particular acre, so it has a limited production, and all the pruning, etc., is done by hand. It has the typical merlot cherry aroma and flavor. Nice, but not worth a fuss.
Arc? Why? The server is not sure why this blend of 72% estate cabernet franc and 28% merlot has this name, but by the next wine, we have a theory. In any event, this is a dry, pleasant red that would go well with burgers. It has just a touch of cherry taste, plus blackberry and blueberry.
Okay, there is a definite theme of mathematic-inspired names. The server notes that a retired teacher works for the winery, writing copy for the menu and helping come up with names. We theorize that the teacher must have been a math teacher, and our son-in-law buys a bottle for his father, who is both a retired math teacher and an oenophile. Perfect! We decide that he should cellar this wine, which has the types of tannins that make us think it would age well, though now it is “too tight” and “closed.” A blend of 82% cabernet sauvignon and 18% merlot, it had some interesting layers of flavor. I’d like to taste it in a few years (hint!).
And here’s another wine that we decide would benefit from some aging—and we buy a bottle to store in our cellar. The aroma is slightly earthy, but mainly plummy, as is the taste. We tell our companion about how early on so many of the wines out here tasted earthy or barnyard-y, a trait the winemakers seem to have succeeded in ameliorating.
As you can see from this list, you can buy wines from a number of different wineries at Roanoke’s Love Lane tasting room.
Reasons to visit: you want to do some shopping on Love Lane and need a respite; The Wild, Infinite Possibility, Prime Number, Cabernet Sauvignon; the ability to buy wines from Channing Daughters, Wölffer Estates, and Red Hook; a pleasantly intimate tasting room. | 2019-04-23T18:56:35Z | https://nofowineaux.wordpress.com/tag/long-island/ |
Creativity drives every single one of us, we may associate it with music, paintings, literature or dare we say it, website design.
We are inspired by creativity through the songs we hear, through the pages of the stories we were reading and the websites we interact with.
But how much does creativity play a role in digital marketing?
Being a creative agency we stress on the importance of being creative with a website design or a content strategy, it differentiates a website from many others on Search Engine Result Pages (SERP) helping it stand out from the crowd.
If you’re here, you’ve probably searched for ‘Web Design Northampton’ or similar.
We’ll assume you’re on the market for a new website, a big leap hey?
We’re not your traditional Northampton web designers, we’re SEO ‘bods’ who have added web design to their skill-set because in most cases your ‘normal’ web agency in the region isn’t focused on you getting customers, just good coding.
Normally we get involved once you’ve got your shiny new website live, when you’ll now be needing some customers, that’s where we come in.
But because we’re now able to help you with your websites, you can get all those perks in one place.
We’re an honest bunch though, we work with a group of partners who help us with more complex and e-commerce websites. Allowing us to focus on what we’re good at (sensing a theme here?).
If you’re not 100% sure how Northampton website design works, we’ve created this little guide.
So, below is everything you need to know about creating the perfect website.
Though it seems only yesterday that people used floppy discs, technology and especially web design has moved on leaps and bounds.
Gone are the days that websites are built in flat HTML, looking like funky MySpace pages and having the formatting one could only assume was the result of a 5-year old child finding a crayon.
Nowadays you can create a website in 10 seconds. Buy a domain, download a theme and install WordPress and anyone has an online presence.
It’s actually not too difficult and you do not need to be technically minded to sort this for yourself for a few pounds a year.
Choosing a Northampton web designer is probably the most important business decision you will make this year.
There are so many agencies out there offering different services, opinions and ‘must have’s’ – it’s difficult to find a way through the fog, especially if website design is unfamiliar to you.
Rest assured though, we have your back.
You’ll find web designers in Northampton who’ll charge you everything from $49 to £49k within a mile of each-other.
Depending on what you’re looking will result in where you sit on that scale.
For example, a very basic one page design could be at the bottom of that.
A full scale e-commerce platform with all the trimmings, near the top.
The majority of you B2B website-hunters out there will be looking in the £4-12k range based on our experience.
A common mis-conception amongst people looking for Northampton web design is that all digital agencies are the same.
Let’s take us for example, we’re an SEO firm, that’s our passion because we’re great at it. Only focusing on SEO means we can be incredible and deliver our clients a dedicated service.
The same cannot be said for most web designers.
But, you may find dozens more. Typically this is a sign of a non-specialist.
It doesn’t mean they aren’t good at what they do, just that it isn’t something they give their all.
Web design and web development are completely different things.
Design is all about making your site look good, coming up with the visuals and in most cases building the website for you on an off-the-shelf CMS.
Often these agencies are very visually minded, great at coming up with concepts but lack the technical nouse. Often they will be outsourcing that element of the development.
Whereas, web development is technically much more difficult and complex, it usually involves systems, bespoke forms and applications.
Typically agencies that get involved in this area are far more technically minded and great for those difficult developments but lack on ‘design’ front.
As we mentioned above, website design is a specialist subject and you should structure it as such. Find an agency in Northampton who only build websites.
They’ll be passionate, on the ball and usually the best priced (as they don’t have to cover the overheads of all those ‘fluffy’ services).
A big bug bear of many disgruntled Northampton web design clients is when they become stuck because of a custom CMS that’s tied them down.
Many digital agencies in Northampton will have their own content management systems, bespoke to them, which they’ll want you to be hosted on.
If ever you get in a situation where you want to leave their services. They won’t provide you with the CMS, meaning your website will not work.
This is a common tactic to keep you in their clutches for as long as possible.
Try not to get stuck on a custom CMS. Find an agency that will build your website in WordPress or Magento for an e-commerce solution.
This will mean you can leave without any issues.
We’ve dragged on now for a while about what you should avoid, now it’s time to go through the steps you’ll be required to hurdle when it comes to getting your Northampton web design sorted.
The look and feel of your website is a very opinion-based ideal.
Something you love might be unsuitable or indeed disliked by your peers.
For us, we always advise those looking for Northampton web design to look around their competitors, directly and indirectly.
Take screenshots and save links of websites they like, features on sites they would like to see on theirs, colours, imagery etc are all great helps too.
Start to put together a brain-dump of the things you love on other websites.
Get as many as you can, then start to wean out those that are perhaps not as good as others, then you’ll be left with the basics of a website.
The most important part of this stage is to understand the technical elements of what you need. It’s things like custom forms, logins and applications that make the biggest difference to the costs so it’s important to describe as many of these elements as you believe are needed/wanted in your website design.
This may seem like a back-handed way to some but for us it’s a key element for the learning process.
Many of your competitors will have been through these processes before, they’ll have invested thousands of pounds in to their web design and improved it over many years.
Use their learnings as the starting point for yourself.
Search on Google for your competitors and take all of the best bits of their websites and start there.
Once you have created the above, effectively you’ve got what Northamptonshire web designers call a ‘mood board’.
For layman’s like you and I, that’s basically a scrap book of ideas.
Usually a website designer in Northampton would come back to you with this mood board but we certainly suggest going to them with one first.
After all, you’re the customer and you’re always right.
Use your mood board to inspire theirs, it eliminates lots of risk of getting the initial design wrong.
Once you’ve all agreed a direction to head towards with your look and feel it’s time to get some wireframes sorted.
Some agencies will be creating proper wireframes (below) – while others will mock up a semi-working demo for you.
Whichever it is, the aim is to get used to the proposed structure.
Don’t worry about specifics too much. Colours, words and positions are very easy to change at this stage so don’t be afraid to request it.
The wireframe stage is a hugely important part of Northampton website designs.
It’s the first time you’ll get a glimpse of where it’s headed.
It’s important to spend as much time as needed to get this right.
Once you are passed your wireframe stage it’s time for a proper working demo.
Usually these are a good 80% of what your website will be like once complete.
All the pages, buttons, links and imagery should work and the look and feel should pretty much be there.
The best thing to do here, once you are happy of course, is to get several of your friends and colleagues to have a good look too.
Usually those fresh pairs of eyes will find several small issues and come up with some good ideas.
During this stage it’s massively important to test.
Test your website on all browsers and devices, even the obscure ones.
Make sure your website works on IE, Firefox, Chrome and Safari as well as across all major smart phones. It would seem like an obvious thing, but you’d be shocked how many websites come our way with issues.
We had a major fashion retailer recently who had lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in sales. Their agency couldn’t put their finger on what had happened. The site simply did not work in internet explorer, alienating 30% of their users instantly.
Check and check again after any small tweaks that the website works on all browsers and devices. Even if your chosen agency says it’s done, check.
There is no point in having a website without SEO.
It’s like having the best shop in the world but building it up a lane somewhere where no-one goes in Scarborough – no idea where Scarborough came from, seems the sort of place no-one goes.
We won’t bore you will all the details, after all there are over 200 different things that effect how your website ranks, we’ll just focus on the most important part of where you are now.
Changing the cover is your aim here, changing the look and feel of it is your aim, replacing the content within it isn’t.
Many people, when they build a new website will completely scrap all the old content, pages and blog posts – swapping them out with new stuff, redirecting the old pages or just leaving it to do whatever it does.
The most important thing about any new Northampton website design is to ensure all of the old pages and url’s are either moved to the new website or are redirected to new pages, talking about similar things.
A client of ours paid an astronomical amount for a website designer in Northampton to rebuild their website. They removed thousands of pages of content that were ranking on Google and getting traffic and customers. So the customer lost over 90% of their traffic and leads overnight.
Your website is now live.
This is where the fun begins and your hard work starts to pay off, hopefully anyway.
Once again though, check everything, especially all the forms and checkouts.
Fancy a Chat About Your Needs?
In times where most people do almost every task online, ranging from finding a restaurant in their locality to getting information about how to groom their dogs, having a web presence has become essential for businesses.
The Internet has opened a new world of opportunities for businesses and to make the most out of it, your business requires a website with a design that is attractive and appealing to the visitors.
Websites represent companies and have the ability to determine whether or not users will be receptive to them.
But, is just having an appealing Northampton web design for your website enough for your business?
The answer is a certain- No!
You may have an attractive web design, but how in the “world wide web” are you supposed to get any traffic and generate conversions if people are not reaching to it?
With more than 60 trillion pages online, showing up for a new business website anywhere on the first result page of search engines (such as Google and Yahoo) is no small task.
People will only see the design of your website when they will reach to your website; assume your website with a good Northampton web design to be like a museum with attractive artefacts, but tourists can only have a look at its collection when they arrive there.
The job of getting the tourists to the website is done by the “guide” and the guide here that brings the visitors is “SEO”.
It might sound simple enough, but SEO incorporates several factors, and it’s evolving as times passes by.
Web sites that do not appear on the first page of search engine results when people carry out searches can be regarded as non-existent among internet users.
This is why you need to ensure that your site ranks highly with the help of SEO so that search engines place your site higher than your competitors. SEO includes a variety of factors and plays a critical role in web design.
At the same time, the value of a well-designed website is often underestimated by many when thinking about the success of their website.
This is because when considering SEO, most people think of their rankings and how to get more traffic.
Clients often get surprised after discovering that incorporating SEO into the web designing process is often vital to the success of their online business.
A professional Northampton web design company can optimise your website design by implementing SEO techniques in the process, so that your website provides the optimum result.
If you are a business that wishes to excel, then you should consider seeking help from a professional website company that specialise in SEO compatible web-design.
Along with specialising in the usual SEO techniques (which is our forte) the professionals at dapa marketing are also are on their “A-game” when it comes to web designing.
As a marketing agency, our team at dapa consist of SEO specialists, project managers, a content team, and of course the best website designers in the area.
Our team will ensure that your website not only has a brilliant design for conversion purposes but is also optimised for great SEO.
This means that your website will be more than just a pretty face; it will also include all the right techniques for high rankings, just like a “beauty with brains”.
How SEO and Web Design Work Together?
Web design and SEO both work best together just like “Batman and Robin” to rescue business from the problems they face in terms of sustaining on the internet “Gotham”.
This is why almost every Northampton web designer is choosing to integrate SEO when designing websites.
It is important for business owners to be aware of how important SEO is in web design and the value it adds to the design process.
A Northampton web design that is SEO friendly is likely to draw more traffic. “Everything that glitters in not gold” and it is true for websites as well.
If a website is attractive and dazzling but is not search-engine friendly, it won’t get the top rankings in the result pages of search engines and eventually would fail to be profitable.
This is where our team of web designers and SEO experts come into play by providing web design that is SEO compatible.
We incorporate state of the art SEO techniques in Northampton web design process, ensuring that you have the best possible Internet presence and top rankings on search engines.
Everything about your website – including the content, the way it looks, and the way it works – is determined by the web design.
Web designing is a process of conceptualising, planning, and building a collection of electronic files that determine the layout, colours, text styles, structure, images, graphics and use of interactive features that deliver pages to your site visitors.
You may well be thinking to have a website with a decent design, and that’s the end of it.
The team at dapa Marketing are here to tell you that only the best will suffice when it comes to the design of your website.
In order to gain top rankings and use search engines to provide you with maximum opportunities, you will need to ensure that your website has a custom top notch design, and there are many factors which you may not have yet attended to.
There is no doubt that of course, the look of a website is of course a high priority.
In order to ensure that potential clients are interested in a company, their first impression of the website is of prime importance.
In fact, it only takes visitors 0.05 seconds to form an opinion on your website and they are as good as “Sherlock Holmes” when it comes to their observation skills.
The website will need to use modern trends, have an appealing design, be relevant to the targeted search terms, be clear for users, and you will need to ensure that your conversion optimisation is also good.
For a novice on websites that is already a long list of must-haves for the design and it can be confusing.
We at dapa tend to assist such business owners with our experience and expertise in providing complete web solutions which include web design, web development, internet marketing, SEO, search engine marketing, and internet marketing services.
We believe in quality and commitment.
Hence, we assure you that we shall continuously strive to deliver a world-class web design and the best possible SEO service experience.
We understand that Northamptonshire web designing also consists of other aspects which also add to the end result of a good or bad ranking.
This includes ensuring that the conversion rate is optimised, making sure that the website design is at maximum usability for the users and of course constantly keeping an eye on the entire workings of the website.
If a website looks good but performs badly, this can be a major setback for a company’s online resources.
The workings of a website involve anything from the speed to the links, and a large number of other different variables.
If a website doesn’t work as efficiently as a client wants, this can be due to the high bounce rate and annoyed visitors. If your own website is not at maximum usability, odds are that your will lose out on potential clients.
Therefore, we at dapa not only provide bespoke website design solutions but also offer redesigning services.
We will always give you help with your website and will be happy to offer any advice regarding the optimisation of your onsite materials.
We specialised in providing such exclusive web design services through conceptualisations, planning, modelling and executing your ideas in a better way strategically.
When you are hiring a web designer to create a website for you, there are specific items you need to be aware of.
These are things that normally wouldn’t cross your mind. For the average person who wants a website or blog for their Northamptonshire business, they are after only one thing-sale.
Now, they may tell your web design agency that you want the big flashy logos, or the overdone textures/gradients, but it is the job of a well-skilled web designer to steer their clients in the right direction and provide the best solutions.
In recent times, we’ve seen an explosion of great grid layouts and CSS files.
Following after the structure and balance of a great magazine/newspaper, these grid systems help lay out information in a structured and easy to follow format which is easier to understand for visitors.
We’ve all seen these types of websites before where they have 10+ boxes, all different sizes, nothing lining up properly and not one piece that actually grabs your attention because you’ve just ran into a whirlwind of craziness.
And this doesn’t feel like the craziness the kids experience upon opening the cupboard in the movie “Narnia”, but rather a boring one.
If you want a website for your business that sells one specific product, ensure that’s the focus is on the home page.
Allow yourself space on the inner pages to place calls to action for that specific item.
If you’re building a blog that gives out freebies or writes tutorials, make sure they’re getting the proper amount of focus and attention.
For example Websites like WOO Themes do a great job in putting forward what their main focus is – Wordpress themes.
If you’re going to try and make money from your website, do yourself a favour and lay off the excessive advertisements that make your website look like a billboard.
If your page loads and has 80% ads and only 20% content, it is more likely that people will leave and never come back.
Making your ads the #1 priority is a bad idea.
Try blending them in and making sure they don’t take away the attention from the content of your website.
Knowing what your readers or visitors emotions are will enable you in choosing the proper colour scheme.
You won’t want a bright and ‘loud’ colour scheme if your website design is in the meditation niche.
You’ll notice that most punk rock bands have vibrant colour schemes including pink, yellow, black and blue, while a medical website will generally stick with a lighter, more ‘open’ colour scheme.
Find the right colour scheme (maximum 5 colours) and see how much better your designs turn out.
It’s a proven fact that sign up forms with more than 3 items (usually – name, email & one other item) will have a significantly lower sign up rate than the easier forms.
People hate doing things for too long, while some of us are just too lazy and therefore are probably looking for easy solutions online, so don’t over complicate things.
Make things as easy as possible for your readers by assuming that a 5-year-old will be viewing it.
It definitely helps get things out in the open where they need to be.
Your readers shouldn’t spend 40-50 seconds trying to figure out where the contact or about page is.
They also shouldn’t have to click through three pages just to get to a sign-up form.
Get the important things out in the open.
For the items that aren’t required to have a strong focus on your website, you might want to invest in a search box.
The world may tell you that people don’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s not true for websites.
The first thing people see is the web design you’re branded with. That first impression better be a good one.
Utilise textures/gradients that give your website depth and draws attention to the beauty of your design.
If there’s one point we wish to reiterate then that is the fact that visitors are impatient.
You need to build your website with optimal speeds and allow your page to load in around 1-2 seconds.
In modern times where most people do almost every task online, a web design agency has never had such an important role.
With tasks ranging from finding a restaurant to getting information about how to groom their dogs, having a web presence has become essential for all businesses to interact with customers.
But, is just having an appealing web design for your website enough for your business?
People will only see the design of your website when they will reach to your website; assume your website with a good web design to be like a museum with attractive artefacts, but tourists can only have a look at its collection when they arrive there.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a prime aspect of internet marketing – in a nutshell it “is the act of optimising a website through various strategies to boost natural search engine listings.” It might sound simple enough, but SEO incorporates several factors, and it’s evolving as times passes by.
This is why you need to ensure that your site ranks highly with the help of SEO so that search engines place your site higher than your competitors.
SEO includes a variety of factors and plays a critical role in web design.
A professional web design agency can optimise your website design by implementing SEO techniques in the process, so that your website provides the optimum result.
This is why almost every web design agency is choosing to integrate SEO when designing websites.
A web design that is SEO friendly is likely to draw more traffic. “Everything that glitters in not gold” and it is true for websites as well.
We incorporate state of the art SEO techniques in custom web design process, ensuring that you have the best possible Internet presence and top rankings on search engines.
There is no doubt that of course, the look of a website is of course a high priority. In order to ensure that potential clients are interested in a company, their first impression of the website is of prime importance.
We understand that web designing also consists of other aspects which also add to the end result of a good or bad ranking.
If a website doesn’t work as efficiently as a client wants, this can be due to the high bounce rate and annoyed visitors.
If your own website is not at maximum usability, odds are that your will lose out on potential clients.
Therefore, we at dapa not only provide bespoke websites solutions but also offer redesigning services.
We specialise in providing such exclusive web design services through conceptualisation, planning, modelling and executing your ideas in a better way strategically.
These are things that normally wouldn’t cross your mind. For the average person who wants a website or blog for their business, they are after only one thing-sale.
In recent times, we’ve seen an explosion of great grid layouts and CSS files. Following after the structure and balance of a great magazine/newspaper, these grid systems help lay out information in a structured and easy to follow format which is easier to understand for visitors.
We’ve all seen these types of websites before where they have 10+ boxes, all different sizes, nothing lining up properly and not one piece that actually grabs your attention because you’ve just ran into a whirlwind of craziness. And this doesn’t feel like the craziness the kids experience upon opening the cupboard in the movie “Narnia”, but rather a boring one.
Allow yourself space on the inner pages to place calls to action for that specific item. If you’re building a blog that gives out freebies or writes tutorials, make sure they’re getting the proper amount of focus and attention.
For example Websites like WOO Themes do a great job in putting forward what their main focus is –Wordpress themes.
You won’t want a bright and ‘loud’ colour scheme if your website is in the meditation niche. You’ll notice that most punk rock bands have vibrant colour schemes including pink, yellow, black and blue, while a medical website will generally stick with a lighter, more ‘open’ colour scheme.
Make things as easy as possible for your readers by assuming that a 5-year-old will be viewing it. It definitely helps get things out in the open where they need to be.
They also shouldn’t have to click through three pages just to get to a sign-up form. Get the important things out in the open.
The first thing people see is the web design you’re branded with.
That first impression better be a good one.
What can dapa do for you?
If you’ve reached this section of the text, we’ll assume that you’re pretty much interested in our web designing services.
Unlike other SEO and web designing companies, we do not show our clients dreams that are too good to be true.
Neither do we pretend that we know more about your company than you do.
If anyone offers you such services, they are likely to be boasting without any credibility.
For us, honesty and client satisfaction is everything.
Every client is being handled by our respective project coordinators who are well experienced and command good communication skills to understand your requirements.
At dapa, we also keep our clients in the loop throughout the progression of their website designing process.
If any issues occur, we will always be on hand to answer any questions regarding your website and provide suitable solutions.
It also means that our aims are realistic and you know where you stand at all times.
dapa has a fantastic reputation for providing top notch web designing services to clients ranging from one man brands, to fully fledged nation-wide companies.
No job is too small or big for our experts.
Regardless of the scale of the project, we can get your website ranking, looking and working brilliantly to ensure that your business reaches new heights of success and keeps on growing.
If you need any help with website designing, it is best to leave it to the professionals. Contact dapa website design agency on 0800 634 3007 now to find out more about our services.
You might be offering a great product or service, but if the design of your website is shoddy, it is going to hurt your brand.
If your website has an elegant design, it will assist you in holding your customer’s attention for enough time, wherein you can lure them to make a purchase with the content of your site.
Along with a creative design, we look to ensure that the site is easy to use which signifies that your brand is modern, useful and service-oriented.
By creating user-friendly pages, we strive to create a feeling of trust for the website in the minds of potential customers, so that they are more likely to contact you.
Your website directly reflects your brand, instead of being overwhelmed, think of it as having control over how your visitors perceive your company.
The fact is more and more people are doing their shopping online these days.
As a creative company, when we design a website that is responsive and mobile friendly, we help our clients in reaching out to a larger target audience.
This way we assist them in attracting people who do not always have access to computers.
By creating an effective web design, we help our clients capitalise on the latest technology so as to attract as many new customers as possible.
Creating art is beautiful, but that does not make it functional.
The websites we create strive to achieve a marriage of both art and functionality.
Sometimes you appreciate the value of a well-designed site only when you see a bad one.
A beautiful website will help reel in more potential customers, but practical aesthetics will convert it into solid action.
It is no longer possible to stuff keywords into content which was perhaps the norm earlier to game Google rankings.
Articles have to be relevant. There is no point in rehashing a similar type of article again and again and expect to gain traction with search engines.
The priority now is to create original content. Originality is achieved through creativity.
We strive to come up with creative strategies and look to make stories out of boring text.
Creative, original content will give you the strongest chance to achieve high search engine rankings.
Our creative writers can transform a piece of writing into engaging, engrossing and entertaining content, the kind that tugs onto your customer’s purse strings.
Is a well designed website all you need to fulfil all your conversion objectives?
Nope. That just constitutes half of the overall work you are required to do to make your website a high performance one.
Prospective customers will only land on your website if you are visible to them.
To achieve this visibility, you need to do online marketing, especially SEO and that’s where DAPA can really help you stand out amongst your competition.
SEO is the process of using techniques that drive free traffic to your website from search engines.
Of course greater traffic by itself is no guarantee for conversions. It is like any retail store, once the customers land at your doorstep you still need to make efforts to convince them to buy things.
But having a lot of customers is still preferable than having less or no customers, isn’t it?
The good thing about SEO is that it places your business on the most attractive location in the online web, which is a search engine.
More importantly the customers you attract to your website via SEO are all qualified leads, people who were looking for you or businesses like you, so they already have an established interest or need in the products or service you are offering.
The fact is SEO has one of the best ROI’s amongst all forms of advertising and marketing.
It definitely rewards you much more than all forms of offline marketing.
The main reason for this is SEO is an inbound advertising strategy.
It helps you to locate customers that are already on the lookout for a service or product you provide.
They find your business when they are searching for something you offer: you do not have to irritate them in the middle of their favourite TV show or annoy them by placing a large ad in the midst of a news article they were reading.
You do not have to worry about convincing your customers to buy your products all you need to do is make them feel that your business provides them with the solution they were seeking.
Basically 50% of your task is already completed by the time a user lands on your website through SEO.
You need to be located high on a SERP, when customers are on the lookout for products that you are offering.
This gives you visibility, but that is not the only reason why you should be placed high, just so that a customer clicks on your website.
By being ranked high in your business niche you are displaying the authority of your brand in the domain you operate to prospective customers.
Searchers very rarely search for just one term and then click on the first link they see or like.
Usually they click on a few sites, edit their search terms, search again, click on a few websites, further edit their search terms, search again and so on.
If your business is visible every time a user makes an edited search, it reinforces the value of your brand in their minds, making it increasingly likely that they pick you.
How we go about helping our clients with their SEO?
The most important part about doing SEO is creating a unique strategy that is tailored to the requirements of the target audience of a particular business.
There are no one size fits all magical solution when it comes to SEO, at least not one that we are aware of and our advice would be to extremely wary about firms offering such solutions.
We always take into consideration a couple of factors before deciding on the final SEO strategy we want to employ on a particular website.
An important part of devising a strategy involves understanding the niche in which a business is operating along with the type of content Google or any other major search engine wants to return in its SERPs.
Also, we never sacrifice the long-term objectives of our clients we are working with just to deliver short-term results.
Through algorithm updates (Google Panda and Penguin), Google has ensured that nobody can manipulate SERP rankings through the use of spammy SEO techniques.
So our focus is to rank high on SERPs not just for the short term but to help a business fulfil its long term objectives through the use of white hat SEO techniques that include creating a unique content strategy and providing customers with a fantastic user experience.
Depending on the type of products or services offered by a business, you have to build a website that precisely incorporates the essence of it.
Also, ensure that the site has ample of space for Call To Action buttons and for the visitors to make comments.
While constructing the site you have to keep in mind the colours a client wants to incorporate within its brand and design the site in a way that communicates the message of the brand efficiently.
The colour palate must not be too loud or bright, however, if the client has such kind of brand image then such colours can be incorporated in the site within a reasonable limit.
Other than that, observe the general colours that are used by other businesses of the same nature and use them in your site while adding colour to less significant spaces.
Businesses are faced with the problem of trying to attract customers with limited attention span these days, the kind who do not want to spend too much time trying to understand complicated websites.
So it is mandatory to keep the website and all its pages easily accessible as well as simple to scan.
The content added on the website must be such that it is easy to spot, read and understand.
If you have some companies wanting to place ads on your website or blog, then ensure that you don’t go quite overboard with that.
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Dinorah Lawson rides the frozen snowy nationals course in Bend, Oregon.
Jan 1 B&L Group Ride - Climb Palomar for New Year's Day - Meet 8:45 and Depart 9:00 From Lake Wohlford, Escondido.
12/29 - Ready to Race in 2010? Racing calendar is updated - pick your poison.
12/20 - SCPS #15/Finals, Santa Cross, Woodland Hills - Celo Pacific won the Team Competition for the 15-race series. Congrats everyone who raced and contributed! Individual 2009 Series Winners: Brent Prenzlow (Elite Men 1/2/3), James Walsh (Men 3/4), Jesus Ortega (Unofficial Men 4), Drew Campagine (Junior Men 10-14), Mark Campaigne (Single speed 3/4). OVERALL Individual & Team Standings.
Santa Cross indiv results - Elite Men - 2nd, Brent Prenzlow; Elite Women - 12th, Annette Padilla; Men 3/4 - 1st, James Walsh, 6th, Mark Campaigne; Masters 35+ 1/2/3 - 1st, Brent Prenzlow, 7th, Ben Jones; 35+ 3/4 - 8th, David Lawson, 22nd, David Williams, 25th, Jesus Ortega; W35+ - 6th, Dinorah Lawson, 9th Annette Padilla, 10th, Pey-Lih Littler; Singlespeed 1/2/3 - 8th, Thad Sparrow; SS 3/4 - 5th, Mark Campaigne, 11th, Annette Padilla; Youth - 3rd, Jameson Campaigne; 10-14 - 7th, Drew Campagine; Cat 4 - 17th, Jesus Ortega, 18th, David Williams. Full results here. Race Report here. Photos by the Lawson's here.
12/19 - Racers & Chasers, MTB XC at Balboa Park/San Diego - Laurie Tremor, 1st (W Sport 40-49); Brent Prenzlow 1st (Pro Men); Dan Breyer, 5th (Expert 30-39); Jack Guenther 1st (Beg Men 60+). Full results here.
12/16 - New Photo Set from Adams Ave CX by Richard Murphy.
12/14 - Toys for Tots club ride is Saturday December 19th (Northbound route). Please bring an unwrapped toy with you on the club ride and we will drop them all off at the front gate of Camp Pendleton as we ride through. Thanks for your support and participation. Click here for more info about Toys for Tots.
12/10-13 - Cyclocross Nationals, Bend Oregon - Masters 65-69 - Lee Willmore, 10th; Single speed - Brent Prenzlow, 14th, Lee Willmore, 89th & Annette Padilla, 90th; Women Masters 40-44 - Dinorah Lawson, 36th & Annette Padilla, 43rd; Masters 40-44 - Brent Prenzlow, 15th & David Lawson, 118th; Elite Women - Annette Padilla, 87th. Full results here. Photos - Annette Padilla in the SS race. 40-44 Mens start on pavement. Lawson runs the stairs.
12/13 - Tom's Farm Time Trial - Paul Miller (50+) 2nd (21:08).
Delivery will be late February 2010. Artwork is not yet available, however the clothing will be similar to 2009.
12/9 - SCPS CX Team competition - Celo Pacific is still leading the team competition with one race to go. Make sure to attend the finals (Santa Cross) so we can hold our lead & receive the team trophy. Check out the standings here (Team Standings tab on bottom).
12/9 - Best of San Diego Cyclocross - Overall top pts from Anza, Storm the Beach and Adams Ave races: Mens 1/2/3: Brent Prenzlow; Men 3/4: James Walsh; SS 3/4: Mark Campagine; 35+ 3/4: David Lawson; Youth: Jameson Campagine. Congrats to all our Celo Pacific winners!
12/6 - Piru Time Trial - Paul Miller (55+) 1st (29:46).
12/6 - SCPS #14: Adams Ave 'Cross, Balboa Park/San Diego - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (Elite 1/2/3) & 1st with Ben Jones 4th (M35+ 1/2/3); James Walsh 1st, Mark Campagine 10th, Dan Breyer 19th (3/4); David Lawson, 3rd, Tony Kowalczyk 21st & David Williams 22nd (M35+ 3/4); Pey-Lih Littler, 7th & Annette Padilla, 8th, (W 1/2/3); Dinorah Lawson, 3rd, Annette Padilla 5th, and Clare Campaigne 7th (W35+); Richard Murphy 14th (45+); Mark Campaigne 5th (SS 3/4). Clarissa Ortega 4th (Girls 10-14); Jameson Campagine, 1st (Youth); Sean Haney 10th, Ben Littler 20th, David Williams 22nd, and Jesus Ortega 23rd (Cat 4); Michael Mogiello 6th, Matthew Wier 7th, & Drew Campagine 11th (10-14); Pey-Lih Littler 9th & Cherry Deolaso 11th (W 3/4). Full results here. Photo Set from Adams Ave CX by Richard Murphy.
12/1 - Convert Cross Photos by Lee Willmore here, More by Ed Garcia here, and by Richard Murphy posted here.
11/29 - SCPS #13: Turkey Trot 'Cross, Glendale - Brent Prenzlow, 3rd (Elite 1/2/3); Jeff Sanford, 4th, Ben Jones, 8th (M35+ 1/2/3); David Lawson, 6th (M35+ 3/4); Mark Campaigne, 8th, Andrew Dickinson 10th, Dan Breyer 24th (3/4); Annette Padilla, 10th, Pey-Lih Littler 11th (W 1/2/3); Dinorah Lawson 10th, Clare Campaigne 11th, Annette Padilla 13th, Cherry Deolaso 14th (W35+); Pey-Lih Littler 16th (W 3/4); Lee Willmore, 18th, Jim Cushing-murray, 19th (55+). Full results here.
11/26 - Tom's Farm Time Trial - Paul Miller (50+) 4th (20:35).
11/22 - SCPS #12: Convert Cross, SCNCA District Championships - Brent Prenzlow (Silver medal, Elite 1/2/3); Jeff Sanford (Silver medal, M40-44); Dinorah Lawson (Bronze medal, W40-44); Ben Jones 4th (M35-39), Annette Padilla, 4th (W40-44) & 9th (W 1/2/3); Lee Willmore 4th (M60+); David Lawson 13th, Richard Murphy 16th (M40-44), James Walsh 7th, Mark Campaigne 8th, Dan Breyer 16th (Cat 3); Clare Campaigne 5th (W40-44), Drew Campaigne 2nd (10-12); Jameson Campaigne 1st (Youth). CXMagazine Race Report here.
11/15 - Urban CX #4, Torrence - Annette Padilla, 4th (1-3); Jesus Ortega, 6th (Cat 4); David Williams 9th (45+); Lee Willmore, 3rd (55+); Thad Sparrow, 2nd (SS A); Pey-Lih Littler 5th, Kimberly Huynh, 6th (W3/4). Full results here.
11/15 - SCPS #10: San Luis Obispo - Jeff Sanford 2nd (M35+ 1/2/3); David Lawson, 6th (M35+ 3/4); Dinorah Lawson, 7th (W35+).
11/14 - Santiago Cyn Time Trial - Paul Miller (50+) 2nd (29:19).
11/14 - 12 Hrs of Temecula #2 (Mtb) - Heith Masters 8th beginner men solo, Andrew Dickinson 3rd singlespeed solo. results here.
11/10 - 2010 Membership form pdf is posted and ready for your submission.
11/8 - SCPS #10: Bakersfield, Day 2 - Brent Prenzlow, 5th (1/2/3); Mark Campaigne 10th (3/4); Annette Padilla, 5th (W 1/2/3); Jeff Sanford 2nd, Ben Jones 4th (M35+ 1/2/3); Mark Campaigne 5th (SS 3/4); David Lawson 11th (35+ 3/4); Clare Campaigne 4th, Annette Padilla 5th (W35+); Drew Campagine, 3rd (Jr); Jameson Campaigne 1st (Youth). Full results here. Race Report here. Photo set by David Lawson. Photo set by Ben Jones.
11/7 - SCPS #9: Bakersfield, Day 1 - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (1/2/3) & 1st (Singlespeed 1/2/3); James Walsh, 1st, Mark Campaigne 4th, Ryan Weeger 13th (3/4); Annette Padilla, 9th (W 1/2/3); Jeff Sanford 4th (M35+ 1/2/3); Mark Campaigne 3rd (SS 3/4); David Lawson 6th (35+ 3/4); Clare Campaigne 5th, Annette Padilla 6th (W35+); Jesus Ortega 4th, David Williams 5th (Cat 4); Drew Campagine, 2nd (Jr); Jameson Campaigne 1st (Youth). Full results here.
11/5 - Storm The Beach Cyclocross Photo Set by Richard Murphy posted.
11/4 - A Cyclocross Century: Brent Prenzlow rolls to 100th Win - CX Magazine article.
11/3 - Storm The Beach recap - A Huge Thank You to Mark Campaigne, race director! This race would not be possible without him! Mark adds, "THANK YOU to all the volunteers and racers today who helped make our event such a success. Congrats to Brent Prenzlow on his 100th Elite Cyclocross win! Great job to all."
11/1 - SCPS #8: Storm The Beach, Oceanside - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (1/2/3); James Walsh, 1st, Mark Campaigne 6th, Andrew Dickenson 10th, Ryan Weeger 17th, Dan Breyer 19th (3/4); Annette Padilla, 13th (W 1/2/3); Ben Jones, 2nd, Jeff Sanford 5th, Phillip Gray 8th (M35+ 1/2/3); Ben Jones 1st, Mark Campaigne 2nd, Jeff Sigua 15th (SS 3/4); Mark Hoover 8th (SS 1/2/3); David Lawson 4th (35+ 3/4); Dinorah Lawson 5th, Annette Padilla 9th (W35+); Grant Chu 18th, Richard Murphy 21st (45+); Andrew Dickinson 3rd, David Williams 13th, Tony Kowalczyk 19th, Jesus Ortega 20th (Cat 4). Full results here. New -> Elliott and Prenzlow Master the Sand at Socal's Storm The Beach by David Lawson.
10/25 - Urban CX #3, Santiago Cyn - Annette Padilla, 5th (1-3); Brent Prenzlow, 1st (Elite Men Pro-Open). Full results coming soon.
10/24 - SCPS #7: Spooky Cross, Irvine - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (1/2/3) & 1st (SS 1/2/3); Annette Padilla 14th (W1/2/3) & 9th (35+); Mark Campaigne 12th (3/4); Leigh Adams 11th, Berlinda Cordova-Weir 17th (W3/4); Ryan Weeger 14th (Cat 4); Thad Sparrow 10th (SS 1/2/3); Mark Campaigne 3rd (SS 3/4); Jameson Campaigne 4th (U10); Matt Weir 9th Drew Campagine 10th (10-14); Lee Willmore 14th (55+); Richard Murphy 9th (45+); Dinorah Lawson 5th, Annette Padilla 9th, Clare Campagine 10th (W35+); Ben Jones 12th (M35+ 1/2/3); David Lawson 17th (35+ 3/4) Race report here. Full results here!
10/22 - SCPS Overall Standings & Team competition - Celo Pacific is currently leading the team competition & several Indiv cats! Check out the standings here (Team tab on bottom). Keep it up!!
10/20 - Updated Flyer for Storm The Beach Cyclocross has been posted.
10/18 - SCPS #6: Eldorado Park, Long Beach - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (1/2/3) & 1st (SS 1/2/3); James Walsh, 2nd (3/4); Annette Padilla 11th (W1/2/3); Jeff Sanford, 3rd, Ben Jones, 11th & Alex Ter-Vrugt 12th (35+ 1/2/3); Mark Campaigne, 1st (SS 3/4); Dave Lawson 17th (35+ 3/4); Leigh Adams 8th & Pey-Lih Littler 18th (W 3/4); Dinorah Lawson, 8th, Clare Campaigne 10th & Annette Padilla 11th (W 35+); Lee Willmore 13th (55+); Ryan Weeger 8th, Jesus Ortega 22nd & David Williams 23rd (Cat 4) . Full results here.
10/18 - Tom's Farm Time Trial - Paul Miller (50+) 3rd (20:38).
10/16 - Club Meeting and breakfast/lunch - this Saturday at the Grand Deli after the group ride. Don't miss it!
10/11 - Fiesta Island Time Trial, San Diego - Paul Miller (50+) 6th at 28:24. Matt Bigos (1/2/3) 7th (32:53) and Mike Coday (3/4) 7th (28:40). Full results here.
10/11 - SCPS #5: Bonelli Park, San Dimas - Jeff Sanford, 2nd & Phillip Gray 9th (M35+ 1/2/3); James Walsh, 1st & Mark Campagine 8th (3/4); Mark Campaigne, 1st (SS 3/4); Dave Lawson 5th (35+ 3/4); Dinorah Lawson 6th (W 1/2/3); David Williams 17th & Jesus Ortega 19th (Cat 4); Drew Campaigne 3rd (10-14); Dinorah Lawson 6th & Clare Campaigne 7th (W 35+) . Full results here.
10/11 - Urban CX #2, Palos Verdes Estates - Thad Sparrow, 1st (Single Speed); Annette Padilla, 3rd (1-3) & 4th (3/4); Brent Prenzlow, 1st (Elite Men Pro-Open). Full results here.
10/10 - SCPS #4: Bonelli Park, San Dimas - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (1/2/3) & 1st (SS 1/2/3); Jeff Sanford, 1st, Phillip Gray 6th & Alex Ter-Vrugt 7th (M35+ 1/2/3); James Walsh, 1st (3/4); Annette Padilla 12th (W1/2/3); Mark Campaigne, 3rd (SS 3/4); Dave Lawson 5th (35+ 3/4); Leigh Adams 8th & Kimberly Huynh 10th (W 3/4); David Williams 11th & Jesus Ortega 14th (Cat 4); Dinorah Lawson 4th, Annette Padilla 7th, and Clare Campagine 8th (W 35+); Drew Campaigne 2nd (10-14). Full results here.
10/10 - Santiago Cyn Time Trial - Paul Miller (50+) 3rd (29:12).
10/9 - New Photo Set from Velocity Cross by Richard Murphy!
10/4 - SCPS #3: Live Oak Cyn Park, Orange - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (1/2/3) & 1st (SS 1/2/3); Jeff Sanford, 1st (M35+ 1/2/3); James Walsh, 3rd (3/4); Laurie Tremor, 3rd (W35+); Annette Padilla 9th (W1/2/3) and 11th (W35+); Dave Lawson 9th (35+ 3/4); Mark Campaigne, 1st (SS 3/4). Full results coming soon... James' Race report.
9/27 - SCPS #2: Cahuilla Creek MX Park, Anza - Brent Prenzlow 1st men-1/2/3; Lee Wilmore 6th singlespeed-1/2/3 and 7th 55+; Annette Padilla 3rd women-1/2/3 and 6th w35+; Phillip Gray 3rd and Alex Ter-Vrugt 5th 35+ 1/2/3; Mark Campaigne 2nd men-3/4 and 2nd singlespeed 3/4; Andrew Dickinson 7th men-3/4 and 5th men-4; Dave Lawson 3rd 35+ 3/4; Leigh Adams 1st women-3/4; Richard Murphy 8th 45+; Dinorah Lawson 2nd, Laurie Tremor 3rd, Clare Campaigne 4th, and Berlinda Weir 7th women 35+; Matt Weir 1st and Drew Campaigne 2nd Jr boys 10-14; Jameson 1st youth U10. Race report on cxmagazine! Full results here.
9/23 - CrossVegas, Las Vegas, NV - Brent Prenzlow, 38th (Elite Men). Full results/report here.
9/20 - Urban CX #1, Ken Malloy Park (Harbor City) - Brent Prenzlow, 1st (Elite Men Pro-Open); Mark Campaigne, 2nd & Phillip Gray 5th (Masters 35+ 1/2/3); Annette Padilla, 1st (Elite Women) & 3rd (Women 3/4); Full results here.
9/20 - US Cup Unification MTB Race, San Dimas - James Walsh, 1st (Cat 1 30-34). Jeff Sanford, 3rd (Cat 1 SS). Race report here. Full results here.
9/19 - SoCal CX Prestige Series (SCPS) #1, San Dimas - Brent Prenzlow, 2nd (Elite Men); Jeff Sanford, 5th (Masters 35+ 1/2/3); James Walsh, 2nd (Men 3/4); David Lawson, 9th (Masters 35+ 3/4); Mark Campaigne, 2nd (SS 3/4); Dinorah Lawson, 4th (W 35+); Matthew Weir, 5th (Junior 10-14). Full results here.
9/19 - Mt Charleston Hill Climb, Las Vegas - Matt Sheremeta won the Cat 4 race.
9/17 - Storm The Beach Flyer is now available - 2009 Race Flyer (pdf).
9/14 - Cyclocross Starts This Weekend! - The local cyclocross schedule has been updated on our racing calendar.
9/13 - Fiesta Island Time Trial, San Diego - Matt Bigos, 8th (Cat 4/5), Scott English, 18th (40-49), Annette Padilla, 6th (40-49). Full results here.
9/5 - Harlan Ranch Criterium, Clovis - David Lawson took 7th in the 35+ 4/5's.
9/4 - Hellyer Velodrome Track race, San Jose - Charles Cushman 5th (3/4 Omnium) & 4th (3/4 Pts Race).
9/1 - Ben Jones rode all the famous Tour climbs in the Alps on the "La Marmotte" route - Check out his trip report here.
8/30 - Rim Nordic Mtb XC #4/Finals - James Walsh 1st (Cat 1 30-34), Mark Campaigne 4th (cat1 40-44); Beth Gerdes 1st (Cat 2W 19-29); Andrew Dickinson 1st (cat2 singlespeed); Jeff Sigua 1st (cat 3 25-29); Heith Masters 4th (cat3 30-34); Clare Campaigne 2nd (cat 3W, 40+); Drew Campaigne 1st (10&under). James, Andrew, Heith, Jeff, and Drew were also overall series winner's for their categories. Full results. James' Race Report.
8/23 - Ontario 5 Criterium - Jason Hock, 19th; Andrew Dickinson, 22nd (Cat 4) and 8th (Masters 30+ 4/5). Pey-Lih Littler, 22nd (W3/4). Full results here.
8/15 - Racers & Chasers Mtb XC, Cahuilla Creek Motocross Park (Anza) - Beat the Heat #3: Dave Lawson 1st (Beg 40-49); Annette Padilla 1st (Beg. Women 40-49).
8/10 - Unfortunately Randy Clark has passed - In his last days, Randy, an avid cyclist said, "Ride your bike like you mean it, and be aware of sun protection!" Don't forget your sunscreen and enjoy every ride. We will miss you!
8/8 - Mark Reynolds Rim Nordic MTB Stage Race - James Walsh 1st, XC (cat1 30-34); Griffith Vertican 1st Overall (cat1 30-34); Mark Campaigne 3rd Overall (cat1 40-44); Andrew Dickenson 1st Overall (cat2 Singlespeed); David Lawson 1st Overall (cat3 40-44); Heith Masters 1st Overall (cat3 30-34).
8/7 - Randy Clark Benefit Event - The Road to Roubaix will be shown MONDAY AUG 10th at Stone Brewery Escondido. Randy has adv liver cancer and is fighting for his life! Flyer is here.
7/26 - San Marcos Criterium - Chan Huynh, 26th (Cat 3); Pey-Lih Littler, 17th (Womens 3/4). Full results.
7/26 - Rim Nordic Mtb XC #2 - James Walsh 1st & Griffith Vertican 2nd (cat1 30-34); Ryan Weeger 3rd (cat1 25-29); Mark Campaigne 5th (cat1 40-44); Andrew Dickinson 1st (cat2 singlespeed); Drew Campaigne 1st (cat3 10&under); Jeff Sigua 2nd (cat3 25-29); Lee Wilmore 3rd (cat3 55+); Heith Masters 3rd (cat3 30-34); Clare Campaigne 3rd (cat3 women 40+). Full results. Photos by Jeff.
7/19 - Ontario GP Criterium - Andrew Dickinson, 20th (Cat 4) and 19th (Masters 30+ 4/5). Full results here.
7/12 - CA Mtb State Series #8, Big Bear - Griffith Vertican 2nd (Expert 30-34). Full race results here + Final Series results are here.
7/4 - Racers & Chasers Mtb XC, Cahuilla Creek Motocross Park (Anza) - Beat the Heat #2: Ryan Weeger, 2nd (Expert 20-29); James Walsh 4th (Expert 30-39); Annette Padilla 1st (Beg. Women 40-49). Full results here.
6/28 - CA Mtb State Series #7/Rim Nordic #1, Running Springs - Griffith Vertican 1st & James Walsh 2nd (cat1 30-34); Mark Campaigne 11th (cat1 40-44); Drew Campaigne 2nd (jrs 10&under); Heith Masters 2nd (cat3 30-34); Andrew Dickinson 3rd (cat2 SS); Lee Wilmore 4th (cat3 55+); Jeff Sigua 4th (cat3 25-29). Full results here. Photo set here.
6/28 - Mt Lemmon Hill Climb, Tuscon, AZ - Matt Sheremeta was 3rd (Cat 4). Full results here.
6/22 - Thanks to everyone who attended the club meeting and team photo - Click here to view.
6/21 - San Pedro Criterium - Glenn Masuda 17th (Cat 4). Full results here.
6/16 - SD Velodrome Tues Night Racing - John Genovese and David Lawson raced. John is working on his speed in the A's. David was 3rd overall in the 20 lap pts race (Cs) and is getting ready to move into the Bs.
6/13 - Ontario 4 Criterium - Andrew Dickinson won with Glenn Masuda 14th (Cat 4); Jason Hock 18th (Cat 3). In the Cat 4/5, Andrew Dickinson 16th & Charles Cushman 21st. Full results here.
6/13 - Palomar Challenge Hill Climb - Matt Sheremeta was 2nd overall racing up East Grade in miserable conditions; rain, fog, no visibility and very cold! Full results here.
6/13 - Racers & Chasers Mtb XC, Vail Lake (Temecula) - Beat the Heat #1: Griffith Vertican 1st and James Walsh 4th (Expert 30-39); Mark Campaigne 5th (Expert 40-49); Annette Padilla 1st (beg. women 40-49). Full results here Team Photo here.
6/12 - The 2nd '09 clothing order from Voler has arrived - David will be at the Parking lot where the Saturday ride starts, after the ride has ended. Approx 12:15 pm this Saturday June 13th to distribute clothing.
6/12 - Benefit Ride for Mike Trone - Mike was injured on his road bike on the Tuesday night Rancho Santa Fe Swami's ride. He was in a sprint, handlebars broke and face down into the pavement. Mike has NO insurance. There is a ride on Sunday June 14th, 8am at El Camino Bike. About 25-30 miles. Please attend and donate if you can help out.
6/7 - CA Mtb State Series #6, Santa Barbara - new member James Walsh won the Cat 1, 30-34. Congrats and welcome to the team - race report here. Full results here.
6/6 - SCNCA District Road Race Championships, Bakersfield, CA - Brent Prenzlow was 7th in the Masters 40+, and Griffith Vertican finished 18th in the Masters 30+. Full results here.
6/2 - SD Velodrome Tues Night Racing - John Genovese moved up to As and represented well (results coming) and in the cat Cs, David Lawson placed 3rd (Win-and-Out), 3rd (Pts race), and 4th (Temp).
5/31 - CA Mtb State Series #5, Big Bear - Griffith Vertican 2nd (cat 1, 30-34); Mark Campaigne 7th (cat 1, 40-44); Annette Padilla 11th (cat 2 Single speed) WSS Podium; Drew Campaigne 5th (Junior <=10); Matt Weir 8th (Junior 11-12). Full Results here.
5/29 - SD Velodrome "Fri Sprint Night" - Charles W. Cushman III took 2nd place in the cat B sprints. Come on out and join him next time!
5/26 - San Diego Velodrome Tues Night Racing - John Genovese won the "Win-and-Out" (cat B) and Charles W. Cushman III won the "unknown distance" and points race (cat C/D).
5/24 - Barry Wolfe Memorial Criterium, Woodland Hills - Glenn Masuda was 12th (Cat 4). Full results here.
5/23 - SCNCA District Time Trial Championships, Lake Los Angeles, CA - Annette Padilla was a bronze medalist today (40-44) in 1:06:52. In the Cat 4s, Jason Habeger was 27th (54:47) and Matt Bigos was 43rd (1:01:52). Full results here.
5/23 - Palm Bluffs Criterium, Fresno - David Lawson took 13th in the 35+ 4/5's after his two-up break was caught with one lap to go. Dinorah Lawson did her first ever race on the road and ended up 14th in the Women's 1/2/3/4.
5/19 - San Diego Velodrome Tues Night Racing - John Genovese won the B's Win-and-Out. David Lawson was 2nd in the C/D's Scratch race.
5/17 - Mid-Season Ontario Criterium - Jason Hock 23rd (Cat 3); Andrew Dickinson 3rd & Glenn Masuda 14th (Cat 4); Andrew Dickinson, 10th & Charles Cushman, 25th (Masters 30+ 4/5). Full Results here. Photos here.
5/12 - San Diego Velodrome Tues Night Racing - Charles Cushman, John Genovese, and David Lawson all competed. John raced solid in the B's. Dave picked up at least two 3rd places and likely a third in the C/D's. In the last race, a 15 lap points race, Charles attacked from the gun and stayed away picking up all the sprints while Dave blocked. Results coming soon. Click here to watch a video about the racing.
5/10 - Fiesta Island 20K Time Trial, San Diego - Justin Scarfeo, 2nd (Men 19-29); Annette Padilla, 8th (40K); Mike Coday, 10th (Men 4/5). B+L Fiesta Island TT Full Results here.
5/9 - Racers & Chasers Mtb Spring Series Finals, Vail Lake (Temecula) - Andrew Dickinson, 1st (Sport SS), Jeff Sigua, 2nd (beginner 19-29); Annette Padilla, 1st (women SS and series winner); and Griffith Vertican 1st (Expert 30-39 and series winner). Also, Griffith, 2nd - Super D. Results are here. Photos are here by Jeff. More photos here.
5/8- SLR Photos/Results - Full RESULTS are now posted here. SLR Race photo set now up on flickr by Dinorah Lawson.
5/3 - San Luis Rey - A nice day for racing; thanks to all the racers for supporting the event despite the forced changes. A big thanks to all our volunteers! Celo team rider results - Brent Prenzlow, 21st (35+), Chan Huynh, 29th & Mark Campaigne, 42nd (Cat 3), Matt Sheremeta, 25th & Jason Habeger, 42nd (Cat 4), Mike Coday, 30th (Cat 5B). Full results here.
5/2 - Idyllwild Spring Challenge - Mtb Cross Country: Jeff Sanford, 2nd (Cat 1, 40-44). Full results here.
5/2 - Barrio Logan Criterium, San Diego - Andrew Dickinson 34th & Charles Cushman 39th (Cat 4). Full results here.
4/26 - Kenda Cup West/Santa Ynez MTB - Griffith Vertican 5th (cat 1, 30-34); Mark Campaigne 8th (Cat 1, 40-44); Clare Campaigne 4th (Cat 3 W 40-49); Drew Campaigne 3rd (Jr Boys <10); Matt Weir 2nd (Jr Boys 11-12). Full results here.
4/26 - Dana Point Grand Prix - Jason Hock, 17th & Chan Huynh 34th (Cat 3); Andrew Dickinson 27th & Charles Cushman 33rd (30+ 4/5); Charles Cushman 16th & Jason Habeger 17th (Cat 5A). Full results here.
4/25 - Death Valley RR, Baker to Dumont Dunes - Matt Sheremeta finished 6th (cat 4s) w/ teammate Stefan Steiner a little further back. Results coming soon.
4/16-19 - Sea Otter Classic, Monterey - Cross Country: Griffith Vertican, 13th (Cat 1, 30-34), Erik Trogden, 27th (Cat 1, 40-44), Dan Schonberg, 25th (Cat 3, 35-39). Super D: Erik Trogden, 5th (40-49). Full Results here.
4/19 - Torrence Criterium - Jason Hock, 16th (Cat 3), Glenn Masuda, 7th (Cat 4). Results here.
4/18 - Devil's Punchbowl RR, Palmdale - Chan Huynh, 20th (Cat 3), Matt Sheremeta, 6th (Masters 40+ 4/5), Jason Habeger, 14th & Andrew Dickinson, 20th (Cat 5). Full results here.
4/12 - Ontario Criterium - Andrew Dickinson placed 6th (Cat 4); Charles Cushman, 26th & Andrew Dickinson, 37th (Masters 30+ 4/5). Full results here.
4/7 - San Diego Velodrome Tuesday Night Racing has started up for the season. Charles Cushman says it's fun and he placed 3rd at the first race -- Check out the details and join him for more track every Tues night.
4/5 - Sagebrush Safari, Lake Morena - Mtb XC: Ben Jones, 6th (Cat 1 35-39); Jeff Sanford 9th, Paul Klysz, 11th, Erik Trogden, 16th & Mark Campaigne, 17th (cat 1 40-44); Dan Schonberg, 7th (Cat 3 35-39); Claire Campaigne, 4th (Cat 3 W40-49); Matt Weir, 1st (Jr 11-12), Drew Campaigne, 5th (Jr Men 10&under); Annette Padilla, 1st (Cat 2 WSS). Full results here.
4/3-5 - Cyclo-vets Omnium, San Diego - Day 1 8.2 mile TT - Mike Coday, 7th & Stefan Steiner 15th (Men 35+, 4/5), Annette Padilla, 5th (Women 40+) and Matt Bigos 30th (Men 4). Full Results here. Day 2 Road Race - Matt Sheremeta, 4th & Mike Coday 27th (35+ 4/5); Chan Huynh, 10th (Cat 3), Charles Cushman, 27th (Cat 5). Full results here. Day 3 Criterium - Chan Huynh, 24th & John Genovese 29th (Cat 3); Stefan Steiner 10th (Men 35+, 4/5); Charles Cushman, 36th (Cat 5). Results here. Final Omnium points here.
3/30 - Club Meeting after the Group Ride on APRIL 11th ~ 11:30. Date change due to Carlsbad 5K on Apr 4/5. Breakfast/Lunch will be provided and we will be discussing putting on the upcoming San Luis Rey race. Plan to attend!
3/30 - Club Clothing Order - We are doing a reorder of club clothing due 4/11. Please bring your checks or cash to the club meeting on April 11th or send your order in ASAP. Here is the order form.
3/29 - Redlands Criterium - Andrew Dickinson, 11th (Cat 5); Chan Huynh, 35th (Cat 3). Full results here.
3/29 - L.A. Circuit Race - Jason Hock, 28th (Cat 3); Glenn Masuda, 37th (Cat 4) Full results are here.
3/28-29 - Fontana City National - Pro XCT & Kenda Cup West - Mountain bike cross country. Day 1 Results - Dan Schonberg, 5th (Cat 3 Men 35-39); Claire Campaigne, 2nd (Cat 3 Women 40-49); Drew Campaigne, 4th (Jr Men 10 & under); Annette Padilla, 1st (W Cat 2 SS). Day 2 Results - Ben Jones, 8th (Cat 1 35-39); Erik Trogden, 17th (cat 1 40-44), Griffith Vertican and Mark Campaigne both suffered unfortunate race ending mechanicals.
3/27 - Club Ride Change - Please note the APRIL 4th ride route has been changed to avoid conflict with the Oceanside Triathlon race route. We will be doing Inland Elfin Forest route and then having our club meeting at the Grand Deli.
3/25 - San Luis Rey Flyer is now available. Click here to view the flyer (pdf).
SLR is now part of the Nature Valley Pro Ride. In its second year, NVPR is growing from three to six events. This unique program offers elite amateurs a chance to win a trip to the Nature Valley Grand Prix, the top ranked Pro/am race in the country, where they'll race on the Nature Valley Cycling Team. The Nature Valley Grand Prix, which begins June 10 in St. Paul, Minnesota, is the only race among America's biggest races to admit amateurs, giving them a chance to enjoy the full professional racing experience.
3/22 - Southridge Winter MTB Series #6, Fontana - Jeff Sanford, 1st Expert 43-50; Dan Schonberg, 1st Beginner 35-42. Results here.
3/20-22 - San Dimas Stage Race - Day 1: In the 3.8 mile hill climb TT, Chan Huynh had the fastest time for the team in 16:32 (37th, cat 3) followed by Matt Sheremeta in 16:35 (21st, cat 4) and Griffith Vertican, 16:38 (44th, cat 3). Day 2: In the road race, Chan and Griffith were 41 secs back in 50 & 51st, while Matt was 2:23 back for 50th in the 4s. Day 3: Chan finished up the criterium to finish 40th g.c. -- Full results are here.
3/19 - Club Meeting after the Group Ride on APRIL 4th ~ 11:30. Breakfast/Lunch will be provided and we will be discussing putting on the upcoming San Luis Rey race. Plan to attend!
3/14-15 - Murrieta Road Omnium - Andrew Dickinson, 2nd place overall (Cat 5) with 3rd in the Crit & 2nd in the Circuit race. Results Day 1 here. Day 2 here.
3/14-15 - Keyesville Classic, Lake Isabella - Erik Trogden placed 18th the cross country, 11th in the short track (Expert 30-44). results here.
3/14 - Racers & Chasers Mtb Spring Series #3, Vail Lake (Temecula) - Celo Pacific results (unofficial) are as follows: Annette Padilla 1ST PLACE (beginner singlespeed); Alex Ter-Vrugt 4th (expert 30-39); Matt Weir 6th (under 18); Mark Campaigne 5th (expert 40-49); Clare Campaigne 7th (beginner women 40-49); Drew Campaigne 7th (under 18); Jameson Campaigne medal winner (kids race). Full results here.
3/8 - Fiesta Island 20K Time Trial, San Diego - Ben Jones (28:07, 6th cat 1/2/3), Matt Bigos (33:10, 18th cat 4/5). Full results here. Annette Padilla did 40k in a great sub 1-hr time of 59:52! Mike Coday photo. Photos here.
3/7 - Southridge Winter MTB Series #5, Fontana - Griffith Vertican, 1st, Expert 27-34 (Fastest expert time on the day!); Dan Schonberg, 2nd Beginner 35-42. Full results here.
3/1 - Kenda Cup West/CA Mtb State Series #1, Bonelli Park - Big turnout of ~650 racers today! Griffith Vertican 2nd (cat 1, 30-34); Ben Jones 7th (cat 1, 35-39); Annette Padilla 12th (cat 2/3 singlespeed); Eric Trogden 23rd (cat 1, 40-44); Mark Campaigne 19th (cat 1, 40-44); Clare Campaigne 6th (cat 3 women, 40-49); Drew Campaigne 4th (junior boys 10 and under); Jameson Campaigne medal winner (kids race). Full Results here.
2/28 - Santiago Canyon Time Trial - Mike Coday and Annette Padilla were the first to race in our newly redesigned 09 kits. For the 11 mile course, Mike finished in 29:03, good for 8th in the 4/5's while Annette was 5th in 34:07. results coming soon.
2/26 - Nature Valley Pro Ride schedule expands click here for the cyclingnews.com report which recognizes San Luis Rey RR.
2/25 - Celo Pacific is pleased to announce that the 2009 Mark Reynolds San Luis Rey Road Cycling Classic will be a Nature Valley Grand Prix Pro Ride qualifier for Cat. 1 Men and Cat 1/2 Women. Details on the Pro Ride are now available. Check back soon for the 09 SLR race flyer.
2/25 - The 2009 clothing order has arrived and will be distributed at the Grand Deli after Saturday's ride. Note that all orders must be paid in full before you can pick up your order. We have an updated look for 09 thanks to Jason Hock and David Bales -- make sure to tell them thanks for their work on this year's clothing!
2/25 - Trail work day: February 28th at 8:30 Calavera - click for updated details and help do your part! Also updated: The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program is coming On Saturday, March 21 in San Diego County.
2/22 - Dare to Race/Ontario Criterium - Andrew Dickenson, 19th (30+ 4/5s). Full results posted here.
2/21 - Southridge Winter MTB Series #4, Fontana - Griffith Vertican, 5th, Pro. Full results here.
2/14 - Racers & Chasers Mtb Spring Series #2, Vail Lake (Temecula) - Celo was well represented by Griffith Vertican (1st, Expert 30-39), Alex T-V (2nd, Expert 30-39), Ben Jones (3rd, Expert 30-39), Mark Campaigne (3rd, Expert 40-49), Dan Breyer (3rd, Sport 30-39), Annette Padilla (1st - Beginner SS), and Drew Campaigne (5th, Beginner <18). Full results here. New -> Race photos here.
2/13 - CX Worlds Update - Jim Cushing-murray flew over to Europe and joined Lee Willmore to watch the CX World Championships in the Netherlands (the week after Lee raced). Click here to see a quick report with photos.
2/8 - Red Trolley Criterium, San Diego - Chan Huynh, 26th (cat 3), Stefan Steiner, 24th (cat 4), Andrew Dickenson, 12th (cat 5). full results here.
2/8 - Fiesta Island 20K Time Trial, San Diego - The course was pretty wet with some mud/dirt around the edges. Nonetheless, Celo was well represented w/ Annette Padilla (1st W40-49, 35:30), Ben Jones (6th Cat 1/2/3, 28:17), Matt Bigos (17th 4/5s, 34:17), Mike Coday (7th M30-39, 29:35) and Dan Breyer supporting. Full results posted. Photos added (click rider name above).
2/7 - Boulevard Road Race - Epic Conditions! With cold temps, rain, hail, and snow, it looked really hard! Check out Griffith Vertican leading the cat 3's up the climb and other great photos here. Jason Habeger was 8th (Cat 5A). Full results here - Video of Pro/1/2 rollout! More Photos posted here.
1/31 - The Lou CX Night Race, Fresno - David Lawson was 3rd overall in the Sport race and 1st in the Sport Masters category. Dinorah Lawson won the Sport Women race. Full results are here. Photos here.
1/31 - Racers & Chasers Mtb Spring Series, Vail Lake (Temecula) - Annette Padilla won the Women's singlespeed. Full results here.
1/25 - Cross Fever #4/Last Chance CX, Silverado Cyn - Dinorah Lawson won the W35+ overall and Griffith Vertican won 3/4s overall. Annette Padilla got 2nd in the Women's 1-3 race, 3rd in 35+, & 7th in SS. Dave Lawson, 3rd overall SS. Full Results here. Final Series results.
1/24 - Masters World Cyclocross Champs, Mol, Belgium - In the 65+ age group, Celo Pacific's Lee Willmore took 13th with SoCal CX'er Robert Llamas, 10th. Full results are here. Photos of Lee Here!
1/24 - Southridge Winter MTB Series #2, Fontana - Griffith Vertican won the Expert 27-34. Dan Schonberg, 2nd (Beginner 35-43) Full results here.
1/24 - 12 Hrs of Temecula, MTB race @ Vail Lake - Ben Jones, Dan Breyer, Matt Breyer, and Alex T-V pulled off a 3rd place finish in the 4-Person Open category!
1/23 - CrossVegas to be televised this Sunday 1/25, 3pm, on Universal Sports (Channel 136 in Carlsbad on Time Warner).
1/18 - Cross Fever #3/El Dorado park CX, Long Beach - Dinorah Lawson won the women's 35+ race. Annette Padilla got 4th in the women's elite and 5th in the single speed. Elite Women's podium shot here. Dave Lawson got 3rd in SS. Griffith Vertican got 3rd (3/4s) and 5th (Elite men 1/2/3). Lee Wilmore, 6th (55+). Matt Weir & Drew Campaigne, 3rd & 4th (Boys 10-14). Dinorah's race report here. Results here.
1/16 - Club Membership Information page is updated with 2009 membership form and 2009 reimbursement form. Please print, fill out, and bring with you to the club meeting tomorrow, or mail it in.
1/15 - Club Meeting & Brunch at Grand Deli next Saturday, 12/13 after the club ride. Food provided. We will have updated 2009 membership forms on hand or look for those online tomorrow so you can print your own and bring it with you.
1/11 - Cross Fever #2/Talley Vinyards CX, Arroyo Grande - Brent Prenzlow won the Elite Men's 1/2/3 and the Masters 35+. Dinorah Lawson was 4th in the Womens 35+ with David Lawson finishing 10th in the singlespeed. Photo sets here. Full results here.
1/10 - Southridge Winter MTB Series #1, Fontana - Griffith Vertican won the Expert 27-34. Mark Campaigne, 7th place (Expert 35-43), Drew Campaigne, 4th (Beginner Men 9-10), Mathew Weir, 1st (Beginner Men 11-12), Dan Schonberg, 4th (Beginner 35-43) -- Full results here.
1/7 - Remembering Mark - tomorrow will be 5 yrs since we lost our friend & teammate. Take a moment to remember Mark and visit http://www.markreynoldsfund.org/rememberingMark/ or our page here.
1/7 - North County Mountain Bikers - click here for an update on the trails and local events.
1/6 - Interested in racing? - Check out our 09 race calendar to plan your season or find a cool race to try.
1/4 - Cross Fever #1/Hart Park CX, Bakersfield - Griffith Vertican won the Men's 3/4 and also took 5th in the Elite Men's 1/2/3. Brent Prenzlow won the Elite Men's 1/2/3, the Masters 35+, and the $100 Bidart and Ablin Hillclimb Challenge. Lee Willmore was 3rd in the Masters 55+ and the 5th singlespeeder. Photos by Larry Aronat here. Race report and Results here.
1/4 - Racers & Chasers MTB XC, Vail Lake (Temecula) - Mark Campaigne won the Expert 40-49 field, while Annette Padilla won the Women's category. Drew and Jameson Campagine also raced in the beginner and kids race. More Race photos here by Paul Chan.
1/1/09 - Happy New Year! | 2019-04-19T06:53:08Z | http://www.celopacific.org/2009news.htm |
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– Avoid just too many text effects. Forget pulsating text, curing text, gymnastics text, or other amazing and dizzying effects, which usually do nothing more than annoy your web site visitor. Typically create a “loud” Web site which contain so many blinking, flashing, twirling, and rotating icons, text, or images that guests are confused by the results and under-whelmed by the websites content.
– Limit the number of design on your Site so that you do overwhelm your webblog visitors with “graphics overburden. ” Avoid using animated GIF images with your Web site. They were cool ten years ago, but also in today’s specialist environment, they are just another “loud, ” frustrating distraction that site visitors have a tendency want to see.
— Don’t use Microsoft’s themes (built-in design templates) when creating a website with Frontpage from microsoft. While FrontPage is bashed on a regular basis, all of us stand by the simple fact that it may be used to design great Web sites.
— Don’t incorporate frames in Web site style. The use of casings within a Web site will travel customers away faster than anything!
— DO integrate the proper Web-site design elements to ensure that the Web site is preparing to be found by search engines.
– Home page does not quickly tell you what the Site is all about. You will be able to visit the home page of any Website and find out what the web page is about, what sort of products it sells, or perhaps what it is advertising and marketing within five seconds.
– The indegent use of pop-up windows, splashy advertising, splash pages (pages with neat animated graphics and sound but which you have to watch intended for five to ten mere seconds before you are delivered to the real Web site), and also other Web design features that get interest far from your Internet site, products, and/ or expertise.
– Poor Web site the navigation. This includes cracked hyperlinks, concealed navigation, poor wording of navigational links, links that take you to pages without links, links that take you to the same Web page, and pages without links returning to the home web page (always incorporate a link back for the home page so that regardless of where prospects are, they will find all their way back house! ).
— Believing that because you could have a Web site, you may have a marketing marketing campaign or total marketing and advertising strategy. You need to understand that your Web site is not really your marketing strategy. Your Web site is just a component to your overall online marketing strategy, depending on your company goals; for example , if you have a productive restaurant although want to advertise and market your business www.bekkerservices.co.za on the Web. Creating a Site is great, but since it is not advertised and publicized, no one will ever find it. By passing out business cards with your Website URL imprinted on them, you are using a regular marketing campaign to promote your Website. If you offer a downloadable/ good coupon out of your Web site, you are effectively using your Site as part of your web marketing strategy to meet your main goal of improved restaurant revenue.
– Inability to attain Web-site relevance and content bringing up-to-date. There is almost nothing more dissatisfying to a Web customer than visiting an online site that is grossly out of date. Inappropriate pricing, goods no longer offered, dated content, and old advertising each and every one signify to the Web site visitor that your devotion to your Web site is suffering tremendously. Cramming your pages with nonrelevant material will detract the visitor by getting the point of your Web-site (the five-second rule described earlier).
– Avoid so many text results. Forget blinking text, reversing text, gymnastics text, or perhaps other amazing and dizzying effects, which in turn do nothing much more than annoy your webblog visitor. No longer create a “loud” Web site which contain so many blinking, flashing, twirling, and content spinning icons, text, or images that tourists are confused by the effects and under-whelmed by the site content.
– Limit the number of images on your Web site so that you typically overwhelm your web sites visitors with “graphics overburden. ” Don’t use animated GIF images on your own Web site. They were cool ten years ago, however in today’s professional environment, they are really just another “loud, ” frustrating distraction that site visitors avoid want to see.
— Don’t use Microsoft’s themes (built-in design templates) when creating a website with Microsoft FrontPage. While FrontPage is bashed on a regular basis, we all stand by the truth that it can be used to design wonderful Web sites.
– Don’t combine frames in to Web site style. The use of frames within a Internet site will travel customers apart faster than anything!
– DO include the proper Site design elements to ensure that the Web site is preparing to be found simply by search engines.
– The house page does not quickly tell you what the Site is all about. You need to be able to visit the home page of any Site and discover what the site is about, what sort of products that sells, or perhaps what it is advertising and marketing within five seconds.
– The poor use of pop-up windows, splashy advertising, splash pages (pages with neat animated graphics and appear but that you’ve to watch pertaining to five to ten just a few seconds before you are delivered to the real Net site), and also other Web design features that sketch interest far from your Website, products, and/ or companies.
– Poor Web site course-plotting. This includes destroyed hyperlinks, invisible navigation, poor wording of navigational backlinks, links that take one to pages without having links, backlinks that have you to the same Web page, and pages without having links back in the home page (always include a link back towards the home page to ensure that regardless of where readers are, they will find their way back home! ).
— Believing that because you have a Web site, you may have a marketing plan or total marketing and advertising approach. You need to understand that your Web site is certainly not your marketing strategy. Your Internet site is just a component to your overall online marketing strategy, depending on your business goals; for instance , if you have a prosperous restaurant yet want to market and market your business on the Web. Creating a Website is great, but if it is not promoted and promoted, no one will ever find it. By simply passing out business cards with your Web site URL imprinted on them, you are using a traditional marketing campaign in promoting your Web-site. If you offer a downloadable/ printable coupon through your Web site, you are efficiently using your Web site as part of your online marketing strategy to meet project of elevated restaurant sales.
– Failure to attain Web page relevance and content changing. There is practically nothing more dissatisfying to a Net customer than visiting a website that is grossly out of date. Mistaken pricing, goods no longer offered, dated content, and ancient advertising almost all signify for the Web site visitor that the devotion to your Web site is usually suffering drastically. Cramming your pages with non-relevant material will detract the visitor by getting the stage of your Internet site (the five-second rule pointed out earlier).
— Avoid so many text results. Forget blinking text, reversing text, gymnastics text, or other amazing and wild effects, which do nothing much more than annoy your webblog visitor. Avoid create a “loud” Web site which contain so many blinking, flashing, twirling, and spinning icons, text message, or design that site visitors are weighed down by the results and under-whelmed by the websites content.
– Limit the number of images on your Website so that you don’t overwhelm your websites visitors with “graphics overburden. ” Don’t use animated GIF images on your own Web site. They were cool 10 years ago, however in today’s specialist environment, they are really just another “loud, ” troublesome distraction that site visitors is not going to want to see.
— Don’t use Microsoft’s themes (built-in design templates) when creating an internet site with Microsoft FrontPage. While FrontPage is bashed on a regular basis, all of us stand by the simple fact that it may be used to design great Web sites.
— Don’t combine frames in to Web site www.noleggiomotocicli.it design. The use of support frames within a Web site will drive customers aside faster than anything!
– DO include the proper Internet site design factors to ensure that your Web site is preparing to be found by search engines.
– Home page would not quickly tell you what the Site is all about. You will be able to go to the home page of any Web site and determine what the site is about, what type of products this sells, 59blck.comor what it is advertising within five seconds.
– Poor people use of pop-up windows, splashy advertising, splash pages (pages with neat animations and sound but which you have to watch just for five to ten mere seconds before you are taken up the real Web site), and other Web design features that pull interest away from your Website, products, and/ or products.
– Poor Web site navigation. This includes broken hyperlinks, hidden navigation, poor wording of navigational links, links that take one to pages without having links, backlinks that take you to the same Web page, and pages without having links back in the home page (always will include a link back for the home page to ensure that regardless of where readers are, they will find all their way back residence! ).
— Believing that because you may have a Web site, you have a marketing campaign or overall marketing and advertising technique. You need to understand that your Web site is certainly not your online marketing strategy. Your Internet site is just a element of your overall online strategy, depending on your business goals; for instance , if you have a very good restaurant yet want to advertise and promote your business on the internet. Creating a Web-site is great, but since it is not marketed and marketed, no one will ever find it. Simply by passing out business cards with your Web-site URL embossed on them, you are using a traditional marketing campaign in promoting your Web site. If you provide a downloadable/ good coupon from your Web site, you are successfully using your Site as part of your online marketing strategy to meet your main goal of improved restaurant revenue.
– Inability to attain Web site relevance and content changing. There is almost nothing more dissatisfying to a Internet customer than visiting a site that is largely out of date. Improper pricing, goods no longer offered, dated content, and historic advertising most signify towards the Web site visitor that your devotion to your Web site is certainly suffering significantly. Cramming the pages with non-relevant materials will detract the visitor right from getting the level of your Site (the five-second rule pointed out earlier).
— Avoid just too many text results. Forget flashing text, curing text, gymnastics text, or other eye-popping and dizzying effects, which in turn do nothing much more than annoy your blog visitor. Can not create a “loud” Web site which contain so many blinking, flashing, twirling, and rotating icons, text message, or graphics that visitors are confused by the results and under-whelmed by the site content.
– Limit the number of images on your Web site so that you can not overwhelm your internet site visitors with “graphics excess. ” Avoid the use of animated GIF images on your own Web site. They were cool ten years ago, employing today’s specialist environment, they are simply just another “loud, ” troublesome distraction that site visitors is not going to want to see.
– Don’t use Microsoft’s themes (built-in design templates) when creating an internet site with Frontpage from microsoft. While FrontPage is bashed on a regular basis, all of us stand by the actual fact that it may be used to design superb Web sites.
— Don’t include frames in to Web site design and style. The use of frames within a Internet site will drive customers apart faster than anything!
— DO include the proper Web site design components to ensure that the Web site is preparing to be found simply by search engines.
– The house page would not quickly let you know what the Internet site is all about. You ought to be able to visit the home page of any Internet site and discover what the internet site is about, which products that sells, or what it is promotion within five seconds.
– Poor people use of popup windows, splashy advertising, landing pages (pages with neat animation and audio but which you have to watch for five to ten moments before you are taken to the real Internet site), and other Web design features that draw interest from your Web-site, products, and/ or products and services.
– Poor Web site routing. This includes worn out hyperlinks, invisible navigation, poor wording of navigational links, links that take one to pages with no links, backlinks that take you to precisely the same Web page, and pages without links back in the home site (always include a link back for the home page to ensure that regardless of where site visitors are, they can find the way back house! ).
– Believing that because you may have a Web site, you have a marketing plan or general marketing and advertising strategy. You need to understand that your Internet site is not really your web marketing strategy. Your Web site is just a element of your overall online marketing strategy, depending on your business goals; for example , if you have a productive restaurant nonetheless want in promoting and promote your business on the net. Creating a Site is great, but since it is not advertised and marketed, no one is ever going to find it. By passing out business cards with your Web page URL imprinted on them, you are using a regular marketing campaign to advertise your Site. If you give a downloadable/ printable coupon out of your Web site, you are successfully using your Internet site as part of your online strategy to meet objective of elevated restaurant sales.
– Failure to attain Web site relevance and content bringing up-to-date. There is nothing at all more dissatisfying to a Net customer than visiting an online site that is largely out of date. Improper pricing, items no longer available, dated articles, and ancient advertising all of the signify towards the Web site visitor that the devotion on your Web site is certainly suffering significantly. Cramming your pages with non-relevant materials will deter the visitor out of getting the stage of your Web page (the five-second rule said earlier).
— Avoid so many text results. Forget flashing text, reversing text, gymnastics text, or other eye-popping and wild effects, which in turn do nothing a lot more than annoy your internet site visitor. May create a “loud” Web site that contain so many blinking, flashing, twirling, and content spinning icons, textual content, or design that visitors are overpowered by the effects and under-whelmed by the websites content.
– Limit the number of design on your Web site so that you no longer overwhelm your web blog visitors with “graphics overload. ” Avoid the use of animated GIF images in your Web site. They were cool ten years ago, however in today’s specialist environment, they may be just another “loud, ” troublesome distraction that site visitors may want to see.
– Don’t use Microsoft’s themes (built-in design templates) when creating an internet site with Microsoft FrontPage. While FrontPage is bashed on a regular basis, all of us stand by the truth that it may be used to design superb Web sites.
– Don’t integrate frames into Web site www.schiffskoch.com design and style. The use of structures within a Web page will drive customers away faster than anything!
– DO incorporate the proper Website design factors to ensure that your Web site is able to be found by simply search engines. | 2019-04-26T10:17:57Z | http://www.skiferie-saalbach.dk/2018/07/ |
Understanding the responsibilities of holding a UCSF-sponsored visa has become more important than ever. Be sure to review the immigration updates below to ensure that you are able to maintain status.
If you have questions, be sure to reach out to your ISSO Adviser.
On Oct 10, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that more narrowly defines the types of public assistance immigrants may accept in order to be admissible to the United States and eligible for permanent residency (Green Card). U.S. immigration law has always barred foreign nationals from immigrating to the United States if these individuals are at risk of becoming dependent on certain public assistance; however, acceptance of public health and nutritional benefits has been permitted since the 1990s. The proposed rule would expand the types of assistance DHS considers when determining if an immigrant is likely to become a public charge when applying for permanent residence, or when changing/extending their non-immigrant status. If the proposed rule is approved, accepting public food or health program assistance beyond a certain amount of time could be a factor in how DHS determines if an immigrant is a public charge risk (e.g accepting such as Medicare [MediCal] or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP/CalFresh]).
DHS sought comments on the proposed rule through Dec. 10, 2018, but has not published a Final Rule. The ISSO will post an update when the Final Rule is published. Read more about the proposed rule at NAFSA: Association of International Education.
On September 11, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) updated the Agency’s Adjudicators Field Manual (AFM) expanding the discretion their officers have in denying benefit applications. The new policy allows officers the ability to deny petition requests that they believe are frivolous, without first issuing a request for evidence (RFE) or without issuing a notification of an intent to deny (NOID). This policy change makes it more important to provide all of the evidence asked for in immigration benefit applications, even if applicants were previously granted a benefit without submitting the required evidence. Read more at NAFSA: Association of International Education.
On August 9, 2018, USCIS changed its policy regarding how they determine whether F and J visa holders have “over-stayed” their legal status in the U.S. According to NAFSA, “under the new policy, USCIS will start counting days of unlawful presence the day after an F, M or J status violation occurs. Prior policy did not count unlawful presence until a USCIS official or immigration judge made a formal finding of a status violation.” Examples of violating status may include falling below full-time enrollment without prior ISSO authorization, working without permission, staying in the U.S. beyond the end of the grace period, or otherwise violating the terms of F or J visas. Read more about the policy at NAFSA: Association of International Education.
On June 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Presidential Proclamation 9645. The Presidential Proclamation 9645 provides country-specific entry restrictions for citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, North Korea, Venezuela and Somalia. This Proclamation and travel restrictions remain in effect indefinitely. Review an ISSO summary of the Presidential Proclamation. UCSF’s ISSO continues to recommend minimizing international travel due to the changing nature of the current administration’s policies on visas and U.S. entry.
Happy holidays from the ISSO! In preparation for the winter holiday, we are sharing important information regarding office closures and travel guidance.
If you have an emergency during our closures, please email [email protected] and state "Immigration Emergency" in the subject heading.
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), Local Union 5810, “the Union,” filed an unfair labor practice charge alleging that the University failed to provide certain requested information during the course of the 2016 contract negotiations, in violation of the Higher Education Employment Relations Act (HEERA), Government Code Section 3560, et seq.
Thereafter, the Public Employment Relations Board issued a complaint against the University in International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) Local 5810 v. Regents of the University of California, Unfair Labor Practice Case No. SF-CE-1026-H, stating the conduct interfered with the rights of bargaining unit employees to be represented by the Union in violation of Government Code section 3571(a).
The University has agreed to post this notice and will comply with HEERA.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just announced an increase to the USCIS premium processing service fee. The DHS fee has increased from $1,225 to $1,410.
Effective immediately, H-1B premium processing requests submitted to HR must include the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fee increase. Premium processing is an optional service to expedite certain employment-based petitions (H-1B, Immigrant Petition, etc.) to 15-day processing.
For complete H-1B petitions that the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) has already received, respective H-1B advisers will submit petitions to DHS prior to 10/01/18. Unless extenuating circumstances exist, complete H-1B petitions already received by ISSO will not be subject to the fee increase. H-1B advisers will contact departments directly if an extenuating circumstance arises.
ISSO office hours will be 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1–4 p.m.
Students and scholars will be able to pick up and drop off documents; however, visa advising will not be available.
Please be sure to check in with your ISSO adviser as soon as possible if you have a time sensitive inquiry that must be worked out prior to October 15.
If you have an emergency Oct 15-19, please email your ISSO adviser and add “Emergency” to the email subject line.
Over the past few months the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service has announced the discontinuation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. The University of California Office of the President has drafted an FAQ for affected students, scholars and staff. Download the English version of the FAQ sheet or the Spanish version of the FAQ sheet for more information.
The U.S. has resumed processing non-immigrant visas for Turkish citizens on a limited basis. Turkish citizens with valid visas may continue to travel to the United States. Turkish citizens are also welcome to apply for a nonimmigrant visa outside of Turkey whether or not they maintain a residence in that country. Please note that an applicant applying outside of Turkey will need to pay the application fee for services in that country, even if a fee has previously been paid for services in Turkey. The U.S. Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General in Istanbul offer Non Immigrant Visa interviews by appointment only. Please review the US Embassy & Consulates webpage for questions regarding the re-opening of limited visa services. If you have additional questions after reviewing the US Embassy and Consulates webpage, please contact your ISSO Adviser.
On Monday, October 9, 2017 the United States Department of State announced suspension of non-immigrant visa processing for Turkish Citizens in Turkey for an unspecified period of time. Turkish citizens may still apply for non-immigrant (F, J, H-1B) visas in other countries.
Any student, trainee or faculty member using a non-immigrant visa and who is coming from Turkey or will be travelling to Turkey on vacation with an expired visa stamp, should make plans to apply for a new visa in a third country in order to be able to return to the US. If your current visa is valid then you will not be required to get a new one.
If you are a Turkish citizen and have questions about this suspension and your travel plans, please contact your ISSO Adviser or send e-mail to [email protected].
ISSO will not be able to process J-1 requests during this time but will be available for travel signatures. H-1B processing will remain normal.
Students and scholars will be able to pick up and drop off documents.
If you have an emergency during this time, please email your ISSO adviser and add “Emergency” to the email subject line.
On July 24, 2017, USCIS announced that it has resumed premium processing (15-day expedite) service for certain cap-exempt petitions. UCSF, an institution of higher education, is cap-exempt and eligible to use premium processing service again.
UCSF Departments and Scholars that wish to utilize premium processing should work with their H-1B adviser in the ISSO to make the request. A check for $1,225 payable to Department of Homeland Security will be needed to expedite an H-1B case that is either currently in preparation or pending with USCIS.
Learn more about the USCIS announcement.
On Tuesday, June 27, 2017, The University of California's Office of the President published guidance on the recent United States Supreme Court decision and implementation of Executive Order 13780. The new guidance may be read on the University of California's immigration webpage.
On Monday, June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States granted the U.S. government’s request for a stay of the previous lower court preliminary injunctions to the Executive Order 13780 “Travel Ban. This order bars nationals of Libya, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen from entry into the US for a period of ninety days. The Supreme Court’s decision allows the implementation of the Order with the exception that nationals of the designated countries may enter the United States if they can demonstrate a “bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.” Learn more about the Supreme Court’s decision.
On March 6, 2017 the President of the United States revoked his prior Executive Order 13769, which had been issued January 27, 2017, and issued a new Executive Order that temporarily suspends visa issuance and U.S. entry for citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for a period of 90-days. ISSO has designated a web page specifically about the new executive order.
The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) will be operating on minimal staffing May 30-June 2, due to attendance at an off-site immigration conference.
Be sure to reach out to your ISSO adviser prior to May 30 if you have advising inquiries.
If you have an emergency during the conference, please email your ISSO adviser and add “Emergency” to the email subject line.
The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) will update its visa recharge fees, effective July 1, 2017. The updated recharge rates will be effective July 1, 2017-June 30, 2019.
*Recharge fees for J-1 and B-1 visitors can be paid by the principal investigator, scholar or from Department funds.
*Recharge fees for H-1B, TN, E-3, O-1 and PR can only be paid by the principal investigator or paid from Department funds. The recharge fees for these employment-based visas cannot be paid by the scholar.
On April 12, 2017, UCSF's Student Health & Counseling Services announced that all available U.S. supplies of the Yellow Fever vaccine are expected to be exhausted within four to six weeks. The vaccine is not expected to be available in the U.S. again until June 2018. The vaccine will remain largely available most of Europe, South America, India, Australia, New Zealand and other nations under the trade name “Stamaril."
UCSF students who are either visiting or matriculating from countries where Stamaril is offered might consider obtaining the vaccine and the accompanying International Certificate of Vaccination in that country if they anticipate travel to or through sub-Saharan Africa, South America or Panama during the 2017-2018 academic calendar year.
Email UCSF's Student Health & Counseling Services with questions.
Effective April 3, 2017, United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) will temporarily suspend premium processing service for all H-1B petitions. Premium processing is a USCIS program that provides for an expedited 15-day initial review for an additional $1,225 fee. USCIS has indicated that this suspension may last up to six months.
Please note that ISSO will host a session TONIGHT, March 8 to discuss the details of the USCIS suspension. Please see details at the end of this notification.
Current UCSF H-1B scholars needing an extension of status will continue to be eligible for employment up to 240-days beyond their current expiration date, as long as a timely filing was submitted even without expedited service. Departments should plan in advance with HR to mitigate delays.
ISSO is prioritizing H-1B initial requests that have been submitted through the SRS ticketing system to HR by March 7, 2017. Unfortunately, due to the short notice from USCIS, ISSO will not be able to process H-1B initial requests with premium processing service if submitted after March 7, 2017.
Please note that other types of non-H-1B petitions eligible for premium processing may continue to utilize the expedited service.
Inability to travel abroad and enter the U.S.
According to USCIS, premium processing suspension is needed to help reduce overall H-1B processing times, which are currently running close to eight months. By suspending premium processing, USCIS indicates that the agency will be able to focus on processing long-pending petitions that have gone unprocessed because of the large number of premium processing requests. While petitioners may request expedited processing if they meet certain exceptional criteria, such requests are rarely granted.
Updates will be posted to this site as they become available.
Office Open By Appointment Only: Dec 27-29. Contact your ISSO adviser to set-up an appointment in advance.
J-1 Travel Guidelines. If you require a travel signature, come during office hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. No appointment necessary.
F-1 Travel Guidelines. If you require a travel signature, come during office hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. No appointment necessary.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just published a new rule that raises immigration filing fees. Below are the relevant fee changes for employment-related petitions and benefits. Effective November 18, 2016, all H-1B requests submitted by Departments to HR must include checks written with the new DHS fee amounts. H-1B checks submitted on or after November 18, 2016 with the old fees will be returned. This deadline will help ensure that HR and ISSO are sending requests to the government with the correct fees.
For questions regarding immigration filing fees, please contact Chris Flores at [email protected].
Please be sure to meet with your ISSO adviser prior to October 31 for immediate assistance. If you have an immigration related emergency during this time, please email [email protected] and list "Immigration Emergency" in the subject heading.
The ISSO was recently notified of extended wait times to schedule H-1B visa interviews at U.S. embassies/consulates in India, ranging from 60-100 days. Please note that this does not account for administrative processing time. Unfortunately, the Department of State is unable to anticipate when wait times will decrease.
Talk with their PI about the extended visa wait times, and tentatively discuss arrangements if they are not able to return on the date that they anticipate. Notify their Department HR liaison and HR, as appropriate.
For questions about the extended wait times for H-1B visa interviews, please contact H-1B advisers Russell Guajardo ([email protected]) for Postdoctoral Scholar appointments and Chris Flores ([email protected]) for Specialist, Researcher, Faculty and all other appointments.
*The ISSO has notified H-1B international scholars of these delays.
ISSO office hours May 31 - June 3, 2016 will be 9 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–4 p.m.
As you may be aware, on occasion, UCSF hires international students who have been in valid F-1 status and are in their Optional Practical Training (OPT) year. These international students are sponsored by UCSF and other educational institutions, depending on where the F-1 student’s degree was awarded.
Effective May 10, 2016, there are new regulations that may allow for international students who have been granted a degree in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields to extend their F-1 OPT status if they meet certain criteria.
This notification provides guidance for Departments who are currently employing (or who will employ) F-1 OPT STEM students. For more information about F-1 OPT, please refer to the F-1 employment section of our website.
STEM OPT allows international students with a U.S. Bachelors, Masters, or Doctoral degree in certain Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) fields to work beyond the initial 12-month OPT period.
Termination: Terminations prior to the authorized employment end date must be reported to the sponsoring F-1 school within 5-business days.
How will UCSF hiring Departments be impacted?
The new rule will allow a longer duration of employment authorization.
It will require the employer and employee to create a training plan using DHS form I-983. Guidance for completing the I-983 can be found at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security webpage.
The employee’s supervisor will need to evaluate the student on an annual basis and complete a final evaluation.
Termination of employment prior to the end date of authorized employment will need to be reported to the sponsoring school within 5-business days. The supervisor completing the training plan will be required to notify the sponsoring institution’s international office.
If you are employing a UCSF-sponsored F-1 OPT STEM student, please contact [email protected]. An F-1 “UCSF-sponsored student” is an international student who has been awarded a degree from UCSF.
If you are employing a non-UCSF sponsored F-1 OPT STEM student, the student must contact the international adviser at the institution that granted their degree for additional guidance.
If you are a UCSF department representative who has questions about employing a STEM OPT student, please contact the ISSO at [email protected].
SUMMARY: We are writing to advise you that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is backlogged in processing all H-1B petitions. It is taking approximately 8 months for the USCIS to approve an H-1B petition. This does not include the time required for HR and ISSO internal processing, which is 4 months. This is an unprecedented delay for the USCIS. Unfortunately, there has not been USCIS guidance or an explanation regarding the slowdown.
As a result, we strongly recommend that UCSF Departments submit SRS tickets for H-1B requests at least 9 months in advance of the start date. This will allow us to submit H-1B petitions to the USCIS around 6-months prior to the program start date, the earliest that the government will accept H-1B applications.
In addition, because regular processing is subject to many factors outside our control, we cannot guarantee that the H-1B will be approved even with early submission. Therefore we strongly recommend submitting applications with premium processing service. Premium processing is the only way to ensure timely USCIS processing, and should be used if an appointment has a time sensitive start date. With premium processing, the USCIS will adjudicate or provide an update to the petition within 15 calendar days from the date that USCIS receives UCSF’s H-1B petition filing. Premium processing does not include HR and ISSO 4 months internal processing prior to the USCIS filing date. The fee for premium processing is $1,225, payable to the Department of Homeland Security. For requests that have already been submitted (or that are in process), the ISSO may recommend upgrading the case to USCIS premium processing to expedite service.
For details regarding for specific H-1B requests, please read below.
What is USCIS Premium Processing?
USCIS premium processing requires the USCIS to render a decision or request further evidence within 15 calendar days. It also allows the ISSO to contact the processing center directly for case inquiries. Premium processing does not include HR and ISSO 4 months internal processing prior to the USCIS filing date. The 15-day clock starts from the point that a complete application is submitted and received by USCIS. It is possible to upgrade a filed H-1B regular processing case to premium processing at a later date. A check for $1,225 needs to be requested in Bear Buy, payable to Department of Homeland Security and forwarded to the ISSO to request premium processing service.
What types of H-1B applications are affected?
*All initial, renewal and transfer H-1B applications are affected.
All initial H-1B applications currently require premium processing service due to the USCIS slowdown. A foreign national cannot start work at UCSF on the H-1B visa until the change of status application is approved by USCIS. A foreign national who is abroad cannot apply for an entry visa at the US Embassy until the initial H-1B application is approved by the USCIS. In these situations, premium processing is necessary in order to secure the H-1B in a timely manner.
For requests that have already been submitted (or that are in process),- the ISSO may recommend using USCIS premium processing to expedite adjudication. A few cases where this would be necessary is if the scholar requires UCSF work authorization, needs to travel abroad or needs to apply for a drivers license.
For renewals, amendments and transfers H-1B applications, a foreign national may continue work at UCSF based on the additional 240-day grace period upon the application submission. However, the individual cannot travel abroad or apply for a driver license with the California DMV until they receive USCIS approval of the extension of status application.
H-1B transfers (change of employer) are treated as renewals, meaning the 240-day grace period applies. They can start work with UCSF shortly after submitting the application to the USCIS, however, there may still be issues with traveling abroad, applying for a driver license, etc.
For both renewals and transfers, USCIS processing is now approaching the end of the 240-day grace period. The ISSO is monitoring these cases and will recommend premium processing as required for continued work authorization beyond the 240-day grace period.
*For questions regarding H-1B timing, please contact H-1B advisers Russell Guajardo ([email protected]) for Postdoctoral Scholar appointments and Chris Flores ([email protected]) for Specialist, Researcher, Faculty and all other appointments.
ISSO office hours Oct 26-28 and 30 will be 9 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–4 p.m.
ISSO office hours Oct 29 will be 9-10 a.m. and 2–4 p.m.
The Court recommended that DHS implement the OPT STEM rule properly in order to continue the program past February 16, 2016. It is expected that DHS will re-implement the rule properly, thereby allowing F-1 students to participate in OPT STEM without a break in service beyond February 16, 2016.
The Court’s decision is currently under review by their legal counsel and we anticipate that they will post guidance in the next few weeks. Until we receive further guidance from DHS, the ISSO will continue to process OPT STEM applications as normal. We will also post any developments regarding DHS guidance as soon as we receive it.
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued a guidance directive notifying institutions of new procedures for J-1 exchange visitors who complete their programs early.
Effective immediately, J-1s who complete their program more than 15 calendar days prior to the end date listed on their DS-2019 are now eligible for a 30-day grace period. Exchange visitors who complete their program on-time or less than 15 calendar days prior to the end date listed on their DS-2019 form are also eligible for their 30-day grace period, which begins the day after the end date listed on the exchange visitor’s DS-2019 form. During the 30-day grace period, exchange visitors can travel within the United States and/or prepare for their final departure. Exchange visitors are not eligible to participate in their program objective during their grace period, whether paid or unpaid.
Departments notify their Academic HR gGeneralist of the new J-1 end date via an HR Service Request System (SRS) “‘separation”’ ticket.
Academic HR Generalist processes the separation of the scholar’s UCSF academic appointment.
Academic HR Generalist submits an ISSO Program Completion form to the ISSO.
ISSO shortens the program end date in the government system for J-1 exchange visitors who complete their program more than 15 days prior to the end date listed on their DS-2019 form. Based on the DOS Guidance Directive, the ISSO will not shorten exchange visitor programs in the government database for J-1s who complete their program less than 15 calendar days prior to the program end date listed on their DS-2019. No further action is needed when exchange visitors complete their program less than 15 calendar days prior to the J-1’s program end date.
The ISSO is pleased to announce that the online visa request system- International Scholar Dossier (ISD) – will go live with processing H-1B requests April 6, 2015.
To assist with this transition, ISSO has developed ISD Manuals that will guide HR and scholars through the request process. The ISSO has also updated all H-1B forms to be submitted with visa requests. To access these documents, please clear your web browser cache and click on the Manuals & Forms section of our website.
Please note that the ISSO is unable to process requests that are submitted with outdated H-1B forms.
ISSO Fee Form: The ISSO will no longer accept fee forms for J-1 and H-1B requests. Rather, HR will select the appropriate type of request from a dropdown menu in the ISD Appointment Tab.
Profile Status & Type: Prior to submitting requests, HR must select the appropriate Profile Status and Profile Type in ISD. These fields are located in the ISD Tasks tab, within ‘Review and Submit Visitor’s Information.’ For guidance, please refer to the HR ISD Manual (‘Review and Submit Process’).
Duplicate Record Reminder: If you receive a duplicate record notice when you “Add Visitor” in ISD, please contact Russell Guajardo with the required information (p 10 in HR ISD Manual). Russell provide you with instructions on how to proceed.
We would like to thank the HR Academic Manager work group and HR Academic Generalists for their collaboration and feedback. Our hope is that the system will improve the tracking and accuracy of H-1B visa requests.
Please disseminate this information to HR Academic Generalists, additional HR members and administrators as appropriate.
In October, the United States Department of State published a substantial change to J-regulations with the intention of better protecting program participants. These changes will be implemented in two phases, starting on January 5, 2015. It is very important that exchange visitors understand these changes, especially the new insurance coverage amounts. A summary of the changes that directly affect J-1 and J-2 holders and their hosts is below. For questions regarding the new regulatory requirements, please contact your International Adviser.
The ISSO will update our current online address update system to include phone numbers and e-mails.
If the J-2 dependent is a child without a personal e-mail address, it’s acceptable to use a parent’s email address. J-2 dependents can report their email addresses at http://tinyurl.com/J2Email.
Program sponsors are also required to notify J-1 visa holders that they and their J-2 dependents may be subject to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Details regarding the ACA can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/index.html, and penalties for lack of coverage can be found at https://www.healthcare.gov/fees-exemptions/fee-for-not-being-covered/.
The ISSO has reached out to the UCSF Benefits Office, and we are happy to provide the following information to exchange visitors who hold academic appointments with UCSF insurance plans.
For additional questions regarding coverage, exchange visitors are required to independently contact their insurance provider at the phone numbers listed below.
If an exchange visitor has a UCSF insurance plan that does not meet the medical evacuation and repatriation (MER) requirements listed in the chart below, they are required to purchase supplemental MER coverage before May 15, 2015. A-G Administrators offers a plan that currently meets MER requirements. Please complete the form and submit it to A-G Administrators, Inc. P.O. Box 979 Valley Forge, PA. 19482. A-G Administrators has assured UCSF that on May 15, 2015, they will increase their current coverage to meet the new regulatory requirements. They will contact affected members at that time if there will be a change to the cost of their coverage. For questions regarding A-G MER coverage, call (800) 634-8628.
If you are an employee currently enrolled in the CORE medical plan or the Blue Shield HSA plan, please contact the Benefits Office – 415-476-1400 to discuss your options.
Meets Primary Medical Insurance Requirements?
Meets Medical Evacuation & Repatriation Requirements?
Exchange visitors are independently responsible for making sure that the insurance that they have meets Subpart A requirements by May 15, 2015.
The ISSO created a form for department hosts to use in assessing English proficiency that is compliant with the new requirement. Human Resources will make sure to include the new form in any J-1 application for DS-2019 forms issued on or after January 5, 2015.
The ISSO is working with the Department of State, NAFSA and other UC international offices to ensure smooth implementation of these new rules. We will keep you updated of any new changes as they occur.
The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) operates based on the fees it charges for its visa services. The rates are established every two years based on a review from the Budget and Resource Management Office and approval from the ISSO Advisory Committee.
The Budget and Resource Management Office recently reviewed and approved the ISSO's budget for 2014-2015. Although the ISSO has not increased staffing or its operating budget, the 2014-2015 represents a significant increase from the 2012-2013 recharge fees. This is due to a loss of income over the last recharge period, primarily because of a decrease in H-1B applications from the projected amount and J-1 visa fees that were too low to recover the actual costs.
We understand that our increased fees come at a time of tight budgets across UCSF. We appreciate your support as we recover our operations costs and are grateful for your continued support of UCSF's international students and scholars.
The U.S. State Department has notified stakeholders that they are currently only delayed 1 week in issuing visas (unless a student/scholar is subject to administrative processing).
The International Students and Scholars Office needs to update its fee form to accurately reflect its recharge costs. This new form reflects a ten dollar increase in some visa fees due to a revision in the ISSO budget. The new fee form will be in effect starting September 1, 2014 and will also be available on ISSO's website at that time.
The State Department's database is not fully operational, but hopes that it will be soon. Unfortunately, the State Department currently does not have a timeline for when the database will be fully operation again. ISSO will continue to monitor updates regarding this issue and will notify Service Centers and international scholars as information becomes available.
If scholars are delayed in their initial arrival or their return to the United States, they should contact their Principal Investigator. If scholars are new to UCSF, they should also contact their Human Resources representative and ISSO at [email protected].
Starting March 17, 2014, the International Students and Scholars Office is implementing International Scholar Dossier (ISD), an online visa application system that will improve the tracking and accuracy of J-1 visa applications. In implementing ISD, UCSF joins Harvard, Yale, UC Berkeley and many other schools in accepting online applications for J-1 visa processing.
Most of these changes will only impact the ISSO and HR, but there will be some changes for departments. Most notably, the ISSO now requires that ISSO recharge fees (for all visa types, J, H, TN, E-3) be paid through the Department’s speedtypeor chartstring. We will no longer accept checks.
Employment visas such H-1B’s, TN and E-3’s will continue to be processed with the paper application, but ISSO processing fees must be paid with the new speedtype or chartstring. ISSO will be working toward making the employment visa requests electronic in the near future.
Due to an increasing number of internet scams targeting international students and scholars during tax season, we urge you to be very careful before answering any unsolicited e-mail regarding taxes or visas. Both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Service offers advice on common tax and visa scams. For information on tax scams, please visit http://www.irs.gov/uac/Suspicious-e-Mails-and-Identity-Theft. For information on immigration scams http://www.uscis.gov/avoid-scams/common-scams. | 2019-04-22T15:18:41Z | https://isso.ucsf.edu/news |
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INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, JULY 2, 1893.
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 30, 1889.
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfected; but I press on, that I may apprehend that for whichalso I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12.
OBSERVE the Apostle's condition when he wrote these words. I do not think that either you or I will be found to be in a betterone. If any are, or think they are, I would suggest a question. I, for my part, would be satisfied to be just as Paul was.
He was in a position of conscious safety. He was a saved man. He knew that he was saved, for he rejoiced in Christ Jesus andhad no confidence in the flesh. He knew that he was justified by faith in Christ Jesus and he counted all his own works, whichformerly were his ground of trust, to be as dross and dung, that he might win Christ. He was a saved man and he knew it! Ido not think that he often had doubts about that point, but yet he was in a state of conscious imperfection-"Not as thoughI had already attained, either were already perfected." He had not yet reached his own ideal of what a Christian might be.He had not yet obtained from Christ all that he expected to obtain. He was not sitting down to rest and be thankful, but hewas still hurrying on, reaching after something which was yet beyond him. He could not say, "Soul, take your ease, you havemuch goods laid up for many years," but he still felt his own spiritual poverty, and he cried, "Not as though I had alreadyattained, either were already perfected."
But, Beloved, let not that thought be any kind of solace to you, for I would remind you that though consciously imperfect,Paul was zealously making progress. He says, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."I know many who say that they are imperfect and they seem to be quite satisfied to be so. That was never the case with theApostle-as long as any trace of a sinful nature or a sinful tendency remained in him, it made him cry out, "O wretched manthat I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" It was not because he was dead in sin that he cried in thatway. It would be a new thing in this world for a sinner dead in sin to cry so, but because he was already largely deliveredfrom sin and the reigning power of it had been broken! Therefore he felt the burden of any sort of contact with sin. A manwho is in the sea, taking a plunge deep down under the water, does not feel the weight of the water. But bring him out onthe shore, put a great tub of water on his head-and see what a weight that is to him! So, while a man is in sin as his element,it is no burden to him, but when he is out of it, and not under its power, then he feels the weight of it, he grows wearyunder it and would gladly be rid of every particle of it.
The Apostle, I say, was conscious of imperfection, but he was also conscious that he was making progress, that he was runningtowards a mark, that he was leaving much behind him, and was pressing toward that which was before him. He was also in a stateof anxious aspiration. He desired that he might be found in Christ, that he might attain unto the resurrection from amongthe dead, that he might, in a word, grasp that for which Christ had grasped him. I am going to talk about that double grasp,tonight-"That I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus,"
Notice that there are two forces here mentioned which are at work in every gracious man. There is Christ's power by whichHe apprehends us and then there is the new power, the new life of God-given faith, by which we, in our turn, seek to apprehendthat for which Christ has apprehended us. Christ has apprehended us for a purpose-we wish to realize that purpose even tothe fullest. That is the intent of the Apostle's words. Let us consider them in detail.
I. First, let us think of PAUL'S APPREHENSION BY CHRIST JESUS.
"Thus the eternal counsel ran, 'Almighty Grace, arrest that man!'" And almighty Grace arrested him! He fell to the earth atthe first blow. He was blinded with the second. No, not so much by a blow as by the greatness of the Light of God that shoneround about him! And there he lay prostrate, broken in heart and blind in eyes-he had to be led into the city-and one of thosepoor men whom he had determined to haul to prison had to come and pray for him, that his eyes might be opened, that he mightbe baptized, and that he might thus make his confession of faith in Christ! He well says that he was "apprehended of ChristJesus." The King sent no sheriffs officer to arrest him, but He came, Himself, and took him into Divine custody, laid himby the heels for three days in the dark-and then let him out into glorious liberty, an altogether changed man-to go forthto preach that faith which before he had sought to destroy!
You may not all be able to remember any special day when you were apprehended by Christ, but some of us do. We remember whenwe, who had been formerly carried captive by the devil at his will, found ourselves arrested by One stronger than Satan. Wemanaged, by Divine Grace, to escape from the clutches of the devil, but we could not escape from that dear pierced hand whenonce it was laid upon us! We surrendered ourselves prisoners. There was no resisting, any longer, when His mighty Grace camein to arrest us. I say that some of us remember that day. Other days, notable for great events, have been forgotten, but theday when we were apprehended of Christ Jesus is stamped upon our memory, and always must be, even throughout eternity!
"Isaw One hanging on a tree, In agonies and blood, Who fixed His languid eyes on me, As near His Cross I stood"
and I have had a twist ever since! I never got over it and never expect to. I hope that twist will get a more and more powerfulhold over me. It turned everything upside down. It changed the right into the left. It made the bitter sweet and the sweetbitter-the light darkness, and the darkness light. It was a wonderful twist and, as I say again, that twist still continues!When it has once been experienced, there is no escaping from it. We can say not only, "I was apprehended," but as the texthas it, "I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." He still binds us with the fetters of His love. We still sit at His dear feet,enthralled by His beauties. We are still under the Omnipotent fascination of His altogether lovely face. We could not departfrom Him if we would and we could not if we could! If we went away from Christ, to whom would we go? He has the Words of eternallife! His love holds and binds us faster than fetters of brass. We must forever be apprehended by Christ Jesus our Lord.
them, and the other in which their will, being made truly free, runs delightfully after Christ! But having once been apprehended,the Apostle never shook off Christ's grasp-he began to live as an apprehended man. He said to himself, "I cannot follow theworld, for Christ has apprehended me. I cannot go after false doctrine, for Christ has apprehended me and crucified me withHimself. I cannot cease to preach the Gospel. I cannot become a self-seeker. I cannot do anything but live for Him who diedfor me, for the Master has apprehended me. He has put me under parole to keep close to Him forever and I must not, cannot,dare not, would not leave Him! I am His apprehended one henceforth and even forever."
I want your hearts to talk over this first part of the sermon. Never mind my faltering tongue-let your own hearts speak. IfChrist has never apprehended you, well then, you have nothing to do with this matter, and you may leave it alone. But if Hehas arrested you, acknowledge the soft impeachment, tonight. Say in your heart, "Yes, He has, indeed, laid hold on me, andmy heart's desire is that He would bring every thought into captivity to Him. From henceforth I would be led in triumph byHim, His captive all the days of my life, to show the power of His illustrious love, the victories of His Grace!" Oh, thatwe might, each one, say with Paul, "I am apprehended of Christ Jesus"!
Ah, dear Souls, you who have never been apprehended of Him, I hope that you will be, tonight! I pray God that you may runaway from your old master, the devil, and not give him even five minutes' notice, but just start off directly! And while youare a runaway slave, may my Divine Master come and lay His hand upon you and say, "You are Mine. You never did really belongto your old master and even though you promised and swore that you would be his, thus says the Lord, 'Your Covenant with deathshall be disannulled, and your agreement with Hell shall not stand.' I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name,you are Mine, and now I only take what I bought on the tree. I take by power, by might, by main force, by Grace, what I purchasedwith the blood of My hands and feet and heart. I will have you, for you are Mine." Lord, will You thus arrest some sinner,tonight, to the praise of the glory of Your Grace?
II. Now let us notice PAUL'S DESIRE TO APPREHEND THAT FOR WHICH THE LORD HAD APPREHENDED HIM.
Well, why did Christ apprehend Paul? First, it was to convert him completely-to make a new man of him, to turn him from allhis old ways and pursuits-and put him on quite a different road. Now, Brothers and Sisters, that is why the Lord apprehendedus-to make us new creatures in Christ Jesus! Let us pray God to carry out that design to the fullest, to make us altogethernew creatures. Do not let us be satisfied while there are any remains of the old nature-let us cry to the Lord to drive theCanaanites out-and though they have chariots of iron, let us, by Divine Grace, drive them all out! Pray, "Lord Jesus, Youhave come to turn me from every sin-turn me and I shall be turned! You have provided medicine for every disease-Lord, healme and I shall be healed!"
Do not be satisfied, any of you, with half a conversion! I am afraid that there are a great many who have not much more thanhalf a conversion. I know a man-I hope he is converted, but I wish that the Lord would convert his temper. He prays very nicely,but you should see him when he is red in the face with anger at his wife! I know a man-I hope he is a Christian, it is notfor me to judge-but I wish that the Lord would convert his pocket. It needs a button taken off, for it is very difficult toget it open! It is very easy to put something in, but hard to get anything out for any good purpose. I know a great many professingChristians who do not seem to have had what we might call a thorough conversion. We need the power which has arrested us todo its work completely-till there is not any part of us but what has been renewed by Grace and sanctified to the service andGlory of God. Brethren, seek to apprehend that for which Christ has apprehended you, namely, a thorough conversion, a turningof yourself from every evil way!
all the blotches and blemishes, and paint the true portrait till. at last. everybody who sees us will say, "There is Christin that man-he is a likeness of Christ"!
We may not all be paintings on ivory. We may not all be taken on a sheet of silver, but the Lord's portrait, even though itis on a piece of clay, has still great beauties in it. And as He intends to make us like Christ, O Beloved, let us aspireto this! Come, get it into your voice and get it into your heart! You are to be like Christ and as you are to be so, and thisis the very reason why Christ has arrested you, pine after it, thirst after it, labor after it! Trust God to work in you towill and to do of His own good pleasure, and while He is doing that, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling becauseit is God that works in you!
If you turn to Paul's description of his own conversion, which he gave to Agrippa, you will find that the Lord said to himthat He had appeared to him to make him a witness of that which he had seen, and of that which He would afterwards revealto him. So, in the third place, we have been apprehended of Christ that we may be witnesses for Him, first seeinga great dealand then tellingwhat we have seen, which is the other sense of the word, "witness." A witness sees or hears and then he tellsin court what he has seen or heard and so he becomes a witness to others as once he was a witness to himself. Now, the Lordhas apprehended every Christian, here, to see their Savior, to see His Grace, to see His love, to see His power, to see allthe wonders which the Holy Spirit works among men-and then to go and talk of these things to others, that they, also, hearingfrom the lips of a witness, may be led to believe by the power of the Holy Spirit!
Beloved, if the Lord Jesus Christ has apprehended you that you may be a witness, be on the lookout! Keep your eyes open! Seeall that you can see. Every Prophet of olden times was called a Seer. You cannot prophesy to others until you have been aseeryourself! Pray that you may see all that is in the Word. Cry, "Open You my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things outof Your Law." Pray that you may see the movements of God in Providence, and may see the hand of God in your own heart andyour own experience. Pray God, first, to make you a witness, an observer-and then tell out to others what you have tastedand handled and felt of the Word of life-and be a faithful witness for your Lord and Master all your days. Do not some professingChristians, who are here, tonight, feel a little uncomfortable? You have not yet seen all that you should see and have younot kept very much to yourselves what you have seen? I would that you could apprehend that for which also you are apprehendedof Christ Jesus, seeing what He means you to see and then, telling out what He means you to tell. May the Lord instruct usmore and more that we may fulfill all His good pleasure!
But, next, we were converted in order to be the instruments of the conversion of others. Paul, when he was speaking to Agrippa,expressly mentioned how the Lord said, "Delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send you, toopen their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgivenessof sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me." So, you see, there was a certain numberof souls for whom Paul was apprehended that he might be the instrument of their salvation! Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed, "Father,the hour is come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You: as You have given Him power over all flesh, that Heshould give eternal life to as many as You have given Him."
Now, that power Christ distributes among His people. There is a certain number of persons who will receive eternal life throughmy ministry. There is a certain number who will receive eternal life through another man's ministry. I wonder how many have,in this way, been appointed to you, that you might be the means of their salvation? You were not saved that you might onlygo to Heaven-you were saved that you might take others there with you! In the olden days, when a man needed pigeons, he usedto take a dove of his own and smear its wings all over with perfume, and then, when it was very sweet to smell, he threw itup into the air and it went into other dovecots, and all the pigeons went after it. And when it came back, it brought themhome to its master. That was a roguish trick, but it is a blessed method of bringing poor flying doves to Christ! When yourwings are sweet with Christ's love. When every time that you move, you perfume the air with holiness and mercy and Grace,others will flock around you and fly with you like doves to their windows!
ferocious grip and could not say a word till he had shed many a tear. These things make us very happy and my heart's desireis that I may get all that Christ means me to get, that I may apprehend all that, or them, for which He apprehended me!
I want every Christian Brother and Sister, here, to feel the same. There is somebody in the world whom you have to bring toChrist. I do not know where he is, or who he is, but you had better look out for him. Come, seek now. Say, "I would not losea single pearl, though it lies deep under the waves of the sea, if my great Lord intends me to dive for it, and bring it upinto the Light." Get to your searching after the hidden treasures and be intent, day and night, in the power of the Spirit,that you may apprehend that measure of usefulness for which you were apprehended of Christ Jesus! It will be a high honorto appear, at last, as a winner of souls! Kings might doff their diadems and forget that they ever wore them, in comparisonwith that crown which God will give to those who turn many to righteousness, for they shall shine "as the stars forever andever!" Aspire to this, my dear Friends, and lose none of those for which you have been apprehended of Christ Jesus your Lord.
In the Acts of the Apostles we read that the Lord said to Ananias about Paul, "I will show him how great things he must sufferfor My name's sake." Well, now, some of you were apprehended on purpose that you might suffer for Christ's sake. Did I seeyou wince at that word? Well, but if usefulness by labor is an honor, usefulness by suffering is a still greater honor! InHeaven, the brightest crown that any saint wears is that which is set with the rubies of martyrdom. When I have read the storiesof those holy men and women who died in Roman amphitheatres, or were burned to death over at Smithfield, yonder, I must confessthat I have envied them. To preach Christ seems so little compared with having Grace enough to suffer for His name's sake!As one reads of their intense suffering, one naturally shrinks from it and says, "I thank God that I am not called to endurethat trial." But yet, if we were called to it, we would have Grace given to us to bear it What an honor it was for them, forthe sake of the Prince of martyrs, the Leader of the sacramental hosts of God's elect, to be able and willing to give themselvesup to death!
Well, you may be called to suffer for Christ's sake, but, at any rate, you are called to this-to lay your all upon His altar,to devote yourself, your substance, all that you are and all that you have, to His honor and Glory! You are apprehended ofChrist Jesus for this purpose-try to apprehend it. Oh, Brothers and Sisters, let us resolve to live wholly unto Christ! Letus bid Him take our hands, feet, heart, eyes, brain and every faculty of our being! May God get as much glory as He can, outof us, or reflect as much of His Glory as is possible through even our weakness and infirmities! But this is why we have beenapprehended of Christ Jesus, that we may be wholly and only the Lord's, "For the love of Christ constrains us because we thusjudge, that if one died for all, then all died, and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth liveunto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again." Here is the prize of your high calling-are you ready torun for it? God help you to do so, to apprehend, in personal self-sacrifice, all that for which Christ has apprehended you!
"EEast and west, and south and north, Speeds each glorious angel forth, Gathering in with glittering wings Zion's saints toZion's King,"
in the world to come. You shall be as full as the greatest vessel, but you shall have smaller capacity. Look to that matter,now.
I believe that every action in this mortal life thrills through eternity. Time and eternity are like one tremulous mass ofjelly-if you touch one particle of it here, it trembles right through, and right throughout the ages. Not a word is spokenbut the echo of it shall be heard when time shall be no more. Not a deed is done that dies, especially the deeds of quickenedmen and women! They know not what they do-they will be astonished to find, at the Last Great Day-what they have done, forthe Lord will evidently surprise His people when He says, "I was hungry, and you gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and you gaveMe drink." They will say, "Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink?" And if you apprehendto the fullest the great purpose of Christ in apprehending you, that it is not of debt, but of Grace-not of works, but offaith, yet, in the ages to come, you shall be surprised to find how the little that you did shall bring you great reward!God gives His people good works and then rewards them for them! He works in us to will and to do, and then we will and doand He gives us a reward for willing and doing!
I wish, dear Friends, that in Heaven we might feel, "Well, I did as God helped me. I apprehended that for which my Masterapprehended me." You have no idea what you are going to do in Glory. I expect, one day, to preach to an assembled universeconcerning my Lord and Master, to tell to principalities and powers what Christ has done-not to sit with a lot of you goodpeople, some listening to me, and some, perhaps, not-but to have angels, and principalities, and powers to be my congregation!And I want to learn to preach well, here, that they may be attentive to me. Each one of you who has served your Lord shallbe a monument of His love and His mercy-and the angels shall stop and read what is inscribed on you! Oh, that there mightbe some good letters written on you, that when Gabriel stops to read, he may clap his hands and then fly with swifter flight,as he says, "Bless the Lord for what He did for that poor man, for what He worked in that poor woman! His Grace is conspicuousthere." As you are to be seen throughout all eternity, may you be fit to be seen! May the Lord, of His Grace, work in youthat which shall be to the praise of His Glory!
III. I have done when I just take a minute or two to show THE LESSONS WHICH PAUL IS TEACHING US BY THIS TEXT.
The first is this, make sure of your apprehension by Christ Jesus, so that you can talk like Paul about it, "That for whichI am apprehended." Pray the Lord that you may feel His hand on your shoulder, that you may feel His Grace in your heart, Hisblessed fetters on your feet, His Divine manacles upon your wrists. Pray that you may have no doubt about it, but may knowbeyond all doubt that the Lord has arrested you.
This being known, do not let it make you idle. Do not say, "Christ has arrested me; I am saved; nothing more is needed." No.Why has He arrested you? He has a purpose in it. That arrest was but the beginning of a great lifework. Let it not make youidle, but let it be your encouragement. If Christ has arrested you to be holy, He will make you holy. If Christ has arrestedyou for usefulness, be confident in seeking it. If Christ has arrested you to make you an eternal monument of His Grace, believethat you will be, and press forward to the mark for the prize of your high calling!
Finally, let this lead you to hope for the salvation of others. Go forward hopefully in your service for others. Teach thatSunday school class with a firm belief that you were apprehended on purpose that John and Tom might be converted! Go and teachthe girls and say, "I was apprehended to bring Mary, and Jane, and Louisa to Christ-and do not be at all doubtful about it."This is the purpose of God-expect it to be worked out! Go to your street corner, my beloved Brother, and preach away-evenwhen the mob disturbs you! Go from door to door with your tracts, even though they may be cast in your face. Go, city missionariesand Bible-women, to your holy and righteous toil. Go, each one of you, to the work for which God has apprehended you, foras the Lord has apprehended you, it is for a purpose! And rest not until that purpose is fully established.
May the Lord arrest some sinners, tonight! Pray, as you go down the aisles, "Lord, arrest them! Bring them to Your dear feetand save them this night, for Jesus' sake!" Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON. PHILIPPIANS 3.
The Holy Spirit indited this Epistle by the pen of His servant, Paul. May He also write it on our hearts!
Verse 1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. When you get to, "finally." When you are very near the end of your journey,still, "rejoice in the Lord." "Finally," says Paul, as if this were the end of his Epistle, the conclusion of all his teaching-"Finally,my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." But never do it finally! Never come to an end of it! Rejoice in the Lord and yet, again,rejoice, and yet, again, rejoice-and as long as you live, rejoice in the Lord.
1. To write the same things to you, to me, indeed, is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Some hearers are like the Athenianacademicians-they want continually to hear something new. The Apostle says, "To have the same things written to you, is safe."So is it for you, dear Friends, to have the same Gospel, the same Jesus, the same Holy Spirit made known to you, is safe.New doctrine is dangerous doctrine!
2. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers. They are like dogs. If they fawn upon you, they will dirty you, if they do notbite you.
2, 3. Beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus,and have no confidence in the flesh. There were some who had confidence in circumcision, who greatly troubled Paul. The Apostlesays that they were, "the concision," the cutters off, of whom he would have the Philippians beware.
4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has of which he might trust in the flesh,I more. If any man might have had confidence in the flesh, truly Paul might.
5, 6. Circumcised the eighth day, the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching theLaw, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless. So thatI do not know what more he could have had. If a Jew had tried to select a man who had something to glory in, he could nothave picked any man to stand in the front of Paul! He was truly a Jew. He had received the initiatory rite and on the rightday. He was born of Law of God to the extreme. He tithed his mint and his cummin. Nobody could have anything to glory in whichPaul had not.
7. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. So that, when we come to Christ, whatever we have totrust to, we must put away. We must write it on the other side of the ledger. We had entered it as a gain-now we must setit down as a loss-it is of no value, whatever! It is a loss if it shall tempt us to trust any less in Christ.
8. Yes doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Those are sweetwords, "my Lord." Remember how Thomas cried, in ecstasy, "My Lord and my God"? Paul, by faith putting his finger into theprints of the nails, says, "My Lord."
8, 9. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found inHim. Oh, what a precious place to be found in, "in Him," trusting in Him, hidden away in Him, a member of His body, as itwere, losing myself in Him!
9. Not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law. He does not say, not trustingit, but not even havingit, not countingit, not thinkingit worthwhile to put down among his possessions that which he once prized so much.
9, 10. But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him. Paulmeans, "That I may know Him more than I now do," for he knew Him and delighted in Him, but he felt as if he had not reallybegun to know Christ. He was like a child at school who has learned to read and to write, and knows so much that he beginsto want to know more.
10, 11. And the power of His Resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; ifby any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. He knew that all the dead would rise again, but he aspiredto the frstresurrection-"The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."
12, 13. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect but I follow after, if that I may apprehend thatfor which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended. He did count himself assaved-he knew that he was Christ's-but he did not count himself as having realized all that Christ meant to do for him andby him. He did not reckon that he had reached as far as he could reach, or learned all that he could learn, or done all thathe could do.
13, 14. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which arebefore, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. You have seen a man running veryfast. How he leans forward, as though he would send his heart before him and go quicker than his legs can carry him! So didthe Apostle, "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
15, 16. Let us, therefore, as many as are mature, be thus minded: and if in anything you are otherwise minded, God shall revealeven this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.Let us keep all the good that we have received. Let us not give up the Truth of God that we have learned. Let us not leavethe way along which we have traveled so far-and let us keep together-let perfect unanimity prove that the work of Grace isgoing on in one as well as in another.
17. Brethren, be followers together of me. In these days, certain people find fault with Paul and speak of him as if he werenot Inspired, and not to be followed as Christ was, But here he expressly says what no man like Paul would ever say unlessmoved of the Holy Spirit, for he was modest and, by no means, anxious to push himself forward-"Brethren, be followers togetherof me."
17. And mark them which walk so as you have us for an example. Mark them, but do not followthem. See how they walk, but donot imitate them-"Have us for an example."
18. (For many walk, ofwhom Ihave toldyou often, andnow tellyou even weeping, that they are the enemies ofthe Cross of Christ.I lay a stress upon the article-"They are the enemies of the Cross of Christ." Professors of religion who get into the Churchand yet lead ungodly lives, are the worst enemies that the Cross of Christ has! These are the sort of men who bring tearsinto the minister's eyes! These are they who break his heart! They are the enemies of the Cross of Christ.
19. Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things). "Whomind earthly things"-even when they profess to be minding spiritual things-pretending to be followers of Christ up to Heavenand yet really making a gain of the things of God here below.
20. For our conversation is in Heaven. Can you say that, dear Friend? Is your citizenship in Heaven? Is your conversationthere? Do you often commune with your Lord upon the Throne? Judge yourselves whether it is so or not. It is a very poor thingto have a name to be in Heaven and yet never to have any converse with Heaven! I wish that we could all say that we talk moreto God than we do to men, and have more business upward than we have here below.
20. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming! He is coming! Are we looking for Him? Thisis the true position of the Christian-looking for the appearing of his Lord!
21. Who shall change our vile body. "The body of our humiliation." We have only part of the redemption while we are here.The soul is regenerated, newly-born, but the bodyis not. "The body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life becauseof righteousness." The redemption of the purchased possession will be perfect at the resurrection. The resurrection will be,to the body, what regeneration is to the soul! We sometimes wonder why we are sick when Christ could make us well in a moment-butthe reason is that, as yet, He has not fully brought His Divine Power to bear upon the body.
21. That it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all thingsunto Himself May He show some part of that blessed power in us tonight! Amen. | 2019-04-20T23:13:49Z | https://liveprayer.com/spurgeon-sermons-reference.cfm?s=188985 |
2014-06-16 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=47989922&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US8412841(B1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2014-06-16 US case 3:14-cv-02778 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/California%20Northern%20District%20Court/case/3%3A14-cv-02778 Source: District Court Jurisdiction: California Northern District Court "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for media content streaming can include transacting access information associated with a media stream and transacting one or more fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content associated with the media stream. Access information can include fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual retrieval of fragments associated with the media stream using a uniform resource identifier via a processing device configured to cache content. A fragment can include one or more stream messages. A stream message can include a message header and a corresponding media data sample. The message header can include a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value.
This specification relates to streaming media content.
A networked server can stream media content to one or more computers connected to a communication network. Various examples of media content include video, audio, text, and combinations thereof. A computer can request and receive a media content. A computer can render media content to an output device such as a video display, speaker, or a printer.
Processing devices such as a computer or a server can use one or more protocols to exchange media content. For example, some processing devices can use a protocol such as the Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) of Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif. to send media content over a network such as one based on an Internet Protocol (IP). RTMP can provide multiplexing and packetizing services for a higher-level multimedia stream protocol. RTMP messages can include a timestamp and payload type identification information. Protocols such as RTMP can use a reliable transport protocol such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to provide guaranteed timestamp-ordered end-to-end delivery of messages, across one or more streams.
Some processing devices can use a Web protocol such as a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to request and receive information such as a document or at least a portion of a document. Some HTTP requests can identify a specific document. Processing devices can transact HTTP data over TCP/IP.
This specification describes technologies relating to Web based media content streaming.
In one aspect, methods for media content streaming can include transacting access information associated with a media stream and transacting one or more fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content associated with the media stream. Access information can include fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual retrieval of fragments associated with the media stream using a uniform resource identifier via a processing device configured to cache content. A fragment can include one or more stream messages. A stream message can include a message header and a corresponding media data sample. The message header can include a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value. Other implementations can include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices.
These and other implementations can include one or more of the following features. Transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream can include sending the one or more of the fragments to the processing device. A processing device can be configured to cache fragments associated with the media stream and to deliver cached fragments to a remote device using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Access information can include identities of multiple servers, including the processing device, configured to cache one or more fragments associated with the media stream. These and other implementations can include causing the remote device to request different fragments from different ones of the servers, and to assemble requested fragments to play at least a portion of the media stream.
These and other implementations can include producing one or more additional fragments based on an incremental media data addition to the media stream, providing updated access information to a remote device to reflect the one or more additional fragments, and causing the processing device to cache the one or more additional fragments. Fragment sequencing information can include one or more fragment time durations and a number of fragments associated with each fragment time duration. Fragment sequencing information can be arranged to indicate a fragment play order. A message header can be formatted in accordance with a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP).
These and other implementations can include comprising causing a remote device to process media data based on the information contained in at least one message header. One or more of the fragments can include a RTMP message associated with audio data interleaved with a RTMP message associated with video data. Access information can include a segment run table to identify runs of segments and a fragment run table to identify runs of fragments. The fragment run tables can include the fragment sequencing information.
In another aspect, methods for media content streaming can include causing a server cluster to store media content. The media content can include fragments associated with a media stream. A fragment can include stream messages, where separate ones of the stream message can include a message header and a corresponding media data sample. A message header can include a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value. These methods can include receiving a request associated with the media stream from a remote device using a Web protocol. These methods can include sending access information associated with the media stream to the remote device using a Web protocol. The access information can include fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual fragment retrieval by the remote device. These methods can include causing the server cluster to process a fragment request from a remote device that identifies one or more of fragments associated with a media stream, and to send the one or more identified fragments to the remote device using a Web protocol. Other implementations can include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices.
Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented so as to realize one or more of the following advantages. Media content streaming throughput can be increased. HTTP can be used to stream media content, and HTTP network infrastructure and HTTP client software can be leveraged. Moreover, enhanced media viewing capabilities such as quick start, low latency, and faster seeking capabilities can be provided to remote devices.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a communication network connected with processing devices.
FIG. 2 shows an example of interactions between a Web server, Web cache, and a device.
FIG. 3 shows another example of interactions between a Web server, Web cache, and a device.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a media content distribution process.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a process to request and obtain media content.
FIG. 6 shows a media document example that includes message headers and corresponding sample payloads.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a message header in a hint sample.
FIG. 8 shows an example of a server interacting with a device.
FIG. 9 shows another example of a media content distribution process.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a communication network connected with processing devices. Processing devices such as network endpoints 105, 110, 120, 125, 130, 135 can connect to a communication network 115 such as the Internet or a Local Area Network (LAN). Various examples of endpoints include processing devices such as a mobile phone, personal computer 105, 110 or a computer such as a server 120, 125, 130, 135. An endpoint can include one or more processors that can be programmed or configured to perform one or more operations mentioned in the present disclosure. In some implementations, a processor can include multiple processors or processor cores. A network endpoint can be identified as a client, a server, or both, but in any case, a network endpoint necessarily includes some hardware since it includes a physical device.
Endpoints 105, 110, 120, 125, 130, 135 can access electronic documents such as media documents. An electronic document (which for brevity will simply be referred to as a document) does not necessarily correspond to a file. A document may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other documents, in a single file dedicated to the document in question, or in multiple coordinated files. The document need not be a text file or a document in the sense of a word processor. The document can include audio, video, images, and data content. In other examples, the document can be any audio, video, image, or data file. Also the document can be streaming versions of the aforementioned document types.
In some implementations, a first server 120 is configured to handle initial media content requests from a computer 105, 110. In some implementations, a second server 125 is configured to stream media content. For example, a computer 105, 110 can communicate with the first server 120 to retrieve access information regarding a media stream. The access information can include contact information for the second server 125. The computer 105, 110 can use the access information to communicate with the second server 125, including requesting media fragments of the media stream.
Server clusters 130, 135 can be configured as Web caches, e.g., HTTP based caches configured to store Web content. A server cluster 130, 135 can communicate with different endpoints connected to the network 115. In some implementations, a server cluster 130, 135 can include one or more servers in a rack-mount configuration. In some implementations, a server cluster can include multiple servers located in respective different physical locations with separate physical connections to the network 115. In some implementations, a content distribution network (CDN) can include one or more server clusters 130, 135, which can be configured as a Web cache.
Endpoints 105, 110, 120, 125, 130, 135 can establish connections with other endpoints 105, 110, 120, 125. For example, servers 120, 125, 130, 135 can establish connections with other servers 120, 125, 130, 135 or with computers 105, 110. Likewise, computers 105, 110 can establish connections with other computers 105, 110 or with servers 120, 125. In some implementations, TCP/IP can be used to transport data between network endpoints 105, 110, 120, 125, 130, 135. In some implementations, network endpoints 105, 110, 120, 125 can communicate with each other using a protocol stack such as RTMP over TCP/IP. For example, a computer 105 can receive a media stream from a server 120 using RTMP. In another example, a computer 110 can request and receive different portions of a media stream from a server 125, 135 using HTTP.
A server can process a Web based request from a client device that requests media content. In some implementations, a server cluster containing multiple servers can process requests from client devices in a distributed fashion. A server can stream media content over a network such as the Internet to a client device. In some implementations, streaming media content can include accessing a segment of media content such as a movie segment and sending at least a portion of the segment to the client device in response to a HTTP request. The segment can include one or more media data samples such as audio samples, video samples, and other data samples such as text and graphics. A server can access a document such as one based at least in part on a MPEG4 format to obtain media data samples.
In some implementations, a server can fragment a MPEG4 formatted document, such as a movie, into multiple fragments in accordance with the MPEG4 specification. In some implementations, a server can store multiple versions of documents associated with a movie, with each version having a different bit rate.
Some document formats such as ones based on a MPEG4 format can support inclusion of hint information to stream or render media content. Hint information can include hint media data and can include a hint metadata track. Hint media data can include one or more hint samples. A hint sample can include a network protocol header. In some implementations, a hint sample can include a network protocol header and one or more of an audio sample, video sample, or another type of sample such as text. In some implementations, a hint sample can include a network protocol header and a pointer to a sample in a different media data area in lieu of containing the sample itself.
Servers can use hint information to process media content. In some implementations, a server can use hint media data to stream media content. A hint metadata track can contain pointers to locations of hint samples in a hint media data area of a document. In some implementations, a server can use information in a hint metadata track and corresponding hint media data container to stream media content.
In some implementations, servers can use hint information to stream media content to a client device using RTMP over TCP/IP. The client device can process the RTMP messages and render media content. In some implementations, servers can use hint information to generate one or more documents containing media content that are individually addressable by a HTTP request. A client device can receive a media stream over HTTP by requesting to receive one or more documents or portions thereof that are associated with the media stream. Such documents can include RTMP message headers and corresponding media data samples arranged for playback. The client device can receive such a document over a HTTP connection instead of a RTMP connection and can render the media data samples based on their corresponding RTMP message headers. In some implementations, a client device can be configured to process RTMP message headers and corresponding media data samples from multiple stacks such as RTMP over TCP/IP or HTTP over TCP/IP.
FIG. 2 shows an example of interactions between a Web server, Web cache, and a device. A device 205 such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone, can interact with a Web server 215 to request media content. A Web server 215 can provide information to the device 205. The device 205 can request one or more portions of the media content. In some implementations, the device 205 can request a fragment such as a movie fragment associated with the media content. In some implementations, the device 205 can request a segment associated with the media content. In some implementations, a segment can include one or more fragments. In some implementations, the device 205 can request one or more fragments associated with the media content. A fragment can include one or more frames associated with the movie. In some implementations, the device 205 can request a range of frames associated with the media content.
In some implementations, the Web server 215 can direct the device 205 to a server such as a server configured to cache content, e.g., Web cache node 210, to retrieve at least some of the media content. In some implementations, a networked server associated with the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet can automatically redirect the device 205 to a Web cache node 210 situated in proximity to the device 205 based on network topology.
FIG. 3 shows another example of interactions between a Web server, Web cache, and a device. A Web server 315 can push media content to a Web cache node 310 configured to store media content for future access. In some implementations, a Web cache 310 can intercept a request from a device 305 for specific media content, which can cause the Web cache node 310 to pull information from the Web server 315 to service the request. The Web cache node 310 can pull information from the Web server 315 based on one or more factors. For example, the Web cache node 310 can experience an initial cache miss where the Web cache 310 does not yet have the media content associated with the request. In some implementations, the Web cache node 310 can forward a request to the Web Server 315 to receive content to cure a cache miss. In another example, stored information in the Web cache node 310 can require one or more refreshes. For example, stored media content in the Web cache node 310 can be time sensitive and can require periodic updates such as additions to the content, e.g., storing media associated with a live event. In some implementations, a Web server 315 can send media content to multiple Web cache nodes 310, 312. A device 305 can receive different portions of a media stream from one or more Web cache nodes 310, 312.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a media content distribution process. A distribution process can include storing media content associated with a media stream (405). The server cluster can include one or more servers in one or more physical locations. In some implementations, a server can upload media content to a server cluster that includes one or more servers such as a Web Cache node. In some implementations, a server can send media content to a server cluster that has forwarded to the server a media content request from a remote device.
Media content can include fragments associated with a media stream. A fragment can include stream messages. A stream message can include a message header and a corresponding media data sample, such as an audio sample, video sample, or text sample. A message header can include a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value.
The distribution process can include receiving a request associated with a media stream from a remote device using a Web protocol (410). In some implementations, a Web protocol can include HTTP. In some implementations, a Web protocol can include HTTP with one or more security features such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). In some implementations, a server can cause a processing device such as a Web cache to handle receiving a HTTP based request associated with a media stream.
The distribution process can include sending access information associated with the media stream to the remote device using the Web protocol (415). Access information can include fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual fragment retrieval by a remote device. In some implementations, a Web server can cause a server cluster to act on its behalf. For example, a server cluster such as one or more Web caches configured to store media content associated with a media stream can receive a request associated with the Web server and can send associated access information to the remote device.
A server can send access information to a remote device based on a request for content such as a movie. Access information can include one or more network addresses of respective sources for one or more documents associated with the requested content and can include fragment sequencing information such as bootstrapping information to assist fragment retrieval. In some implementations, media content can be associated with multiple media assets, the access information can include respective fragment sequencing information and can include an edit list.
Bootstrapping information can include fragment run information. For each continuous run of one or more fragments with the same duration, a particular run information entry can include a value denoting the number of fragments associated with a run and a fragment duration. Run information entries can be listed in a data structure in an order of play.
In some implementations, media content can include multiple separate runs of fragments with the same or different fragment durations. In a three run example, run information can include a first fragment duration and a count of fragments associated with the first run, a second fragment duration and a count of fragments associated with the second run, and a third fragment duration and a count of fragments associated with the third run. In some cases, the first and third fragment runs can have the same fragment duration, whereas the second fragment run can be of a different fragment duration.
A device can use access information such as bootstrapping information to seek. In some implementations, a technique for seeking can include converting between a media content time offset and a corresponding fragment index based on access information. The seeking technique can include requesting a fragment based on the conversion.
The distribution process can include processing a fragment request from the remote device that identifies one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream (420). In some implementations, a fragment request can include a fragment index to request a specific fragment in the media stream. In some implementations, a fragment request can include a segment index and a fragment offset pairing in lieu of a fragment index. A fragment offset in such a fragment request can refer to a specific fragment within the segment identified by a corresponding segment index.
The distribution process can include sending the one or more identified fragments to the remote device using the Web protocol (425). In some implementations, different portions of a distribution process can take place at one or more servers. For example, a server can send media content to one or more servers which are configured to handle requests for specifics fragments.
In some implementations, access information can include one or more of: movie identifier, live broadcast indicator, media time information, version indicator, server network address, digital rights management information, a segment run table, and a fragment run table. Segment and fragment run tables can provide information to access media content such as a movie partitioned into multiple segments.
A fragment run table can describe fragments associated with media content. In some implementations, a fragment run table entry can include a first fragment index and a fragment duration for one or more fragments associated with the table entry. For example, a first fragment index can indicate an index value associated with the first fragment of a continuous run of one or more fragments that have the same duration. In some implementations, a fragment run table entry can include a value denoting the number of fragments associated with a run and a fragment duration.
A segment run table can describe segments associated with media content. In some implementations, a segment run table entry can include a first segment index and a count of one or more fragments associated with the table entry. For example, a first segment index can indicate an index value associated with the first segment of a continuous run of one or more segments with similar characteristics, e.g., a run of segments having the same count of fragments. In some implementations, a segment run table entry can include a value denoting the number of segment associated with a run and a fragment count.
A device can access media content such as a movie content or a live media stream using one or more HTTP requests to one or more servers. A device can receive data over one or more HTTP connections. The received data can include access information, and headers and corresponding sample payloads such as audio and video data associated with the requested media content. In some implementations, a device can receive access information that includes identities of one or more Web caches. In some implementations, a device can request multiple fragments from different Web caches in a concurrent fashion. The device can assemble the fragments to render at least a portion of the media stream.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a process to request and obtain media content. A device can request and receive access information associated with specific media content such as a movie or a live media stream (505). Access information can include contact information for a server storing the media content associated with the request. Access information can include a fragment run table. In some implementations, access information can include a fragment run table and a segment run table.
The device can obtain a time index associated with the media content (510). In some implementations, the device can display a media playback control user interface region The region can include a movable positioning bar to display a playback status. A user can move the positioning bar to select an earlier or future time index for media playback. In some implementations, the device can determine a time index based on a position of the positioning bar relative to the user interface region.
The device can determine a fragment index based on the access information and the time index (515). Determining a fragment index can include computing a fragment index based on a fragment run table and the time index.
In some implementations, media content can be stored in different segments, e.g., a segment document that contain fragments. The device can convert a fragment index into a segment index and fragment offset pairing to access a specific segment document and fragment therein. The device can determine a segment index and fragment offset based on the access information and the fragment index (520). Determining a segment index can include computing a segment index based on a segment run table and the fragment index. Determining a fragment offset can include computing an offset of a fragment in a segment corresponding to the segment index, with the fragment corresponding to the fragment index.
The device can request a specific fragment by the segment index and fragment offset (525). In some implementations, the device can request a specific fragment identified by a fragment index. The device can display one or more frames associated with the time index and future time indices (530). For example, the device can start playback of a media stream at the time index. In some implementations, media playback can include determining additional fragments to request. In some implementations, media playback can include determining additional segments to request.
Some requests can include a web address that contains a resource identifier. For example, a request can include a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). In some implementations, a URI can identify a document that contains a segment. In some implementations, a URI based request can include a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to identify a fragment of a specific segment. For example, an endpoint can use a URL such as “http://<server>/<content_identifier>/seg27#frag4” to request the 4th fragment of the 27th segment associated with the media content identified by <content_identifier>. In another example, an endpoint can use a URL such as “http://<server>/<content_identifier>/s11-f5” to request the 5th fragment of the 11th segment associated with the media content identified by <content_identifier>. In another example, an endpoint can use a URL such as “http://<server>/seg23?fragment=5” to request the 5th fragment of the 23rd segment where the server is configured to associate incoming requests with a media content stream that has been pre-arranged such as a live media stream. In yet another example, an endpoint can use a URL such as “http://<server>/fragment270” to request a fragment index of 270.
A server can convert a document without hint information to a document that includes hint information. A server can use a format such as one described herein to generate a document with hint information. In some implementations, a server can replace media data in a document with hint information. For example, a server can use a non duplication mode to strip out media data such as video media data and audio media data and replace them with hint media data that contains their respective media sample data. In some cases, the server can modify one or more additional portions of the original document to reflect this change. In some other cases, the server can remove the metadata tracks to generate a document containing solely message headers and corresponding sample payloads. In some implementations, a standalone software routine can add hint information to a document, which can be placed on one or more servers for distribution.
In some implementations, a hint sample can include a RTMP message header. A corresponding RTMP hint metadata track can include a pointer to a hint sample, containing a RTMP message header, in RTMP hint media data. Hint media data can include hint samples associated with different media data sample types. In some implementations, a document can include a container of multiplexed hint media data including RTMP message headers and corresponding payload information. Payload information can include a payload prepared for transmission or a pointer to obtain data to construct a payload portion of a message. For example, hint media data in a document can include multiplexed audio and video information associated with a movie. RTMP packet information in a hint media data container can be arranged by timestamp.
FIG. 6 shows a media document example that includes message headers and corresponding sample payloads. A document can include a media segment, which can include hint media data 615. Hint media data 615 can include multiple hint samples 620, 625. A first hint sample 620 can include a header such as a RTMP message header 630 and a corresponding payload including an audio sample 632. A second hint sample 625 can include a message header such as a RTMP message header 635 and a corresponding payload including a video sample 637. In some implementations, a document can include one or more containers of media data that include duplicative samples corresponding to samples in the hint media data 615.
In some implementations, a document can include a movie box 640 to describe the contents of hint media data 615. The movie box 640 can include metadata tracks such as an audio track 645, a video track 650, and a RTMP hint track 655. Movie box 640 is not limited to describing movie data, but can describe other content. Metadata tracks 645, 650, 655 can correspond to one or more media types such as video, audio, text, or hint. In some implementations, various metadata tracks 645, 650, 655 can include pointers to locations of samples of media data in the document. In some implementations, a movie box 640 can include information about random access samples in one or more media data container.
The RTMP hint track 655 can include pointers to locations of associated hint samples 620, 625 in hint media data 615. In some implementations, hint media data 615 can interleave hint samples 620, 625 associated with different media types. For example, a hint sample associated with video can be followed by a hint sample associated with audio.
The audio track 645 can include one or more pointers 647 to respective sample locations within a media data container. For example, the audio track 645 can include a pointer 647 to a location of an audio sample 632 situated in a hint sample 620. The video track 650 can include one or more pointers 652 to respective sample locations within a media data container. For example, the video track 650 can include a pointer 652 to a location of a video sample 637 situated in a hint sample 625.
In some implementations, a document can include pointers synchronized for playback. In some implementations, pointers can be synchronized to an event or a specific time duration in media playback or streaming. For example, pointers 647, 652 in the audio and video tracks 645, 650 can be synchronized to an event. Multiple hint pointers 657, 659 in the hint track 655 can be synchronized to the same event based on their corresponding samples 632, 637 being related to the event.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a message header in a hint sample. A hint sample can include a message header such as a RTMP message header and a corresponding payload. A RTMP message header can include a message stream identifier 710, a message type identifier 715, a timestamp 720, and a message length value 725. In some implementations, a corresponding payload including data can follow a RTMP message header in a hint sample.
FIG. 8 shows an example of a server interacting with a device. A server 800 can send data via a connection 808 to a networked endpoint 802 such as a laptop or a mobile device. The server 800 and endpoint 802 can use HTTP over the connection 808 to transact requests and media content. In some implementations, the endpoint 802 can use multiple connections with one or more servers to access and receive media information.
The server 800 can access a document 804, that includes hint media data, via a data interface 806 such as a memory bus, network interface, or a disk drive interface. Hint media data can include multiple hint samples 810, 812, 814, 816 with various types of sample payloads, e.g., video, audio, text. In some implementations, hint samples 810, 812, 814, 816 are properly formatted RTMP messages. In some implementations, the server 800 can access the document 804 stored on a disk drive and can store the document 804 in memory such as a random access memory for future access. Hint samples 810, 812, 814, 816 in the document 804 can be arranged in an order sequence appropriate for playback, such as a timestamp order. Further, hint samples 810, 812, 814, 816 in the document 804 can be partitioned 820 into multiple fragments. In some implementations, different fragments can be stored separately.
Hint samples with different sample payload types can be multiplexed into a single container of hint media data, which can increase server throughput. In some implementations, a single hint segment can interleave different media types. For example, a hint data container can include hint sample payloads that respectively alternate between two or more media types. In some cases, a hint data container can include multiple video payloads followed by an audio payload.
The endpoint 802 can send requests 830, 835 for specific fragments of one or more media content segments. In some implementations, an endpoint 802 can request an entire media content segment. The server 800 can send fragments 840, 845 to the endpoint 802 based on the endpoint's requests. Fragments 840, 845 can include one or more of hint samples 810, 812, 814, 816. The endpoint 802 can render media content in an order based on RTMP timestamps in respective RTMP messages, e.g., hint samples 810, 812, 814, 816, received in one or more fragments 840, 845. In some implementations, the server 800 can perform one or more byte swap operations to prepare data packets containing fragments 840, 845 for transmission over a network. The endpoint 802 can receive fragments 840, 845 and can render media content based on the received fragments 840, 845.
FIG. 9 shows another example of a media content distribution process. A distribution process can include transacting access information associated with a media stream (905). Access information can include fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual retrieval of fragments associated with the media stream using a uniform resource identifier via a processing device configured to cache content. The distribution process can include transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content (910). In some implementations, transacting information can include sending data to one or more processing devices such as a server. In some implementations, transacting information can include receiving data from one or more processing devices. In some implementations, transacting information can include receiving data and sending data.
A network endpoint can run one or more applications that include support for RTMP such as ADOBE® FLASH® Player and/or ADOBE® AIR® software, available from Adobe Systems Incorporated, of San Jose, Calif. For example, some servers can use RTMP to stream ADOBE® FLASH® content. In some implementations, a server such as an one configured as an ADOBE® FLASH® Media Interactive Server (FMS) can stream media content to an endpoint running ADOBE® FLASH® Player. A FMS can access a media information such as a FLASH® Video (e.g., F4V) document to obtain media content. A F4V based document can include media content and can be in accordance with an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Base Media File Format. In some implementations, a FMS can use RTMP to stream media content to a ADOBE® FLASH® Player. In some implementations, a server such as a FMS configured to use HTTP can stream media content to a player using HTTP over TCP/IP.
In some implementations, a server can use MPEG4 movie fragments, RTMP based hint information, and access information such as a bootstrapping to provide streaming media access and connect to a client device using a Web protocol such as HTTP. A HTTP media stream can include a stream of fragments and can multiplex data such as audio and video. A fragment can include ADOBE® FLASH® content and can include media data samples of different media types and message headers multiplexed in time order in one or more RTMP streams. In some implementations, a server can insert advertisements into a media stream. Web caches such as a HTTP based Web cache can store HTTP communications from a server for faster access.
A server can receive additional data associated with a media stream, such as receiving additional frames in a live video broadcast. For example, the server can produce one or more additional fragments based on an incremental media data addition to the media content. The server can provide updated access information to a remote device to reflect the one or more additional fragments. In some implementations, the server can upload the additional fragments to a HTTP based Web cache.
In some implementations, a server can access protected media content in a document. In some implementations, a server can protect media content before distribution to clients. In some implementations, a server can use one or more digital rights management (DRM) techniques to control access privileges associated with media content. In some implementations, a server can encrypt media content and control distribution of associated key material to decrypt said media content. In some implementations, a server can use an ADOBE® DRM system, available from Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif.
In some implementations, a hint sample can include multiple media data samples. In some implementations, multiple hint samples can include the same media data sample. In some implementations, a container of hint media data can include hint samples with pointers to media data samples and can include hint samples with embedded media data samples. In some implementations, hint samples can be transmitted to a client, which can use the hint samples to render media content. In some implementations, a server can transmit hint samples to an intermediate endpoint which can use the hint samples to deliver media content to a client. An intermediate endpoint can use different communication techniques such as different network protocols for sending and receiving hint information. In some implementations, a server can add hint samples to a document and can cache hint samples for future use. In some implementations, segment and fragment run tables can be used with a multiplexed media format such as MPEG-2 Transport Stream (MPEG-2 TS). In some implementations, segment and fragment run tables can be used with a media format that provides for fragments with mixed samples and for fragments with or without hint information.
transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content associated with the media stream.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream comprises sending the one or more of the fragments to the processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to cache fragments associated with the media stream and to deliver cached fragments to a remote device using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the access information comprises identities of multiple servers, including the processing device, configured to cache one or more fragments associated with the media stream, the method further comprising causing the remote device to request different fragments from different ones of the servers, and to assemble requested fragments to play at least a portion of the media stream.
causing the processing device to cache the one or more additional fragments.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fragment sequencing information comprises one or more fragment time durations and a number of fragments associated with each fragment time duration, the fragment sequencing information being arranged to indicate a fragment play order.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message header is formatted in accordance with a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), the method further comprising causing a remote device to process media data based on the information contained in at least one message header, wherein one or more of the fragments comprise a RTMP message associated with audio data interleaved with a RTMP message associated with video data.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the access information comprises a segment run table to identify runs of segments and a fragment run table to identify runs of fragments, wherein the fragment run tables includes the fragment sequencing information.
9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream comprises sending the one or more of the fragments to the processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to cache fragments associated with the media stream and to deliver cached fragments to a remote device using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the access information comprises identities of multiple servers, including the processing device, configured to cache one or more fragments associated with the media stream, the operations further comprising causing the remote device to request different fragments from different ones of the servers, and to assemble requested fragments to play at least a portion of the media stream.
12. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the fragment sequencing information comprises one or more fragment time durations and a number of fragments associated with each fragment time duration, the fragment sequencing information being arranged to indicate a fragment play order.
13. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the message header is formatted in accordance with a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), the operations further comprising causing a remote device to process media data based on the information contained in at least one message header, wherein one or more of the fragments comprise a RTMP message associated with audio data interleaved with a RTMP message associated with video data.
14. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the access information comprises a segment run table to identify runs of segments and a fragment run table to identify runs of fragments, wherein the fragment run tables includes the fragment sequencing information.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream comprises sending the one or more of the fragments to the first processing device, wherein the first processing device is configured to cache fragments associated with the media stream and to deliver cached fragments to a remote device using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
causing the first processing device to cache the one or more additional fragments.
18. The system of claim 15, wherein the fragment sequencing information comprises one or more fragment time durations and a number of fragments associated with each fragment time duration, the fragment sequencing information being arranged to indicate a fragment play order.
19. The system of claim 15, wherein the message header is formatted in accordance with a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), the operations further comprising causing a remote device to process media data based on the information contained in at least one message header, wherein one or more of the fragments comprise a RTMP message associated with audio data interleaved with a RTMP message associated with video data.
20. The system of claim 15, wherein the access information comprises a segment run table to identify runs of segments and a fragment run table to identify runs of fragments, wherein the fragment run tables includes the fragment sequencing information.
"Advantages of On2 VP6 Technology". Oct. 20, 2006, On2 Technologies white paper, 18 pages.
"Chapter 6: What is Streaming Media and How does it Work?". 1999, accessed Jul. 18, 2007, RealNetworks. http://service.real.com/help/player/plus-manual.g2/htmlfiles/whatisrp.htm, 13 pages.
"Chapter 6: What is Streaming Media and How does it Work?". 1999, accessed Jul. 18, 2007, RealNetworks. http://service.real.com/help/player/plus—manual.g2/htmlfiles/whatisrp.htm, 13 pages.
"Common Multimedia Formats and Extentions". SorensonMedia. accessed Jul. 18, 2007. http://www.sorensontech.com1learn/video-file-format.php, 2 pages.
"Common Multimedia Formats and Extentions". SorensonMedia. accessed Jul. 18, 2007. http://www.sorensontech.com1learn/video—file—format.php, 2 pages.
"Quicktime Streaming Server Administrator's Guide". Apple Computer, Inc. 2002, 84 pages.
"Real Time Messaging Protocol Chunk Stream", Apr. 2009, Adobe Systems Incorporated, 70 pages.
"Truemotion VP7 Video Codec". On2 Technologies white paper. Jan. 10, 2005, 13 pages.
International Standard, "Information Technology-Coding of Audio-Visual Objects, Part 12: ISO Base Media File Format" Apr. 1, 2005, ISO/IEC 14496-12, 94 pages.
International Standard, "Information Technology—Coding of Audio-Visual Objects, Part 12: ISO Base Media File Format" Apr. 1, 2005, ISO/IEC 14496-12, 94 pages.
Schulzrinne, H. et al. "Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)". 1998, The Internet Society, 86 pages.
Swaminathan et al., "Hint Based Media Content Streaming," U.S. Appl. No. 12/542,582, filed Aug. 17, 2009, to be published by the USPTO, 38 pages. | 2019-04-18T17:00:15Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US8412841B1/en |
The more you install themes and plugins, the more likely your sites will be vulnerable, even if you securely harden your sites.
While WordPress.org provides excellent resources, themes and plugins may often get vulnerable due to developers’ human factors such as lack of security awareness, misuse and disuse of the best practices in those resources.
This plugin focuses on insights into such developers’ human factors instead of detecting the specific attack vectors after they were disclosed. This brings a smart and powerful methods named as “WP Zero-day Exploit Prevention” and “WP Metadata Exploit Protection“.
Combined with those methods and IP address geolocation, you’ll be surprised to find a bunch of malicious or undesirable access blocked in the logs of this plugin after several days of installation.
IP address is always encrypted on recording in logs/cache. Moreover, it can be anonymized and restricted on sending to the 3rd parties such as geolocation APIs or whois service.
Access to the basic and important entrances into back-end such as wp-comments-post.php, xmlrpc.php, wp-login.php, wp-signup.php, wp-admin/admin.php, wp-admin/admin-ajax.php, wp-admin/admin-post.php will be validated by means of a country code based on IP address. It allows you to configure either whitelist or blacklist to specify the countires, CIDR notation for a range of IP addresses and AS number for a group of IP networks.
Unlike other security firewalls based on attack patterns (vectors), the original feature “WordPress Zero-day Exploit Prevention” (WP-ZEP) is focused on patterns of vulnerability. It is simple but still smart and strong enough to block any malicious accesses to wp-admin/*.php, plugins/*.php and themes/*.php even from the permitted countries. It will protect your site against certain types of attack such as CSRF, LFI, SQLi, XSS and so on, even if you have some vulnerable plugins and themes in your site.
In order to prevent hacking through the login form and XML-RPC by brute-force and the reverse-brute-force attacks, the number of login attempts will be limited per IP address even from the permitted countries.
You can configure this plugin as a Must Use Plugins so that this plugin can be loaded prior to regular plugins. It can massively reduce the load on server.
A malicious request such as exposing wp-config.php or uploading malwares via vulnerable plugins/themes can be blocked.
A simple logic may help to reduce the number of rogue bots and crawlers scraping your site.
You can configure this plugin so that a registered user can login as a membership from anywhere, while a request such as a new user registration, lost password, creating a new topic and subscribing comment can be blocked by country. It is suitable for BuddyPress and bbPress to help reducing spams.
When you click an external hyperlink on admin screens, http referrer will be eliminated to hide a footprint of your site.
MaxMind GeoLite2 free databases (it requires PHP 5.4.0+) and IP2Location LITE databases can be installed in this plugin. Also free Geolocation REST APIs and whois information can be available for audit purposes.
Father more, dedicated API class libraries can be installed for CloudFlare and CloudFront as a reverse proxy service.
HTTP response code can be selectable as 403 Forbidden to deny access pages, 404 Not Found to hide pages or even 200 OK to redirect to the top page.
You can also have a human friendly page (like 404.php) in your parent/child theme template directory to fit your site design.
Validation logs for useful information to audit attack patterns can be manageable.
This plugin is lite enough to be able to cooperate with other full spec security plugin such as Wordfence Security. See this report about page speed performance.
You can customize the behavior of this plugin via add_filter() with pre-defined filter hook. See various use cases in samples.php bundled within this package.
You can also get the extension IP Geo Allow by Dragan. It makes admin screens strictly private with more flexible way than specifying IP addresses.
Website owners do not prefer themselves to be blocked. This plugin prevents such a sad thing unless you force it. And futhermore, if such a situation occurs, you can rescue yourself easily.
Nothing is left in your precious mySQL database after uninstallation. So you can feel free to install and activate to make a trial of this plugin’s functionality.
This package includes GeoLite2 library distributed by MaxMind, available from MaxMind (it requires PHP 5.4.0+), and also includes IP2Location open source libraries available from IP2Location.
Also thanks for providing the following great services and REST APIs for free.
Development of this plugin is promoted at WordPress-IP-Geo-Block and class libraries to handle geo-location database are developed separately as “add-in”s at WordPress-IP-Geo-API.
All contributions will always be welcome. Or visit my development blog.
No image is shown after drag & drop a image in grid view at “Media Library”. For more details, please refer to this ticket at Github.
From WordPress 4.5, rel=nofollow had no longer be attached to the links in comment_content. This change prevents to block “Server Side Request Forgeries” (not Cross Site but a malicious internal link in the comment field).
WordPress.com Mobile App can’t execute image uploading because of its own authentication system via XMLRPC.
Try ‘Best for Back-end’ button for easy setup at the bottom of this plugin’s setting page.
Please refer to the document for your best setup.
Does the site using this plugin comply with GDPR?
This plugin is designed based on the principle of “Privacy by design” so that you can compliantly run it to GDPR. As guarding against personal data breach, IP addresses in this plugin are encrypted and also can be anonymized by default. It also provides some functions not only to manually erase them but also to automatically remove them when those are exceeded a certain amount/time.
However, these are the part of GDPR requirements and do not guarantee that the site is compliant with GDPR. Refer to 3.0.11 release note for details.
Does this plugin support multisite?
Yes. You can synchronize the settings with all the sites on the network when you activate on network and enable “Network wide settings” in “Plugin settings” section.
Does this plugin works well with caching?
The short answer is YES, especially for the purpose of security e.g. blocking malicious access both on the back-end and on the front-end.
You can find the long answer and the compatibility list of cache plugins at “Compatibility with cache plugins“.
I still have access from blacklisted country. Does it work correctly?
Sometimes, a Wordfence Security user would report this type of claim when he/she found some accesses in its Live traffic view. But please don’t worry. Before WordPress runs, Wordfence cleverly filters out malicious requests to your site using auto_prepend_file directive to include PHP based Web Application Firewall. Then this plugin validates the rest of the requests that pass over Wordfence because those were not in WAF rules, especially you enables “Prevent Zero-day Exploit“.
It would also possibly be caused by the accuracy of country code in the geolocation databases. Actually, there is a case that a same IP address has different country code.
For more detail, please refer to “I still have access from blacklisted country.“.
How can I test this plugin works?
The easiest way is to use free proxy browser addon.
Another one is to use http header browser addon.
You can add an IP address to the X-Forwarded-For header to emulate the access behind the proxy. In this case, you should add HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR into the “$_SERVER keys for extra IPs” on “Settings” tab.
See more details at “How to test prevention of attacks“.
I’m locked out! What shall I do?
Please find the solution in Quick recovery from blocking on your login page at first.
You can also find another solution by editing “Emergent Functionality” code section near the bottom of ip-geo-block.php. This code block can be activated by replacing /* (opening multi-line comment) at the top of the line to // (single line comment), or * at the end of the line to */ (closing multi-line comment).
* Invalidate blocking behavior in case yourself is locked out.
* How to use: Activate the following code and upload this file via FTP.
Please not that you have to use an appropriate editor.
After saving and uploading it to /wp-content/plugins/ip-geo-block/ on your server via FTP, you become to be able to login again as an admin.
Remember that you should upload the original one after re-configuration to deactivate this feature.
This document can also help you.
Do I have to turn on all the selection to enhance security?
It blocks malicious requests from outside your country.
It blocks malicious requests from your country.
It blocks the request which has not been covered in the above two.
It blocks the request which has not been covered in the above three.
Please try “Best for Back-end” button at the bottom of this plugin’s setting page for easy setup. And also see more details in “The best practice of target settings“.
Does this plugin validate all the requests?
Unfortunately, no. This plugin can’t handle the requests that are not parsed by WordPress. In other words, a standalone file (PHP, CGI or something excutable) that is unrelated to WordPress can’t be validated by this plugin even if it is in the WordPress install directory.
But there’re exceptions: When you enable “Force to load WP core” for Plugins area or Themes area, a standalone PHP file becomes to be able to be blocked. Sometimes this kind of file has some vulnerabilities. This function protects your site against such a case.
How to resolve “Sorry, your request cannot be accepted.”?
If you encounter this message, please refer to this document to resolve your blocking issue.
If you can’t solve your issue, please let me know about it on the support forum. Your logs in this plugin and “Installation information” at “Plugin settings” will be a great help to resolve the issue.
How can I fix “Unable to write” error?
When you enable “Force to load WP core” options, this plugin will try to configure .htaccess in your /wp-content/plugins/ and /wp-content/themes/ directory in order to protect your site against the malicous attacks to the OMG plugins and themes.
But some servers doesn’t give read / write permission against .htaccess to WordPress. In this case, you can configure .htaccess files by your own hand instead of enabling “Force to load WP core” options.
Please refer to “How can I fix permission troubles?” in order to fix this error.
I would like to thank the author for his work and commitment it must be an incredible amount of work every time to update and to improve this plugin on a regular basis. Seriously, thank you very very very very (very very very very x77777777777) much!
Does not work and Support to not respond.
Does not work and when you contact support they do not respond.
It's taken a while for me to get totally familiar with the controls and features of this plugin, but it is time well spent and rewarded. THIS IS A GREAT PLUGIN THAT IS A MUST-HAVE for any website that is being hit by foreign intrusion efforts (uhm, all of them).
Excellent apps; it does what it says!
who is behind this plugin?
Quite interesting plugin. Something we really need. But who is behind? I don't want to give the key to my websites to unidentified author. There is something wrong about this mystery. And for security. Other competitors making security plugins doing IP blocking are wellknown on the Internet. So, 2 stars only.
Fix issue: Add an option “Metadata Exploit Protection” in “Validation rules and behavior” section and make it disabled by default because it potentially caused “Sorry, your request cannot be accepted”.
Fix issue: Fix the issue that direct request to PHP files under plugins/themes directory was “404 Not found” when WP-ZEP enabled.
Fix issue: Fix the incorrect link to the corresponding option page on error message in multisite environment.
Improvement: Update the url to the google map api to prevent 301 redirection.
Improvement: Use RIPE stat Data API to get whois information instead of using YQL (Yahoo! Query Language) which was retired on Jan. 3, 2019.
Sorry for the frequent update.
* Fix issue: Remove wp_user_roles from “Metadata Exploit Protection” which was equipped in 3.0.17 because some plugins/themes would add their own role and capability without admin authority.
Fix issue: Fixed the fatal error under certain condition.
Fix issue: Inadequate verification of IPv4 with some CIDR notation.
Fix issue: Insufficient path parsing for document root and content directory when real path and symbolic link were mixtured on virtual host.
Fix issue: Unexpected blocking on admin dashboard when home url is different from site url.
Fix issue: wp-signup.php was not blocked when only “Register” was enabled as “Target actions” at “Login form” in “Back-end target settings” section.
Improvement: Improve compatibility with Advanced Access Manager.
Improvement: Use comment syntax @codingStandardsIgnoreLine for deprecated function on PHP7+ to avoid false positive by some scanning tool like PHP Compatibility Checker.
Hava a happy new year!
Fix issue: Avoid the error of “Can not load Geolocation API libraries” caused by the race condition on upgrading this plugin.
New feature: Enhance protecting against certain types of attacks by privilege escalation.
New feature: Add a new option of “Network wide settings” in “Plugin settings” section to synchronize all the settings with the main blog on multisite.
New feature: Add “Preset filters” using ip-geo-block-logs[-preset] filter hook to make analyze logs easy on “Logs” tab.
Improvement: When pwd is set at “$_POST key to record with value” in “Privacy and record settings” section, mask the password in logs unless the login attempt is blocked.
Improvement: Flush out the buffer of “Live update” on “Logs” tab when stop button is activated to avoid data remains.
Improvement: Update the geolocation API service “geoip.nekudo.com” to “ipapi.com”.
Improvement: Update the class for Maxmind GeoLite Legacy databases to prepare against the upcoming expiry of support.
See 3.0.17 release note for some details.
Fix issue: Fix the issue that some functions did not work properly when “Validation timing” was set as "mu-plugins" (ip-geo-block-mu.php) under some conditions before WP 4.0.
New feature: Add “Sites list” page at Network admin page to look through the status of the sites if this plugin is network activated on multisite.
Improvement: Support Swift Performance Lite cache plugin with “Disk Cashe with PHP” caching mode.
Improvement: Apply simulation mode to not only the front-end but also to the back-end.
Improvement: Optimize SQL issuing to reduce some queries.
See 3.0.16 release note for some details.
Fix issue: Fix the issue that “Can not find Geolocation API libraries” error would always appear when once Geolite2, Maxmind and IP2Location were unselected.
Fix issue: Fix the issue that https in ipstack.com is available only for premiums users.
New feature: Introduce a new filter hook ip-geo-block-logs-preset that adds an UI of “Preset filters” at “Search in logs”.
Improvement: Prevent to make a cached page by WP Fastest Cache on blocking when “Validation timing” is “init” action hook.
Improvement: Make the priority of “UA string and qualification” is higher than that of “Block badly-behaved bots and crawlers” on public facing pages.
Improvement: Update google charts based on the release note.
Improvement: Always show “Google Maps API key” text box in “Plugin settings” section. If it is saved as empty, Google Maps API will no longer be used and a simple map will appear on “Search” tab.
Improvement: Follow the change of RIPE whois format related to AS number.
Improvement: Add UI to select the number of entries per page on IP address tables.
Improvement: Multiple entries on IP address tables can be selected across the pages for bulk action.
Improvement: Multiple Geolocation APIs can be selected on “Search” tab.
Improvement: The country code of admin should not be cached if it’s ZZ during initialization process.
Fix issue: Fix wrong handling of anonymized IPv6 on clicking a link or applying bulk actions.
Fix issue: Fix the issue of “Fatal error: Call to undefined function” which caused 500 Internal error on admin screen under a certain condition.
Fix issue: Fix the issue of undefined symbol for openssl in PHP 5.3.5 and under.
New feature: Introduce an emergency login link in “Plugins settings” section.
New feature: Introduce a new filter hook ip-geo-block-dns to specify the primary and secondary domain name resolvers.
New feature: Introduce a new drop-in file drop-in-admin.php in Geolocation API library folder.
Improvement: Provide help links on “Settings” tab.
Improvement: Sort out some related items in the section on “Settings” tab.
Improvement: All the http had been replaced to https if possible.
Deprecate: Remove the hotfix in 3.0.12.1 because of WordPress 4.9.7 Security and Maintenance Release.
Fix issue: Fix the issue of “ip_geo_block_cache doesn’t exist” at activation on clean installation.
Fix issue: Fix the issue that “Remove entries by IP address” did not work when “Anonymize IP address” in “Privacy and record settings” section was enabled.
Fix issue: Ipdata.co became to require API key for registered user to make up to 1500 requests daily.
Improvement: Add “Do not send IP address to external APIs” apart from “Anonymize IP address” in “Privacy and record settings” section.
Fix issue: Hotfix WordPress File Delete to Code Execution by RIPS Technologies.
Improvement: Enhance “Privacy and record settings” where “Expiration time [sec] for Logs” can be specified.
Improvement: Add “Export cache” in “Statistics in IP address cache” on “Statistics” tab.
Fix: Fix some minor bugs.
Improvement: To comply with GDPR, IP address in logs/cache will be always encrypted. The option of “Anonymize IP address” was renamed to “Privacy friendly” in “Privacy and record settings“. It will not only anonymize an IP address but also will restrict on sending to the 3rd parties such as geolocation APIs and whois service.
Improvement: Update geolocation APIs and add a new one.
Fix: Fix the issue that blocking occurred immediately instead of displaying the login page again when login failed, even the number of times did not exceed the limit.
See 3.0.11 release note for some details.
Fix: Inconsistent tags on the settings dashboard.
Fix: “Add AS number to Whitelist/Blacklist” at “Bulk action” in “Statistics in cache” section on “Statistics” tab did not work properly because of illegal regular expression.
Fix: Add a fallback function to support WP 3.7 and PHP before 5.3.
Fix: Add a fallback process to add some fields into database table especially for MariaDB.
Fix: Fatal error that would cause a blank page in PHP 5.3 and under or single site.
This release is intented to fix the issue reported at forum here and here.
If you still find the error “/plugins/ip-geo-block/classes/class-ip-geo-block-logs.php (837) Unknown column ‘last’ in ‘field list'”, please deactivate plugin once and activate again. You will see the same error message again, but the things should be fixed.
New feature: Add “Block badly-behaved bots and crawlers” in “Front-end target settings” section that validates the frequency of request.
Improvement: Add a help link to the document for some sections.
Improvement: Add descriptions on “Target actions” at “Login form” in “Back-end target settings” section.
Improvement: Add new descriptions “passUA” and “blockUA” for result in Logs to identify the reason when “UA string and qualification” is applied.
Improvement: AS Number can be handled in “UA string and qualification”.
Improvement: Make WP cron job for “Auto updating” reliably in multisite environment.
Improvement: Better logout compatibility for redirecting to the previous page after login.
Improvement: Validate the prefix of IP address CIDR to prevent unexpected fatal error.
Improvement: Prevent opening a new window on clicking “Visit Site” in the admin bar menu for multi site by multi domain type.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of failing to retrieve client IP address from Chrome Data Saver.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of illegal redirection after “Save Changes” on “Settings” => “General Settings” page.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of unexpected blocking against the requests to plugins/themes area when “Force to load WP core” is enabled on windows server.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that “Search now” was not available when google map failed to load.
New feature: Add CIDR calculator for IPv4 / IPv6.
Improvement: Avoid blocking by wp-zep when IP address is private or loopback network.
Improvement: Chnage the priority of internal action hook for better compatibility with other plugins/themes.
Maintenance: Change the priority order of local geolocation databases.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that the target action for login form on settings tab could not unchecked on saving changes.
Bug fix: Fix some other minor bugs.
See 3.0.9 release note for some details.
Improvement: Use both Maxmind Legacy and GeoLite2 databases parallely.
Improvement: Remove self IP address from cache on activation or upgrade to prevent blocking caused by ‘ZZ’ in cache.
Bug fix: Update Geolocation API library for Maxmind GeoLite2.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of potentially fatal error related to “Force to load WP core”.
Sorry for frequent update every time, but the following bug should be fixed.
* Bug fix: Fix the issue that unexpected blocking when GeoLite2 DBs returned “ZZ” (unknown country) as an country code. Actually, GeoLite2 DBs seems not to be equivalent to the legacy ones.
New feature: Support Maxmind GeoLite2 database which requires PHP 5.4.0+.
Improvement: “Live update” can show requests even if those are not specified as a blocking target.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that “Force to load WP core” did not work properly under certain condition on Nginx.
Bug fix: Fix the compatibility issue with Mail Poet 2/3 related to “Exceptions” for “Admin ajax/post”.
Sorry for frequent update but the following bug should be fixed.
* Bug fix: Fix the bug that “Candidate actions/pages” at “Exceptions” in “Admin ajax/post” were not displayed.
New feature: Add “Find blocked requests in Logs” button at “Exceptions”. This helps to find a solution related to the incompatibility with unwanted blocking.
Improvement: Support nginx for “Force to load WP core” at “Plugins area” / “Themes area”.
Improvement: Improve the extraction ability and verifiability of “Slug in back-end”.
Improvement: Add a new result “UAlist” that indicate a request is blocked by “UA string and qualification” in “Front-end target settings” section.
Improvement: Improve responsiveness of live update control button on windows system.
Bug fix: Fix the bug using php short open tag on “Logs” tab.
Bug fix: Fix the bug related to absolute path in filesystem on windows system.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that “Auto updating (once a month)” could not be disabled.
See 3.0.6 release note for some details.
New feature: Add “Live update” mode on “Logs” tab.
Improvement: List all the IP addresses in cache are now displayed and manageable on “Statistics” tab.
Improvement: Add “Either blocked or passed” as a new condition for recording logs. It enables to verify the requests “passed” from the blacklisted countries or the countries not in the whitelist.
Improvement: Add two new filter hooks to utilize Google APIs from native domain in China.
See 3.0.5 release note for some details.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that the emergent functionality didn’t work when the number of login attempts reached to the limit.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that the result would be always limited when “Max number of failed login attempts per IP address” is “Disabled”.
Improvement: Avoid conflict with WP Limit Login Attempts. See some details in “Sorry, your request cannot be accepted.”.
Sorry for the frequent update, but it should be fixed before the next release.
* Bug fix: Fix the issue that limit of login attempts took precedence over authority of admin.
* Improvement: Suppress “Unable to read” error message on dashboard in a certain type of server.
Bug fix: Fix a bug of “Missing argument 2 for IP_Geo_Block_Admin_Rewrite::show_message()”.
This is a maintenance release addressing various internal improvement toward the next version.
* Bug fix: Fix a bug that the counter of login attempt counted illegally.
* Bug fix: Fix a bug that the emergency functionality did not work properly.
* Bug fix: Fix a bug that an error messages was not displayed when downloading database file.
* Improvement: Improve the compatibility with a certain type of server using “ftpext” as a method of file system.
* Improvement: Change rewrite setting from server type base to server function base.
* Improvement: Strict evaluation of URL on anchor tags for zero-day exploit prevention.
* Improvement: Avoid blocking on redirection between multisite admin screen.
Thank you all for taking your time again since last update.
New feature: Autonomous System Number (ASN) in whitelist and blacklist of extra IP addresses instead of specifying many IP addresses.
New feature: Statistics in logs – a new section in Statistics tab.
Deprecated: Add a new filter hook ip-geo-block-upload-forbidden instead of ip-geo-block-forbidden-upload.
Improvement: Add a new filter hook ip-geo-block-upload-capability to improve compatibility with other plugins that have uploading functionality.
Improvement: Add a new option for verifying file upload capability. It can be set apart from verifying file extension and MIME type in “Prevent malicious file uploading”.
Improvement: Improve ability to extract Ajax actions for “Exception” in “Admin post/ajax”.
Improvement: Inhibit to embed a special nonce into links when WP-ZEP is disabled at each target. This may improve compatibility with some plugins and themes.
See 3.0.4 release note for some details.
Improvement: Some minor refactoring for the future release.
Improvement: Better throughput against attacks on admin area when "mu-plugins" (ip-geo-block-mu.php) is enable.
Improvement: Avoid annoying error message related to private IP address.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of excessive blocking by bad signature.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of illegal usage of switch_to_blog(). See this notes on codex.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of illegal JSON format on “Export settings”.
Thank you for your patience and understanding in frequent update.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue of “Notice: Undefined variable” in WP cron. This bug caused frequent refreshing of IP address cache.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue of “Fatal Error” in validating user authentication.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue where nonce for WP-ZEP didn’t match on front-end.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue which deleted all expired cache on multisite.
This is a maintenance release addressing various internal improvement.
Bug fix: Fixed an issue where deletion of the expired cache was not executed in subordinate blogs when this plugin was activated on the network wide.
Bug fix: Some issues caused by IE10/11 on admin pages had been fixed.
Bug fix: Turning off check boxes in “API selection and key settings” section now becomes to work.
Improvement: Better validation performance for logged in user authentication.
Improvement: Better rendering by CSS and JS for sections.
Improvement: Better handling of click event for embedding a nonce.
Improvement: Better handling of cookie for sections.
Improvement: Better handling of server and private IP address.
Improvement: Better compatibility with file operations using Filesystem API. FTP or SSH based operations are now supported only when some symbols are defined in wp-config.php.
Improvement: Better timing of upgrade check at activation phase instead of init action hook.
New feature: New option “Prevent malicious upload” to restrict MIME types.
New feature: New option “Response code” and “Response message” for front-end. This is useful not to violate your affiliate program.
Improvement: New Option “DNS reverse lookup” to enable/disable.
Improvement: Better compatibility of WP-ZEP with some plugins (Wordfence, Imagify) that request ajax from server side.
Bug fix: Fix the bug of “Export/Import settings”. Please export json file again if you hold it as backup purpose because some of settings data might be incompatible.
Bug fix: Fix the bug of “Password Reset” caused by miss-spelling “resetpasss”.
See some details at release 3.0.3.
Improvement: Change the behavior of “Referrer Suppressor” not to open a new window on public facing pages.
Improvement: Improve some of the descriptions of help text.
Bug fix: Fix the bug of undefined symbol in admin class related to the Google Map API.
Bug fix: Fix the bug of incompatible function arguments when the number of login fails reaches the limit.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of not working blocking by country on specific pages correctly as the validation target.
This is a maintenance release addressing some issues.
Update: Net_DNS2, Net_IPv6, Net_IPv4 to the newest.
Update: Geolocation database API for Maxmind and IP2Location to 1.1.8.
Update: Bring back the priority of validation for wp-zep and badsig as same as 3.0.2 and before.
Improvement: Handle some of loop back and private IP addresses for localhost and host inside load balancer.
Improvement: Update instructions when the geolocation API libraries fails to install.
Bug fix: Fix the blocking issue of admin ajax/post on front-end.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of improper IPv6 handling on setting page.
New feature: Add “Exceptions” for “Admin ajax/post” to specify the name of action which causes undesired blocking (typically on the public facing pages).
Improvement: Add “Disable” to “Max number of failed login attempts per IP address” to avoid conflict with other similar plugin.
Improvement: Update geolocation database libraries to 1.1.7 for better compatibility on some platform.
Trial feature: Add custom action hook ip-geo-block-send-response. This is useful to control firewall via fail2ban like WP fail2ban.
See some details at release 3.0.2.
Bug fix: Fix the blocking issue in some environments when upgrading from 2.2.9.1 to 3.0.0.
Bug fix: Fix the blocking issue at opening a new window via context menu on dashboard.
Bug fix: Fix the potential issue of 500 Internal error in cron job.
Improvement: Revive 410 Gone for response code.
Improvement: Prevent the issue of resetting matching rule and country code at upgrading.
Bug fix: Fix the issue where Login form could not be disabled on Back-end target settings.
Bug fix: Fix the issue where trackback and pingback could not be blocked since 2.2.4.
Improved: Apply the action hook ‘pre_trackback_post’ that was introduced in WP 4.7.0.
Improved: Use ‘safe_redirect()’ instead of ‘redirect()’ for secured internal redirection. If you set an external url for Redirect URL, please use the filter hook ‘allowed_redirect_hosts’.
Improved: Better compatibility with the plugin “Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall”.
Bug fix: Add lock mechanism for local geolocation DBs to avoid potential fatal error.
Improvement: Add self blocking prevention potentially caused by login attempts with the same IP address of logged in user.
New feature: Add “Installation information” button to make it easy to submit an issue at support forum.
New feature: Add the function of blocking on front-end.
New filter hook: Add ip-geo-block-public to extend validation on front-end.
Improvement: Avoid conflict with “Open external links in a new window” plugin and some other reason to prevent duplicated window open. For more detail, see this discussion at support forum.
Improvement: Better compatibility with some plugins, themes and widgets.
Improvement: Deferred execution of SQL command to improve the response.
Improvement: Make the response compatible with WP original when it is requested by GET method.
See some details at release 3.0.0.
New feature: A new option that makes this plugin configured as a “Must-use plugin”. It can massively reduce the server load especially against brute-force attacks because it initiates this plugin prior to other typical plugins.
Improvement: Validation of a certain signature against XSS is internally added to “Bad signature in query” by default.
Improvement: Improved compatibility with PHP 7 (Thanks to FireMyst).
Find details in 2.2.9 Release Note.
Bug fix: Fixed the mismatched internal version number.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue of undefined function wp_get_raw_referer() error that happened under certain condition. See the issue at forum.
Improved: Avoid resetting country code on update. See the issue at forum.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue of stripping some required characters for Google maps API key.
New feature: Whois database Lookup for IP address on search tab.
Update: Updated geolocation API libraries and services.
Find more details in 2.2.8 Release Note.
Bug fix: Fix inadequate validation of “Bad signatures in query“.
Improvement: Add fallback for Google Maps API key (@) and corruption of “Bad signatures” (@).
Update: Update geolocation service api.
Find details about Google Maps API in 2.2.7 Release Note.
New feature: Add saving csv file of logs in “Logs” tab.
New feature: Add filter hook ip-geo-block-record-log to control over the conditions of recording in more detail.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue that “Exceptions” for Plugins/Themes area does not work properly. Please confirm your settings again.
See details at release 2.2.6.
New feature: On the settings page, you can specify the pliugin or theme which would cause undesired blocking in order to exclude it from the validation target without embedding any codes into functions.php.
Improvement: Optimize resource loading on admin dashboard.
Improvement: Support clean uninstall for network / multisite.
Improvement: Improve the compatibility of downloading IP address databases for Microsoft IIS.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of @ and change the option name “Important files” to “Bad signatures in query” to avoid misuse.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of @ which might be caused by some race condition.
Bug fix: Fix the issue of restoring post revisions which was blocked.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue of Warning: strpos(): Empty needle in... that was reported in @ and @.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue that some links on network admin of multisite were blocked when WP-ZEP for admin area or admin ajax/post was enabled.
New feature: Added configure of .htaccess for the plugins/themes area.
Enhancement: Added wp-signup.php to the list of validation target.
Enhancement: Added exporting and importing the setting parameters.
Improvement: Made the logout url compatible with Rename wp-login.php.
See some details at release 2.2.4.
Improvement: Since WordPress 4.4, XML-RPC system.multicall is disabled when the authentication fails, but still processed all the methods to the end. Now this plugin immediately blocks the request when the authentication fails without processing the rest of the methods.
Improvement: Add UI to change the maximum number of login attempts.
New feature: Add “Blocked per day” graph for the daily statistics.
See some details at 2.2.3 release note.
Sorry for frequent update again but the following obvious bugs should be fixed.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue of not initializing country code at activation.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue that scheme less notation like ‘//example.com’ could not be handled correctly.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue of race condition at activation. This fix is related to the urgent security update at 2.2.2.1 which was not actually the security issue but a bug. See this thread about little more details.
Improvement: Improved the compatibility with Jetpack.
Urgent security update: Killed the possibility of the options being altered.
Enhancement: Refactored some codes and components. The number of attacks that can be proccessed per second has been improved by 25% at the maximum.
Improvement: In the previous version, the statistical data was recorded into wp_options. It caused the uncertainty of recording especially in case of burst attacks. Now the data will be recorded in an independent table to improve this issue.
Bug fix: Fixed conflict with NextGEN Gallary Pro. Thanks to bodowewer.
Bug fix: Fixed some filter hooks that did not work as intended.
See more details at 2.2.2 release note.
Bug fix: Fixed “open_basedir restriction” issue caused by file_exists().
Enhancement: In previous version, local geolocation databases will always be removed and downloaded again at every upgrading. Now, the class library for Maxmind and IP2Location have become independent of this plugin and you can put them outside this plugin in order to cut the above useless process. The library can be available from WordPress-IP-Geo-API.
Deprecated: Cooperation with IP2Location plugins such as IP2Location Tags, IP2Location Variables, IP2Location Country Blocker is out of use. Instead of it, free IP2Location LITE databases for IPv4 and IPv6 will be downloaded.
Improvement: Improved connectivity with Jetpack.
Improvement: Improved immediacy of downloading databases at upgrading.
Improvement: Replaced a terminated RESTful API service with a new stuff.
Bug fix: Fixed issue that clicking a link tag without href always refreshed the page. Thanks to wyclef.
Bug fix: Fixed issue that deactivating and activating repeatedly caused to show the welcome message.
Bug fix: Fixed issue that a misaligned argument in the function caused 500 internal server error when a request to the php files in plugins/themes area was rewrited to rewrite.php.
Fix: Fixed the issue that some actions of other plugins were blocked.
Important: Now Block by country and Prevent Zero-day Exploit become to work independently on Admin area, Admin ajax/post at Validation target settings. Please reconfirm them.
Important: Previously, a request whose country code can’t be available was always blocked. But from this release, such a request is considered as comming from the country whose code is ZZ. It means that you can put ZZ into the white list and black list.
New feature: Malicious signatures to prevent disclosing the important files via vulnerable plugins or themes. A malicious request to try to expose wp-config.php or passwd can be blocked.
New feature: Add privacy considerations related to IP address. Add Anonymize IP address at Record settings.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that spaces in Text message on comment form are deleted.
See details at 2.2.0 release note.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue that the Blacklist did not work properly. Thanks to TJayYay for reporting this issue at support forum.
Enhancement: Enforce preventing self blocking at the first installation. And add the scan button to get all the country code using selected API. Thanks to Nils for a nice idea at support forum.
New feature: Add pie chart to display statistics of “Blocked by country”.
Enhancement: WP-ZEP is reinforced against CSRF.
Bug fix: Fix illegal handling of the fragment in a link.
See details at 2.1.5 release note.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that this plugin broke functionality of a certain plugin. Thanks to opsec for reporting this issue at support forum.
Improvement: Arrage the order of setting sections to focus the goal of this plugin.
See details at 2.1.4 release note.
New feature: Add “show” / “hide” at each section on the “Settings” tab.
New feature: Add an emergency function that invalidate blocking behavior in case yourself is locked out. This feature is commented out by default at the bottom of ip-geo-block.php.
Improvement: Prevent adding query strings to the static resources when users logged in.
Improvement: Improved the compatibility with Autoptimize.
Bug fix: Fix the issue related to showing featured themes on dashboard.
Bug fix: Fix minor bug in rewrite.php for the advanced use case.
See details at 2.1.3 release note.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that the login-fail-counter didn’t work when the validation at Login form was block by country (register, lost password). In this release, the login-fail-counter works correctly.
Bug fix: Fix the issue that the validation settings of Admin area and Admin ajax/post were influential with each other. Now each of those works individually.
Bug fix: “Site Stats” of Jetpack is now shown on the admin bar which issue was reported on support forum.
Improvement: Hide checking the existence of log db behind the symbol IP_GEO_BLOCK_DEBUG to reduce 1 query on admin screen.
Improvement: Add alternative functions of BCMath extension to avoid PHP Fatal error: Call to undefined function in IP2Location.php when IPv6 is specified.
Improvement: Use MaxMind database at the activating process not to be locked out by means of inconsistency of database at the activation and after.
See more details at 2.1.2 release note.
New feature: Added Block by country (register, lost password) at Login form on Settings tab in order to accept the registered users as membership from anywhere but block the request of new user ragistration and lost password by the country code. Is’t suitable for BuddyPress and bbPress.
Improvement: Added showing the custom error page for http response code 4xx and 5xx. For example the 403.php in the theme template directory or in the child theme directory is used if it exists. And new filter hooks ip-geo-block-(comment|xmlrpc|login|admin)-(status|reason) are available to customize the response code and reason for human.
Obsoleted: Obsoleted the filter hooks ip-geo-block-(admin-actions|admin-pages|wp-content). Alternatively new filter hooks ip-geo-block-bypass-(admins|plugins|themes) are added to bypass WP-ZEP.
Find out more details in the 2.1.1 release note.
New feature: Expanded the operating range of ZP-ZEP, that includes admin area, plugins area, themes area. Now it can prevent a direct malicios attack to the file in plugins and themes area. Please go to the “Validation Settings” on “Settings” tab and check it. Also check my article in “Analysis of Attack Vector against WP Plugins“.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue that action hook ip-geo-block-backup-dir did not work correctly because the order of argument was mismatched.
Bug fix: Fixed the issue that a record including utf8 4 bytes character in its columns was not logged into DB in WordPress 4.2.
Improvement: Fixed the issue that Referrer Suppressor do nothing with a new element which is added into DOM after DOM ready. The event handler is now delegated at the body.
Fixed an issue that a certain type of attack vector to the admin area (example) could not be blocked by the reason that some plugins accept it on earlier hook (ie init) than this plugin (previously admin_init).
Added re-creating DB table for validation logs in case of accidentally failed at activation process.
The time of day is shown with local time by adding GMT offset based on the time zone setting.
Optimized resource loading and settings to avoid redundancy.
See details at this plugin’s blog.
Improved UI on admin screen.
Added a diagnosis for creation of database table.
Sorry for frequent update but added a function of showing admin notice when none of the IP geolocation providers is selected. Because the user will be locked out from admin screen when the cache expires.
Bug fix: Fixed an issue of get_geolocation() method at a time of when the cache of IP address is cleared.
Bug fix: Fixed an issue that empty black list doesn’t work correctly when matching rule is black list.
New feature: Added ‘Zero-day Exploit Prevention for wp-admin’. Because it is an experimental feature, please open a new issue at support forum if you have any troubles with it.
New feature: Referrer suppressor for external link. When you click an external hyperlink on admin screen, http referrer will be suppressed to hide a footprint of your site.
Also added the filter hook ip-geo-block-admin-actions for safe actions on back-end.
New feature: Include wp-admin/admin-post.php as a validation target in the Admin area. This feature is to protect against a vulnerability such as Analysis of the Fancybox-For-WordPress Vulnerability on Sucuri Blog.
Added a sample code snippet as a use case for ‘Give ajax permission in case of safe actions on front facing page’. See Example 10 in sample.php.
Fixed the issue of improper scheme from the HTTPS site when loading js for google map.
In order to prevent accidental disclosure of the length of password, changed the length of * (masked password) which is logged into the database.
New feature: Protection against brute-force and reverse-brute-force attacks to wp-login.php, xmlrpc.php and admin area. This is an experimental function and can be enabled on Settings tab. Malicious access can try to login only 5 times per IP address. This retry counter can be reset to zero by Clear statistics on Statistics tab. | 2019-04-25T05:55:38Z | https://ja.wordpress.org/plugins/ip-geo-block/ |
This paper highlights the emergence of different ‘vocabularies’ that describe various values-driven business functions within large organizations and argues for improved horizontal alignment between them. We investigate two established functions that have long-standing organizational histories: Ethics and Compliance (E&C) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). By drawing upon research on organizational alignment, we explain both the need for and the potential benefit of greater alignment between these values-driven functions. We then examine the structural and socio-cultural dimensions of organizational systems through which E&C and CSR horizontal alignment can be coordinated to improve synergies, address tensions, and generate insight to inform future research and practice in the field of Business and Society. The paper concludes with research questions that can inform future scholarly research and a practical model to guide organizations’ efforts towards inter-functional, horizontal alignment of values-driven organizational practice.
‘Values-driven’ business is generally understood to refer to enterprises that espouse visions, missions and behaviours grounded in ethical values, rather than simply financial considerations or fear of litigation or other sanctions (Barrett 2006; Painter-Morland 2008). Company reports reveal that responsibility for values-driven business is assimilated into corporate environments through diverse functions and activities (Adams and Frost 2008; Searcy and Buslovich 2014). This trend was established as firms responded to pressures to display ethical governance, address social and environmental issues and provide evidence of corporate social performance. These practices lead to the emergence of a variety of ‘vocabularies’, which describe the functions and the job-titles of those involved in institutionalizing values-driven business. We refer to ‘vocabularies’ to reflect on the words, thoughts, systems and actions that pertain to a field, which in this case is values-driven business. From our perspective, vocabularies include not only terminology, but refer to all of the residues of practice, including systems, roles, and behaviours within organizations, both structural and socio-cultural.
One result of the impetus towards values-driven business is the plethora of terms that are now used to label these functions (or units), and management roles and practices therein, including ‘ethics’, ‘compliance’, ‘good governance’, ‘anti-corruption’, ‘environmental responsibility’, ‘CSR’ and ‘sustainability’. The proliferation of these vocabularies is indicative of the broad scope of values-driven business activity. Whilst there are some clearly developed organizational functions associated with these labels, a number of questions arise as the values-driven business field matures.
The ways in which values-driven business activities interrelate is often ambiguous because they span different levels of the organization and are diverse. Each values-driven function is defined by a set of responsibilities. Different values-driven business functions within a given corporate environment can operate as silos with little or no cooperation and/or integration of efforts (Painter-Morland 2006). For instance, internal ethics programs often had little relationship with externally focused CSR programs. However, according to Treviño (2010), Ethics officers have recently started to view CSR and ethics issues as existing under a shared remit. This has led to a blurring of lines between ethics and CSR roles. Evidence of this blurring of roles is presented by Adobor (2006), who places CSR as one of the core functions of ethics officers. In the meantime, ‘sustainability’ has emerged as a way to refer to CSR and ethics in its more strategic phase, i.e. when CSR and ethics are integral to the company’s long-term survival and success, and the furthering of social and environmental agendas (Montiel 2008). This illustrates the complex way in which ‘vocabularies’ can be a reflection of how various values-driven business roles and functions are implemented and integrated (or not) within an organization. Though research exists on how ethics and compliance officers should implement the ideal ‘ethics management’ or compliance program, and quite a number of scholars have studied CSR integration, there is a need for an in-depth understanding of how these distinct functions can work together towards strengthening values-driven business1.
To more systematically evaluate the scope of particular functions and their inter-connections, we draw upon research into alignment. Alignment research draws from various areas of organizational theory (e.g. institutional theory, management systems, performance management) but generally centres upon understanding structural and socio-cultural elements, and their congruence, integration and role in organizational activities and performance. There are relatively few applications of the alignment concept to aspects of values-driven business. Recent literature (Maon et al. 2010; Bondy et al. 2012; Guenther et al. 2016) has started to unpack the structural and socio-cultural sub-systems of management, at vertical corporate, strategic and operational levels. An implicit assumption is that alignment within these various levels can be and needs to be improved, and that doing so will yield positive results. However, scholars who have thus far drawn on the concept of alignment focus on alignment within activities of a single values-driven function such as CSR or environmental management (Basu and Palazzo 2008; Pedersen and Neergaard 2009; Yuan et al. 2011; Parisi 2013).
In what follows, we highlight the emergence of vocabularies that describe values-driven business functions (such as ethics, compliance, CSR and sustainability) in large organizations, and identify the need for greater horizontal alignment between these functions. We are interested in values-driven business in general as practised in organizational settings, but given the proliferation of functions, we facilitate and illustrate our discussion by narrowing our focus to two established functions: Ethics and Compliance (E&C) and CSR. We start with a brief overview of these two values-driven business functions and the historical context within which certain ‘vocabularies’ have emerged. Drawing on scholarly research on organizational alignment we propose a model for improving synergies across the structural and socio-cultural dimensions of organizational systems and the multiple units and functions responsible for values-driven business. We do so by identifying areas for meaningful and productive collaboration in the formulation, integration and evaluation phases of values-driven business practice. Our argument is that sharing ‘vocabularies’ across the structural and socio-cultural dimensions of E&C and CSR activities create opportunities for alignment which could strengthen an organization’s values-driven purpose, operations and reporting. We propose a conceptual framework for assessing how the E&C and CSR functions participate in managing values-driven business and identify how these may be aligned. The paper ends with a number of research questions to inform future scholarly work, along with some practical suggestions for alignment between the E&C and CSR functions in practice.
Much of the roots of ‘best practice’ in the area of ethics management are American in origin (Weaver et al. 1999). Since multi-national corporations face litigation risks globally, some elements of these best practice models (such as board supervision of ethics, compliance and sustainability, and the adoption of codes of conduct) have now also become common in Europe and in Japan (Kolk 2008). The promulgation of the US Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations in 1991 encouraged business organizations to implement structured E&C programs to proactively fight corporate misconduct, or in cases where it does occur, to be given a reduced fine, or even avoid prosecution altogether (De George 2015). In 2004, the Federal Sentencing Commission re-assessed the compliance-driven approach that it had initially adopted within the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations (FSGOs) in the light of a spate of corporate scandals. This involved supplementing every reference to ‘compliance’ in the 1991 guidelines with ‘ethics’, making ‘Ethics and Compliance’ the term to describe the function. The revised Guidelines stressed the importance of both ‘ethics’ and ‘compliance’, assigned more responsibility to the governing authority (e.g. Board of Directors) and stressed the need for organizations to promote ‘an organizational culture that encourages ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance with the law.’ The Sarbanes–Oxley Act 2002 requirements added further impetus to the development of E&C programs (Joseph 2002; Desio 2005). In this Anglo-American context, E&C programs, functions and roles, and their associated ‘vocabularies’ emerged against a backdrop of legislative frameworks and organizational responses to risk management.
CSR roles and functions emerged against a theoretical backdrop of definitional and conceptual ambiguity (Carroll 1999; Matten and Moon 2008). Whilst writing largely from a US perspective, William C. Frederick’s five phases of CSR (see for example Frederick 1978, 1986, 2008, 2016), trace the evolution of CSR from philanthropic approaches in the 1950s–1960s (CSR1), through managerial responses to social issues (CSR2, 1960s–1970s) and the development of ethical corporate culture and social contracts (CSR3, 1980s–1990s), and a recognition of global ‘citizenship’ responsibilities (CSR4, 1990s–2000s). Finally, CSR5: ‘Sustainability’ (2000–2050) reflects the need for a holistic, integrated solution involving the global ‘sustainability’ responsibilities of governments, organizations, citizens and corporations (Frederick 2016). Overlapping concepts such as ‘corporate social performance’ (Wood 1991); ‘sustainability’ and the triple bottom line (Elkington 1998); ‘corporate citizenship’ (Matten and Crane 2005); ‘corporate accountability’ (Gray et al. 1996); strategic CSR (Porter and Kramer 2006); ‘political CSR’ (Scherer and Palazzo 2011) and the ‘value-enhancing’ capabilities of CSR (Malik 2015) also represent important bodies of literature with associated ‘vocabularies’ under the umbrella term CSR. Legal frameworks such as the UK Companies Act (2006); the Climate Change Act (2008); the US Sarbannes-Oxley Act (2002), and various UN and ILO international standards have also shaped the incorporation of CSR into business practice (Bondy et al. 2012). For the purposes of this paper, we use the term ‘CSR’ to encompass both ‘CSR and Sustainability practices’, recognizing that whilst the terms have evolved from different histories and distinct scholarly literatures, they reflect a unified push towards a common future that balances economic, social and environmental priorities (Montiel 2008; Frederick 2016).
A range of contextual factors influence what is expected of those individuals in E&C and CSR roles. Matten and Moon (2008) point to various macro- and meso-level forces that shape approaches to values-driven business including systems of politics, finance, education, labour, culture and markets, alongside the nature of the firm and systems of coordination and control. In literature that focuses upon firm level factors, organization size and type are primary distinctions, for example research has centred upon either large multi-national corporations (Bondy et al. 2012) or small–medium-sized enterprises (Castka et al. 2004). The stage of CSR development is another key factor. Maon et al. (2010) distinguish amongst organizations that range from a dismissive position through to a proactive and transformative approach, and characterize differences in their CSR implementation at corporate, strategic and operational level. Organizations at a relatively early stage of CSR and E&C development often adopt a ‘compliance seeking stance’ and are more likely to only set compliance goals; use policy development primarily as a vehicle for implementation; communicate unilaterally with stakeholders; favour internal reporting and address integration through a single business function (Krell 2009; Moan et al. 2010).
By contrast, where an organizational culture is more embedded in organizations that adopt a ‘strategizing’ approach to values-driven business, they are more likely to set goals to establish themselves as leaders in E&C and CSR, for example, by working towards system-wide implementation; engaging in collaborative communications with stakeholders; adopting certified reporting and adjusting organizational alignment to accommodate E&C and CSR as core to business strategy (Jaeger and Lags 2009). Similarly, the maturity of ethics programs influences the extent to which an organization adopts compliance versus values-driven approach and determines whether it is more reactive than proactive. Truly integrated, proactive programs seem hard to establish, as illustrated by a study that found that more than half of programs tend to be reactive in nature (Jaeger and Lags 2009). More mature programs tend to comfortably combine values-driven approaches with compliance, whereas young programs often tend to lean more towards legal compliance (Bonime-Blanc and Coyne 2014). In addition, idiosyncratic organizational factors lead to variability in the specification of values-driven management roles.
In order to appreciate the dominant vocabularies in the Ethics & Compliance and CSR functions, we cannot overlook the role of various national and international quasi-professional institutions and professional organizations have emerged which act as professional membership and certification bodies for E&C and CSR managers. For E&C professionals the first to emerge was the Ethics Officer Association (EOA) in 1992, which was later renamed the Ethics and Compliance Association (ECOA), indicating the extent to which E&C is being considered as two sides of the same coin. This organization is now called the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI 2016), and it includes the previously independent Ethics Resource Center as its research arm. Other important players include the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE)2, and the UK-based Institute for Business Ethics, which also brings practitioners from across Europe together for training and peer-support. The FSGOs also played a pivotal role in the development of the E&C profession, particularly because these roles developed largely in response to external legitimacy challenges faced by organizations (Treviño et al. 2014, p. 191).
Other prominent bodies for CSR (and E&C practitioners) include the Institute for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (ICRS); Business in the Community (BITC); the Institute for Business Ethics (IBE) and the Global Association of Corporate Sustainability Officers (GACSO) in the UK; as well as the Corporate Responsibility Association (CRA); the Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals (ACCP) and the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) in the US. Such professional bodies provide various networking training and accreditation opportunities, all of which can further enhance the institutionalization of associated vocabularies within specific functions and industries.
Consequently, E&C and CSR practitioners exist against a complex historical backdrop which has contributed to the emergence of multiple ‘vocabularies’ associated with these roles, responsibilities and functions, and differing corporate and geographical interpretations of what it means to promote values-driven business. Therefore, the need for clarity and the identification of opportunities for alignment on the implementation of E&C and CSR becomes more urgent.
Alignment is a long-standing area of research in management, strategy, and organization studies, given its importance for organizational performance (Hitt et al. 1982; Fonvielle and Carr 2001; Schepereel 2006; Kaplan and Norton 2006). It is defined as ‘the degree to which the needs, demands, goals, objectives, and/or structures of one component are consistent with the needs, demands, goals, objectives, and/or structures of another component’ (Nadler and Tushman 1980, p. 45). Theoretical work in this area examines alignment synonymously with concepts such as ‘matched with’, ‘contingent upon’, ‘consistent with’, ‘fit’, and ‘congruent’ (Venkatraman 1989). Literature in this field often covers organizations’ strategic alignment with external conditions, but in this paper we draw upon the research on internal alignment, which is concerned with the fit between organizational elements pertaining to strategies, systems, processes and people (Venkatraman and Camillus 1984).
The literature on internal alignment has largely developed with a focus on vertical fit, involving ‘the configuration of strategies, objectives, action plans, and decisions throughout the various levels of the organization’ (Kathuria et al. 2007, p. 505). Vertical fit (Kathuria et al. 2007) involves strategies, objectives, action plans, and decisions throughout the corporate, strategic, and functional levels (Hayes and Wheelwright 1984; Skinner 1985), which are interlinked within a hierarchical understanding of the organization. Vertical alignment is accomplished when lower-level decisions regarding structures and systems are consistent with upper levels (hierarchical) strategy (Kathuria and Porth 2003). The focus of CSR scholars interested in alignment has by and large been on vertical alignment—alignment between the various elements of CSR and the overall performance (economic, social, or environmental) accomplished by the organization.
CSR has arguably been institutionalized through integration across the phases of strategy formation and implementation (Maon et al. 2010; Bondy et al. 2012) and CSR practices have been studied in relation to vertical fit both internal and external to the organization (Yuan et al. 2011). Basu and Palazzo (2008) have insightfully examined the impact of the institutional context within which CSR is embedded, such as mental frames and sense-making processes, on organization’s overall strategy. In a similar vein, E&C officers carry out important alignment work in relation to the organization’s strategy. For example, E&C officers are tasked with aligning the organization’s stated values with strategic decision-making, human resources practices and corporate communication (Weaver and Treviño 2001; Vickers 2005; Segon and Practitioners 2010). Compliance officers in turn focus mostly on aligning legal compliance measures (Gnazzo 2011).
A much smaller literature addresses horizontal alignment. Recent reviews reveal a growing focus on cooperating and coordinating efforts and practices in pursuit of organizational goals across an organization (Kathuria et al. 2007; Wood 1999). Research on horizontal alignment addresses both inter- and intra-functional elements, that is, the fit between various aspects of work within a given function as well as fit among the different functions and their interactions within an organization. Horizontal fit has been a particular focus within human resource (HR) management literature to examine whether HR systems are effective at an aggregate (vs. individual) level and supports organizational strategy (Schuler and Jackson 1987; Delery 1998; Gerhart 2007; Kepes and Delery 2007). HR’s role in ethics programs has also been debated within the business literature (Vickers 2005; Segon and Practitioners 2010). Scholars have noted important challenges regarding methods and empirical measurement in the study of horizontal alignment (Lengnick-Hall et al. 2009 ; Samnani and Singh 2013). And since alignment research pertains to organizational structure and context in relation to organizational performance, we need an understanding of the intersection between horizontal alignment and hierarchical/vertical alignment. A number of scholars have begun to raise concerns about this intersection gap regarding how practices align with key business strategy, on the one hand, and with one another, on the other hand (Kathuria et al. 2007; Lengnick-Hall et al. 2009; Werbel and DeMarie 2005). In this article, we address this problem in the context of values-driven business. Specifically, we ask: how are values-driven practices aligned horizontally with one another, and what the shared ‘vocabularies’ among them can accomplish for organizations in pursuit of their values-driven business goals and strategies.
Much of the research that examines the problem of how to achieve alignment appears in the management, strategy, and management control systems literatures (Chenhall 2005; Guenther et al. 2016; Otley 1999; Reich and Benbasat 2000). This literature recognizes the need to examine both structural and socio-cultural aspects of management to understand processes that structure organizational activity and ways to improve strategic integration. Structural alignment is defined as fit between internal structures, systems, processes, strategies, and planning systems (Chenhall 2005). It aims to reduce overlaps in responsibility, while enabling collaboration, increasing efficiency and effectiveness and reducing ambiguities about accountability. In a given organizational context, structural alignment can address the coordination and interface between HR policies, manufacturing operations, information systems, etc. (i.e. horizontal alignment) on the one hand, and the organization’s corporate strategy and overall structure, on the other hand (vertical alignment). In contrast, socio-cultural alignment involves social and cultural processes that facilitate shared understanding and a match between individuals’ beliefs, values, purpose and habits with those of the organization (Reich and Benbasat 2000; Bansal 2003). Within this body of literature, socio-cultural processes have been conceived in a variety of ways (Chenhall 2005), for instance, as socialization processes (Abernethy and Brownwell 1997; Akesson and Skalen 2011), social group influences (Merchant 1985), and institutionalized values, norms and rules (Yuan et al. 2011).
We propose that the structural and socio-cultural processes of the values-driven business can be examined to assess how values-driven responsibilities and practices are (or are not) aligned horizontally across functions, and how an approach of sharing ‘vocabularies’ could support values-driven business goals and strategies. Applied to the values-driven business, a horizontal analysis can involve, for example, the alignment of structures, rules, policies, norms, values, and commitments within an E&C unit, as well as the alignment or misalignment of these same elements in relation to the CSR unit. The way in which E&C and CSR could collaborate towards values-driven business has yet to be studied in the academic literature and we propose that it can be fruitfully examined using the conceptual apparatus of alignment.
In the remainder of the paper, we adopt both the structural and socio-cultural process lens in an effort to better understand alignment between the two functions under analysis. We specifically highlight horizontal alignment, which by definition has a two-fold characteristic: (i) it takes place at the functional and intra-functional levels, and (ii) it must operate in conjunction with vertical alignment (Kathuria et. al. 2007) in order to be impactful. We know little about these two elements of horizontal alignment pertaining to the E&C and CSR functions, and so we draw on our proposed conceptual framework in the remainder of the article to shed light on this feature of values-driven business practice.
Responsibilities attributed to values-driven business functions—certainly E&C and CSR, which are our focus here—typically extend to the integration of their principles into activities from operational through to strategic and corporate levels of the organization (Joshi et al. 2003). In other words, existing research on values-driven business focuses on the vertical alignment between each function and the hierarchy of levels in a given organization. Therefore, our evaluation of horizontal alignment needs to consider the fit between different values-driven business functions alongside their vertical alignment with each level of the organization. To bring the focus to domains of responsibility that are of specific relevance to value-based business functions, we draw upon the literature that discusses CSR integration (Bondy et al. 2012) and ethics management (Painter-Morland 2008, 2015). This literature frames these vertical connections as ‘phases’ in the implementation of values-driven business, i.e. (1) the corporate/strategy formulation phase, (2) integration phase, operating through the systems development and implementation, and (3) the evaluation phase.
For each phase: Formulation, Integration and Evaluation, we discuss horizontal alignment through the consideration of both the structural and socio-cultural processes involved, (a summary of the key elements are mapped in Table 1). In practice, E&C and CSR officers play different but often related roles across the three phases, yet there seems to be no standard consensus on who plays which roles. To get a sense of how the diversity of values-driven roles and vocabularies emerged within corporate practice, one has to look beyond the academic literature and into the realm of practice. Diversity of practice could lead to confusion across contexts, and also raises the question of whether a single model of organizing values-driven business could be viable. We therefore need to emphasize that evaluation of alignment opportunities will need to account for the idiosyncratic circumstance in particular organizations. It is also worth noting that in our discussion, we start from the premise that alignment is likely to deliver benefits and that it is valuable for organizations to be able to identify and evaluate alignment in an effort to achieve greater organizational congruence. However, we note that a perfect ‘fit’ is unlikely and may not always be desirable (Parisi 2013) and research is needed to understand the benefits and detrimental effects of various facets of alignment in the values-driven business context.
In the ‘formulation’ phase of values-driven business practices, the emphasis is on identifying the values that the organization is committed to, in line with its overall strategic direction, i.e. its mission and vision. Formulating value-commitments with true ethical intent means conducting one’s business according to lived values, serving and protecting stakeholder interests and properly integrating the organization’s values with the organization’s overall strategic direction (Painter-Morland 2008). This process should involve stakeholder engagement, plus some assessment of the beliefs, practices and artefacts that contribute to an ethical organizational context (Weaver et al. 1999). During this phase, the risks that the organization faces must be taken into consideration, in order to inform the formulation of strategic targets and goals and short, medium and long-term performance objectives. It is also important for the organization to consider relevant global and industry-specific standards, codes and regulations. As such, the ‘formulation phase’ of values-driven business has to be initiated at the Board level, driven by executive commitment and involve the organization as a whole, with the input of various individuals employed in roles related to values-driven business. Ultimately a balance is required of access to the highest governing bodies of the organization while remaining close enough to stakeholders to get input on all material issues related to values-driven business (See Table 1).
There is considerable diversity in the responsibilities and level of seniority of managers in values-driven business functions. Nonetheless, as both the E&C and CSR professions have developed, and progress has been made on the vertical integration of these functions into the organization, even middle managers contribute in some way to corporate governance and strategic decision-making (Galbreath 2009). They are often engaged in the ‘formulation phase’ because they have expertise relevant to governance, values, and strategy (and their precursors of mission and vision), and performance and risk as they relate to internal and external stakeholders (Arjoon 2005; Harjoto and Jo 2011) and complement traditional economically focused approaches (Galbreath 2010). This phase may also introduce new activity, for instance, the formulation of mission and vision may lead to development of a code of conduct alongside a strategy and even a code of conduct for the board of directors (Schwartz 2005).
Socio-cultural processes, whether viewed as micro-, meso- or macro-level forces (Aguilera et al. 2007), are also critical to align values-driven business. In the first place, a very important socio-cultural factor in the formulation phase, is how values-driven business is motivated, and how the ‘business case’ for values-driven business is substantiated (Painter-Morland 2008). This involves analysing how sound ethical and socially responsible business practices can help mitigate risks, limit liability, help the organization develop a competitive advantage, attract and retain top talent, create productive and healthy workplace cultures and build strong ethical reputation amongst all stakeholder of the organization, including investors, customers and suppliers that prefer to do business with ethical organizations (Margolis et al. 2001). Since the way in which the organization allocates its resources signals its commitment to values, it is also important to assign budget to values-driven priorities (such as training, etc).
Another important, related dimension is ongoing stakeholder engagement, which is crucial in the formulation phase but continues to play a role in the integration and evaluation phases. Stakeholder engagement is central to the activities of both E&C and CSR functions and is key to bringing about a broad understanding of social and ethical issues that pertain to the organization. Scholarship has examined the processes of CSR integration, applying stakeholder theory (Maon et al. 2009) to understand organizational responses to the distal pressures from outside the organization (e.g. government, civil society, market/industry institutions) and the more proximal influence of stakeholders. Stakeholder theory clearly advocates that ethics has a role at the heart of corporate strategy. Indeed, Freeman’s (2010) analysis of stakeholder theory is built on a rejection of the separation thesis, i.e. it rejects the notion that business can function separately from normative concerns. However, the particular emphasis of stakeholder engagement may vary across functions, for instance, an E&C officer in a financial services organization may focus upon the firm’s legal responsibilities relating to fraud prevention and consumer protection while the CSR officer focuses on environmental impacts and community contributions4. There may also be points of overlap, for instance, in the domain of human resources.
The most important socio-cultural factor in the formulation phase of values-driven business is related to the need to set the ‘tone at the top’, i.e. for the top executives of the organization to be committed to values-driven business (Driscoll and Hoffman 1999). While E&C and CSR functions can help to create an organizational context in which the culture and climate foster values-based role modelling, reasoning, routines, etc. across the business, it is particularly important that this is achieved at board and senior management level, given that leadership is so critical to ‘better business’ (Angu-Leppan et al. 2010). Indeed, board habits have been blamed for some of the most infamous corporate scandals of recent years. For example, Enron’s ‘PowerPoint’ board hardly ever read the detailed documentation ahead of board meetings and implicitly trusted talented executives like Skilling with decision making, with detrimental effects.
During the integration phase, systems are developed for values-driven management over time (See Table 1: columns I1 and I2). Integration of values-driven business requires the formulation of codes of ethics/ business conduct, or values statements, and the development of policies and procedures to put these into practice. The clearest formulation of what a program of values-integration entails, at least in the E&C arena, are the various steps of the US Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which stipulates that it involves developing codes of conduct, assigning senior individuals responsibilities for ethics, taking due care when delegating discretionary authority, communication the values and conducting training, setting up hotline and helplines, performing ongoing monitoring and reporting, and preventing the recurrence of ethical failures through continual improvement and alignment (Painter-Morland 2015).
Many of these steps involve the structural dimensions of the organization—i.e. formal roles, policies and procedures that support structures for values-driven business. There is potential to align the structures that the E&C and CSR functions manage and utilize to contribute to consistency across the organization and communicate organizational integrity to all stakeholders, both internal and external. Internally, there is a growing trend towards embedding ethics and values-based performance across management control systems, including performance management. Externally, it is important to embed values across the entire value-chain and ensure that rewards are aligned with organizational values.
The way in which structural elements are configured, alongside the socio-cultural processes outlined below, influences vertical alignment with organizational strategy (Pollach et al. 2012). It also shapes horizontal alignment with other functional areas of the business, which is key to embedding values across the organization. The pattern of horizontal alignment with other business activity is likely to differ for particular values-driven functions, for example, E&C officers may work more directly with financial risk management, HR, procurement officers and legal counsel, whereas CSR officers may work closely with communications and marketing, HR, procurement officers, supply-chain managers, environmental risk managers and corporate foundation managers. Literature within the distinct fields of values-driven business provides insight into organizational structures that enable vertical integration by each function (Morioka and Carvalho 2016) and illuminates processes of horizontal integration (Gond et al. 2011). However, we lack research that examines the alignment of multiple values-driven functions with each other, the points of overlap, and the different ways in which they interface with organizational structures. Descriptive research is needed as a starting point, but there is also a need for explanatory studies that provide understanding of the forces that shape (and are shaped by) horizontal alignment of functions such as E&C and CSR.
From a socio-cultural perspective, the importance being placed on building values-based organizational cultures across all organizational functions, both within the E&C field (Petry 2005; Kaptein 2009) and CSR (Crane et al. 2008) cannot be underestimated. Hence it is critical to understand the socio-cultural processes at work at the integration phase. Literature recognizes that these can be examined at a macro-, micro- and meso-level (Aguilera et al. 2007), although meso-level analyses that focus upon the organizational environment are most prominent. Literature emphasizes the role of rules, routines and symbolic artefacts (e.g. language, logos, reports) in shaping organizational activity over time (Bonime-Blanc and Coyne 2014). In the same way that these forces have been credited with positive organizational change, ethical failures have been attributed to embedded organizational scripts, routines and practices. For instance, Enron’s culture of ruthless completion was part of how people in the organization talked, relaxed, and most importantly, it was supported by how employees were rewarded (Spector et al. 2009; Willmott 2011). In such contexts, an E&C program, if it is sincerely instituted, is faced with disrupting existing paradigms and the scripts that continue to support and strengthen existing unethical behaviour through activity that counters existing rationalizations and evolving new ways of speaking and acting. This is the type of approach that is followed in ‘Giving Voice to Values’ training and education programs (Gentile 2010, 2011, 2012). This is not to suggest that the process of change is linear and cohesive. Rather attention is needed to the interplay between actors and various areas of activity to understand how values are ‘made to fit’ (Ansari et al. 2010) across the business over time, through proactive initiatives and in response to formative events (Chandler 2014). The diverse patterns of change that might be found at the integration phase and operational levels are illustrated by Yuan et al. (2011) who present various models for integrating CSR in organizations via routinized practices that range from core to peripheral. For instance, CSR practices that are peripheral but extend into core elements of the organization, like an accounting firm supporting maths and accountancy education in developing countries to enlarge their recruitment base in these areas, are labelled as ‘thickening’ strategies. Another strategy is ‘trimming’, which involves eliminating routines detrimental to CSR (Yuan et al. 2011), for instance eliminating waste through new routines and practices. Ethics officers may adopt similar strategies to encourage values-driven behaviours.
Current evidence on the integration of HR with a single values-driven function (CSR) suggests that such a development is likely to have positive impacts (Gond et al. 2011). However, research is needed to understand the areas of synergy and tension that characterize socio-cultural processes of alignment when multiple values-driven functions come together. Internal awareness raising is crucial in sending consistent messages about the importance of values-driven business. Communication campaigns around the organization’s values, decision-making tips, dissemination of resources and support that is available, such as prominently displaying hotline and helpline numbers, are all important (Driscoll and Hoffman 1999). Joining forces in planning and executing such communication campaign could strengthen both the E&C and CSR functions, save time and stretch budgets. This is not only important within the organization itself, but also involves consistent messaging about values to be integrated into stakeholder communication. This would for instance involve the implementation of supplier codes of conduct, ethical criteria within the procurement process, ongoing monitoring of supplier conduct. The values that the E&C function is tasked to embed, could also be strengthened by CSR initiatives that encourage employees to engage in purpose-driven community service, establish work–life balance, and implement sustainable water-use mechanisms. All dimensions of values-driven business require the adoption of certain routine practices as part of everyday business operations, or that strengthens the core elements of the organization. Central to values-based business is ongoing stakeholder dialogue, gathering feedback and integrating such feedback into organizational practice. If alignment could be accomplished, this could involve joint surveys or focus group sessions co-hosted by the E&C and CSR functions. Another crucial socio-cultural factor that is important in the integration phase involves protecting whistle-blowers against retaliation. E&C practitioners report that fear of retaliation is the single most serious challenge that they face in implementing an ethics and compliance program (Ethics Resource Centre 2016).
Within the evaluation phase, the organization is concerned with proactively monitoring risks as they emerge within organizational practice and gathering the required information to report on organizational compliance and other values-driven initiatives, both internally and externally. Values-driven functions within a business therefore have extensive responsibilities for internal monitoring, risk management and external reporting. In many cases, formal structures such as Ethics Oversight Boards, or other Board committees are established and E&C and CSR officers report to these on a regular basis. Research highlights that a wide variety of functions and management roles are involved, depending on a variety of organizational contextual factors as well as the organization and structure of reporting at an operational level (e.g. audit and review processes, reporting periods, lines of reporting, communication formats, IT systems) that influence and constrain reporting practices (Adams and Frost 2008). As with other structural elements, reporting systems evolve through the cycles of design and implementation, in proactive and reactive efforts to fit them with the needs of the organization and its stakeholders (Searcy 2012). From a socio-cultural perspective, the evaluation phase often involves culture audits to establish how employees perceive values-driven business practices within the organization. Changes in the organizational culture and the emergence of new risks may then feed back into a new formulation phase, during which the organization’s values are re-assessed and reformulated. It is also important to review stakeholder feedback at this stage, and to engage in dispute resolution as and when necessary5. This phase involves reassessing training and communication to address any new risks (Driscoll and Hoffman 1999) and may involve the cultivation of professional virtues, for instance on the audit committee reporting to the Board. Ethical habituation starts with professional values and an understanding of the societal duties of professionals and, as such, plays a key role in the ethical functioning of accounting and reporting oversight (See Table 1: columns E1 and E2).
However, the picture of current practice presented by Adams and Frost (2008) is one of considerable confusion. Adams and Frost (2008) indicate that organizational reporting based upon environmental and social indicators may be negatively impacted by a lack of alignment. With diverse teams contributing to integrated reporting, there are alternative views on what should be reported and rationalization of how performance should be evidenced. In conclusion, they note: ‘No wonder then that their views on where they should go in the future also varied… the finance department at D (British utility) had started to investigate the possibility of introducing environmental accounting. In the future A (British Bank) wants to do more work on ethical screening of the parent companies of suppliers and improve the way they measure what they do in the community’ (Adams and Frost 2008, p. 299).
There is considerable scope for the intersection of values-driven functions in relation to the measurement and reporting of data gathered in one area, which could be important for identifying risk areas in another. In the case of internal monitoring and reporting, for example, work-life balance data is relevant to CSR but also key to understanding fraud and corruption risks. For example, employees who feel that they are being spread too thinly and have no life outside work are more likely to rationalize the cutting of corners or ‘getting their own back’ via fraud and corruption (Kusserow 2017). When it comes to auditing and external reporting, both functions are gathering data that help fulfil the organization’s due diligence requirements, though the interaction in planning auditing and reporting processes varies (Searcy and Buslovich 2014). The E&C officer is typically involved in reporting on the E&C program, its training and awareness campaigns, reports of misconduct, investigations and sanctions and plans for preventing its reoccurrence via risk management strategies. The CSR officer may be involved in one or a variety of reports, for which labels include but are not limited to reports on Society, Human Rights, Social Responsibility and Sustainability. A company like Unilever, for instance, publishes a report on their Sustainable Living Plan, plus a separate Human Rights Report, in additional to Environmental Assurance statements (See footnote no. 8). It is hard to imagine that companies can compile a meaningful report if E&C and CSR officers and other values-driven functions do not collaborate closely on the auditing, monitoring and reporting elements that form part of their respective roles. However, progressing towards greater alignment in monitoring, auditing and reporting is not solely a matter of adapting the organization of this activity and structures; research is also needed to understand how each function’s socio-cultural processes relating to this activity can facilitate and constrain alignment efforts. Scholars have highlighted that attitudes to reporting impact the ‘‘extensiveness, quality, quantity and completeness of reporting’’ (Adams 2002, p. 244) and in more recent empirical work Adams and McNicholas (2007) conclude that the personal perspectives of the management team heavily influenced the nature of reporting. Further, attitudes to the potential use of reports, directly, conceptually and symbolically influences this area of practice (Searcy 2012).
In order to inform scholarly research agendas going forward, and to assist practitioners in moving towards greater alignment between the E&C and CSR functions, we developed a process model that could be used to highlight specific questions at each stage of the alignment process. The model depicted below (Fig. 1) is designed to guide organizations’ efforts towards inter-functional, horizontal alignment across values-driven business functions within their own organizational context. Specifically, it sets out a five stage process: (1) determine the degree of (mis)alignment in values-driven business functions and its consequences, (2) determine priorities for values-driven business alignment, (3) set objectives in priority areas and determine indicators of progress on alignment, (4) identify structural and socio-cultural enablers of, and barriers to, values-driven business alignment in priority areas and (5) outline a roadmap for values-driven business alignment and evaluate progress. The application of this process to particular contexts first addresses questions about what needs to be aligned and why and, secondly, how to work towards alignment in this area.
In the first phase of the model, i.e. identifying potential alignment/ misalignment, practitioners could use Table 1 as a practice tool to establish in which tasks each of the values-driven functions are engaged. The individuals involved in each area could indicate their functions and roles and highlight overlaps. From a research perspective, a macro-analysis of best practices within corporations would enable reflection on which structures work best in specific industries, and how the size of an organization, and the maturity of its E&C or CSR programs influence decisions on how to structure values-driven business. One of the important gaps in the research lies in understanding how values-driven business functions are represented within teams addressing strategy, policy and rewards and how this may strengthen both the E&C and CSR officers’ functioning. For instance, can common or different structural elements be deployed to gather, disseminate and respond to stakeholder concerns? Are there shared systems and processes for risk assessment, auditing and reporting activity or, at least, points of intersection? Are processes of internal collaboration with other business functions shared or unconnected? Is training relating to E&C and CSR integrated or separate? Are these activities facilitated through similar or different structures, and why?
It would also be interesting to determine how many, and what types of organizations have structures that align values-driven functions with each other. Is this accomplished through a board level position that represents E&C and CSR in combination with other values-driven functions such as environmental management? Does a senior level manager represent multiple functions? Or, are several distinct functions involved? How do these different structural arrangements work and what are the implications? Is it more common for organizations to adopt a dispersed approach in which, for example, there are different lines through to the board (e.g. E&C reports via the Legal/Compliance functions and CSR reports via HR). If so, is there a clear, rationale from a strategic governance perspective or has the structure evolved due to the history of each function within the organization?
In terms of defining priorities for alignment, it would be crucial to ask distinct questions around both the structural and socio-cultural dimensions of the organization that play key roles in values-driven business. Research into the ‘what’ and ‘why’ questions can build understanding of the components of alignment that organizations recognize at the formulation, implementation and evaluation stages of the alignment process. While extant literature highlights the benefits of alignment generally, or in relation to functions such as human resources or IT (Garavan 2007), there is a lack of research on these issues for values-driven business. By revealing the areas in which there are overlaps or failure to leverage the work of values-driven business functions and organizations’ views of the negative consequences or potential benefits of alignment, there is an opportunity for scholars to critically examine organizations’ priorities and reasons to integrate values-driven business. This includes assessing strategic opportunities (innovation, anticipating future requirements to respond to regulatory, competitive or social values forces), tactical decisions (better allocation of resources, achieving efficiency, greater compatibility of organizational culture), as well as the contributions it makes to organizational performance. These are salient questions to understand where there are opportunities to improve the synergies between values-driven functions, and to set priorities that are most likely to contribute to social performance and social and political legitimacy both internally and externally.
The identification of important structural and socio-cultural enablers is the next step. In which ways can each values-driven function shape organizational cultures and climates? Are differences that arise from structural (e.g. management responsibilities) and professional factors (e.g. training, experience), likely to give rise to alternative norms and rules, habitual activities and ways of thinking? When these converge at corporate and strategic business development levels, which socio-cultural processes facilitate and inhibit progress towards a shared understanding at the top of the organization? Are opportunities for moral and ethical aspects of organizational learning sufficiently exploited and does it promote proactive change?
Research could reveal useful comparisons relating to socio-cultural processes that are inherent to the horizontal integration of values-driven functions. For example, particular functions can play mutually supportive yet distinct roles. CSR might be more focused on awareness raising and influencing the organizational culture, while greater emphasis is placed on the responsibility of E&C to monitor and report on business conduct training, and flag up risks that are revealed through the organization’s hotline and/ or helpline. Together, they may deliberate on what gives rise to those patterns (e.g. structural factors, professional competencies and experience). The legal prowess of E&C officers may be productively combined with the communication skills and stakeholder influence of CSR officers when it comes to convincing the Board of certain improvements in ethical business practice.
In addition, a primary question that arises about horizontal integration of values-driven functions is whether the socio-cultural processes that shape systems and implementation processes are consolidated when there is greater structural alignment of the functions. Do they, as a result, have potential to become more pervasive and faithful to a core set of organizational values? For example, E&C officers and CSR officers both have an interest in a close cooperation with HR because recruitment, training, performance management and retention support their respective objectives. If there are stronger mechanisms for coordinating the horizontal integration of E&C and CSR with HR systems and processes, does it have positive implications for embedding a values-driven culture? Once some of these questions have been answered, the organization will be better equipped to create a tailor-made roadmap to use in pursuit of greater horizontal alignment between E&C and CSR functions.
There are multiple further research opportunities associated with horizontal alignment between E&C and CSR functions. As discussed previously, this is likely to vary for organizations of different types and in different contexts. It also provides opportunity to study challenges of organizing values-driven business at points of crisis and change, for instance, when scandals arise for individual companies or whole sectors or when they face mergers and acquisitions or the development of strategic partnerships.
Over forty years since Sethi (1975) highlighted concerns about alignment issues in the study of corporate social performance, values-driven business has developed and institutionalized extensively, supported by scholarship providing insight into both structural and socio-cultural processes (van Marrewijk 2003; Basu and Palazzo 2008). However, the practices that emerged, and the ‘vocabularies’ that emerged in its wake, have somehow undermined rather than supported organizational alignment towards values-driven business. Though there is considerable research that examines the vertical integration of values-driven business functions into organizations, this literature is predominantly developed within siloed streams of work. This neglects the problem of the horizontal alignment of different values-driven functions, which is a growing challenge as multiple functions emerge in particular settings that often lack coordinating mechanisms.
Our investigation thus far has provided us with significant insight regarding possible areas of alignment between the E&C and CSR functions in large corporations. These functions share responsibilities for certain important organizational tasks, such as creating cultures of integrity, raising awareness around values, embedding values-driven practices in operational areas, as well as monitoring and reporting. They also bring to the table a variety of skills and competencies that may be mutually supportive in establishing values-driven business practices and responsible reporting. One of course needs to avoid generalizations as any such cooperation will depend on the distinct individuals involved. However, it does seem that the functions can be mutually complementary. In fact, both functions are responsible for ensuring that organizational commitment to values is a lived practice, rather than words on paper or window-dressing.
Our historical analysis enabled us to highlight that the global development of E&C and CSR functions is influenced by specific contextual dynamics. The promulgation of legislation and forms of ‘soft law’ has encouraged corporations to step up their efforts both in E&C and CSR. In turn, the age of the programs and the stage of their development, are crucial for understanding the position of the function and its integration across various operational areas. Over time, organizations that may have started with a strict compliance mentality have become more values-driven and as such, it may be easier for such organizations to embrace a broader alignment with CSR as part of their organization’s values-driven business commitments. In certain industries, litigation threats remain prominent, which requires an emphasis on compliance. In some of these cases, it may make more sense for organizations to delegate the aspirational and community dimensions of CSR to corporate foundations and to focus internal functions on risk management (especially health and safety and environmental risks).
We are therefore cognizant of the fact that there are distinct limitations to the current study. Our analyses show the importance of acknowledging a broader national, international, institutional and industry context for understanding the integration of E&C and CSR, and currently our analysis cannot accommodate this level of detail. Instead, this paper focuses on understanding various aspects of alignment within large organizations and the question of whether and how various functions with responsibilities for values-driven business can work together within organizations. This highlights another limitation: currently the question of horizontal alignment is one that only arises in large organizations; hence, we primarily draw upon research based on larger organizations as we examine these issues. It may be the case that in SMEs, integration is already at work because of limited resources and staff capacity. Or that E&C and CSR personnel are essentially misnomers subsumed within smaller organizations' strategy on social responsiveness according to organizational values, which is often shaped and directed by the personal or family values of founder(s) of the firm – see Anita Roddick’s Body Shop in its early years, for instance.
This study is, however, the first step in a much larger project that will combine descriptive and explanatory elements. In the first phase, qualitative approaches will interrogate the socio-cultural processes that shape integration across key phases of the strategic process. In the second phase, a survey method will be used to provide a descriptive account of horizontal alignment amongst values-driven functions within large organizations, focused primarily upon elements of organizational structure that facilitate or inhibit alignment. This work will provide insight into ways in which the organizational environment shapes and is shaped by the norms, rules, routines and symbols of actors within organizations’ values-driven business functions. The purpose of this program of work is to be able to illustrate good practice and provide a framework that organizations can apply to evaluate opportunities to improve alignment within their own contexts. The ability to evaluate ways in which values-driven business functions can be aligned, should enable the creation of partnerships towards values-driven business and enhance knowledge sharing between UN Global Compact companies and other organizations within their supply chain. In addition, it will assist scholars in Business Ethics and CSR to design more aligned courses for both graduate and undergraduate courses. The development of E&C and CSR professions could also benefit from this research, as it may allow them to integrate suggestions towards leveraging mutually beneficial forms of cooperation and support in their professional training. Much work remains to be done, but we believe that the insights offered in this paper provide an important first step in the direction of more aligned values-driven business functions.
The International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (Nottingham University Business School) has incorporated the ICRS Competency Framework in its CSR and Responsible Business core curriculum and MOOC teaching. See https://crsinpractice.info/.
De George, R. A. (2015). History of Business Ethics. Retrieved August 2016, from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/business-ethics/resources/a-history-of-business-ethics/.
Desio, P. (2005). An overview of the organizational guidelines. An overview of the Unites States Sentencing Commission and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines (http://www.eoa.org. 2005).
Ethics and Compliance Initiative. (2016). www.ethics.org. Accessed Aug 2016.
Giordano, S. (2011). http://www.cmswire.com/cms/information-management/grc-the-evolution-chief-ethics-and-compliance-officer-role-011557.php. Accessed Aug 2016.
Treviño (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdlGaYCk710. Accessed Aug 2016. | 2019-04-26T00:06:15Z | https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10551-018-3901-7 |
I really like it when my friends find a new television obsession because it usually means that there will be a trickle-down effect throughout the rest of our friend group shortly thereafter.
If one person starts a show and talks about it enough, inevitably we all will slowly become involved in it too. This is what usually happens with my friend group. But then, there was Arrow. Instead of a trickle-down effect, the rapid succession with which seemingly all of my friends became involved could be classified as more like a waterfall. One person started a domino effect, and the rest of us soon followed. We were binge-watching the first season on Netflix and falling in love with the characters; we were rooting for Oliver and marveling over the stunt coordination. We all, too, fell in love with Oliver/Felicity as a romantic pairing and bonded over the characters’ growth (both as individuals and a pairing) and certain “shipper” moments.
That’s right, friends and faithful readers. I have a new “ship” and it’s delightful and complex and layered. In essence, it’s everything I desire from a relationship – romantic or platonic – on a television series. There’s no doubt in my mind that Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards have chemistry. They do – just like Joel McHale and Alison Brie, just like Jake Johnson and Zooey Deschanel, just like Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty. Chemistry is so vital in order to truly sell a pairing, but that’s not all that is necessary. What I love about Olicity can really be summed up by what I love about Amell and Rickards as individual actors, just as it can be summed up by all of the actors and actresses I listed previously: they understand their characters. It’s one thing for an actor to play a character. There’s a distinct difference that you feel as an audience member, watching an actor’s dialogue or action in a scene. You don’t feel connected to them and if you do, you don’t feel that the connection runs as deeply as it should. But when Amell and Rickards are on screen together and separately, you get the sense that they just don’t play characters, but that they KNOW their characters.
So I decided, in the spirit of setting sail on a new “ship” (just roll with the imagery) that I would count down my fifteen favorite Olicity moments before season three’s premiere on October 8th. Join me below the cut and see if your favorite moments made my list!
15. Felicity refuses to get/eventually does get Oliver coffee.
I covered this ad nauseam in my Felicity Smoak appreciation post, but the thing I love most about her character (besides her resilience and hopefulness and general nerdiness) is that she doesn’t take any crap from Oliver Queen. When he yells at her for being in Central City, she yells right back at him. When he tells her to stay put at the Queen mansion, she protests and questions him. Felicity Meghan Smoak is no one’s punching bag and she’s certainly no one’s secretary. When she has to become Oliver Queen’s executive assistant in order to preserve the secrets of Team Arrow, she outright refuses to be demeaned to that position. It’s an amazing moment because she sasses him and reminds him that she went to MIT and it wasn’t so that she could get him coffee. She refuses to be placed into that kind of position, refuses to be thought of as anything less than the strong, capable, college-educated woman that she is.
And so, she mockingly asks Oliver if she can get him a cup of coffee before explaining in no uncertain terms that she will NOT be a coffee girl. Not for anyone, and certainly not for him. It’s significant, then, at the end of the episode that Felicity does get Oliver a cup of coffee (she notes that this is the one and only time she will). And Oliver smiles because I think he knows what I know: she wasn’t getting him coffee as his executive assistant; she was getting it as his friend. Felicity and Oliver genuinely do care about each other, platonically, too you know. I think sometimes we forget that because we get bogged down in the romance (not that the romance is bad, by any means), but Oliver and Felicity genuinely do like each other as people. And when Oliver needs something from Felicity, she tries her very best not to please him or make him happy but to remind him that he is not alone. And a cup of coffee in this moment was just the way to do that.
14. Oliver is jealous of Barry.
The trope of jealousy has been played out a lot throughout my favorite shows (Jeff jealous of Rich because he was with Annie; Harvey jealous of Stephen because he was with Donna; Nick jealous of pretty much everyone because they were with Jess, etc.), and no matter how many times that trope rears its head, I find myself to still be enraptured by it. There’s this delightful implication (an implication made by Diggle who should be captain of the Olicity ship) that Oliver’s treatment of Barry Allen was somewhat rooted in jealousy. And though there are a lot of complexities to the circumstances that brought Barry into the lives of Team Arrow, including Barry discovering Oliver’s secret, I do think that there was a smidge of jealousy on Oliver’s part.
And again, “jealousy” is such a layered word that I think it was rooted in an array of jealous feelings: jealousy over Felicity mooning over a guy she could very easily have and Oliver realizing he would have no right to stop Felicity from dating him; jealousy over someone else needing Felicity’s help and him realizing that he needed her at the foundry, etc. So no matter what the reason for Oliver’s jealous behavior in the episodes with Barry Allen, this behavior makes my list because of the fact that it’s one of the first times we’ve seen Oliver’s jealousy triggered and definitely the first time we’ve seen it triggered especially because of Felicity Smoak.
He feels things, you guys, when it comes to her and this is a great indicator of that.
13. "Is that judgement I'm hearing?" "Pride."
Felicity’s little moment of surprise when Oliver admits that he is proud of her is really what makes this onto my list. She’s expected to be chided, like she’s been in the past: to be warned of the dangers of hacking into a prison network, to get a “talking-to” from Oliver about how they need to be careful, and so she likely braces herself for one of those. But when she confuses her judgment for pride, his words and beaming face (seriously beaming) trip her up, momentarily, because this is Oliver being completely and utterly genuine, heralding her accomplishments. It’s nothing really new, because we’ve seen Oliver praise Felicity for her work before but at the same time it IS new because this is the first time I truly think Felicity believes what he says and the first time Oliver identifies his feelings for her work so succinctly.
He is proud of her – proud of her character and how smart and capable she always is. It’s a beautiful little moment, isn’t it?
I wish I had something more elaborate and eloquent to say regarding my placement of what I affectionately call “Oliver’s Tarzan moments” on my list but… I don’t. I really love that multiple times throughout this series, Oliver literally grabs a rope with one hand and Felicity with the other and swings both himself and her to safety. The moment right after the duo crash through the windows of Queen Consolidated doesn’t make my list of favorite moments, but it bears mentioning anyway because Oliver brushes Felicity’s hair back to see her face and make sure she’s okay.
But mostly, the swinging makes my list because it’s an example of Oliver not just being a superhero but being Felicity’s superhero. There you go.
11. "You are remarkable." "Thank you for remarking on it."
A lot of these moments, if you haven’t noticed already, focus on Oliver doing something genuine for/expressing interest in Felicity. My eleventh favorite Olicity moment is no different. Here, Oliver calls Felicity remarkable and – like the precious and delightful woman she is – the blonde then responds with: “Thank you for remarking on it.” But do you know what the very definition of the word remarkable is? Worthy of being or likely to be noticed especially as being uncommon or extraordinary.
In this moment, Oliver is literally paying Felicity the highest compliment I believe he was able to: he’s expressing that she is worthy of being noticed, that she is special. Isn’t it amazing that so many heroic journies begin this way – by just one person pointing out the extraordinary in another? And isn’t it amazing that Felicity makes a subtle nod to this moment in “Streets of Fire”? She reminds Oliver that some guy in a hood told her that she could be more than just an IT girl and she believed him. (The scene did not make this list and I kind of regret that.) Oliver told Felicity that she was remarkable and it’s something she already knew about herself, probably, but it’s one thing to believe in yourself. It’s another to have someone else believe in you.
That’s the foundation of Olicity as a ship, really: when Oliver cannot believe in himself, Felicity reminds him that he doesn’t always have to; she’ll believe in him enough for the both of them. And while Felicity is brilliant and funny and witty, she’s also a fairly ordinary character, right? She was an IT girl. There are half a dozen IT people at my job. So when Felicity struggles to believe she’s nothing more than the product of her parents and a girl with a computer, Oliver reminds her that she is not just that – she’ll never be JUST that to him. No, to him, she is extraordinary. She is worthy of attention and notice. She is remarkable.
Is there anything more heartbreaking than the moment Felicity asks Oliver to promise her that he will return safely and he looks her in the eyes before walking away? (Answer: yes, there is, and we’ll get to those moments further on down the list.) This exchange and the hug that followed mark something extraordinary in the Olicity relationship that I don’t think any of my other “ships” across fandoms are marked by: desperation. Now, the word has a negative connotation because we often tell people that they are “desperate” when really we mean “pathetic and needy.” But in the case of Arrow, Oliver has always been desperate when it comes to Felicity – desperate to keep her safe. So desperate, in fact, that he often does some rash things (literally smashing through glass windows with her in tow and flipping over stairs, anyone?) just to ensure that she will be okay. Felicity, meanwhile, is just as desperate to keep Oliver safe as he is to keep her safe, which I think is rather touching. And so she tries to do anything and everything within her power to keep him from severe harm and when all of her efforts end, the pleading begins. Felicity is smart, of course, and so she knows that Oliver can’t promise that he’ll return to her safely any more than she can promise she won’t get into a car accident on the way home. It’s a factor out of her control and I think it scares her. Her reassurance in these situations, as you’ve likely deduced, is HIS reassurance.
And so when Oliver walks down the stairs, a bit battered but in one piece, Felicity cannot help but run up to him and hug him because he is safe. What makes this Olicity moment so wonderful isn’t that they hug and it’s adorable, but that he smiles slightly at her relief and puts an arm around her. Because I think a part of him is reminded whenever Felicity expresses her relief in his safety that he could have very easily been taken away from it all – from her, and Diggle too – and is just as glad to be safe.
9. Every single Freudian slip of Felicity's.
Again: I don’t have an extremely articulate reason for Felicity Smoak’s Freudian slips making it this high onto my list except for the fact that they are both delightful and hysterical and that Oliver seems constantly bemused by them. I like to believe that Felicity is so intelligent that the reason she babbles is because her brain works so fast that her mouth cannot keep up. This girl is brilliant, but she’s also kind of awkward in the way that Jessica Day is: the kind that momentarily makes you cringe, but then crack a smile because you’ve been in situations where you’ve said the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time. Felicity’s mind is wonderful and she is intelligent, but I also really enjoy the reminders that she’s not perfect: she doesn’t always say or do the right thing and that’s part of the reason I think the majority of the fandom is so enamored by her.
I love these little Olicity moments where Felicity just lets something slip because Oliver doesn’t chastise her or look at her in disgust. He usually is fighting back a smile; he finds it freaking delightful that she gets flustered. And honestly, I think THAT is adorable.
8. The apology/"You're my partner."
Oliver Queen isn’t always right. If you watch the first season, you’ll see this quite clearly: he’s often irrational and brash, especially when he’s wearing a hood. He can sometimes be unnecessarily harsh, not thinking before he speaks. In “Blast Radius,” he takes his anger (or anger and jealousy, whatever you may call it) out on Felicity who takes – as I stated earlier – none of his crap and doesn’t back down when he challenges her. She stands up to him and eventually leaves the foundry to cool off. At the end of the episode, Oliver does something we rarely see him do – struggle to form an apology. And when he apologizes to the air, not looking directly at Felicity, she does something beautiful and wonderful AGAIN: she calls him out. She doesn’t accept things as they are; she challenges Oliver at every turn in the best way possible. But she also forgives him, which is important to note.
But the reason this makes my list as one of the best Olicity moments is because of how earnest, how sincere Oliver is in this scene. He tells her that he needs her and we’re accustomed to believe that Oliver Queen doesn’t need anyone. The truth, as he explains, is that he was going to go about the whole vigilante thing alone. But the reason he got upset with Felicity earlier in the episode was not because of Barry (entirely), nor because she was in Central City. The reason he was upset was simply this: it made him realize how much he couldn’t be alone; how much he needed HER. And that’s something that is pretty frightening for Oliver to discover, don’t you think? He was and still is, to an extent, dooming himself to a life of loneliness. But then Diggle and Felicity appeared in his life and it made him realize – however cheesy – that he is not alone in the world, that there are people who care about them. And when those people are gone, it reminds him of how much he needs them there.
The exchange ends with Oliver declaring that Felicity is not his employee, but his partner – his equal. He doesn’t see her as just an asset to the team or even a sidekick. He, Diggle, and Felicity are on an equal plane, one just as important as the other. It’s a beautiful moment because not only is Oliver admitting that he considers Felicity to be his equal, but he’s also acknowledging how MUCH she means to him. Then she begins to babble and he places a hand on her shoulder (their THING because it just happened to become that thing they do) and I think that in that moment I just knew the depth of Oliver’s feelings toward Felicity not just as a person but as a partner.
7. "You are not gonna lose me."
When Felicity confronts Moira Queen about her discovery that Thea Queen’s real father is Malcolm Merlyn, Moira warns her to tread lightly. This is a great scene, mainly because we’re used to seeing Felicity as more of a meek character in regards to the rest of the Queen family, but she is anything BUT meek when she handles Moira. And though Moira scared even me as a character because of her potential to destroy the lives of others, Felicity was equally as impressive for standing up to her in the first place. Felicity found out about Thea’s parentage because of her curiosity and her desire for the truth and she didn’t threaten Moira with this information because Felicity Smoak may be intelligent and capable, but she’s also pure-hearted and good. And then Moira tells Felicity that she can never let Oliver know about Thea; he will hate his mother but a part of him will always blame her for being a part of the secret.
This stings us and it stings Felicity, especially because Moira knows how much Felicity cares about Oliver. “I see the way you look at him,” she says. And as we watch Felicity leave, we think that – for a second – maybe Moira is right; maybe Oliver will blame Felicity in some small, unconscious way, for delivering the news to him and being a part of his mother’s secret. We should know Oliver Queen better than that, though. Throughout the following days, Felicity is distracted, waging war with herself over revealing the secret about Thea, and Oliver takes notice. At his mother’s campaign rally, he follows after Felicity, knowing that something is wrong with her and insisting that she tell him what that something is. Let’s pause because this is partially why this moment ranks so high on my list: Oliver knows something is wrong with Felicity but not only that, he also WANTS to know what it is. Most people and men would be content to let Felicity deal with her own issues. But Oliver? Oliver wants to know what is wrong with her partially because he wants to HELP. Furthermore, when she tries to brush off her problem (“it’s nothing”), he challenges her: he knows that something is wrong with her, knows when she’s hurt and lying, and wants to fix it in any way he can.
So Felicity talks cryptically about her family (sidenote: this moment also makes my list because of how Oliver admits that he notices the fact that she doesn’t discuss her family. He NOTICES that.) and when she begins to discuss how her dad abandoned her and the pain of losing someone that close to her, Oliver does what he always does best with Felicity – he reassures her. He promises her that she will not lose him and I honestly believe that he makes promises to Felicity wholeheartedly and truthfully. And because of that promise, Felicity tells him the truth. Moira Queen may have noticed that Felicity is smitten with her son, but I don’t think she realized how much her son cared for and about Felicity or else she wouldn’t have made that threat.
6. Felicity believes Oliver deserves better/Oliver just about confesses his feelings.
The episode depicts Felicity as clearly hurt but not spiteful; she’s stung but that doesn’t mean she acts petty or childish toward either Isabel or Oliver. No, instead she merely asks a question: “Why her?” There’s no sense of judgment and no tone of condescension. In fact, Felicity actually notes that it sort of makes sense because of how physically attractive Isabel is but… there’s a part of it that doesn’t make sense to her and so she inquires. There is palpable tension in this moment and it’s not out of jealousy but from a place of concern – a place of love. Felicity loves Oliver and believes that he deserves the best that life has to offer, even if HE doesn’t believe that. And so her question is just that – a question. When Oliver gives her an answer, when his explanation thinly veils that he is not with Felicity because he could really care about (see: love) her and he can’t risk her life for that to happen, Felicity seems to barely accept his excuse and leaves, but not before turning around to make her peace.
This Oliver/Felicity scene is extremely important because it has Oliver vocalize what we presumed to be true: he cares about Felicity. And you can tell that Oliver wants Felicity, specifically, to understand that he means her – that the reason he isn’t pursuing her is because he could really care about her and doesn’t want her to get hurt (either physically or emotionally). Let me briefly take a moment to dote on Stephen Amell for this scene because every little facial nuance and the way he delivers his lines is filled with intention. He understands Oliver’s difficult decision and he understands how his struggle to tell Felicity he cares about her without overtly telling her so. And the way that he closes his eyes as she walks away because he’s a) probably afraid she thinks less of him and b) is worried she didn’t understand that he was talking about her is just SO brilliant. The tension in these moments between the two of them? It’s completely and utterly palpable and I have to commend Amell for doing such a fantastic job with this scene.
But Felicity doesn’t accept things the way that they are. Ever. She always expects others to not be better, necessarily, but to be the happiest they can be. She wants that for Oliver and wants that for herself. So she tells him so, right before she leaves. She tells him that he deserves better. And then she walks away. This entire scene is just so brilliantly constructed to remind us that these two honestly and truly care about each other and each others’ happiness that they’re willing to sacrifice a lot – even their OWN happiness – to make it so.
5. "You will always be my girl, Felicity."
Rounding out my top five Olicity moments is one that I’m pretty sure makes everyone’s lists. In “Time of Death,” Felicity Smoak begins to feel a bit left out. Sara has appeared and is awesome and kind to Felicity (like, genuinely kind and I praised the writers profusely in my other post for not following the standard television trope of making Sara the victorious girlfriend and Felicity the sulking and pining one), but she’s also a trained fighter. And she knows her way around a computer. And she also knows her way around a microscope. And suddenly, the one thing that has made Felicity unique to Team Arrow disappears. Or so she believes. Felicity spends the majority of the episode trying to prove her worth, not compete with Sara. And Sara notices this. And Diggle notices this. And at the end of the episode, Oliver notices this (because Dig told him, apparently).
Felicity admits that she’s so used to being Oliver’s go-to girl that it was difficult to try to find her place among a team of people she felt rather useless being around and with. But then, as we all held our collective breaths and sighed dreamily, Oliver tells Felicity sincerely: “You will always be my girl.” Here’s what’s so important about this moment: Sara is still a really good fighter. She still knows her way around a microscope and she can still work a computer. None of that changes. Felicity incorrectly assumes that her value and worth in Oliver’s eyes are tied to her abilities to hack a computer. But what’s beautiful and so significant is that her value and worth to Oliver is not tied to those things. She has intrinsic value to him in this moment: she is valuable because she is Felicity Smoak. Because she exists, she has worth. It’s not what she can do that makes her special, though she can do a lot. No, it’s simply SHE that holds the value.
Here’s another moment in which I’m going to commend Stephen Amell (get used to it, because it will be happening a lot more frequently as this post wraps up): he plays Oliver Queen with such gentleness and warmth whenever he has emotional moments with Felicity. I really am impressed by Amell’s range – we’ve seen the darkest parts of Oliver Queen, the most self-destructive, self-loathing, angriest parts. We’ve seen him joke and jest. We’ve seen him care about others. But the only time we ever see him extremely and vulnerably gentle is when he’s reassuring Felicity. Literally, Amell sometimes whispers his lines. If that doesn’t seem significant to you and if this scene doesn’t make you feel like Oliver truly and honestly values Felicity (remember what I said earlier about him always keeping his promises to her?) then you should probably stop reading this post. Or re-watch that scene above like, fifteen times in a row.
4. The "I love you."
Oliver: Slade took Laurel because he wants to kill the woman I love.
Oliver: So he took the wrong woman.
Oliver: I love you. Do you understand?
Now, just to get this out of the way: the confession was part of Oliver’s plan to administer the cure to Slade. He trusted Felicity and knew that his house was being bugged. He wanted her to be taken so that she could – at the right time – inject Slade with the cure (he hands her a syringe in the mansion). But now that THAT is out of the way, let’s talk about and dissect a scene that has been dissected more than a Biology frog. Someone noted on Tumblr that Oliver Queen is a terrible liar. Like, he’s REALLY bad. Remember all of the lies he told to Felicity at the beginning of the series? So let’s establish those as our baselines for Oliver lying, shall we?
I’ve never seen a more genuine and heartbreaking moment on Arrow than this one, honest to God, and it’s just so tightly packed with emotion and truth and pain and joy that I doubt this blurb has even done it justice. Just go watch the scene and then come back here to melt into a puddle of feels in the comments section.
Need I remind you all: THREE. ARROWS.
Stephen Amell can literally transition from rage one second to utter affection, compassion, and genuine concern the next and he DOES within the context of this scene. He goes from killing someone to gently reassuring Felicity that she’s okay and safe and no one will hurt her. It’s unspoken but clear in this moment: Oliver really loves Felicity and wants to protect her, so much so that he was willing to put aside his own pain (both the emotional anguish over killing again and the physical pain of, you know, being SHOT) to ensure that she was okay, that she was safe. He touches her face, which is another one of their things – Oliver always touches her face to make sure she’s okay – and you can just see the fear in her eyes. Kudos to Emily Bett Rickards who played that entire scene so beautifully, by the way. And when Oliver sees her fear, he also sees his job: to make her SAFE.
I’ll hold for the feels because in this scene, they’re plentiful.
2. "You are not done fighting."
The silver medal for my favorite Olicity moment is mainly because of Felicity Smoak and is a moment that I referenced and praised throughout the character appreciation post, but I think it is important t hat I reiterate how amazing this particular moment is again. Remember how earlier I noted that Oliver doesn’t always believe in himself and that Felicity fills that void? She is the one w who places faith and belief and hope in him even when he’s lost all hope in himself. It would have been easy in the “Streets of Fire” to write Felicity as meek, as terrified, and as defeated. But that is not who Felicity Meghan Smoak is at all. When Oliver becomes so hopeless, so dejected, so TIRED that he utters the words: “I have failed this city,” it is Felicity who steps up and reminds him of who he is. She yells at him – actually yells – that he is not done fighting, that he can stop Slade and that even though she doesn’t know HOW he will, she does know THAT he will.
Emily Bett Rickards completely and utterly nails this scene and brings tears to my eyes every time because of how evident it is that she cares about Oliver. She loves him in this moment and sometimes love means looking at someone with hearts in your eyes and sometimes it means flirting and smiling, but sometimes love means being brutally honest and helping pick your partner up when they are down. I have a theory and I don’t know if it is entirely accurate but it is my theory, so whatever: I believe that this is the moment Oliver realizes how much Felicity loves him and how much he needs her and trusts her. It’s a true display of faith on her part and I think it is the moment where Oliver realizes what he must do to stop Slade. Felicity believes in him when he cannot believe in himself, sees the light in him when he sees only darkness, and fills his life with hope and joy.
This moment is such an extremely powerful one to me, not just because of how bold and amazing Felicity is, but how humbled Oliver is in the moment. She keeps him hoping and she keeps him fighting. I don’t know of anything more beautiful than that, do you?
1. "He had you and he was going to hurt you. There was no choice to make."
Actually, there is one more moment between Oliver and Felicity that I would rank above the stellar one from episode 22 last season and it’s actually from an episode we visited a bit earlier in the list titled “State v. Queen.” (If you’ve ever read my other ship ranking posts, you know that I like to switch it up with my #1 moment and choose something unexpected.) Earlier in the episode, we saw Oliver kill The Count in order to save Felicity. At the end of the episode, Oliver returns to the foundry to check on Diggle and Felicity. And when he goes to leave, Felicity thanks him again for saving her life. He nods and then turns to leave, but not before Felicity apologizes. Then, the conversation shifts in the best possible way, because Oliver becomes confused and concerned. Let me pause again to give massive credit to Stephen Amell whose voice is so reassuring and gentle (he whispers my favorite line) that it fills my heart with a lot of feelings toward Oliver Queen.
See, Felicity apologizes because she knows how destroyed Oliver was a few episodes earlier about Tommy’s death: Tommy died believing Oliver was a murderer and so Oliver vowed to not kill again in order to honor his friend. But he makes a decision to break that vow when The Count threatens Felicity’s life. And, understandably, the blonde feels guilt for putting Oliver in the position where he had to choose. This is my favorite Olicity moment not just because of how sweet it is but because of how important it is: these characters learn something about each other in this scene that is fundamentally important. Oliver learns that Felicity thinks about and cares about the promises he makes to himself and others. She places weight and value in those promises and has real, tangible feelings toward them. She thinks about how her actions affect Oliver. But what Felicity learns about Oliver is equally as important: when it comes to her, there is no choice.
After Felicity makes the comment about having to choose between saving her and breaking his vow to Tommy’s memory, Oliver takes Felicity’s hand and says: “He had you and he was going to hurt you. There was no choice to make.” That may be, in fact, the most significant thing that Oliver has ever said to Felicity when you really think about the implication of it. Oliver, at this point in the series, refused to kill people in order to preserve his vow. He didn’t kill The Dollmaker, right? But while Felicity presents Oliver’s predicament at Queen Consolidated as a choice, he corrects her: there was only one option in that moment and it was saving her. How utterly beautiful it is that Oliver whispers those words to her in this moment while holding her hand? He tells her that she was the only option and that she did not force him to choose because there was never any question of what would happen. Stephen Amell’s acting in this scene is so underrated but so impactful and sincere that I cannot help but be consistently impressed. And Emily Bett Rickards is just as impressive as Felicity who is budding with guilt – watching her face transition from guilt to confusion to relief and contentment is so delightful.
If you re-watch one Olicity scene tonight, re-watch this one because it is my absolute favorite and is so telling in terms of characterization both individually and for the pairing. Plus, as we say on the Internet: FEELS.
Excellent choices throughout. I would bump your #2 up a spot. If I had been in charge of Emily Bett Rickard's Emmy campaign, I would have forced every TV Academy member to watch that scene over and over.
The only thing missing here is something that happens a couple minutes after the hug in #10, when Felicity puts Oliver's mask on him and says it makes him "like a hero." That was the moment I knew that the showrunners were 100% serious about this ship.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Jeffrey! I was so torn between #2 and #1 that it was a very tight race (I did have her speech at #1 at one point in my pre-planning). That scene honestly and truly is my absolute favorite of hers at this point in the series and it should earn her an Emmy (or just, all of the awards), hands down.
Ooooooh, that moment was so good too and it's true -- it felt very organic and real in that moment.
Well, you make me cry. In fact, Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards make me cry. His special Felicity voice is the BEST! They really sold it. Both of them, in every scene. If this couple doesn't become end game of this show, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. The #1 was unexpected. I was hoping it'd be the 'You're not done fighting' Felicity speech. Brilliant post, Jenn! I've no words. | 2019-04-24T06:49:39Z | http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2014/08/jenns-pick-my-top-15-oliverfelicity.html |
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The peruse at various changed into created via a panel of 20 cognitive computing experts in a variety of industries the space Watson performs -- healthcare, banking, commerce, and so on., according to a weblog submit.
should a developer pass the examination they'll exist notable an IBM licensed application Developer and amass a digital badge.
The examination is delivered by the employ of Pearson VUE and might exist taken at its check facilities. IBM will additionally present the exam at its conferences.
With the aim of changing the venerable clipboard with a lots extra versatile handheld gadget, IBM has updated its Maximo asset administration application so that it can exist accessed by using iPhones and Androids.
the brand current IBM providing, called Maximo Everyplace, will enable users of the business's renovation management software to entry its fundamental functionality over a network by the employ of mobile handset internet browsers.
amenities managers, renovation people and different habitual users of Maximo spend lots of time not within the office, but more or less out where the operations really happen, comparable to plant flooring or carrier bays. in consequence, they requisite to print out provider requests and other documentation, and construct established assistance back to the workplace for up-to-date assistance and to overview current requests.
based on IBM, software would not deserve to exist space in on the valued clientele. The software may besides exist accessed wholly during the net browser. directors personalize the cell interface the usage of the Maximo application clothier, allowing them to select which points may besides exist accessed remotely.
One early user of the utility, which has been in confined free up since January, has been the tuition of Texas scientific department at Galveston, an educational scientific core located in Galveston, Texas. There, renovation personnel ought to preserve song over outfit across one hundred sixty separate constructions. "This carrier allows us to log and reply to requests throughout the campus," said David Reynolds, who's the middle's director of fastened assets and reliability techniques, in an announcement.
The software is being offered free on a visitation foundation.
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Danelutto, Marco Kilpatrick, Peter Mencagli, Gabriele and Torquati, Massimo 2018. status access patterns in current parallel computations. The overseas Journal of excessive efficiency Computing purposes, Vol. 32, subject. 6, p. 807.
Danelutto, Marco De Matteis, Tiziano Mencagli, Gabriele and Torquati, Massimo 2018. records circulate processing by the employ of code annotations. The Journal of Supercomputing, Vol. seventy four, challenge. 11, p. 5659.
Hirzel, Martin Baudart, Guillaume Bonifati, Angela Della Valle, Emanuele Sakr, Sherif and Akrivi Vlachou, Akrivi 2018. current Processing Languages within the great information era. ACM SIGMOD record, Vol. 47, problem. 2, p. 29.
Wang, Yidan Tari, Zahir HoseinyFarahabady, M.Reza and Zomaya, Albert Y. 2017. mannequin-primarily based Scheduling for hump Processing techniques. p. 215.
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Real estate fundamentals remained robust throughout terminal year. Unemployment dropped and demand for housing, office space, retail and industrial assets increased. According to RCA Analytics, 2016 marked the third strongest year for commercial actual estate on record. The Moody’s/RCA Commercial Property expense Indices measured a expense augment of 9 percent over the course of the year.
From planned projects to adaptive reuse, sales transactions to financing packages and leasing deals, the winners of the seventh annual Distinguished Achievement Awards delineate the best of the best in commercial actual estate deals during 2016. The following offers details on the winning entries chosen by the judges.
Winners of this year’s Gold and Silver awards were honored at an event Oct. 19 in current York City. stay tuned for details about the 2018 Distinguished Achievement Awards.
The Story: The objective for this project is to merge an existing structure on 14th Street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District with current construction on 15th Street. In order to merge the current design with the industrial and historic context of the area, a custom glass façade and three-dimensional metal panels were imported from Italy to meld with the existing historic structure on 14th Street to create a upright campus. The rooftop will exist adapted as a landscaped terrace and outdoor conference facility, while multiple other terraces will exist incorporated for a change of scenery while working, conducting meetings or just taking in the city views.
The interior is customized for today’s resilient work environments, with adaptable floor plates that proffer many configuration possibilities for any tenant. The full-height glass exterior of the current tower combined with the terraces will create a light-filled space that takes the concept of indoor-outdoor animated to the workplace. The project besides incorporates another trend sweeping actual estate: environmental friendliness. Adaptive reuse is inherently environmentally friendly, as it conserves resources that would fill been used to create a current property, but the plans for 412 W. 15th St. choose it a step further, with blue roofs, which collect rainwater; landscaping on the roof, which serves as insulation; and an energy-efficient, low-e structurally glazed unitized glass-and-aluminum façade.
Judges Praised: The market savviness to choose what was initially bought to develop into a hotel, but considering the demand for resilient office space, changing the plans. The integration of extinct and current buildings is a creative solution, and the design complements the area’s industrial history while soundless looking modern and leaving options for tenants to change their workspace set up as work preferences evolve.
The Story: Capitol Crossing is one of the largest developments in the D.C. area, as well as one of the most ambitious. Once complete, it will create three entirely current city blocks above an energetic highway. Capitol Crossing will consist of five current mixed-use buildings that will restore land lost to the I-395 highway. The project is expected to create thousands of jobs and $40 million per year in current tax revenue, and will bridge the gap separating the Capitol Hill and East finish neighborhoods.
While it is 100 percent privately funded, the evolution of Capitol Crossing is a public-private collaboration with the DC Council, the District Department of Transportation, the Washington DC Economic Partnership, the Downtown trade Improvement District, the nearby Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and other community leaders. Additional elements of the project include the relocation and refurbishment of two sanctimonious institutions, the Holy Rosary Church and the Adas Israel Synagogue, as well as refurbishing the existing Third Street Tunnel, conducting utility upgrades along Massachusetts Avenue, and current entry and exit portals to I-395.
Judges Praised: The complexity of pile over a highway and the collaboration with mayors and public institutions though it was privately funded.
The Story: Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the property has a well-known presence in the community, and renovating it involved a heedful preservation. The team’s goal was to respect and maintain the original 1930s expertise deco details while upgrading technology and amenities. Elements enjoy bronze and nickel metalwork, walnut paneling, light fixtures and black glass ceilings were everything preserved, while many of the current materials were custom-made to preserve the tone of the hotel’s legacy alive. Most of the changes served to recur Hotel Phillips to its original state. For example, a staircase in the foyer was removed in order to rebuild the travertine floor seen in photos of the property from the 1930s. Walnut paneling in the lobby was restored, while the lobby ceiling and the Crystal Ballroom were touched up to regain their former glory.
Two businesses were added to the hotel during its construction phase, which ended in December 2016. Kilo Charlie Coffee Bar and P.S. Speakeasy were built in portions of the hotel that were previously unused or used for storage space. The Speakeasy concept takes edge of the hotel’s historic past and offers a nightlife undergo for guests in an belt known mostly for its corporate and fiscal establishments. Arbor Lodging Partners knows that most attractions are located in the Country Club Plaza sector, but managed to transform the Phillips Hotel into a destination by restoring its historic feel and inserting modern elements.
Judges Praised: unquestionable design that preserved the 1930s character of the building, wrought-iron details in the lobby and on the cast-iron stairs, and employ of status and federal tax credits for an elegant downtown property.
The Story: Valued at $155 million, construction of NEXT Apartments brought extravagance animated to an belt formerly known for the Cabrini Green housing projects. The site is located between the River North and Cabrini Green neighborhoods, and was underutilized when the company committed to buying the site in 2013. Now, the belt is an emerging tech corridor, Popular with Millennials and professionals looking for a community in the urban core. Amenities are a sizable allotment of the NEXT undergo and include an outdoor pool, spa and sun terrace with cabanas, a fire pit and a grilling area. The property besides offers a 24-hour fitness heart and yoga studio, a media latitude with an oversize TV and ring sound, a replete Starbucks coffee bar, a gaming arcade, a trade heart and conference room, and a bicycle storage and repair space. Home to Daisy “the house dog,” a friendly Newfoundland that spends her days in the lobby playing with guests and residents and even accompanying prospects on apartment tours, the community sponsors pet-friendly events.
The pile is located two blocks from CTA’s Brown/Purple Line and a short walk from the Chicago Red Line station, offering convenient transportation to the Loop as well as Midway and O’Hare International airports. With a walkability score of 95 out of 100, it is accessible to nearby retail stores, parks and a Divvy bike sharing station by foot. Aside from its transit-oriented green features, the pile has green terraces, a green roof, energy-efficient windows, low-flow plumbing fixtures, low-VOC paint, LED light fixtures, Energy Star appliances and NEST Thermostats.
Construction was completed three months early, with NEXT Apartments ready for opening in September 2016. Fifield besides donated $500,000 to Interfaith Housing evolution Corp. for construction of long-term affordable housing for the low-income population animated near the building.
Judges Praised: employ of the challenging EB-5 financing and the dog as allotment of a creative marketing strategy.
Financiers: Fifth/Third Bank, Detroit Neighborhoods Fund (Capital repercussion Partners and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.), Detroit Investment Fund, Invest Detroit Fund (Chase), Michigan Economic evolution Corp.
The Story: The Scott at flick Park is the first project of its kindhearted in Detroit in more than 15 years. As the only extravagance apartment property in the Midtown area, The Scott employs a lifestyle curator, who works on-site to attend to residents’ needs and establish relationships between the property and local businesses. The community incorporates unique expertise installations by local artists, some of which rotate quarterly. On the ground floor, 15,000 square feet of retail houses boutique shops, a dermatology office and a bakery.
Amenities at The Scott include a lobby expertise gallery, a private library/reading room, a conference room, a 24-hour health and fitness center, indoor and outdoor community spaces with grills and a fireplace, a pet grooming station, a bike storage and repair space, play areas, a dog park, an outdoor swimming pool and sundeck, a spa pool with snow-melting surrounds for year-round employ and a rooftop terrace.
Architect Neumann/Smith created a U-shaped pile design to optimize east, south and west sun exposures for low angles and passive solar heat gain in winter. To mitigate summer heat gain, balconies built over most of the great windows act as sun shades. The roof terrace on the second flat incorporates strategically placed plants for aesthetic outcome as well as privacy. This includes a partially vegetated panel of artificial turf that provides year-round greenery as well as an aluminum pergola for shade.
The Story: In 1901, architect Goldwin Starrett and prominent local businessman Julius Hahne constructed the first commercial property in Newark, N.J., designed specifically as a department store. The historic Hahne & Co. store was sold to May Department Stores Co. in 1987 and closed shortly thereafter, remaining vacant for nearly three decades before L+M evolution Partners and Prudential fiscal acquired it in 2013. Completed in 2016, the $175 million mixed-use evolution has 160 residential units; 75,000 square feet of retail; 100,000 square feet of commercial, community or office uses; and an underground parking garage for 220 vehicles. Of the apartments, 64 are set aside for low-income and working families earning between 40 and 60 percent of the belt median income. The apartments are located on the third and fourth floors of the existing Hahne pile and a current nine-story residential building. The two structures are connected through a shared lobby and a public atrium. The current residences proffer open floor plans, elevated ceilings, solid wood flooring throughout and a washer and dryer in every unit.
The most novel factor of the project is Express Newark, an arts space envisioned by the Rutgers-Newark faculty, staff and students, along with community expertise leaders. The 50,000-square-foot space features learning spaces, including a 3D printing studio, a photographic portrait studio, video production teaching facilities, smart classrooms and galleries. The space will besides serve as the current home for Rutgers’ Department of Arts, Culture and Media. The project is besides home to Newark’s first total Foods Market and a Barnes & Noble College store.
The complexity of the mixed-use evolution was only complicated by its historic status, which usually increases spending. By using the existing structure, costs associated with ground-up construction were avoided. The project used several tax credit programs from public, non-profit and private groups including significant commitments from the current Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and the current Jersey Economic evolution Authority. L+M Development, Prudential and Goldman Sachs provided equity capital, while debt was provided by Citi Community Capital, Morgan Stanley and non-profits current Jersey Community Capital, the Low-Income Investment Fund and the Reinvestment Fund.
Judges Praised: Taking an older pile that has been abandoned for 30 years and introducing total Foods to the city, helping the community by providing affordable housing and creating diversity. everything this while preserving the building’s history, which takes skill and effort.
The Story: Wheaton heart is a highly visible property in this Chicago suburb, thanks to its two 20-story towers that fill been the tallest in Wheaton since 1972. In recent years, the property had been falling into disrepair despite its downtown location and proximity to the Wheaton Metra train station. Draper and Kramer seized the chance to acquire the walkable and transit-oriented property, even if it needed significant improvements. The company started renovations in 2014 and took two years to add the features and amenities that would draw in those looking for extravagance animated outside the city.
The nearly $40 million renovation, which was completed in 2016, featured three main components: modernizing the units, remodeling common areas and amenities, and addressing deferred maintenance. Renovations to meet current market standards included upgrading 157 units that had 1970s finishes. This included current cabinetry, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, current flooring and current paint. In-unit washers and dryers were added to 342 apartments, and community amenities now include a fitness center, an outdoor pool and sundeck, tennis courts, a clubroom with an outdoor terrace, lobbies, leasing and management offices, and a dog park. The repositioning has already boosted the property’s performance through higher rents and increased occupancy.
Judges Praised: The developer’s competence to complete a significant lobby renovation while keeping 120 families in place.
The Story: Phillips Edison & Co., an owner and manager of more than 340 grocery-anchored shopping centers, executed an agreement in 2016 with Blue Sky Utility that would augment energy efficiency at Winery Shopping heart in Fairfield, Calif., while besides saving on energy bills for tenants and ownership. As per the agreement, Blue Sky Utility replaced 70,000 square feet of the property’s roof with a roof membrane and solar panels; it will maintain the roof for 20 years. In return, Blue Sky can sell the power generated from the solar panels. With its current maintenance-free solar roof, Phillips Edison and its tenants can purchase power from Blue Sky at a discounted rate.
While current roofs can cost as much as $500,000 and their maintenance can exist one of the biggest property expenses, Phillips Edison saves time and money on repairs and installation through its agreement with Blue Sky. The partnership led Phillips Edison to scheme implementation of the solar program across everything of its California properties during the next two to three years.
The Story: Residents at Chicago’s 481-unit grandiose Plaza are mostly transplants to Chicago, and Draper and Kramer responded to this by creating a community and back system to benefit them amass to know their current home. Some of the initiatives include partnering with restaurants for pop-up food and drink events at the property, creating electronic communication platforms between residents and management, distributing monthly e-newsletters highlighting notable places in the neighborhood, and offering pet events.
Since the property implemented these sociable initiatives, 68 percent of residents chose to post a review in 2016, compared to 53 percent in 2015. And the property’s score on ApartmentRatings.com measured 89 percent in 2016, up from 85 percent in 2015.
Judges Praised: The competence to manage two towers, one condo and one residential, and fill them partake amenities. The residential component had engineering issues that were resolved.
The Story: Columbia Property dependence acquired 222 E. 41st St. in Midtown Manhattan in 2007, when it was fully leased to Jones Day. The company had been a tenant since Tishman Speyer developed the pile in 2001 and carried the lease through 2016, sense that CBRE had to market the asset as if it were brand new. Interested in its medical potential, access to transportation and location—in the immediate grandiose Central Station area—NYU Langone emerged as a potential tenant. To amass the pile ready for medical use, Columbia relocated the two intended operating floors in order to meet ceiling-height requirements. Also, the pile has a 180-year ground lease with the Stahl Estate, which proved to exist an obstacle, as more modifications were needed to suit Langone. Columbia then had to conduct negotiations while besides working on approvals required by Langone’s finance committee and board of directors.
The Story: The tangled multi-transaction deal that led to CNA signing a 275,000-square-foot, 17-year anchor tenant lease at The John Buck Co.’s current office pile is valued at $683 million. The transaction comprised deals including Hinshaw & Culberton’s 101,000-square-foot lease, CNA’s lease at 151 N. Franklin St. (the fourth-largest office lease in Chicago between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016), CNA’s requirement that JBC acquires its existing 1.1 million-square-foot headquarters and CNA’s 28-month leaseback for 759,000 square feet—required since it did not fill a lease in place.
Judges Praised: The challenge of leasing as much as 40 percent of a current pile and negotiating with multiple people within a 90-day closing time on a tangled sale-leaseback deal.
The Story: When it closed in January 2016, this was the largest transaction of its kindhearted on record in the city of San Francisco. CEO Yat-Pang Au employs a small-property aggregation strategy that made Veritas one of the city’s largest landlords. Veritas’ approach is to acquire 20- to 100-unit older, classic properties that are too minute for great investors; apply its management, repositioning, renovation and leasing services; and then package a portfolio for sale, targeting institutional investors.
The record-breaking transaction had its challenges. With the official deal closing in January 2016, Veritas faced a major credibility decline in the fiscal markets. The company’s investment bankers at Goldman Sachs worked against Wall Street headwinds that Bloomberg called the “worst since 2009.” In the following months, Goldman Sachs doubled down on its networking and marketing efforts to ensure a successful securitization.
Judges Praised: The aggregation strategy as a creative way to construct a recur on investment by selling portfolios to institutional investors, which fill had so few institutional holdings in San Francisco in prior years.
The Story: At $1,029 per square foot, this deal represents one of the highest price-per-square-foot values achieved for a Boston office tower. Newmark Knight open served as leasing agent for both the buyer and seller. The 17-story office tower has a two-level below-grade parking garage completed in 2015 and can accommodate one person per every 100 usable square feet. 101 Seaport is the first LEED Platinum v3 office pile in Boston, thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows, efficient European-model chilled-beam cooling system, rainwater recapture system and integration of locally sourced materials.
On-site amenities include a fifth-floor rooftop terrace with Boston Harbor views, a fitness heart with locker rooms and showers, 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, a parking garage, a car wash, bicycle storage, an electric vehicle charging station and front-door access to five expansive public green spaces.
The deal’s impetus was actually during the 1970s, when original developer Koelbel and Co. began acquiring land to construct condominiums. Then the oil and gas crash of the 1980s disrupted the market, and thousands of condos were foreclosed upon. After the crash, Koelbel changed its strategy, and once it create a ally in the Feld Co., plans were drawn up for The Breakers. Though current to the market, the size of the asset provided the buyer with the competence to gain economies of scale right away.
Judges Praised: The ample expense point and low cap rate for a massive complex. | 2019-04-19T00:34:05Z | http://morganstudioonline.com/brain-dumps.php?pdf=000-651 |
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O'Hare International Airport (IATA: ORD, ICAO: KORD, FAA LID: ORD), also known simply as O'Hare Airport or O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, 17 miles (27 km) northwest of the Chicago Loop. It is the largest hub of United Airlines (whose headquarters are in downtown Chicago) and the second-largest hub of American Airlines (after Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport). It is operated by the City of Chicago Department of Aviation, associated with an umbrella regional authority.
In 2008, the airport had 881,566 aircraft operations, an average of 2,409 per day (64% scheduled commercial, 33% air taxi, 3% general aviation and <1% military). O'Hare International Airport is the second busiest airport in the United States, behind JFK International Airport with 69,353,654 passengers passing through the airport in 2008; a -8.96% change from 2007. O'Hare also has a strong international presence, with flights to more than 60 foreign destinations. O'Hare was ranked fourth in 2005 of the United States' international gateways, with only John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Los Angeles International Airport and Miami International Airport, serving more foreign destinations.
O’Hare International Airport was voted the "Best Airport in North America" for 10 years, by readers of the U.S. Edition of Business Traveler Magazine (1998 - 2003) and Global Traveler Magazine (2004 - 2007).
Although O'Hare is Chicago's primary airport, Chicago Midway International Airport, the city's second airport, is about 6 miles (10 km) closer to the Loop, the main business and financial district.
The airport was constructed between 1942 and 1943, as a manufacturing plant for Douglas C-54s during World War II. The site was chosen for its proximity to the city and transportation. The two million square-foot (180,000 m²) factory needed easy access to the workforce of the nation's then-second-largest city, as well as its extensive railroad infrastructure. Orchard Place was a small pre-existing community in the area and the airport was known during the war as Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field (hence the location identifier ORD). The facility was also the site of the Army Air Force's 803 Special Depot, which stored many rare or experimental planes, including captured enemy aircraft. These historic aircraft would later be transferred to the National Air Museum, going on to form the core of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's collection.
Douglas Aircraft Company's contract ended in 1945 and though plans were proposed to build commercial aircraft, the company ultimately chose to concentrate production on the west coast. With the departure of Douglas, the airport took the name Orchard Field Airport. In 1945, the facility was chosen by the City of Chicago, as the site for a facility to meet future aviation demands. Though its familiar three-letter IATA code ORD still reflects the early identity of the airport, it was renamed in 1949, after Lieutenant Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare, USN, a World War II flying ace, who was awarded the Medal of Honor.
By the early 1950s, Chicago Midway International Airport, which had been the primary Chicago airport since 1931, had become too small and crowded, despite multiple expansions and was unable to handle the planned first generation of jets. The City of Chicago and the FAA began to develop O'Hare as the main airport for Chicago's future. The first commercial passenger flights were started there in 1955 and an international terminal was built in 1958, but the majority of domestic traffic did not move from Midway, until completion of a 1962 expansion at O'Hare. The arrival of Midway's former traffic instantly made O'Hare the new World's Busiest Airport, serving 10 million passengers annually. Within two years, that number would double, with more people passing through O'Hare in 12 months than Ellis Island had processed in its entire existence. In 1997, annual passenger volume reached 70 million; it is now approaching 80 million. At this time of writing, United serves its flagship hub with 650 daily departures, but the carrier's utilization of O'Hare peaked at over 1,000 daily flights in 1994.
O'Hare Airport is municipally connected to the city of Chicago via a narrow strip of land, approximately 200 feet (61 m) wide, running along Higgins Rd, from the Des Plaines river to the airport. This land was annexed into the city limits in the 1950s, to assure the airport was contiguous with the city to keep it under city control. The strip is bounded on the north by Rosemont and the south by Schiller Park. The CTA Blue Line was extended to the airport in 1984.
O'Hare's high volume and crowded schedule can lead to long delays and cancellations that, due to the airport being a major hub, can affect air travel across the United States. Official reports rank O'Hare as one of the least punctual airport in the United States based on percentage of delayed flights. In 2004, United Airlines and American Airlines agreed to modify their schedules to help reduce congestion caused by clustered arrivals and departures. Because of the air traffic departing, arriving, and near the airport, air traffic controllers at O'Hare and its nearby facilities are among the leaders in the world in terms of number of controlled flights per hour.
City management has committed to a $6 billion capital investment plan to increase the airport's capacity by 60% and decrease delays by an estimated 79 percent. This plan was approved by the FAA in October 2005 and will involve a reconfiguration of the airfield and addition of terminal space. Four runways will be added and two decommissioned in order to give the airfield an eight-runway parallel 6+2 configuration similar to that in Dallas. This plan was very controversial as the added improvements can increase the air traffic only slightly with the FAA rules.
The Modernization Plan is now under construction, and an additional runway and Air Traffic Control Tower were commissioned on November 20, 2008. The new north runway, designated 9L/27R, will initially serve as a foul weather arrival runway, addressing one of O'Hare's primary causes of delay. An extension of Runway 10/28 (formerly 9R/27L) to 13,000 feet (4,000 m) was opened in September, 2008, facilitating the shortening and eventual closure of the equally long Runway 14R/32L.
Some land acquisition is necessary for the modernization, requiring approximately 2,800 residents to be relocated. The program will expand the airport's capacity to over 3,800 operations per day, up from the present capacity of 2,700 and will vastly increase passenger throughput. It will also improve the ability of very large aircraft such as the A380 to operate.
The neighboring communities of Bensenville and Elk Grove Village have been centers of resistance to the expansion plan, in which some residents and businesses will be required to relocate. Bensenville and Elk Grove Village formed the Suburban O'Hare Commission to fight the expansion. So far, they have not had much success. The commission did receive a temporary injunction against portions of the city's expansion project; however, it was soon overturned. The Suburban O'Hare Commission has also been instrumental in pushing for a third regional airport in south suburban Peotone, which it claims would alleviate congestion at O'Hare. However, no airline has committed to the proposed airport, and planning efforts moved very slowly during 2007-2008.
In 1995, the Chicago/Gary Airport Compact was signed by the cities of Chicago and Gary, Indiana, creating a new administration for the Gary/Chicago International Airport just across the state line. While markedly smaller than the proposed Peotone site, this airport already has more land and a longer main runway than Midway Airport. Gary is also many miles closer than Peotone to downtown Chicago. In addition public transportation is already in place to the Loop via the South Shore Line. Indiana and the FAA have provided significant funding for a Gary runway expansion, currently under construction.
O'Hare International has four passenger terminals. Two or more additional terminal buildings are envisioned. There is the possibility of a large terminal complex for the west side of the field, with access from I-90 and/or the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, if the runway reconfiguration is completed.
United Airlines and United Express is the largest airline at Chicago O'Hare carrying 48.79% of the passengers. American Airlines and American Eagle is the second largest carrying 39.89% of passengers.
For complete information on flights to and from Chicago O'Hare International Airport, please see the airport's website.
Chicago O'Hare International Airport provides 186 aircraft gates throughout four Terminals (1, 2, 3, 5) and nine concourses (B, C, E, F, G, H, K, L, M).
Concourse B has 21 Gates: B1–B12, B14–B21, B22, and B22A-B22B. Concourse B currently serves 84 airports as of JUN 4 2009.
The original 1955 passenger terminal for international flights, was replaced with the modern Terminal 1, designed by Helmut Jahn, in 1987.
In early 2009, Delta Air Lines will move to Terminal 2 from its current home at Terminal 3 to align its operations with Northwest Airlines. At approximately the same time, Continental Airlines will move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 as part of its planned move from SkyTeam to the Star Alliance and codesharing with United Airlines.
United Airlines runs a shuttle service between Concourse E and Concourse C. The shuttles are accessed via stairways near Gate E-2A and Gate C-9. Shuttles run every 5-7 minutes between 5:30am and 10:00pm.
Concourse F has 14 gates; however, several gates can handle multiple flights at the same time, effectively bringing aircraft capacity to 26: F1(A-D), F2(B-D), F4(A,B), F5, F6(A,B), F7B, F8-F10, F11(A-E), F12, F12(A-C), F14.
Additional gates – F5B and F7A – are currently under construction which will increase capacity to 28 aircraft. Construction of these gates are scheduled to finish before summer.
Terminal 3 was also built in the 1962 capital program. During the 1960s, and pre-airline deregulation, Concourse G served TWA, with a few gates reserved for Air Canada. Concourse H & K served American and Delta while Concourse K also served the large "regional" carrier North Central (later known as Republic Airlines). Terminal 3 was significantly expanded in 1983, with the construction of Concourse L for Delta Air Lines, which was initially known as the "Delta Flight Center". Concourse L also handled some international departures until the completion of Terminal 5 in 1993. Notably, Delta Air Lines will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 Concourse E in early 2009, the home of merger partner Northwest Airlines. At this time, it is unknown what airline will take over the current Delta gates on Concourse L.
Renovations at Terminal 3 were recently completed, which ran from January 2004 to late fall 2007.
Terminal 5 provides 21 Gates on one Concourse.
Although all-cargo flights are important, an even greater amount of global air cargo flies in the cargo holds of passenger aircraft.
With the opening of new runway 9L/27R in November 2008, there are now 7 primary air carrier runways, arranged tangentially in 3 pairs of parallel sets. The largest is Runway 14R-32L, 13,000' x 200'. Runway 10/28 is now also 13,000' long but is narrower with a width of 150'. Runways 9L, 10, 14L, 14R, 27L, 27R and 28 have Category III ILS (Instrument Landing System), allowing trained aircrews to conduct landings with as little as 600 feet (180 m) of horizontal visibility. All other runway approaches except 4L have full Category I ILS. Due to its location and prevailing winds, runway 4L is seldom used for landings. Therefore, it is equipped with a localizer, the horizontal guidance component of an ILS system, but does not have a glideslope, the vertical component.
The proposed redevelopment would entail removal of the 2 northwest–southeast runways, construction of 4 additional east–west runways, and extension of the 2 existing east–west runways. The two existing northeast–southwest runways would be retained. Currently, 1 of the 4 new runways has been constructed (9L/27R), and 1 of the 2 extensions (10/28) has been completed.
On September 25, 2008, a 3,000-foot (910 m) extension to 10-28 was opened.
Access within the airport complex can be accomplished using O'Hare's Airport Transit System (ATS), a 2.5 mi (4 km) long automated people mover system that operates 24 hours a day, connecting all four terminals and the remote parking lots. The system began its operation in 1993, and will be soon undergoing a US $90 million enhancement to add 24 new cars and to extend the line to a new remote parking garage.
Beginning in 1947, the airfield was assigned to Continental Air Command (ConAC). The 338th Bombardment Group flew B-29 Superfortresses from the airfield between June 12 and June 27, 1949. The B-29s were replaced by the 437th Troop Carrier Group, flying Curtiss C-46 Commandoes until being activated for the Korean War on March 14, 1951. Its aircraft and personnel were deployed to various units in South Korea and Japan, with the group being inactivated immediately afterwards.
During the Korean War, the ConAC reserve units were withdrawn and O'Hare was reassigned to Air Defense Command's Central Air Defense Force.. The 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was transferred to the station flying F-86 Sabres. The 62d FIS remained at O'Hare until October 1, 1959, becoming part of the ADC 56th Fighter Group, and later being upgraded to the F-86D interceptor version of the Sabre. In addition, the federalized Oregon Air National Guard 142d Fighter-Interceptor Wing was stationed at O'Hare from March 1, 1951 to February 6, 1952.
The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommended the closure of O'Hare Air Reserve Station as proposed by the municipal government of the City of Chicago and the transfer of both the 126 ARW and 928 AW to new facilities to be constructed at Scott AFB, Illinois, with much of the associated costs to be borne by the City of Chicago. The 1995 BRAC Comission modified the closure of O'Hare Air Reserve Station as recommended by the 1993 BRAC by deactivating the 928th Airlift Wing, rather than relocating the unit, and distributing its C-130 aircraft to Air Force Reserve C-130 units at Dobbins ARB, Georgia and Peterson AFB, Colorado.
The 126 ARW moved from the former O'Hare Air Reserve Station at O'Hare International Airport to Scott AFB, Illinois in 1999 as recommended by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's Report to Congress in conjunction with the closure of the Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard facilities at O'Hare.
Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX) is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually (IPA: /ɛl.eɪ.ɛks/). LAX is located in southwestern Los Angeles in the neighborhood of Westchester, 16 mi (26 km) from the downtown core.
With 59,542,151 passengers in 2008, LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and is served by direct flights to North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East. The airport is a major hub for both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, a focus city for American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and from May 1 Allegiant Air as well, and an international gateway for Delta Air Lines.
The airport also functions as joint civil-military facility, providing a base for the United States Coast Guard and its Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles facility, operating 3 HH-65 Dolphin helicopters.
Although LAX is the busiest airport in the Greater Los Angeles Area, the region relies on a multiple airport system because of its vast size. Many of the area's most well-known attractions are closer to alternative airports than to LAX; for example, Hollywood and Griffith Park are closer to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank; while John Wayne Airport in Orange County is close to Disneyland, the Honda Center, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, and other Orange County attractions. Long Beach Airport is close to some of the coastal attractions known to Southern California, like Palos Verdes and Huntington Beach. LA/Ontario International Airport is closer to the Inland Empire region's cities of Riverside, and San Bernardino of Southern California.
The airport occupies some 3,500 acres (5 sq mi; 14 km2) of the city on the Pacific coast, about 15 mi (24 km) southwest of downtown Los Angeles. LAX is one of the most famous locations for commercial aircraft spotting, most notably at the so called "Imperial Hill" area (also known as Clutter's Park) in El Segundo from which nearly the entire South Complex of the airport can be viewed. Another famous spotting location sits right under the final approach for runways 24 L&R on a small grass lawn next to the Westchester In-N-Out Burger restaurant, and is noted as one of the few remaining locations in Southern California from which spotters may watch such a wide variety of low-flying commercial airliners from directly underneath. The airport's coastal location exposes it to fog, during which flights are occasionally diverted to LA/Ontario International Airport in Ontario, San Bernardino County 47 mi (76 km) to the east.
In 1928, the Los Angeles City Council selected 640 acres (1.00 sq mi; 2.6 km2) in the southern part of Westchester as the site of a new airport for the city. The fields of wheat, barley and lima beans were converted into dirt landing strips without any terminal buildings. It was named Mines Field for William W. Mines, the real estate agent who arranged the deal. The first structure, Hangar No. 1, was erected in 1929 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mines Field was dedicated and opened as the official airport of Los Angeles in 1930, and the city purchased it to be a municipal airfield in 1937. The name was officially changed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941, and to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 1949. Prior to that time, the main airport for Los Angeles was the Grand Central Airport in Glendale.
Until this time, the entire airport was located east of Sepulveda Boulevard. As the airport expanded westward to meet the Pacific Ocean, a tunnel was completed in 1953 so that Sepulveda Boulevard would pass underneath the airport's runways. It was the first tunnel of its kind.
In 1958 the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman was contracted to design a master plan for the complete re-design of the airport in anticipation of the "jet age". The plan, developed along with architects Welton Becket and Paul Williams, called for a massive series of terminals and parking structures to be built in the central portion of the property, with these buildings connected at the center by a huge steel-and-glass dome. The plan was never fully realized, and shortly thereafter the Theme Building was constructed on the site originally intended for the dome.
The distinctive white "Theme Building", designed by Pereira & Luckman architect Paul Williams and constructed in 1961, resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. A restaurant that provides a sweeping view of the airport is suspended beneath two intersecting arches that form the legs. The Los Angeles City Council designated the building a cultural and historical monument in 1992. A $4 million renovation, with retro-futuristic interior and electric lighting designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, was completed before the "Encounter Restaurant" opened there in 1997. At one time, tourists and passengers were able to take the elevator up to the roof of the "Theme Building", but after the September 11 attacks, the rooftop was closed off to everyone for security reasons. It was once said the rooftop would reopen for public use, but that was determined to be a rumor.
The first jet service appeared at LAX in 1959, transporting passengers between LAX and New York. The first wide-bodied jets appeared in 1970 when TWA flew Boeing 747s between LAX and New York.
In 1981, the airport began a substantial $700 million expansion in preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics. To streamline traffic flow and ease congestion, the U-shaped roadway leading to the terminal entrances was given a second level, with the lower level dedicated to picking up arriving passengers and the upper level dedicated to dropping off departing passengers. Two new terminals (Terminal 1 and the International Terminal) were constructed and Terminal 2, then two decades old, was rebuilt. Multi-story parking structures were also built in the center of the airport.
On July 8, 1982, groundbreaking for the two new terminals were conducted by Mayor Tom Bradley and World War II aviator General James Doolittle. The $123 million, 963,000-square-foot (89,500 m2) International Terminal was opened on June 11, 1984 and named in Bradley's honor.
In 1996, a new 277 foot (84 m) tall air traffic control tower, with overhanging awnings that shade the windows and make the building vaguely resemble a palm tree, was constructed at a cost of $29 million.
In 2000, prior to Los Angeles hosting the Democratic National Convention. fourteen acrylic glass cylinders, each up to ten stories high, were placed in a circle around the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Century Boulevard, with additional cylinders of decreasing height following Century Boulevard eastward. The cylinders, lit from inside, slowly cycle through a rainbow of colors, and provide an additional landmark for visitors arriving by air at night. This was part of an overall facelift that included new signage and various other cosmetic enhancements.
At various points in its history, LAX has been a hub for TWA, Air California, Continental, Delta, PSA, USAir, Western Airlines, and the Flying Tiger Line.
Starting in the mid-1990s under Los Angeles Mayors Richard Riordan and James Hahn modernization and expansion plans for LAX were prepared only to be stymied by a coalition spearheaded by residents who live near the airport angry at noise, pollution and traffic impacts of the existing facility. In late 2005 newly elected L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was able to reach a compromise allowing some modernization to go forward while efforts are made to encourage future growth be spread among other facilities in the region.
On July 29, 2006, Runway 7R/25L was closed for reconstruction until March 25, 2007. The reconstruction was to move the runway 55 feet (17 m) south to prevent runway incursions and prepare the runway for the next generation of Airbus A380. The newly moved runway also has storm drains, and enhanced runway lighting, something that the other 3 runways do not have. The reconstruction of runway 25L made way for a central taxiway in between runways 25L and 25R. The central taxiway between runways 25L and 25R was completed in 2008.
On September 18, 2006, Los Angeles World Airports started a $503 million facelift of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Improvements include installing new paging, air conditioning and electrical systems, along with new elevators, escalators, baggage carousels and a digital sign that will automatically update flight information. Also a large explosives-detection machine will be incorporated into the terminal's underground baggage system, in which the federal government will fund part of the system.
According to the Los Angeles Times, in February 2007, many airlines flying outside of the United States have reduced flights to LAX and moved to other airports, such as San Francisco International Airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada due to outdated terminals. Airlines flying out of the Tom Bradley International Terminal have reduced flights because the International Terminal is 22 years old and has not been upgraded.
In response to the report, the $500 million Tom Bradley International Terminal project began immediately.
On March 19, 2007, the Airbus A380 made its debut at LAX, landing on runway 24L. LA city officials fought for the super-jumbo jet to land at LAX, in addition to making its US debut in New York's JFK airport.
On August 15, 2007, the Los Angeles City Council approved a $1.2 billion project to construct a new 10 gate terminal to handle international flights using the A380. Adding the first new gates built since the early 1980s, the new structure is to be built directly west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal on a site that is occupied mostly by aircraft hangars with passengers ferried to the building by an underground people mover extending from the terminal. It is expected to be completed in 2012.
On March 31, 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported that international airlines were once again flocking to LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal and have added or are announcing several flights to a variety of existing and new destinations. The weak dollar has caused a surge in demand for US travel, and among the new airlines at LAX are V Australia and Emirates Airlines. In addition, Korean Air, Qantas, Air China, and Air France are all adding new routes, and Brazilian carriers TAM Airlines and OceanAir are planning to begin service, as is a new British airline that will be offering all-business-class round trip flights on the busy Los Angeles-London route. Most of the new flights will start in mid to late 2008 and will raise the number of travelers to the airport to pre-9/11 levels. The influx of new flights comes amidst the renovation of the airport and underscores LAX's status as the international gateway of the US West Coast.
Qantas launched service with the Airbus A380 on October 20, 2008, using the west side remote gates. The select day service goes to/from Melbourne and Sydney to Los Angeles.
Before the 1930s, existing airports used a two-letter abbreviation based on the weather station at the airports. So, at that time, LA served as the designation for Los Angeles International Airport. But, with the rapid growth in the aviation industry, the designations expanded to three letters, and LA became LAX. The letter X does not otherwise have any specific meaning in this identifier. Portland International Airport in Oregon and Jacksonville International Airport in Florida also have similar codes: PDX and JAX. "LAX" is also used for the International Port of Los Angeles located in San Pedro and for the Amtrak-serving Union Station in downtown. All three along with the Atlanta designation (ATL) have become culturally eponymous and are often used in shorthand as an indicator of identity by local residents.
LAX handles more "origin and destination" (i.e. not connecting) passengers than any other airport in the world. It is the world's fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and eleventh-busiest by cargo traffic, serving over 60 million passengers and more than two million tons of freight in 2006. It is the busiest airport in the state of California, and the third-busiest airport by passenger traffic in the United States based on final 2006 statistics. In terms of international passengers, LAX is the second-busiest in the U.S. (behind only JFK International Airport in New York City), and 26th worldwide.
LAX connects 87 domestic and 69 international destinations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. Its most prominent airlines are United Airlines (18.24% of passenger traffic, combined with United Express traffic), American Airlines (14.73%) and Southwest Airlines (12.62%). Other airlines with a presence on a lesser scale include Delta Airlines (7.33%), Alaska Airlines (4.74%), Northwest Airlines (3.79%), and Continental Airlines (3.76%). Mexicana operates the most flights of any non-American airline.
United Airlines/United Express operates the most departures from the airport per day (210), followed by American Airlines/ American Eagle (126), and Southwest Airlines (123).
United Airlines operates to the most destinations (61), followed by American Airlines (34), and then Alaska Airlines/Horizon (29). United Airlines operates the most international trans-Pacific destinations (3). Lufthansa, Air France, and United each serve two destinations in Europe for the most there, and Alaska Airlines and Mexicana Airlines have the most destinations in Latin America (11).
In addition to these terminals, there are 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of cargo facilities at LAX, and a heliport operated by Bravo Aviation, Continental Airlines and Qantas each have maintenance facilities at LAX although neither carrier operates a hub there.
Terminal 1 has 15 gates: 1-3, 4A-4B, 5-14. Terminal 1 was built in 1984 and is the largest of all the terminals in number of gates.
Note: Some TACA/LACSA arrivals are processed at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Terminal 2 has 11 gates: 21-21B, 22-22B, 23, 24-24B, 25-28. Terminal 2 was built in 1962 and was the original international terminal, it was completely torn down and rebuilt in 1984. Terminal 2 has CBP (Customs and Border Protection) facilities to process arriving international passengers.
Note:: Northwest Airlines' operations will be moved to Terminal 5 with Delta Airlines by June 2009.
Note: V Australia's and Alaska Airlines' international arrivals from airports without United States border preclearance are processed at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Terminal 3 has 12 gates: 30, 31A, 31B, 32, 33A, 33B, 34-36, 37A, 37B, 38, . Terminal 3 opened in 1961 and was Trans World Airlines' terminal. It formerly housed some American Airlines flights after acquiring Reno Air and TWA in 1999 and 2001, respectively, then moved all American flights to Terminal 4.
Note: American Eagle commuter flights operate from a remote terminal 0.3 mi (500 m) west of Terminal 4. "Gate 44" serves as the shuttle bus stop at Terminal 4. The Eagle terminal is also connected by shuttle buses to Terminals 2 (Gate 22A), 3 (Gate 35), 5, and 6, because of Eagle's codesharing with Northwest Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Air, Delta Air Lines, and Continental Airlines respectively.
Terminal 4 has 14 gates: 40, 41, 42A, 42B, 43, 44 (bus to American Eagle satellite terminal), 45, 46A, 46B, 47A, 47B, 48A, 48B, 49B. Terminal 4 was built in 1961 and in 2001 was renovated at a cost of $400 million in order to improve the appearance and functionality of the terminal. An international arrivals facility was also added in the renovation serving American Airlines flights.
Terminal 5 has 14 gates: 50B, 51A-51B, 52A-52B, 53A-53B, 54A-54B, 55A, 56, 57, 58A, 59. Western Airlines had occupied this terminal since its opening in 1962, and then Western was merged with Delta Air Lines on April 1, 1987. Terminal 5 was re-designed, expanded to include a connector building between the original satellite and the ticketing facilities, and remodeled from 1986 through early 1988. It was unofficially named 'Delta's Oasis at LAX' with the slogan 'Take Five at LAX' when construction was completed in the summer of 1988. Many of these gates are no longer used due to the economic crisis of 2008 and Delta's reduced flight schedule. Northwest Airlines, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, will move its operations to Terminal 5 from Terminal 2 to be adjacent to Delta by June 2009 .
Terminal 6 has 14 gates: 60, 61, 62-62A, 63-66, 67A-67B, 68A-68B, 69A-69B. This terminal has changed little from its opening in 1961; in 1979, new gates were expanded from the main building, as is obvious from the rotunda at the end. Four of these gates have two jetways, which can accommodate large aircraft.
Terminal 6 hosts airline tenants with a variety of relationships with the Airport. Continental built and owns the Connector Building (which links the Ticketing and Satellite buildings), and leases much of the space in the Ticketing Building. Continental in turn leases some of its Connector gates to Delta, supplementing its base at Terminal 5. United leases space from the Airport in Terminal 6, in addition to its base at Terminal 7. Most of the Satellite gates can feed arriving passengers into a sterile corridor that shunts them to Terminal 7's customs and immigration facility. Other airlines, such as AirTran, Sun Country, Frontier, and Spirit, lease space and operate at Terminal 6 under a monthly tariff agreement. Also, one foreign-flag airline, Copa, departs from Terminal 6.
Terminal 7 has 11 gates: 70A-70B, 71A-71B, 72-74, 75A-75B, 76, 77. This terminal opened in 1962. Five of these gates have two jetways, which accommodate large aircraft. Terminal 7 is the home to United Airlines, which operates a major hub at the airport. The terminal has been renovated and has the United Red Carpet Club and International First Class Lounge.
Terminal 8 has 9 gates: 80-88. This terminal was added for smaller jets and turboprops in 1988 and formerly served Shuttle by United flights. In 2002, United moved all non-Express flights to Terminals 6 and 7. United Express is the regional division of United Airlines operating flights generally under 2 hours long.
The Tom Bradley International Terminal has 12 gates, including six on the north concourse and six on the south concourse. In addition, there are nine satellite gates for international flights located on the west side of LAX. Passengers are ferried to the west side gates by bus.
This terminal opened for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games and is named in honor of Tom Bradley, the first African-American and longest serving (20 years) mayor of Los Angeles, and champion of LAX. The terminal is located at the west end of the passenger terminal area between Terminals 3 and 4. There are 34 airlines that serve the Tom Bradley International Terminal and the terminal handles 10 million passengers per year.
The terminal is currently undergoing major renovations to facelift and modernize the entire facility and add more building space for baggage screening equipment. The renovations include refreshed check in space with inline baggage screening, three large alliance aligned lounges plus one unaligned lounge (to replace the multiple airline specific lounges) and fully facelifted departures and arrivals areas. These renovations are expected to be completed by 2010. The current renovations do not add any new gates.
On November 17, 2008, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled vision design concepts for LAX's Bradley West and Midfield Concourse projects. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), along with city officials, selected Fentress Architects in association with HNTB to develop a design concept for the modernization of LAX – transforming the airport with a design that both dramatically enhances the passenger experience and re-establishes it as a modern U.S. gateway in a competitive global market.
The emphasis of the modernization is to dramatically improve the passenger experience from curbside to airside with a design that adeptly captures the vibrant spirit of the City and establishes a new, refreshingly convenient functionality.
Upon entry into Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), centralized security would enhance way-finding and lead departing passengers into the Great Hall, where they can choose from a variety of world-class concessions and retail offering. The traveler will sense the enormous impact of having a space open to natural light, with both high ceiling and glass curtain walls.
International passengers arriving at TBIT would be guided through the concourse on an elevated secured corridor. The corridor would be open to the ceiling above, allowing maximum natural daylight to welcome passengers to Los Angeles. The enlarged corridor would allow for changing public art exhibits that introduce travelers to the diverse culture of Los Angeles. These passengers would have shorter waiting periods in the expanded passport control and baggage claim areas. Interactive graphics through the passport control and baggage claim areas would welcome passengers not only to Los Angeles, but to the United States.
There is still much to be done before the first shovel is in the ground. Each of these projects must first complete a rigorous environmental review process.
Terminals not listed here do require a land side connection, where you would have to leave the terminal and walk or use the LAX Transfer Bus to connect and re-clear security in the connecting terminal. Such connections can be time consuming and do normally require set minimum connections times to be considered a legal connection.
LAX can be reached using the Century Boulevard exit (and several more northern exits) on Interstate 405, or the Sepulveda Boulevard exit on Interstate 105. Like all other California airports (with the exception of San Francisco International), LAX does not have direct freeway access; all visitors entering by car must pass at least one traffic light-controlled intersection to transition from the freeway into the airport's main loop road.
Out of a number of bus systems, many routes (local, rapid and express) of the LACMTA, Line 6 of the Culver CityBus system, Line 8 of Torrance Transit, and the regular as well as the rapid buses of the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus system's Line 3 all make stops at, among other nearby stop locations, the LAX City Bus Center in Parking Lot C. on 96th St., where shuttle bus "C" offers free connections to and from every LAX terminal, and at the Green Line Station, where shuttle bus "G" connects to and from the terminals.
The FlyAway Bus is a shuttle service run by the LAWA, which travels between one of three terminals, and stops at every LAX terminal. The service is operated 24 hours a day with each line operating at least one trip per hour, with more trips in daytime, with the exception of the line to and from Westwood, which does not run in the early morning hours. The one way ticket price is $6 cash for adults ($5 from Westwood), $4 for seniors (65 and older)/disabled/medicare, and free for children under age two. All terminals offer optional remote passenger and baggage check-in services for $5 per person. All lines use Los Angeles's system of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to expedite their trips.
China Airlines operates private bus services from LAX to Monterey Park and Rowland Heights for its passengers.
Shuttle bus "G" offers a free connection to the Aviation/LAX station on the Metro Green Line. The line was originally intended to connect directly to the airport, but budgetary restraints and opposition from local long-term parking lot owners impeded its progress. A Metro Rail extension to LAX is a part of both LAX and Metro's master plans.
Taxicab services are operated by nine city-authorized taxi companies and regulated by Authorized Taxicab Supervision Inc. (ATS). ATS maintains a taxicab holding lot under the 96th Street Bridge where, at peak periods, hundreds of cabs queue up to wait their turn to pull into the central terminal area to pick up riders. A number of private shuttle companies, among them Prime Time Shuttle, SuperShuttle, and Roadrunner Shuttle provide door-to-door airport transportation as well. Roadrunner Shuttle, apart from shared ride vans, also offers Limousine and Bus services to LAX airport. X-Press Shuttle operated door-to-door airport transportation until 2001, when they lost their contract to maintain a shared ride vans station at LAX.
The United States Coast Guard operates an air station at LAX, covering Coast Guard operations in various Southern California locations, including Catalina Island, which are part of the Coast Guard's Eleventh District. Missions include search and rescue (SAR), Law enforcement, aids to navigation support (such as operating lighthouses) and various military operations. In addition, Coast Guard helicopters assigned to the air station deploy to Coast Guard cutters. The air station currently maintains and operates 3 HH-65 Dolphin helicopters.
The Flight Path Learning Center is a museum located at 6661 Imperial Highway and was formerly known as the "West Imperial Terminal." This building used to house some charter flights (Condor Airlines) and regular scheduled flights by MGM Grand Air. It sat empty for 10 years until it was re-opened as a learning center for LAX.
The center contains information on the history of aviation, several pictures of the airport, as well as aircraft scale models, flight attendant uniforms, and general airline memorabilia such as playing cards, china, magazines, signs, even a TWA gate information sign.
The museum claims to be "the only aviation museum and research center situated at a major airport and the only facility with a primary emphasis on contributions of civil aviation to the history and development of Southern California". However, there are other museums at major airports including the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum adjacent to Washington Dulles Airport, the Royal Thai Air Force Museum at Don Muang Airport, the Suomenilmailumuseo (Finnish Aviation Museum) at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the Frontier of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field, and others.
El Al (Hebrew: אל על, skyward) (El Al Israel Airlines Ltd) (TASE: ELAL) is the national airline of Israel. It operates regular international passenger and cargo flights between its hub at Ben Gurion International Airport and destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and North America, as well as domestic connections to Eilat.
Since its inaugural flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv in September 1948 the airline has grown to serve 48 destinations on four continents. As the former national carrier of Israel, El Al has played an important role in Israel's humanitarian rescue efforts, airlifting Jews from Ethiopia, Yemen, and other countries where their lives were at risk. The airline holds the world record for the most passengers on a commercial aircraft, a record set by Operation Solomon when Jewish refugees were transported from Ethiopia. El Al is widely acknowledged as the world's most secure airline, after foiling many attempted hijackings and terror attacks through its security protocols.
In September 1948 Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, attended a conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Weizmann was scheduled to fly back to Israel in a government aircraft, but due to an embargo imposed on Israel at the time, this was not possible. A C-54 military transport aircraft was instead converted into a civilian plane to transport Weizmann home. The aircraft was painted with the El Al/Israel National Aviation Company logo and fitted with extra fuel tanks to enable a non-stop flight from Geneva to Israel. It departed from Ekron Air Base on 28 September, and returned to Israel on 30 September. After the flight, the aircraft was repainted and returned to military use.
The airline was incorporated and became Israel's official carrier on 15 November 1948, although it used borrowed aircraft until February 1949, when two unpressurized DC-4s were purchased from American Airlines. The acquisition was funded by the Israeli government, the Jewish Agency, and other Jewish organizations. The first plane arrived at Lod Airport on 3 April 1949. Aryeh Pincus, a lawyer from South Africa, was elected head of the company. The first international flight, from Tel Aviv to Paris (refueling in Rome), took place on 31 July 1949. By the end of 1949, the airline had flown passengers to London and Johannesburg. A regular service to London was inaugurated in the middle of 1950. Later that year, El Al acquired Universal Airways, which was owned by South African Zionists. A state-run domestic airline, Israel Inland Airlines, was founded in which El Al had a 50% stake.
El Al's cargo service was inaugurated in 1950 and initially relied on military surplus C-46 aircraft. The same year the airline initiated charter services to the USA, followed by scheduled flights soon afterwards. From its earliest days the operation of the airline in keeping with Jewish tradition has been a source of friction; when the Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion was forming his first coalition, the religious parties would not join unless Ben Gurion promised that El Al would serve only kosher food on its flights and would not fly on the Jewish Sabbath.
As the national carrier, the airline was involved in several covert operations. In the early 1950s, El Al airlifted over 160,000 immigrants to Israel from India, Iran, Iraq and Yemen as part of Operation Magic Carpet and Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. In 1960, Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was captured and flown from Argentina to Israel on an El Al aircraft.
In 1955, after using Lockheed Constellations for several years, the airline purchased two Bristol Britannia aircraft. El Al was the second airline in the world to fly this plane, after the British Overseas Airways Corporation. In 1958, El Al ran a newspaper advertisement in the US featuring a picture of a "shrunken" Atlantic Ocean ("Starting Dec. 23, the Atlantic Ocean will be 20% smaller") to promote its non-stop transatlantic flights. This was a bold step: the airline industry had never used images of the ocean in its advertising because of the widespread public fear of airline crashes. The advertisement, which ran only once, proved effective. Within a year, El Al's sales tripled.
Despite the purchase of its Britannias and inauguration of non-stop transatlantic flights the airline remained unprofitable. When Efraim Ben-Arzi took over the company in the late 1950s, the Britannias were replaced by de Havilland Comet 4, Boeing 707, and Douglas DC-8 jets. The first year that El Al turned a profit was 1960. That year, more than 50 percent of the passengers flying into Israel arrived on El Al flights. On 15 June 1961, the airline set a world record for the longest non-stop commercial flight: an El Al Boeing 707 flew from New York to Tel Aviv, covering 5,760 miles (9,270 km) in 9 hours and 33 minutes. By this time El Al was carrying 56,000 passengers a year — on a par with Qantas and ahead of established airlines like Loftleidir. In 1961, El Al ranked 35th in the world in the number of accumulated passenger miles. El Al's success continued into the late 1960s. In 1968, regular flights to Bucharest were inaugurated, and cargo flights began to Europe and the USA. The airline also established a catering subsidiary, Teshet Tourism and Aviation Services Ltd. All these ventures brought in a profit of $2 million that year.
In 1968, El Al experienced the first of many acts against the airline. On 23 July, the only successful hijacking of an El Al aircraft took place, when a 707 carrying 10 crew and 38 passengers was taken over by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The aircraft was en route from Rome to Lod. The hijackers diverted it to Algiers. Bargaining with the hijackers went on for 40 days. Both the hijackers and the passengers, including 21 Israeli hostages, were eventually freed. On 26 December of the same year, two PFLP members attacked an El Al aircraft at Athens Airport, killing an Israeli mechanic. The Israeli Defense Forces responded on 29 December with a night-time raid on Lebanon's Beirut Airport, destroying 14 planes on the ground belonging to Middle East Airlines, Trans Mediterranean Airways and Lebanese International Airways. On 18 February 1969, Palestinians attacked an El Al plane at Zurich Airport killing the copilot and injuring the pilot. One Palestinian attacker was killed and others were convicted but later released. Between September and December 1969, bomb and grenade attacks occurred at El Al offices in Athens, West Berlin, and Brussels. This wave of violence culminated in the failed hijacking of an El Al 707 by Patrick Arguello and Leila Khaled on 6 September 1970, as part of the Dawson's Field hijackings.
El Al acquired its first Boeing 747 in 1971. Many felt it was a risky purchase, given the high cost of the plane and fear of attacks, but El Al operations flourished after the purchase. Another 747 was delivered in 1973 and was used to inaugurate non-stop service from Tel Aviv to New York. In the air for 13 hours, and flying against prevailing winds, it was recorded as the longest commercial flight in the world.
In the mid-1970s, El Al began to schedule flights from airports outside of Israel that departed on the Jewish sabbath and landed in Israel after it had finished. The religious parties in the government claimed that this was a violation of Jewish law and contrary to the agreement signed in the early days of the state, in which El Al promised to refrain from flying on the sabbath. In 1981, the newly re-elected prime minister Menachem Begin, promised to abide by the agreement. Outraged, the secular community threatened to boycott the airline. In August 1982, El Al workers blocked Orthodox and Hassidic Jews from entering the airport.
In 1977, El Al established a charter subsidiary then known as El Al Charter Services Ltd., but later renamed Sun D'Or International Airlines Ltd. Two years earlier, the airline had suffered its first losses since the late 1950s, largely a product of the global recession. The management changed three times towards the end of the 1970s, until Itzhak Shander was named president. As the political situation in Iran deteriorated, El Al began to airlift Jews to Israel. All the airline's infrastructure in Iran was eventually destroyed. El Al flights to Cairo were inaugurated in April 1980, following the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In late 1982, after a long period of labor disputes and strikes, El Al operations were suspended. The government appointed Amram Blum to run the company, which lost $123.3 million in the fiscal year ending April 1983. The airline also sold its stake in Arkia at this time.
In January 1990, North American Airlines began providing feeder services in the US to El Al gateways. El Al held a 24.9 percent stake in the airline until selling it back to Dan McKinnon in July 2003. By this time, El Al was operating a fleet of 20 aircraft, including nine Boeing 747s, and had begun replacing its aging Boeing 707s with the Boeing 757. Early that year, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, El Al inaugurated regular flights to Moscow. No airlifts from the former Soviet Union were possible at the time but permission was granted in 1991. Charter flights commenced in August 1991, with immigrants also occupying all available seats on El Al's scheduled routes. In cooperation with Aeroflot, El Al flew more than 400,000 Jewish immigrants to Israel within a three year period.
On 24 May 1991, an El Al Boeing 747 cargo plane airlifted a record-breaking 1,087 Ethiopian Jews from Addis Ababa to Israel in the framework of Operation Solomon. Two babies were born during the flight. The plane carried twice as many passengers as it was designed for. In less than 36 hours, a total of 14,500 Ethiopian Jews were flown to Israel.
On 27 April 1994 El Al got its first Boeing 747-400.
El Al flights were inaugurated to the Far East and, in 1995, El Al signed its first codesharing agreement with American Airlines. In February 1995, the receivership under which the airline had technically been operating since 1982 came to an end. In June 1996, El Al recorded another milestone: its first flight from Israel to Amman, Jordan.
In 1996, El Al recorded $83.1 million in losses, due to the resumption of terrorist activities and the government's open-skies policy. To keep its planes flying during this period, El Al introduced flights "to nowhere": passengers were offered various kinds of in-flight entertainment as the plane circled the Mediterranean. One-day shopping trips to London and visits to religious sites in eastern Europe were also promoted.
In 1997, El Al opened a separate cargo division. El Al's first Boeing 777 embarked on its maiden flight in March 2000. Later that year the controversy over flights on Shabbat erupted again, when the airline announced that it was losing $55 million a year by grounding its planes on Saturdays. After the first phase of the long-delayed privatization of the company commenced in June 2003 and 15 percent of El Al's shares were listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange the policy regarding sabbath flights was expected to change.
In 2004 Knafaim-Arkia Holdings, the parent company of Arkia Israel Airlines, acquired a large stake in Arkia and intended to seek full ownership. However, due to Israeli anti-trust laws, Knafaim-Arkia was forced to sell its shares.
As of 2007, the company employs 5,417 staff globally and has a fleet of over 30 aircraft. During 2005 the airline transported 3.5 million passengers, a rise from 3.2 million in 2004 and 2.8 million in 2003. 60% of the airline's passengers are Israeli. In 2006, El Al posted a $44.6 million dollar loss on revenues of $1.665 billion. The company is facing four lawsuits, two of which have been approved as class actions, that could potentially cost the company a total of $176.2 million. El Al spends $100 million a year to conform with the airline security measures required by Israel's Shin Bet security service. In early 2007, El Al opened a new King David Lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. New lounges at Heathrow airport in London and JFK International airport in New York had also opened in late 2007.
In 2007, El Al invested NIS 1 billion in the purchase of two new Boeing 777-200s that included an updated El Al decal. The aircraft are fitted with upgraded seats with adjustable hedrests and legrests. Each seat is equipped with a touch-screen entertainment system. The first aircraft, named "Sderot", completed its maiden voyage from New York to Tel Aviv on 26 July 2007. The second, "Kiryat Shmona", was delivered at the end of August 2007. As of March 2007, El Al's major shareholders are Knafaim Holdings (42%), the State of Israel (13%), and the Employee Union (8%).
Following a degradation of Ben Gurion Airport to category 2 by the FAA in February 2009, an IATA member has warned the airline that it may appear on the European blacklist of banned carriers, along with Arkia, Israir and Sun d'Or International Airlines. The European Union has yet to make an official statement on the matter.
El Al uses today the Amadeus system for online bookings.
Unlike other airlines where pilots can speak to Air Traffic Control in their native language, El Al pilots are required to speak to Air Traffic Controllers in English at all times, regardless of the situation. This includes speaking to controllers in Tel Aviv.
As a target for many decades, El Al employs stringent security procedures, both on the ground and on board its aircraft. These effective, though sometimes controversial, procedures have won El Al a reputation for security. In 2008, the airline was named by Global Traveler Magazine as the world's most secure airline.
Passengers are asked to report three hours before departure. All El Al terminals around the world are closely monitored for security. There are plain-clothes agents and fully armed police or military personnel who patrol the premises for explosives, suspicious behavior, and other threats. Inside the terminal, passengers and their baggage are checked by a trained team. El Al security procedures require that all passengers be interviewed individually prior to boarding, allowing El Al staff to identify possible security threats. Passengers will be asked questions about where they are coming from, the reason for their trip, their job or occupation, and whether they have packed their bags themselves. The likelihood of potential terrorists remaining calm under such questioning is believed to be low (see microexpression). At the check-in counter the passengers' passports and tickets are closely examined. A ticket without a sticker from the security checkers will not be accepted. At passport control passengers' names are checked against information from the FBI, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Scotland Yard, Shin Bet, and Interpol databases. Luggage is screened and sometimes hand searched. In addition, bags are put through a decompression chamber simulating pressures during flight that could trigger explosives. El Al is the only airline in the world that passes all luggage through such a chamber. Even at overseas airports, El Al security agents conduct all luggage searches personally, even if they are supervised by government or private security firms.
Undercover agents (sometimes referred to as sky marshals) carrying concealed firearms sit among the passengers on every international El Al flight. All El Al pilots are former Israeli Air Force pilots.
The cockpits in all El Al aircraft have double doors to prevent entry by unauthorized persons. A code is required to access the doors, and the second door will only be opened after the first has closed and the person has been identified by the Captain or First Officer. Furthermore, there are reinforced steel floors separating the passenger cabin from the baggage hold. This is intended to strengthen the plane in case of an explosion.
Following an attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner in 2002, all aircraft in the fleet have been equipped with an infrared countermeasures system called 'Flight Guard', developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries to defend them against anti-aircraft missiles. Although comparable systems such as CAMPS are now available for civilian aircraft, there is no information to date about any other airlines deploying such a system. Switzerland and other European countries have expressed concern that flares dropped by the Israeli system could cause fires in the vicinity of an airport. However none of the higher risk countries that El Al aircraft fly to have raised any concerns.
Critics of El Al note that its security checks on passengers include racial profiling and have argued that such profiling is unfair, irrational, and degrading to those subject to such screening. Supporters of El Al argue that there is nothing inherently racist about passenger profiling and that special scrutiny of Muslims may often be necessary for security purposes.
The airline was also criticised by the Hungarian courts for refusing to search luggage with the passenger present, acting against Hungarian domestic laws which stipulate that only authorized officials are able to undertake such searches. A civil case was brought to Supreme Court of Israel on 19 March 2008 alleging that El Al's practice of ethnic profiling singles out Arabs for tougher treatment.
Matmid is El Al's frequent flyer program. It was launched in 2004 following the merger of El Al's previous frequent flyer programs. Matmid has five tiers: Matmid, Matmid Silver, Matmid Gold, Matmid Platinum and Matmid TOP Platinum. Points accumulated in the program entitle members to bonus tickets, flight upgrades, and discounts on car rentals, hotel stays, and other products and services. Points are also awarded for travel with partner airlines, as well as for nights at partner hotels and for credit card purchases.
Points can also be collected on El Al's codeshare flights.
The King David Lounge is the name adopted by El Al for special airport lounges, which serve the airline's premium class passengers. In total, there are five King David Lounges worldwide at key airports such as Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Paris-CDG, New York City-JFK International, London-Heathrow, and Los Angeles-International.
All King David Lounges offer drinks, snacks, newspapers and magazines (Israeli and foreign), while some lounges also offer free Wi-Fi internet access. The King David Lounge at Terminal 3 at Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion airport has a separate section for first-class passengers, equipped with telephone, shower facilities and a spa.
It was announced in December 2007, that El Al would start a large code-sharing agreement with American Airlines in early 2008 following the cancellation of codeshare agreements between Delta and El Al as a result of Delta's launch of non-stop service between New York (JFK) and Tel Aviv, competing directly with El Al.
El Al has a cargo branch, El Al Cargo, which became independent in 1997. As the national cargo airline of Israel, it operates to destinations in Asia, Europe and North America. Before 2001, when the Israeli air cargo market opened up to competition, El Al Cargo enjoyed a monopoly. Now its main competition comes from CAL Cargo Air Lines.
El Al's historic, superseded livery featured a turquoise/navy blue stripe down the side of the aircraft, and a turquoise tailfin with the flag of Israel at the top. El Al's logo was featured above the front run of windows on each side of the plane in the turquoise/navy scheme. The new livery features a blue stripe with a thick silver border on the bottom that sweeps across the side of the aircraft near the wing, disappears over the top of the plane and reappears at the bottom of the tailfin. The El Al logo is part of the design, although it has been changed slightly since then.
US Helicopter is an independent air shuttle service that operates regularly scheduled helicopter flights from Manhattan to Newark and JFK airports. Flights leave from Downtown (near Wall Street) and Midtown (East 34th Street) Manhattan Heliports to Delta Air Lines Terminal 3 at JFK International Airport (JFK) and to the Continental Airlines Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport. There are also flights to and from Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The company offers seasonal service to East Hampton, New York and Belmar, New Jersey. East Hampton flights take 35 minutes and Belmar flights take 18 minutes. These flights cost $799 and $326, respectively, and operate annually from June to September. They also have an annual fare sale in the fall for $99.
Flights to the airport last eight minutes and cost $159. Flights operate on weekdays from 7:15 am to 7:45 pm, with service on the hour to JFK and Newark, then back to the Manhattan Heliports at half past the hour. The company also offers chartered service to popular locations including The Hamptons, Washington, D.C., Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods and Atlantic City. Working with the air traffic control and FAA, the helicopters operate on special dedicated flight paths between the heliports and airports. The fleet consists of 8-seat Sikorsky S-76 dual engine helicopters with first class executive leather interiors, each operated by two pilots. US Helicopter is the only scheduled helicopter airline service in the United States certified by both the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. During the summer, US Helicopter flies to the Hamptons for around $200 each way.
Each heliport is equipped with a VIP lounge/waiting area, as well as TSA screening capability. They also have roomy leather chairs, two 42" LCD monitors and Bloomberg Terminals. Passengers traveling via Delta Air Lines to JFK or via Continental Airlines to Newark are checked-in at either Manhattan heliport. There, they obtain boarding passes and baggage receipts to their final destination. These passengers remain in secure areas, eliminating the need to go through customary airport security again at the airport. Passengers traveling with other airlines can connect to the appropriate terminal to complete the check-in process and proceed through security to their flight gate.
The company started service in March 2006. Service to the East 34th Street Heliport was added in September 2006 and to Newark Liberty International Airport in November 2006. Flights from Newark operate from a secured area at Gate 71 in Continental Airlines' Terminal C.
South African Airways (SAA) is South Africa's flag carrier and largest domestic and international airline company, with hubs in Cape Town and Johannesburg. It is also known in Afrikaans as Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens (SAL), although this version of the name no longer appears on the airline's livery.
In 1934, Union Airways was bought by South Africa's government, and renamed South African Airways on 1 February. The first cities served were Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. The following year, also on 1 February, South African Airways took over South-West African Airways which had since 1932 been providing a weekly air-mail service between Windhoek and Kimberley.
In the 1930s SAA entered the international market with flights to Kenya and Uganda at British East Africa. The main aircraft of SAA in the 1930s was the famous Junkers JU-52, affectionately known as Tante-Ju. Eleven of these flew for SAA. Other types used in the 1930s included eighteen Junkers JU-86's, which served from 1937 onwards, as well as four Airspeed "Envoy" light twin airliners.
The slow growth continued during the 1940s, though the airline was effectively closed for the duration of WWII. In 1944 SAA began operating the Lockheed Lodestar to restart domestic services and by 1948 SAA was operating nineteen examples. These were withdrawn in 1955.
On November 10 1945 SAA achieved a longtime company goal by operating a route to Europe when an Avro York landed in Bournemouth, England, after the long flight from Palmietfontein near Johannesburg. These were replaced by the DC-4 "Skymaster"'s from 1946 onwards, which in turn was replaced by the Lockheed Constellation on international routes in 1950. Also of note in the post war era was the DC-3 Dakota, of which eight served with SAA, the last example being withdrawn as late as 1970.
The 1950s saw the advent of the jet age with the addition of the Boeing 707 to the airline's fleet. In 1953 SAA made aviation history when it became the first airline outside UK to operate the world's first pure jetliner, the De Havilland Comet, on lease from BOAC. In November 1957 the "Wallaby" service to Perth, Australia was added. SAA's first 707 landed in Europe in October 1960 with a nine-hour flight to Athens. Two years later, SAA's jets would allow the airline to fly nonstop from South Africa into the UK and SAA's other European destinations. Johannesburg-New York route, via Rio de Janeiro, opened on February of 1969. Later in 1971, SAA added the Boeing 747-200 'Jumbo Jet' to its fleet, followed in 1976 by the long range 747-SP and the Airbus A300, and in 1983 by the 747-300 EUD.
The next few years would be marked by steady but slower growth. Many countries refused to trade economically with South Africa, and this affected the airline. While many airlines were growing fast on the international market, SAA's growth rate was far behind most. Many African countries, except South Africa's neighbours, refused to let SAA use their airspace, but by then SAA had acquired a fleet of six 'Special Performance' Boeing 747 SPs, reducing the need for stopovers.
A major development for the airline during the 1970s was the opening of a route to Asia, with Boeing 747 flights to Hong Kong being launched. In 1980, when SAA began flights to Taipei, South Africa became one of the few countries in the world at that time to recognize the government of Republic of China in Taiwan.
SAA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1984. In this year the South African government made a controversial decision when it signed a treaty with Somalia to give extensive military aid to the repressive regime of Siad Barre in exchange for an exclusive contract to service Somali air travel. This turned out to be economically nonviable since few Somalis could afford airline tickets, and due to the incessant civil disorder in the country, few people wanted to go to Somalia.
SAA's services to South America were cut back in 1985 because of lack of demand, with services to Buenos Aires stopped, but those to Rio de Janeiro continued.
Due to international condemnation of the apartheid regime during the 1980s, SAA itself faced hostility, with its offices being attacked. SAA's London office was daubed with red paint, while in Harare, Zimbabwe, its offices were badly damaged after protesters went on the rampage.
The U.S. Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 banned all flights by South African-owned carriers including SAA. In 1987, SAA's services to Perth and Sydney in Australia were ended, in light of Australia's opposition to apartheid. On November 28 of that year, disaster struck the airline, when a 747, the Helderberg (South African Airways flight 295) flying from Taipei to Johannesburg crashed into the Indian Ocean, near Mauritius, killing all passengers and crew.
With the demise of apartheid, beginning in 1990, SAA was able to shake off its pariah image, restoring services to old destinations, introducing services to new ones and expanding into the rest of Africa, and into Asia. June 1 of 1990 was also an important day for SAA, as South African companies signed a domestic air travel deregulation act. Later that year, SAA was chosen as the Best Airline to Africa by London magazine Executive Travel.
1991 saw the arrival of SAA's first Airbus A320 jet, and its first Boeing 747-400 jet, named Durban. The airline resumed flights to New York City's JFK International Airport for the first time since the United States imposed economic sanctions on South Africa in 1986, and South African's planes were able to fly for the first time over Egypt and Sudan.
1992 saw South African enter the Miami market (from Cape Town) by flying into Miami International Airport, and re-enter Australia. This year also saw code sharing agreements with American Airlines and Air Tanzania. That year also saw direct flights to Southeast Asia including Bangkok and Singapore.
In 1993 the airline began services to Manchester and Hamburg, and a code sharing agreement was reached with Brazil's Varig.
In 1994, a feeder service (SA Express) began flying domestically. This year saw the birth of the airline Alliance, which was a partnership between SAA, Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania. Also South African greeted its passengers in four different languages during domestic flights: English, Zulu, Afrikaans and Sotho, while passengers on international flights were also greeted in the destination's local language. Nevertheless, this "Alliance" withered against intense competition from Kenya Airways (& affiliated Precision Air). The Tanzanian government is subsidising Air Tanzania while it disentagles the relationship with SAA.
In 1995, Lufthansa started a code sharing agreement with SAA, and SAA commissioned Herdbuoys Diefenbach Elkins to lead South African's change of image. This year, South African's Voyager and American Airlines' AAdvantage frequent flier clubs joined together.
1996 saw flights to Singapore discontinued, with Bangkok becoming an Asian hub for the airline, and South African Olympic athletes were carried to Atlanta aboard 747 Ndizani. SAA won Executive Travel's best airline to Africa award for the third time.
In 1997, SAA introduced its new image and livery, dropping the springbok emblem, and the old national colours of orange, white and blue. The new livery was based upon the new national flag, with a sun. The airline's name on its aircraft was changed to simply 'South African', with the Afrikaans name Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens being dropped. The airline started online ticket sales and formed an alliance with SA Airlink and SA Express.
As a symbol of the new rainbow nation, one of SAA's 747-300's, named Ndizani was painted in bright colours and could frequently be seen at various international airports. Now that Ndizani has been withdrawn from service, there have been calls to paint another SAA aircraft in these striking colours.
In 1998 services to Buenos Aires and São Paulo's Guarulhos Airport restored, services to Copenhagen Airport stopped, and a new airline President in the figure of Coleman Andrews. The arrival of the very well paid (in South African terms) Mr Andrews saw a very comprehensive and somewhat controversial overhaul of the airline by the American CEO, shaking up the way the airline was run. Mr Andrews was brought in by Transnet, the state-owned parent company, to remedy the problems of deserting customers, which Transnet's own market research had revealed was caused by 'failure to fly on time, unfriendly and minimally trained staff, poor food and SAA fares being 12- 25% above its competitors'. This era at SAA is covered in the book JETLAG, SA Airways in the Andrews Era, by South African journalist Denis Beckett.
In 1999 South African and Delta Air Lines started code sharing on flights from Atlanta to South Africa. Those flights took place on South African Airways planes.
2000 saw South African arrive at Ft. Lauderdale's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and order 21 more Boeing 737s for its domestic routes.
In 2001, South African won the Best Cargo Airline to Africa award from Air Cargo News - (even though South African is mostly a passenger airline) - and South African Airways signed a code sharing agreement with Nigeria Airways, to provide service from the United States to Lagos, using South African 747s. (This code share agreement is no longer in effect, and SAA's flights to/from the United States no longer stop in Nigeria.) The airline earned a spot on the Zagat Survey's top ten international airlines list, opened a new website and named Andre Viljoen as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In March 2002, under CEO Andre Viljoen, South African Airways asked Airbus Industrie to overhaul its fleet at a cost of $3.5 billion. SAA took advantage of a slump in the order books of the aircraft manufacturers (Boeing and Airbus). The entire airline industry was still staggering, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA, which lead to new airplane orders either, being deferred or cancelled altogether. SAA was in a buyers market and with the demise of Swissair, which had A340-600’s about to be delivered, made a huge impact on Airbus clinching the SAA deal. Some people may argue that the SAA fleet renewal, with the replacement of some Boeing products with Airbus products, might have been partly a political decision, with Boeing selling planes to South African Airways during the Apartheid-era. However, there is no concrete evidence to substantiate this claim.
In 2002 SAA ordered nine A340-600 widebodies, six A340-300s, 11 A319s and 15 A320 aircraft. Three of the A340-600 aircraft came from International Lease Finance Corp. The new Airbus A319s replaced the ageing Boeing 737-200 fleet, but the Boeing 737-800's continue in service, because SAA cancelled the A320 order before any aircraft were delivered.
In late 2002, South African Airways made a successful bid for a 49 per cent stake in Air Tanzania. This was SAA's first acquisition of a foreign airline. The merger failed in 2006 when new SAA management felt that the arrangement was an unprofitable mistake made by previous SAA managers.
In March 2004 South African Airways announced its application to join Star Alliance. The alliance accepted the application in June, with SAA joining as a full member in April 2006.
In July 2004, Andre Viljoen resigned as CEO of SAA, the media speculated he resigned due to the heavy losses SAA suffered in a R6-billion hedging loss.
In August 2004, Khaya Ngqula was appointed as CEO of SAA. A new chairman, Professor Jakes Gerwel, was appointed in the same month.
In 2005, it became the first non-Saudi airline to fly a direct Hadj service to Medina in Saudi Arabia.
In July 2005, SAA started 4 times weekly Johannesburg-Accra-Washington, D.C. service with a Boeing 747-400. Service was increased to a daily service in July 2006, and the 747-400 was replaced by an Airbus A340-600. Also, because SAA could not obtain rights to fly passengers between Ghana and the US, the stop in Accra was replaced with a stop in Dakar. Accra will remain an SAA destination, however. In 2007, SAA retired the last of its 747-400 fleet from active SAA service.
On June 6th, 2006, South African Airways' codeshare alliance with the US Airline, Delta Air Lines, was terminated. South African's participation in the Star Alliance caused tension between the airlines as it is a major competitor of Delta's SkyTeam Alliance.
In May 2007, SAA launched a deep and fundamental restructuring initiative which aimed to ensure that the airline became profitable on a sustainable basis. The restructuring had four main pillars, namely to simplify and rightsize the business as well as reskill and incentivise employees.
On April 10, 2006, SAA formally joined Star Alliance. SAA began code-share service with United Airlines.
South African Airways is an airline partner of Skywards, the frequent flyer program for Emirates Airline. Skywards members can earn miles for flying South African and can redeem miles for free flights. The airline also has a partnership with El Al Israel Airlines.
SAA operates intercontinental routes to Buenos Aires, São Paulo, New York City, Washington, D.C., London, Frankfurt, Munich, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Perth. Most international and intercontinental flights operate from Johannesburg. The only intercontinental route from Cape Town is to London. SAA also operates numerous domestic and regional routes.
SAA used to name its aircraft (such as the Boeing 707, Boeing 727, Boeing 737-200 and Boeing 747) after geographical features in South Africa, such as rivers, cities, towns and mountain ranges. However, SAA aircraft are no longer named.
In 2006, two 747-400s, delivered in 1990 and 1991 (ZS-SAV "Durban" and ZS-SAW "Bloemfontein"), were sold to Cathay Pacific Airways and converted to B747-400BCF or Boeing Converted Freighters. Cathay values these B747-444 as they have the same Rolls-Royce RB211 engines as Cathay's passenger fleet, making maintenance much faster and cheaper than if the freighter used General Electric or Pratt & Whitney engines.
In June 2007, SAA confirmed earlier speculation that the airline's restructuring plan means there will be no new aircraft purchased for an unspecified time period.
The average age of South African Airways fleet is 5.0 years in March 2009.
The only sucessful hijacking of a SAA flight took place on 24 May 1972 when a Boeing 727 (ZS-SBE) was hijacked on route from Salisbury in Rhodesia (now known as Harare, Zimbabwe) to Johannesburg. Two Libanese, Kamil and Yagi, took control of the aircrafted by packing dynamite sticks on the hatracks. They were armed with a pistol.
They forced the pilot, Captain Blake Flemington, to return to Salisbury where they landed and re-fuelled with 12 hostages remaining on board. They were bluffed by the captain into thinking that they were en route to the Seychelles, whilst he was in fact heading for Blantyre in Malawi. After landing the passengers used nightfall to go into the cockpit, where they climbed down the emergence escape rope. By the time the hijackers realised this, the captain, one passenger, and a flight stewrad, Dirk Nel, remained on the aircraft.
The two hijackers started fighting with each other for possession of the dynamite fuse. In the ensuing chaos, the three captives escaped, leaving the two hijackers on board. The Malawi security forces started shooting and the two surrendered.
On 5 June 2007, it was announced that SAA paid ZAR 55 million to the South African government's Competition Commission. The penalty was imposed because of anticompetitive behaviour such as price-fixing. This fine was in addition to a ZAR 45 million fine paid by SAA on 31 May 2006 as a penalty for SAA's attempts to prevent travel agents from dealing with rival air carriers.
S.C. „Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române – TAROM” S.A., commonly known simply as TAROM, is the flag carrier airline of Romania. Its main base is the Henri Coandă International Airport in Bucharest (formerly known as the Otopeni airport). The airline operates scheduled domestic services and international services to destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 95% of TAROM is owned by the Romanian Government (Ministry of Transport). The brand name TAROM is an acronym for Transporturile Aeriene ROMâne (Romanian Air Transport). The airline transported 1.69 million passengers in 2007 (a 32.1% increase compared to the previous year); this makes TAROM the second-fastest growing airline in Europe, after Brussels Airlines.
TAROM was founded in 1920 under the name CFRNA - (French-Romanian Company for Air Navigation). The airline used French-built Potez aircraft for its passenger/mail service between Paris and Bucharest via several cities in Central Europe. In 1925, the city of Galaţi became the first destination in Romania served by regular flights. In 1926 the airline changed its name to CIDNA (The International Air Navigation Company). In 1930, the company adopted the name LARES (Liniile Aeriene Române Exploatate de Stat) while 1937 saw the merger of LARES with its competitor SARTA (Societatea Română de Transporturi Aeriene).
After World War II, when the Soviet Union had extended its influence across Eastern Europe, the airline TARS (Transporturi Aeriene Româno-Sovietice) was established on 8 August 1945, jointly-owned by the governments of Romania and the Soviet Union. Domestic operations were started from Bucharest (Baneasa Airport) on 1 February 1946. The company's Soviet share was purchased by Romania and, on 18 September 1954, the airline adopted the name of TAROM - (Transporturi Aeriene Române - Romanian Air Transport). By 1960, TAROM was flying to a dozen cities across Europe. 1966 saw the operation of its first trans-Atlantic flight. On May 14, 1974, it launched a regular service to New York City - (JFK International Airport).
Being part of the group of the airlines belonging to Soviet Bloc states, TAROM operated Soviet-design Li-2, Ilyushin Il-14, Ilyushin Il-18, Ilyushin Il-62, Antonov An-24, and Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft. An exception was made in 1968 when it bought the BAC One Eleven in 1968 for European and Middle East destinations, and in 1974 when TAROM acquired Boeing 707 aircraft for its long haul operations. In 1978 a contract was signed with the UK to manufacture the BAC One Eleven near Bucharest. Meantime the 707 and Il-62 long range aircraft were operating New-York (via Amsterdam, later London and finally Vienna), Abu-Dhabi-Bangkok-Singapore, and Karachi-Beijing. TAROM was the only Soviet Bloc airline to operate flights to Tel Aviv, Israel.
It was only after the collapse of the Comunist Party in 1989 that the airline was able to acquire more Western-built jets. By 1993, TAROM had introduced long haul flights to Montreal and Bangkok, using Ilyushin Il-62, and Airbus A310 aircraft.
During the 1990s, TAROM replaced its long-haul fleet of Boeing 707s and IL-62s with three new A310 jets. In 2001 the airline cancelled its non-profitable long haul services to Bangkok and Montreal and also terminated services to its remaining intercontinental destinations of Beijing (in 2003), Chicago (in 2002), and New York City (in 2003).
TAROM terminated loss-making domestic services to Craiova, Tulcea, Caransebeş, and Constanţa) and focused its activity on service to key destinations in Europe and the Middle East. 2004 was the first profitable year of the last decade.
TAROM is recovering from a difficult period that began in the 1990s, when losses of up to $68 million a year were registered, caused by unprofitable routes. At the beginning of the new millennium, the airline initiated a program that was aimed at restoring profitability. This was achieved by terminating loss-making intercontinental services.
TAROM has decided to focus its operations on Bucharest (Henri Coandă International Airport) (OTP) and Cluj-Napoca International Airport (CLJ). Codeshare agreements with foreign partner airlines are in place for several international routes. To meet competition from Carpatair, which uses the city of Timişoara in Western Romania as its hub city, TAROM has initiated direct international flights from Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and Bacău. In June 2005 it was announced as one of the future associate members of SkyTeam alliance, initially due to join by 2006. A fleet upgrade program started in 2006 with the acquisition of the first two Airbus A318 (from a total of four ordered) which resulted in a fleet increase from 16 planes (in Nov. 2006) to 22 (as of 2007).
In May 2008 Tarom was once again endorsed as a soon-to-be SkyTeam associate member, this time by Air France.
The airline has a frequent flyer programme Smart Miles.
The airline serves 48 destinations in 22 countries (Europe, Middle East and northern Africa) including 11 domestic destinations. The busiest domestic routes are Bucharest - Cluj (operated with Boeing 737 and Airbus A318 ) and Bucharest - Timişoara (sometimes operated with Airbus A310).
In November and December 2006, Tarom took delivery of its first two Airbus A318-111, becoming only the second commercial operator of this type of aircraft in Europe, after Air France. In the fall of 2007, two more Airbus A318 have joined the fleet, bringing the total number of aircraft to four. The Airbus A318 planes are being used on routes from Bucharest to Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and Vienna . After reintroducing the 2 Airbus A310 to the fleet, Tarom realized their inefficiency and decided to sell them. Tarom Executives stated discussions with Airbus and Boeing are still underway, but 3 Boeing 737-800 have been chosen as replacements and joined the fleet over the course of three months, beginning in November 2008, with the last one being delivered on January 24, 2009.. In order to meet demand on the domestic market, Tarom decided to expand its fleet with 2 ATR 72-500, to be delivered in 2009.
The average fleet age of the TAROM fleet is 8.7 years.
TAROM - Technical Division is an aircraft maintenance provider. It employs 800 staff and specializes in maintaining ATR, Boeing 737 series, Airbus A310 and A320 aircraft. Other maintenance providers in Romania are Aerostar SA in Bacău and Romaero located at Băneasa Airport, Bucharest.
In 2006 TAROM was scheduled to join SkyTeam as an associate member (sponsored by Alitalia), but the entry into the alliance was postponed until 2008.
On 7 May 2008 SkyTeam signed a SkyTeam Alliance Associate Adherence Agreement (SAAAA) agreement with the TAROM, indicating the airline is on the track to join the alliance as an Associate airline. | 2019-04-18T23:09:35Z | http://en.pschitt.info/page/JFK+International+Airport |
Greetings! I am happy to share with you some highlights of the past year and a brief preview of the year to come. This year we welcome Professor Sara Matthiesen, a specialist in U.S women’s history. Sara’s arrival fills a longstanding gap in the department’s research and teaching profile. Her exciting work on reproductive politics will be of great interest to professional scholars and students alike.
This has been a banner year for faculty accomplishments. Four faculty members published major books to noteworthy acclaim. Tyler Anbinder’s City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York won the Mark Lynton History Prize, the New York Book Prize, and was named one of the New York Times’s 50 best non-fiction books. David J. Silverman’s Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America received glowing reviews in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times Book Review. This past spring saw the publication of Jenna Weissman Joselit’s Set in Stone: America’s Embrace of the Ten Commandments and Gregg Brazinksy’s Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War. Finally, Andrew Zimmerman won prestigious fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the ACLS, and the Institute for Advanced Study.
The department hosted a highly successful symposium on “Citizenship and Subjecthood in Comparative Perspective” featuring renowned historian Frederick Cooper and an international panel of experts. Our students continue to do the department proud, sweeping the awards at the regional Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society Conference.
Looking forward, we have ambitious plans to connect our students to relevant job opportunities and rebuild our traditional strength in early modern European history.
We greatly appreciate your continuing interest in the History Department. Your support has made a real impact on our research and on the experiences we are able to offer our students. If you are in the D.C. area, please stop by. We would love to see you at one of our events or in the hallways for a chat. Thank you again!
Arie Dubnov Joins the Faculty!
Prior to his arrival at GW, Professor Dubnov taught at Stanford University and the University of Haifa, Israel. In 2014 he was a participant in the National History Center’s International Decolonization Seminar, and in 2016 he was awarded the Dorset Fellowship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and was a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College.
Professor Dubnov is excited to be at GW and is honored to serve as the inaugural Max Ticktin Professor of Israel Studies. He hopes to use his position to expand the interest in Israeli history among GW students and faculty, based on a close intra-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary dialogue between modern Middle East history, Judaic studies, and the scholarship done on empire and decolonization at GW. The unique research resources in the greater D.C. area, combined with the intellectual enthusiasm of GW’s student population and their eagerness to impact positive growth on the world, provide him with more than one reason to be optimistic.
Sara Matthiesen Joins the History Department!
The History Department enthusiastically welcomes Sara Matthiesen to GW! She works on modern U.S. history, with an emphasis on gender, race, sexuality, and reproduction after 1945. Her current book, Reproduction Reconceived (forthcoming from the University of California Press), examines battles over the right to family-making since the 1970s. This project uncovers debates between grassroots activists and public institutions to define what conditions were necessary to make biological and social reproduction accessible to all, and how to distribute the costs required for such a project. Taken together, these battles demonstrate the process by which procreation was increasingly isolated from a politicized reproductive rights framework commonly associated with abortion and contraception, and instead conceived more narrowly as an individual choice. Based in archival research, oral histories, and digital cartography, this history helps makes sense of our contemporary cultural and structural reality that regards parenthood as a social privilege rather than a social right.
Her work has been published in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Feminist Review, and Women’s Review of Books. Her second book will examine the development of “battered woman syndrome.” With origins in the space between psychology, legal strategy, and victim rights lobbying, the syndrome helped to redefine crimes committed by women as self-defense against intimate violence. Professor Matthiesen brings these interests and her expertise to her teaching and advising in the History Department and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at GW.
Prior to her arrival at GW, Professor Matthiesen’s research on reproduction, inequality, and social change was recognized with a Presidential Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship from Brown University. During her two-year term, she taught courses on the history of crime and sexuality in the United States and critical legal theory in the American Studies Department. In collaboration with Brown’s then-new Title IX Office, she also continued a project she began during her doctoral work which involved researching how universities across the country were leveraging Title IX protections in order to support graduate and medical students’ doctoral careers. Before leaving Brown, she used this research to develop an intersectional Title IX resource module tailored specifically to graduate and medical students that is now required education for all new enrollees.
George Washington’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, had a very active year in 2016-2017. Perhaps most impressive was its performance at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, where GW students won three of the four prizes awarded—an unprecedented showing!
Sam Pfister’s paper, “Monumental and Diplomatic: The Role of the Megiddo Great Temple in Egyptian Hegemony” won for Best Ancient History. Kate White’s paper about the university's namesake, “An American Icon Through the Ages: Depictions of George Washington in the Collection of the George Washington University Museum,” was the best paper on an American history topic before 1865 while Joe Albanese’s paper about “Bloody Mary” Tudor, “Cloths, Cracks, and Catholics: Mary I’s Consolidation of Power through Portraiture and Ceremonial,” won as best European history paper.
The group did a lot of things besides write prize-winning papers. Anne Dobberteen (Phi Alpha Theta, class of 2010), offered a behind-the-scenes tour of the Albert H. Small Washingtonian Collection at the GW Museum. PAT conducted a very successful Internship Fair, with representatives from many institutions that employ GW students as interns, including the Wilson Center, National Park Service, AHA, Tudor Place, Civil War Trust, Anderson House, Dumbarton Oaks, and the Navy History and Heritage Command.
Professor Schultheiss conducted an outstanding workshop on techniques for getting into graduate school. Chapter President Joe Albanese arranged for a ghost tour of Old Town Alexandria that promises to become a regular event. Professor Colin Calloway of Dartmouth College talked to the group about Native American history. Six of our members participated in a project to help the GW Museum reach out to students by helping to design an exhibition and writing labels for items to be displayed—it turns out to be tricky to convey the essence and importance of an artifact in just 50 words! They succeeded and their work will be displayed this fall. The society inducted 15 new members in the Fall and Spring Ceremonies, at which Professors Christopher Rollston and Hugh Agnew presented key note addresses. Oh, and PAT had very successful, hotly waged history trivia contests at its monthly meetings.
Professor emeritus Peter Klaren and Dr. Sara Castro-Klaren were awarded the Decoration of the Order "El Sol del Perú" in the Degree of "Comendador," the highest honor bestowed by the government of Peru. In presenting the award, the ambassador of Peru, Carlos Pareja, cited Professor Klaren and Dr. Castro-Klaren's important contributions to scholarship on the history and literature of Peru, as well as their efforts to promote understanding about Peruvian culture in the United States.
Joel Blecher's article, "Revision in the Manuscript Age: New Evidence of Early Versions of Ibn Ḥajar’s Fatḥ al-bārī," was the year’s most read article in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies. The essay documents a significant manuscript discovery that Professor Blecher made several summers ago. "It is extremely rare to come across early manuscript versions of a text of this stature in the Islamic tradition," he notes. "Imagine finding an early draft of Don Quixote, or better yet, an early version of Thomas Aquinas' Summa." Professor Blecher also published an article on the find, “A Newly Discovered Manuscript and Its Lesson on Islam,” in The Atlantic.
Tom Long was awarded the 41st annual George Washington Award. In addition, he was selected as the faculty speaker at the May 2017 CCAS Commencement Exercises.
Tyler Anbinder’s book, City of Dreams: The 400-year Epic History of Immigrant New York was awarded the Mark Lynton History Prize of the Columbia University School of Journalism. The books tells the story "of innovators and artists, revolutionaries and rioters, staggering deprivation and soaring triumphs, all playing out against the powerful backdrop of New York City, at once ever-changing and profoundly, permanently itself.” In addition, the book was also named one of the New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2016.
Gregg Brazinsky published Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War (University of North Carolina Press ), in which he explores how both the United States and China fought vigorously to establish their influence in newly independent African and Asian countries.
Denver Brunsman has authored an e-book entitled Leading Change: Lessons in Leadership, vol. 4. George Washington and Establishing the Presidency.
Diane Cline, won the 2016-2017 CCAS Columbian Prize for Teaching and Mentoring Undergraduate students. She also published The Greeks: An Illustrated History (National Geographic), which offers an account of the history, culture and belief systems of the Ancient Greeks and how their influence continues to be felt today.
Jisoo Kim’s edited book The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation was published by Columbia University Press.
David Silverman published Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America (Harvard/Belknap). The book reframes our understanding of Indians’ historical relationship with guns, arguing against the notion that they prized these weapons more for the pyrotechnic terror guns inspired than for their efficiency as tools of war. Native peoples fully recognized the potential of firearms to assist them in their struggles against colonial forces, and mostly against one another.
Jenna Weissman Joselit published Set in Stone, America’s Embrace of the Ten Commandments (Oxford University Press). The book traces how the Ten Commandments became the public face of the American Jewish community, internally through stained glass and externally through the deployment of large scale sculptural Decalogues, shedding light on American Jewry's bid for acceptance in the United States.
Andrew Zimmerman won the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for his current book project, Conjuring Freedom: A Global History of the American Civil War. Professor Zimmerman writes: “Conjuring Freedom offers not only a new interpretation of the U.S. Civil War but also a model for rethinking archetypical national events like the U.S. Civil War from a perspective that is transnational, deprovincializing and ‘from below.’” In addition, Professor Zimmerman also won fellowships at both the American Council of Learned Societies and the Institute for Advanced Study. He also published an edited version of The Civil War in the United States.
Jason Dencklau (MA student) has received a research travel grant from the Loeb Institute for Religious Freedom. He will use the grant to work in archives in Rhode Island to complete research for his thesis on northern Baptists in early America.
PhD student Chelsea Davis presented a paper on "Protection or Paternalism? Understanding Amelioration and the Office of the Guardian of Slaves at the British Cape of Good Hope, 1826-1834" at the recent North American Conference on British Studies.
PhD student Lauren Jannette recently presented a paper entitled "Manipulating History through Educational Texts: British and French Perspectives on the First World War" at the 66th annual New York State Association of European Scholars conference.
PhD student Michael Johnson co-authored an essay with Villanova professor Joseph Lennon entitled, "A Digital Exploration of Hunger Strikes in British Prisons, 1913-1940," in The Digital Arts and Humanities: Neogeography, Social Media and Big Data Integrations and Applications.
PhD candidate Ruby Johnson was awarded a 2017 Cosmos Scholar Grant to spend two weeks at the Mormon historical archives for her dissertation, tentatively entitled "Privatizing Welfare: Mormon Women and Utah's New Deal Alternative."
PhD candidate Charles Kraus recently presented a paper at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. The paper, entitled "Losing Asia: The Republic of China, the Chinese Civil War, and a Divided Region, 1945-1950," was part of a conference on The Chinese Civil War and the Cold War.
PhD candidate Ryan Musto presented a paper entitled "The Limits to Desire: Latin America in India's Diplomatic Imagination, 1962-1972," at a conference on Latin America in a Global Context, hosted at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was awarded a Nuclear Security Fellowship at Fundação Getúlio Vargas in San Paulo, Brazil. In addition, he published an essay on “India and Flashpoints in Latin America’s Cold War” on the History and Public Policy blog of the Wilson Center.
PhD candidate Alexa Price was awarded a Cosmos Club grant to pursue research for her dissertation on "Nostalgia, Heroism, and British Conceptions of the Historical Sailor at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century."
PhD student Ashley Valanzola was selected to participate in the 2017 Auschwitz Jewish Fellows Program which featured a three-week trip to Poland.
PhD Student Ben Young’s article, “The Reagan-Era invasion that drove North Korea to develop nuclear weapons,” was published by The Washington Post. In it, he explores how the United States’ invasion of Granada shaped North Korean fears of a U.S. led intervention. He also published “How North Korean magazines accidentally subverted the USSR” in The Guardian.
PhD candidates Katharine White and Kate Densford were awarded CCAS Dean’s Teaching Fellowships for 2017-18.
PhD student Nathan Wuertenberg received a Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati Fellowship from The Society of the Cincinnati Library in D.C.
The First Federal Congress Project completed the 22nd and final volume of its documentary history of the First Federal Congress of the United States of America. After 20 years of hard work, members of the project fulfilled their mission statement of collecting, digitizing, editing and publishing an account of nearly every written record pertaining to the First Congressional Session (1789-1791) of the then-newly formed federal government.
The 15th Annual International Graduate Student Conference on the Cold War was held at GW. Doctoral students Milorad Lazic ("'Yugoslavia is Proud to be the First Socialist Country that has Supported Your Revolution': Yugoslav Military Aid to Ethiopia and Josip Tito's Attempts to Influence the Global Cold War, 1977-1979") and Gregory Graves ("Five Days in July: Tilting Toward Taksim in Cyprus") delivered presentations; Professor James Hershberg commented on one paper and gave a presentation on foreign archival research; and Gregory F. Domber, PhD ’08, chaired and commented. The conference is held annually with the venue rotating among GW, UC-Santa Barbara and the University of London.
The department hosted a highly successful symposium on “Citizenship and Subjecthood in Comparative Perspective.” Organized by Professor Dina Khoury, the two-day event featured the eminent historian Frederick Cooper (NYU) as well as several panels of experts on the topic.
Diana Alvarez Carrillo, BA ’15, is moving to Spain to study culinary tourism at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastian after two years working in the digital advertising industry in London.
Peter Baxter, MA ’99, now serves as CEO of Airdyne Aerospace and Airdyne R&D after jetting away over long weekends from GW history and law studies to develop defense-related business worldwide for several companies.
Jay Bender, BA ’78, has worked in construction management for 30 years. He has spent the past two years working as a paramedic.
Neil Bhatiya, MA ’09, is the research associate for the Energy, Economics, and Security program at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington, D.C., think tank.
Michael F. Bishop, MA ’94, is director of the National Churchill Library and Center at the George Washington University and executive director of the International Churchill Society.
Richard Boles, PhD ’13, joined the history department at the Oklahoma State University in August 2016 as an assistant professor of early American history. Richard teaches undergraduate and graduate students and continues to research race relations in American churches.
Jackie Burns, BA ’09, earned an MA and an MSc in international and world history from the dual master's degree program at Columbia University and the London School of Economics.
Patrick Clevenger, BA ’08, is currently pursuing a dual MS/MBA degree at the University of Texas at Dallas after two years as an adventure guide followed by three years working for an environmental nonprofit. He enjoys playing bluegrass music with his girlfriend too.
Shripal Daphtary, BA ’97, is a happy husband and father of two, living in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is the managing director of a telecom and technology company in NYC.
Neil De Haan Jr., BA ’70, respect for history continues, and it has remained during his further educational pursuits, including one year of study in theology, and earning an MSW, MBA and PhD in public administration. His focus is now John Adams and politics since 1964.
Corey Decker, MA ’13, is now an adjunct history instructor for Wallace Community College where she teaches U.S. and world history. She also teaches on the high school level including dual enrollment classes. She blogs about her teaching adventures at MsDeckersClass.com.
Thomas DeLay, BA ’12, is currently serving as history department chair at KIPP Believe College Prep in New Orleans, La. He was a 2017 semi-finalist for the Fishman Price for Superlative Teaching Award through TNTP.
Frank DeMarco, BA ’69, saw his 13th book, Awakening from the 3D World: How We Enter the Next Life, published in September by Rainbow Ridge Books.
Ron Denham, BA ’67, devotes his retirement to reading (his latest is Tyler Anbinder's City of Dreams), writing a historical novel and traveling with his wife to Europe.
Gregory Domber, PhD ’08, is now teaching history at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo along with two other GW grads, Joe Bassi, MA ’03, and Christina Firpo, BA ’00.
Adam Drexler, BA ’05, serves in the U.S. Marine Corps, recently graduating from the Naval Postgraduate School with an MA in security studies (Europe and Eurasia) and awarded the Foreign Area Officer Association Award for Excellence in International Affairs.
Alison Dundore, BA ’17, is back at GW getting her master's in speech language pathology.
Joseph Enright, BA ’70, was hired at the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in the summer of 1970 with his BA in history. After the agency's expiration, Joe continued a 35+ year federal career as an international trade specialist at the Commerce Department, through 2005.
John Farkas, BA ’09, is currently working for the Diocese of Scranton as the manager of development and alumni relations for Catholic schools.
Gabby Friedman, BA ’13, is living in D.C. and is a specialist of government affairs for Gap Inc., the parent company of Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix and Weddington Way.
Patrick Funiciello, PhD ’16, is an assistant professor of history at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.
Felix Harcourt, MA ’09, PhD ’14, is a visiting assistant professor of history at Austin College. His book, Klu Klux Kulture: America and the Klan in the 1920s, will be published by University of Chicago Press in November 2017.
Kate Hardwick, BA ’11, is starting her fifth year teaching high school history and humanities in Alexandria, Va. This past year Kate also earned her MEd from Vanderbilt University in independent school leadership.
Andrew Hartman, PhD ’06, is a professor of history at Illinois State University. He recently signed a contract with the University of Chicago Press to publish his third book, Karl Marx in America.
Jeff Hassmann, PhD ’02, is currently serving as professor of history and chair of the Social Sciences Division at Northeast Lakeview College in San Antonio, Texas.
Brian Hines, BA ’13, is the general manager of Pearson's Wine and Spirits, a family owned and operated tradition in the Glover Park/Georgetown area since 1933. He proudly consults hundreds of clients for private events, corporate events and parties in Washington D.C.
Candice Shy Hooper, MA ’08, was awarded two national awards for her book, Lincoln's Generals' Wives, the Silver Benjamin Franklin Award in History from the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Bronze Medal in History from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.
Shawn Hoyer, BA ’99, is now leading Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Growth Technology Banking practice for the Mid-Atlantic region, based in Washington, D.C.
Umar Husain, BA ’17, is working as a strategy consultant for IBM, based in Washington, D.C. Umar’s current project focuses on supporting a military client with talent engagement strategy.
Don Insley, BA ’17, took a graduate degree in political science from Edinburgh University in 2012. Thereafter he went to work at NATO in The Hague and Norfolk for two years, now he's a senior consultant with Booz Allen in Los Angeles where he supports the Air Force on GPS.
Sicheng Jiang, BA ’15, will graduate from Columbia University with an MS in enterprise risk management, and will start to work in Protiviti as a consultant.
David Johnston, BA ’08, spent 24 years in the restaurant business and then 30 years in real estate. He specializes in selling historic properties.
Stephen Judge, BA ’57, MA ’60, has retired from a marketing and editorial career with Oxford University Press.
Edward Kemper, BA ’65, went to GW Law School after graduating with a history degree, and when he graduated took a job offer in Honolulu. He has practiced law in Honolulu ever since.
Dan LeClair, BA ’05, is serving as director of development for the global environmental nonprofit, 1% for the Planet.
Francis Letro, BA ’72, obtained a law degree JD from SUNY Buffalo and has been practicing law as a sole practitioner since 1980 in Buffalo N.Y. Francis is currently the president-elect of the NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers and the immediate past chair of the University at Buffalo Foundation.
Hui Lin, MA ’14, is teaching at WLSA Fudan Academy, Shanghai, China.
Cynthia Little, BA ’67, is the historian for the Philadelphia History Museum overseeing the Community History Gallery and exhibition development. She also heads up youth education and teacher training programs.
Juli Loyd, BA ’04, is an attorney practicing health regulatory law in-house at DaVita, Inc. in Denver, Colorado. She is married to a data scientist with whom she has a practice baby—a shelter pup she adopted while still living in D.C., named Oskar Blues.
Edward J. Marolda, PhD ’90, was recently named by the U.S. Naval Historical Foundation as a recipient of the prestigious Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award for his 37 years with the Navy's historical program and authorship of 15 books.
Sarah Maserang, BA ’15, spent a year after graduation working with kids before she moved to North Carolina where she is in her second year at UNC School of Law. She spent her summer working for a public defender and is studying education law and child advocacy.
Chris Mason, PhD ’13, is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Penn.
Melia Mbanefo, BA ’16, graduated with a major in sociology and minors in history and communications in May 2016. She is currently enrolled in the Valparaiso University Law School hoping to practice civil rights law or family law upon graduation.
Christel McDonald, BA ’86, is living very much in the present and look into the past through historical research to find the root causes of personal, local, regional, national and international conflicts to build a better future—everywhere and anytime. Christel lives in Arlington, Va.
Darren Menaker, BA ’00, lives in L.A. with his wife and toddler son. Darren is a principal at Bernstein Private Wealth Management providing investment guidance for high net worth individuals, families and institutions. Currently he chairs GW’s L.A.-regional alumni network.
Gabriel Muller, BA ’13, works for The Atlantic magazine's digital consultancy, where he runs large-scale editorial projects for nonprofits and Fortune 100s. He also works as a freelance writing coach for writers aged 15 to 80.
Christopher Murry Jr., BA ’09, lives in Maine working for MaineHealth. He was recently invited by the Epic Systems Corporation to give a talk on the cultural considerations required in implementing a new perioperative coordination process.
Anthony Narcisso, BA ’83, was known to add a splash of levity and rapier repartee during history seminars. He wonders to this day if those incidents affected his grade.
John Newman, PhD ’92, published his dissertation as the eminent book JFK and Vietnam. John served in Army intelligence as military assistant to the director of NSA. He teaches counterterrorism at James Madison University, and is finishing his fourth volume on JFK's presidency.
David Oliver, BA ’98, is a CPA and runs his own practice in Manhattan Beach, Calif. David and his wife, Sonya, have two sons, Jonah (7) and Zachary (5).
Michele F. Pacifico, MA ’83, was inducted in July as a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The distinction of Fellow is the highest honor bestowed on individuals by SAA and is awarded for outstanding contributions to the archives profession.
Owen Pagano, BA ’14, is currently a project manager at Dimensional Fund Advisors in Austin, Texas.
John Patton, BA ’69, graduated from GW Law in 1974. He currently lives in D.C., retired from the IRS charitable organizations section. He would like to see a history review course similar to the Law Bar and CPA Exams that he passed.
Nicole Phelps, BA ’00, contributed a chapter on “Expansion and Diplomacy, 1865-1914" to the annotated bibliography The SHAFR Guide and won the College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Distinguished Service Award at the University of Vermont.
Leslie Pitterson, BA ’09, was promoted to vice president of communications for US Media at Nielsen. In this role, she oversees integrated campaigns and media relations supporting the company's digital shift, including its digital products and clients.
Curtis Raye, BA ’07, is running for New Jersey State Apiarist, however the position is hired, not elected, so he is not on any ballot and nobody seems to even know he's doing it. Please visit curtis4bees.com.
Clifford Rees, BA ’74, is the proud legacy parent of Alice Rees, who enrolled as a first year at GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences starting in the fall of 2017.
Michael Rhode, BA ’87, has worked in military medical history since graduating and is currently the archivist with the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery's History Office. His most recent book is 2017's The Incomplete Art of Why Things Are about Richard Thompson.
Kate Rosenberg, BA ’08, is currently serving as the Combat Systems Officer in USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), homeported in Rota, Spain.
Steven Ross, BA ’70, is currently a counselor for the Kingman, Arizona Elementary school district.
Arnold Rudin, BA ’55, has written or edited 17 books. His latest book, Pillar of Fire: A Biography of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise (Texas Tech University Press) was nominated for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize.
Philip Runfola, BA ’64, continued to work as an independent contractor for an additional 10 years after retiring from the CIA after 35 years of service. Philip is now retired in Florida and golf occupies the majority of his time.
Bruce Rushing, BA ’09, started a PhD program in logic and philosophy of science at the University of California, Irvine.
Pauline Schwartz, BA ’02, started her own company, Briden Chase, where she matches financial services compliance professionals with career advancing opportunities. She is also the third vice president of the Dix Hills Jewish Center.
Raabia Shafi, MA ’08, debuted her boutique consulting firm in January 2017. With over 10 years of experience in human-centered design and adult learning strategies Raabia will help executive leadership teams across all industries transform their organizational cultures.
Shayna Sloan, BA ’16, is currently working as an interpreter in Military Programs at Colonial Williamsburg. She is an interpreter at the axe throwing range and is occasionally part of the gun crew that fires a reproduction 18th century light three-pound cannon.
Barry Spiegel, BA ’65, has just retired as chief human resources officer from Cornerstone Montgomery, a non-profit agency providing services to the mentally ill.
Daniel Sullivan, BA ’83, celebrated his 30th anniversary at the law firm of Robinson & Cole, which he joined following graduation from The National Law Center in 1987. He practices in the firm's Providence office, which he co-founded in 2009.
Malcolm Surer, BA ’15, is currently a journalist in Beijing and a master’s student in IR at Peking University.
William A. Taylor, PhD ’10, is an associate professor at Angelo State University. He is the author of Military Service and American Democracy (University of Kansas Press, 2016) and Every Citizen a Soldier (Texas A&M University Press, 2014).
Margaret Walrod, BA ’12, is working as a program analyst for the U.S. State Department in the Bureau of International Information Programs. This summer she completed a certificate in International Crisis and Conflict Negotiation from the University of Washington.
Art Weber, BA ’73, retired as a colonel in the USMC. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Naval War College. He has been teaching a seminar on the Vietnam War for the past 20 years.
Dan Whittier, BA ’11, is currently working as a consultant in the Telecommunications Practice at Kaiser Associates in Washington, D.C. As a consultant, he assists clients in operational process improvement, focusing on the South America market.
Steve Willenbucher, BA ’00, is living in Alexandria, Va., with his wife and two children. Steve is currently the director of contracts with SBG Technology Solutions, Inc., an Alexandria-based Government IT, engineering, and consulting firm.
Chance Williams, BA ’16, is starting an Erasmus Mundus European Master's Program on “Dynamics of Cultural Landscapes and Heritage Management” this fall. He will spend the next four semesters studying in France, Portugal and Italy.
Tsing Yuan, BA ’60, MA ’62, is now retired, having taught at Swarthmore and Wright State University, where he also served as History Department chairman. Tsing is living in the Princeton area, taking advantage of the Princeton History Department's speakers and special events.
The Department of History would like to gratefully acknowledge the following generous donors who made a gift to the department from July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017.
Gifts to the Department of History allow us to provide support for faculty and student research and travel, graduate student fellowships, and academic enrichment activities including guest speakers, visiting faculty, and symposia. Each gift, no matter how large or small, makes a positive impact on our educational mission and furthers our standing as one of the nation's preeminent liberal arts colleges at one of the world's preeminent universities.
By phone by calling the GW Division of Development and Alumni Relations at 1-800-789-2611.
Connect with alumni in your industry through both virtual and in-person networking programs.
Get involved with several opportunities from mentoring students to engaging with fellow alumni.
Connect with the larger GW and CCAS community through LinkedIn! | 2019-04-25T05:52:39Z | https://history.columbian.gwu.edu/department-news-fall-2017 |
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Boss: In today's "lessons learned" meeting, I would like to hear the team's thoughts on the reasons for our project failure. Dev, what do you have to say?
Dev: My short answer is, "We should not have accepted unrealistic deadlines for a complex project like this."
Boss: Dev, are you trying to throw shade at me?
Dev: Nope! In fact, all through the project, we have seen enough through rose-colored shades. I thought it was time to throw some light on the ground realties.
Flawed estimates mean missing deadlines and exceeding budgets. There are a number of estimation techniques to choose from viz. analogous estimating, parametric estimating, data analysis techniques, etc. Knowing the techniques and learning how to use them well is how you become better at estimating.
Dev : Boss, I just read your email. You have assigned me to an under-funded project with unreasonable timelines.
Dev : And to top it all, you have assigned junior resources to work with me.
Boss : It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention, Dev.
Boss : So instead of fussing so much, why don't you look at it as a glass half full rather than half empty!
Boss : Creativity thrives best when we are constrained.
Boss : These challenges can actually work as assets to fuel your team's creativity. And then you can use so many easily implementable techniques to overcome these constraints.
There are many techniques a project manager can use to enhance creativity or solve problems. Some of the popular ones are Brainstorming, Nominal group technique, Idea/mind mapping, Affinity diagramming, Force field analysis, Cause and effect diagramming, SWOT analysis and Root cause analysis.
Dev : Boss, my team has been using an outdated collaborative tool for a long time now. It is eating into their valuable project time.
Dev : They complain that they cannot easily find the critical project documents and eventually waste time looking for project assets.
Dev : Boss, I suggest we buy this new cloud-based management tool which has received great reviews from the industry and peers. It will save the team's time on routine tasks and also will be a quick win for them.
Boss : Dev have you heard the saying, "A poor craftsman blames his tools"? My quick thought on this 'quick win' ...It is a sheer waste of money!
Dev : With his quick as a flash thinking we will surely get nowhere fast.
Quick wins are those that will stop wasting your resources and have more impact on your project with less effort. using quick wins on your project and team will get everyone motivated, increase the momentum of the project, and last but not the least will create a feel-good factor because of positive energy created from achievement.
Dev : I have been noticing that the team spirit has been on the wane and performance is not up to the mark. Do you think I need improvement in my leadership skills? Boss, I seriously need your advice.
Boss : Dev, you need to practice servant leadership with your team members.
Dev : And what's that?
Boss : Servant leadership focusses on service to others. Servant leaders give up power and deputize others to lead. They lead with team members in mind.
Dev : Yes, I got it!
Boss : Dev, what on earth are you doing?
Dev : I am just practicing being a servant leader ...he is a servant first, isn't he? Swami has been working hard on the project so I am helping him the best way I can.
Boss : for god's sake, we spoke about servant leadership and not servile leadership!
Leadership is the decisive factor for improving chances for projects to succeed. Servant leadership focusses primarily on the growth and well being of people to which they belong. The servant leader shares power puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
Dev : ..if we don’t take any corrective action Immediately. What do we do?
Boss : I have heard of Fast tracking and Crashing as schedule compression techniques…why don’t you try those?
Dev : But Boss, both techniques involve risks and also additional costs.
Boss : Have you come seeking my advice or tell me your “expert advice”?
Dev : Fast tracking could sidetrack the core issue and use of Crashing to compress schedule could ‘crash’ my project. What do I do?
Both Crashing and Fast tracking are two techniques to be used as a last resort for performing schedule compression. Fast tracking involves the performance of activities in parallel, whereas Crashing involves additional resources to the project. However, there are potential increased costs and risks in both techniques that need to be taken into consideration before opting for any one of the two methods.
Boss: Team, thanks for being here on short notice. I called this kick-off meeting to start work on our new project plan.
Dev: But Boss, Jay our lead developer for this project is on leave. His input and presence in today's meeting is much required. Could we schedule this meeting for later?
Boss: Oh! Did I miss telling you all that I will be on vacation in the wild jungles of Africa in the coming days? And contacting me would be difficult, So let's wrap up the meeting today without Jay and his inputs.
Dev: Without Jay in the meeting, he will surely be walking on the wild side even after he comes back from vacation.
Collect Requirements is an essential part of any project and project management. It is the process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs and requirements to meet objectives. The key benefit of this process is that it provides the basis for defining the product scope and project scope.
Dev: Boss, this is the project management plan for our new project. I have outlined how the project will be executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.
Boss: The overall plan looks a little confusing. What's with the little red call-outs in between?
Dev: Oh, that's me raising the red flag. Once the plan is baselined and has to get updated due to the ever-changing project environment, a reminder that the plan can be changed only through perform Integrated Change Control process.
In the plan, it is necessary to define at least the project references for scope, time, and cost, so that the project execution can be measured and compared and performance can be managed. Before the baselines are defined, the plan can be updated as many times as necessary. But once baselined, it may only be changed through the perform Integrated Change Control process.
Dev: Oh, what a week it has been. Just managed to finish my task on the inventory schedule.
Swami: What? I was also working on the same schedule.
Dev: Boss assigned me to work on this because of my technical expertise.
Swami: And Boss assigned me this as I am a smart worker.
Maya: Excuse me friends! You could be heard loud and clear outside the cafeteria! What's the bone of contention if I may ask?
Maya: Now that's puzzling. Can one of you please elaborate?
Swami: Coincidently, both of us have worked on the same schedule of inventory.
Maya: Good Lord! Inventory schedule...even I was asked to work on the same.
One of the critical roles of a project manager involves planning and organising the resources in an effective and economical manner for e.g. RACI chart,to successfully complete projects.
Boss: Dev, I am assigning you to a new project on Artificial Intelligence (AI) It's a first for us hence quite crucial and prestigious as well.
Boss: Good news is, the project is well-Funded and we have a fairly comfortable deadline to complete the project.
Dev: Boss, we do not have skilled professionals in the team to hand an AI project.
Getting the right people on board will take time as these skills are not easily available.
This is your chance to showcase your people and technical skills, pull off a seemingly challenging AI project and get visibility.
Dev (thinking): Forget AI skills, I wish common in people.
Dev: Maya, this is not what I wanted in my presentation. Didn't you read my mail properly?
But the words were beyond my comprehension. I finally gave up trying and put data as per my understanding.
Dev: why didn't you just reach out to me for clarification?
Maya: you were traveling. And I did email you and tried calling you but your automated reply said, "I am out of office. For urgent matters, Paul will assist" I am not sure who Paul is.
As part of communication Process, the sender is responsible for the transmission of the message ensuring the information being communicated is clear and complete and confirming the communication is correctly understood. The receiver is responsible for ensuring that the information is received in its entirety, and understood correctly and acknowledged or responded to appropriately.
Boss: Lisa, can you suggest something to boost the motivation levels of our team members.
Lisa: I know just the right thing to do!
A couple of weeks later..
Boss: Lisa, those inspirational posters are not having the desired effect. In fact, most team members have started sleeping on the job rather than feeling motivated to work hard Any idea why?
Lisa: I think they have taken this particular poster rather seriously.
The level of motivation an individual and/or team applies to project efforts can affect all aspects of project results. Hence, a project leader should create an environment conducive to outstanding team synergy and peak individual performance.
Dev: Swami, I just completed your performance review. Well, you are great at technical skills, however, you need to improve on your leadership skills. That is what is affecting the project outcomes. What do you say?
Swami: I think I will keep sharpening my technical skills to the extent that I won't need to depend on my leadership skills to improve results.
While technical skills are core to project management, companies are seeking added skills in leadership and business intelligence - competencies that can support longer range strategic objectives that contribute to the bottomline.
Boss: Team, sorry to interrupt you during lunch but I have some good news to share which is incidentally related to your lunch.
Dev: Lunch? Wow, I can hardly wait to hear it out!
Boss: The management has finally approved the training on digital-age skills which the project team had requested. However, it can be scheduled only during lunch hours as we cannot afford to affect our project timeline.
Dev: Why is the good news so hard to digest suddenly?
In today's increasingly complex and competitive global marketplace, companies must invest in training in competencies that can support longer-range strategic objectives that contribute to the bottom line. While doing so, the management should also ensure the project team is highly motivated to accomplish the goals of the organization.
Dev: He is busy writing Test Cases, System and User documentation.
Swami: Let me take a guess. His project been picked up for an audit. Right?
Periodic audits of the project management process ensure that systemic flaws are identified and fixed and the process is improved. Every aspect of the project management life cycle can introduce problems if not done properly, therefore it must be reviewed thoroughly. Project audits can help identify when a project is about to go off the course.
Boss: Just keep me in the loop for all the decisions and provide daily status updates. Just being the hands-on manager you see!
Dev: Correction. You mean Micro-manager!
Micromanagement is the ultimate controlling management style. It is not only frustrating for the project manager but also completely undermines their authority. Every relationship demands respect, so it is important to establish appropriate and productive relationships with your manager.
Dev: Heard about your recent adventurous trip. And you did bungee jumping and stuff....Weren't you scared doing all these!
Maya: Of course not! Fear does not exist in my dictionary, you see.
Boss: Hey Maya, a quick reminder! you have a client visit this afternoon for requirements gathering. Yes the same client who keeps changing the requirements at the drop of a hat!
Maya: Now That's something I am terribly afraid of!
One of the most difficult phases of the project is gathering business requirements from stakeholders. Indecisive clients can be a huge stress. Before being baselined, requirements need to be unambiguous, complete, consistent and acceptable to key stakeholders. This ensures that the client is specific with their requirements, as well as helps to keep the project on track.
Maya: Swami, don't you think the way our meetings are conducted is a complete waste of time.
Swami: Do you think so? Because I don't remember wasting my time ever in these meetings!
Swami: I work on my emails during the parts of the meeting where my presence in the room is completely inconsequential.
For meetings to be productive, set and follow a clearly defined meeting agenda, set strict time limits, and ensure that everyone is contributing and sharing their views. Also, more importantly, ensure that the right people are in attendance to accomplish the objectives.
Maya: I am so excited. We have successfully completed our project within time and budget. Also, as per given scope.
Dev: Congrats, that's a great achievement. That would mean the project benefits also aligned with the organization's strategic goals?
Maya: Umm...well...err...Never thought about it. We have moved on to a new project already.
All strategic change in an organization happens through project & program management. And organizations leave that strategy to chance if they do not focus on benefits realization. It is important to create dedicated space for dialogue among C-suite executives, business owners, & project managers right from the start of each project to secure alignment with organization's overarching strategy, assess projects, & course-correct as needed.
Boss: Dev, the board has decided to advance the project launch date by four weeks. But the project scope remains the same.
Dev: Oh! But Boss, why are we advancing the project deadline?
Boss: I don't know. The reason is immaterial now. You are the project leader, go figure out how to complete the project in time.
Effective communication helps the project manager to express fears about the challenges surrounding the project. They can either negotiate for a deadline extension or request for other factors for eg. change in scope. The project manager also needs to seek adequate information from the decision makers about the deadline so that he can decipher if the deadline was born out of necessity or if it is just in a bid to drive the team into efficiency.
Maya: Hey Swami, I have been reviewing your code since morning. I am just not able to crack it. Also there seem to be extra lines in the code. What are those for?
Swami: Well, I have no idea why those extra code lines are in there for. I just copied Jay's code. But all I know is if I remove those lines, the whole application may crash.
While acquiring the project team, it is important to use a multi-criteria decision analysis tool to verify whether the team member has relevant experience, competencies, knowledge, skill, and abilities as required for the project.
Boss: No ifs and buts, Dev. Stop putting a negative spin on everything I say. Learn to be positive.
Boss: Now that's what I call having a good positive perspective.
Dev (thinking): And that's what I call being short-sighted and having unrealistic vision!
Most Project timelines do eventually slip due to the unrealistic "initial deadlines". Project Managers can take care of the project deadlines and other related issues with impeccable planning, alternative analysis and proper communication of the real-time progress to project participants and other key decision makers.
Maya: Dev, I can't get any of my work done with swami in my team.
Maya: He is not a good team player. Because he keeps disagreeing with everything that I believe and say. He disagrees that I am hard working, smart, and committed.
Dev: But what has that got to do with your office work?
Maya: So either make him agree to my points or get him out of the team.
To eliminate any issues or negativity in a team it is best to create a positive work environment. Being a project manager, you can incorporate team building activities to foster a feeling of harmony and teamwork among them.
Dev: And with this slide, we come to the end of the presentation. So team, what's your take on this?
Dev: Swami... are you with us?
Swami: Not exactly. I was practicing mindfulness.
Dev: What!! Mindfulness?! Say that again!
Swami: Yes, you heard me right. I was meditating.
Swami: It helps me to reduce anxiety and stress and maintaining a non-judgmental state of my thoughts and emotions in spite of difficult or annoying situations around me.
For meetings to be productive, set and follow a clearly defined meeting agenda, set strict time limits, carve out enough time for Q&A, and ensure that everyone is contributing and sharing their views. Getting team members engaged and participating in meetings helps a lot in achieving meeting objectives.
Client: Call for action thingy and stuff like that should be prominent. Basically, we should reduce user's cognitive effort while navigating.
Dev (Thinking): How about reducing my cognitive effort to understand these vague requirements?!
Requirement issues should be addressed very early in the project life cycle because design problems based on poor requirements lead to design issues that are more difficult and expensive to resolve after project development is well underway.
Dev: Boss, Looking at the project plan and milestones, there's no way we're going to meet the deadline at the current pace of work..
Dev: How I wish it was that easy but who will explain to him that nine women cannot make a baby in a month?
Crashing is a schedule compression technique to shorten project schedule by adding resources to the critical path without necessarily getting highest level of efficiency. The decision to crash should only take place after project manager has carefully analyzed all of the possible alternatives.
Swami: What on earth is that??
Teammate: That's called a classic case of "Programmer’s Burnout".
Teammate: By the way, If you didn't realize that is our very own Maya. She has been working long hours for endless months and at times even on weekends.
Hiring, developing and retaining the people needed to turn corporate strategy into reality is of critical importance. Hence, a resources allocation plan is an important tool in effective management of scares resources and also avoid employee burn out.
Maya: Hey Swami, are you not joining us for the project status meeting?
Swami: Maya, just give me a minute white I take a last swing of my coffee I will be there with you all shortly.
Maya: By the way, what’s that interesting head gear you are wearing?
Swami: That's for brain stimulation. I bought it online recently. Apparently, it helps to stay focused and active during meeting no matter how boring or unproductive they get.
Project Communication Management Effective project status meetings not only benefit the project manager but also benefit the entire team, by providing a venue for recognizing milestone achievements, sharing information, and bringing problems/issues to the team. Unfortunately, too often these important meetings are ineffective and fail to benefit the project in the manner intended.
Boss: Team, I want to see you all in the meeting room in next five minutes. Something important to share with you.
Team Member: I wonder what he wants to share.
Boss: Team, the reason for calling you urgently is to share the results of the division's performance. Sorry to share that our performance has been deteriorating and is cause for great concern.
Boss: It is time we pull up our socks and hit the ground running.
Boss: Team, I recommend that the team now starts behaving as if they own the division and gave their all. We need to bring in a sense of ownership in all that we do to improve productivity.
Team Member: Wow, ownership has its own privileges! Hope that means I can come to office and leave office when I want to, travel business class and have fancy perks.
When project team members feel a sense of ownership towards their responsibilities, the project team does not just perform productively and are engaged, but they stay longer with the company, love their regular job and duties and sometimes take efforts to broaden their skill-sets, expertise and experience.
Hey Swami! What's with this Super hero outfit? Is there any costume party in office I am not aware of?
No party. At the appraisal meeting yesterday, Boss suggested that I should always dress for the job I want and not the job I have! Get it! I totally got it but looks like Swami has completely missed the point!
One can never take for granted that the receiver will interpret the message the same way as the sender intended it. For effective communication, one needs to consider all factors like different realities, verbal as well as non-verbal messages, and the intended meaning versus perceived meaning.
Dev: I just heard that we are agreeing to do the new project, "Less is more", and that too within an unreasonably short time period. It's a challenging project, Boss!
Boss: Dev, remember the popular saying “Tough times don't last, tough people do." Here's your chance to showcase your resilience.
Dev: But Boss, considering the assumptions and constraints in the project scope even if the team works around the clock, project will not get completed.
Boss: Just assume there are no constraints and work against the clock. Hope you get the drift.
When we are estimating activity duration, it is important to consider the assumptions and constraints from the project scope statement along with availability of specific resources, types of resources, and resources with specific attributes.
Boss: Dev, I just came to know that your project is over budget and is running two months behind schedule. Please explain!
Dev: Boss, the holy book says, "Good things come to those who wait." I am making sure you get the best not just a good project in hand and that’s why the delay.
Boss (Thinking): Looks like he has not heard the next version of this saying, "but only the things left by those who hustle." I wish he could have shared the project status earlier.
Planning the project communications is important to the ultimate success of any project. Inadequate communications planning may lead to problems such as delay in message delivery, or insufficient communication to the stakeholders which can lead to escalation of unresolved issues.
Boss: Team, meet Sam, your new project manager. He will be leading the team till Dev comes back from his long sabbatical.
Boss: Yes, Swami! Did you just say something?
Swami: Err...ahem... well I was just telling him that we are glad to have him as our manager. We were anyway missing that 'someone' to give us an extra push!
Contrary to common misconception a project manager is not a paper-pusher. He is someone who needs to have technical knowledge & skills related to specific domain of project, leadership skills to guide, and direct a team and strategic and business management skills to better deliver business outcomes.
Boss: Dev, can you explain why your project is behind schedule?
Dev: Do long hours ata work, zero social life, working on weekends and sleep deprivation cout as valid excuses?
Dev: There is zilch morale and motivation. I either need more resources on the project or a long sabbatical. Is there any way you can help?
Boss: Of course Dev! You can always count on me.
Dev: Honey, I will be home late as usual. My boss has suggested me to watch a dozen motivational videos and listen to prodcasts which according to him will recharge me. But....so far no effect!
A large part of the project manager's role involves dealing with people. He should study people's behaviors and motivations an strive to be a good leader because leadership is critical to success of projects in organazations.
Dev: Excuse me Boss, do you have few minutes to share?
Boss: Of course, yes! Dev, you know by now I have an open door policy. Come on in!
Boss: I hate changes in plans but let me just show that I am hearing him out.
Boss: That's a brilliant suggestion, Dev! But as you are aware our resources are already locked in and we don't want to take any unknown risks by changing gears at this stage.
Dev (Thinking): I wonder why does he even have an open door policy. May be to toss ideas and suggestions out of the door.
It is important for project manager to have high level of listening, influencing, and team-building skills with emphasis on improving team performance. This is because project team members are motivated by an opportunity to grow, accomplish, and apply their professional skills to meet new challenges.
Boss: Dev, could you give me a quick update on the kick-off meeting that took place yesterday for the new project.
Dev: Boss, the project is under-resourced and has tight deadlines too.
Boss: Oh that's OK. That is always the case.
Dev: Oh yeah. And one more thing. We have decided to use agile methodologies to execute this project.
Boss: What!!! Now that does not sound good at all. We are not going agile at any cost.
Boss: Dev, if you remember, we used agile methodologies last time and the project failed miserably. It was a big mistake. Once bitten, twice shy!
Dev (thinking): Reminds me of the old adage, "A bad workman blames his tools".
Choosing the right project management methodology for your project is the first step to success. Some of the key considerations while choosing the right methodology are organizational strategic goals and core values, key business drivers, constraints, stakeholders, risks, complexity and project size and cost.
Dev: Boss, I have been assigned multiple projects which is affecting my productivity. I seriously need a staycaution soon before I burn out.
Boss: That's difficult at this point of time. Instead I have a fantastic alternative.
Boss: Dev, Dev... hold on to your horses, will you? I will share it with you tomorrow morning. It's going to be a surprise.
Boss: Todah! Presenting your new cubicle. Dev, studies have shown that people become more productive in rooms with blue color. So here it is! What do you think?
Dev (thinking): Now what do I say. This news is like a bolt from the blue. I have no clue about productivity but I am definitely feeling blue already.
A project leader requires a variety of management skills for festering motivation and to create high performance teams. It involves a combination, conflict resolution, negotiation, and leadership. Without these skills it is difficult to capitalize on the strengths of team members.
Mr. Narayan: Dev, are you ready to present the status of our project?
Dev: Yes Mr. Narayan. Right away!
Mr. Narayan: Dev, where are the details on the control measures for risk management? I did not see it so far.
Dev: Err... hmm... Well, that has been addressed in the upcoming slides.
Dev: And with this slide, I conclude my presentation... Mr. Narayan, you look skeptical somehow.
Dev (thinking): Hope he does not realise that the risk management part has not been covered at all.
Dev: Mr. Narayan, don't stress. We will cross the bridge when we come to it.
A project manager should have the ability to oversee risks that might come up in future. It's impossible to predict every potential risk but with strategic planning and collecting information beforehand, project managers can develop control measures that can help them to deal with the risks more effectively.
Dev: Excuse me Boss! I need to talk to you urgently.
Boss (thinking): Danger! High Alert! Be on guard Swami.
Dev: I had shared earlier as well and wanted to gently remind you about the project management software we need to buy urgently.
Boss (thinking): Uh oh, not again!
Dev: That software tool is critical for us. Our project may get delayed by a substantial margin without it.
Boss: Dev, we have spoken on this before. I have budget just enough to sustain you and your team on this project. Either you let go of some of your team resources or stop pestering me for these frivolous, expensive tools.
Dev (thinking): These don't even seem like options that can be considered. Sounded more like a threat than a solution.
A resource allocation plan is crucial tool in effective management of scarce resources. The timing of the need of those resources can be and should be determined within the project schedules. A resource plan, which describes the type of resource needed and the timing of that need, is critical to effective resource management.
Dev: Boss, we are soon going to be initiating 'Flexi-Pro', our new project.
Dev: This project requires a team with Agile skills and experience. Since we don't have in-house resources, we will need to hire new staff.
Boss (thinking): hmmm... Agile skills and experience?!
Boss: Dev, meet your 'Agile' team for the new project - Flexi Pro. Now get started with it. All the best!
Dev: Oh god! He and his twisted logic! How do I explain to him?
Must-have skills for a Project Manager in Agile projects.
In an agile environment, besides technical skills, project manager needs to have strong emotional intelligence skills, have ability to nurture remote connections, be focussed and aligned, self-organized, problem-solver, good communicator and also collaborator.
Dev: Boss, I am sorry to say this but there are just too many projects I have been asked to lead and they are all pulling me in different directions.
Dev: If I can be relieved from some of them I will be able to focus on them in a better way.
Boss (thinking): What do I do? He is the best project manager available in the division right now.
Boss: Well, Dev! I have read somewhere that one needs to have some form of stress to keep oneself motivated and creative.
Boss: The organization cares for you and hence you have been given so many opportunities to help you grow as a leader and stay motivated.
Boss: So why don't you just get back to work before your motivation starts dipping.
Management must weigh numerous factors, such as urgency of the project, required skills, competence and availability of staff, the impact of resource levels on delivery schedules, the maturity of organization's processes and of the PMO while determining the appropriate allocation of resources on projects.
Boss: Dev, I want you to take over "Project Titanic" asap! Ram has quit without any notice.
Dev: But Boss, the project take over is draining our resources and moreover it may not realize the intended benefits as planned.
Boss: Don't worry. We need to have the project completed anyway.
Dev: But Boss, if it's not showing any great prospects why invest in it? Let's just scrap it! It's anyway a 'Sinking Ship'.
Boss: This is pretty much a prestigious project for the company. So without much delay I would suggest you start focusing on how to complete it.
Boss: Just take charge of this ship and help it sail smoothly. I will clear the coast for you.
Dev (thinking): I am already having a weird sinking feeling about this project. Good Lord, help me stay afloat!
Project Managers have a role in ensuring that an organization's expected benefits are delivered once a project is complete, Organizations are leaving their strategy to chance when they do not focus on BRM as a central part of project and program management.
Boss: Dev, I hope we are delivering the project on time.
Dev: I am afraid, no!
Boss: What do you mean?
Dev: The client has requested for last minute changes. So we may miss the delivery date.
Boss: Dev, you have to find ways to release it on time.
Dev: Boss, I have only two ways.
Dev: Either I stick to this impossible deadline, give a shoddy product and make client unhappy or push the deadline forward, give a quality product and make client happy.
Boss: I have a third way. You push the envelope, release a good quality product on time and make the client and me happy. Or be ready to be pushed out! What say?
Follow the pre-established policy or plan for making changes in scope. Also, plan your approval and documentation process in advance. Transparency and open communication builds confidence and trust amongst all respective stakeholders.
Dev: So that's the final plan of our new project. Team, you can give me your honest and constructive Feedback. Don't hold back!
Arun: Dev, what about Plan B incase this plan fails? We will need to have it in place, if not planned already. What do you say?
Dev: Arun, I say, you are being negative. I asked For a constructive -Feedback not a pessimistic one!
Raman: Oh wow, Dev! This is the best plan ever made...brilliant...foolproof! We should just go ahead with this one!
Dev: Thank you, Raman! Now that's the kind of constructive feedback I was looking for.
Ignoring project risk analysis can lead to project failures. For e.g. The tendency to be overly optimistic about the outcome of planned actions. This illusion manifests itself in project planning and forecasting phase. Or a tendency to evaluate and consider only a single course of action and not consider alternatives.
Boss: Dev, meet Nitya. She is few months old in the company. I have transferred her from the operations team to work on your project.
Dev: Boss, no offence but, I need someone with more experience and relevant qualifications.
Dev: Moreover, have we checked if she is inclined for this job profile?
Boss: Dev, don't overthink. With the right training everything will fall in place. And Nitya will provide the team, the much needed support.
Boss: Dev, you look hassled. Hope your project is on track.
Dev: Boss, after a month long intense training, Nitya has vanished into thin air. Now I am stuck between the project deliverables, finding a replacement and answering the client.
Dev: By the way, she left a note for us which says, "Change is the only constant in life."
While acquiring project team, it is important to use a multi-criteria decision analysis tool to verify whether the team member has relevant experience, competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities as required For the project.
Team Mate 1: Good Lord! Can just do away these Monday status meetings with our Boss?
Team Mate 2: They are more like "mundane" status meetings!
Absolutely Non-Productive! Yawwwnnn!! No-agenda! Psst... How do we convey to him?
Boss: I have been looking all over the place for you guys. What are you doing here all huddled up, it is time for our Monday meeting.
Team Mate 1: Err... yes Boss! We were just prepping ourselves with a shot of caffeine for our long meeting ahead.
Team Mate 1: It helps us to stay alert and focused. Also, stops our mind from wandering to important issues that need attention.
Project status meetings are crucial tool in project manager's tool box. Status meetings should be concise, boost team morale, provide timely information on project status, uncover potential risks, and encourage relevant information sharing between team members.
Client meeting in progress... Dev: Mr. Narayan, before I get down to the brass tacks, I would like to note down all the goals and requirements For the new website. Mr. Narayan: Well, Dev I would like our company website to look modernish with more white space. Lightish so the speed is not an issue. criendlish with easy navigation and interactive content... In meeting room: Programming language should be..., Easy to use CMS... , Mobile responsive, API. CSS..., Frameworks... Blah! Blah! Next Day.. Boss: How did the briefing go? Got all requirements? I believe he is quite demanding. Dev: Yes, he is demanding and at the same time confused. And the brief was full of complex and contradicting info... Dev: ...making it appear as though it is a merge between two separate briefs.. But don't worry, I just shut him up with my KISS. I mean the "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" approach . Project Scope Management One of the major reasons for project failures is due to poor requirements gathering. Project managers should address requirement issues very early in the project life cycle because problems based on poor requirements lead to issues that are more difficult and expensive to resolve after projec is underway.
Maya: Boss, I intend to take up this advanced project management certification. So I was keen to know if I could get corporate sponsorship For the same.
Boss: Maya, let me remind you that you are not a Fresher in this profession. You have 20 years of work experience. So why do you need a certification?
Maya: But Boss, I need to advance my project management skills and learn new technologies. This will open up better opportunities within the company and I will get to handle complex projects, effectively and efficiently.
Boss: Oh, in that case why don't you try putting in more hours of work, work over weekends or may be forego your vacation time. You will get noticed and promoted one day for sure.
Dev: How did it go? Did you manage to hit the bull's eye?
Maya: Nope, this bull is quite headstrong. Instead, I ended up hitting the glass ceiling.
PMI's Pulse of the Profession® Relevance of certifications.
72% of PMO leaders feel certification is very relevant for mid-career project managers. Certifications typically require ongoing professional development, allowing project managers to evolve enhance, and grow a variety of skills, including technical, leadership, and digital skills.
Dev: Boss, the Phase I of Project Nebulous is not complete and we cannot start Phase II which is dependent on it. Hence, I see the project getting delayed.
Boss (thinking): Project is critical but we don't have extra time or resources. I need to think of some way out. Think Think Think!
Boss: Why don't we implement the project using Agile approaches. Faster and Flexible with same resources.
Dev: But Boss, Agile is not about "Doing more with less". Moreover, Agile practices are not suitable For executing this particular project.
Boss: Isn't it how everyone in project management Field is doing their projects?!
Dev (thinking): I am sure he will change his mind when he realizes that creating agile environment starts with servant leadership.
At project kickoff, dedicate considerable time to define exactly which approach will be used and the rationale behind the decision. It's about sizing up the project and the team, and then making it work.
Dev: Boss, I do have one. He has relevant experience and technical expertise. Moreover, he has exceptional leadership and business management skills too. I will email his resume right away!
Dev: Excuse me Boss. How did the interview go with my Friend? How did you find him?
Boss: Err, which interview? Who? Oh ok, your referral. I am sorry but he was rejected.
Boss: Yes, I agree. Also, he has management and leadership skills. So rejected as he is over qualified.
In today's increasingly complex and competitive global market place, technical skills are simply not enough. Companies are seeking added skills in leadership and business intelligence - competencies that can support longer-range strategic objectives that contribute to the bottom line. Project leaders should look at hiring project team members accordingly.
Dev: Boss, you just gave me another project while I already have my hands full.
Boss: Have you ever heard of multi-tasking, Try that!
Dev: But I believe that it lowers work quality and efficiency.
Boss: Those are all myths. Watch me! I will take this call while you continue talking.
Dev: Well, multi-tasking has been found to increase production of cortisol, the stress hormone. And research suggests that those who multi-task more had less empathy and emotional control.
Boss: I am done with the call. Sorry, did not quite catch the last part. What was that?
Dev (thinking): Sometimes I am glad he multi-tasks.
Elimination of resource multitasking reduces conflicts between priorities and keeping team member focused on those items that are critical for project success. All of these benefits support reducing project risk and reaching the end goal of finishing the project on time, within budget and without scope reduction.
Dev (thinking): Gasp! Pere comes the "but".
Boss: ....make sure it is complete within two months. We have to showcase this at the upcoming conference.
Dev (thinking): I knew this was coming!
Boss: Oh, don't worry about planning and documentation. As you are aware we will be following Agile approaches in this project.
Boss: Now isn't that a silver lining for you and the team!
Dev (thinking): Silver lining? How ignorant. I wish I had a Silver Bullet instead.
Though there is extensive Flexibility in Agile projects, planning is required continuously and inherently. Secondly, whether Agile or Waterfall, documentation is crucial as it provides the team to physicalize valuable knowledge gained during the project.
Boss: Dev, I want you to do the demo of our new application to our US based clients next week. Remember to choose a mutually convenient time as they are quite busy and difficult to get through.
Boos: By the way, I am on a business tour so you will have to drive the demo. Make sure it goes well.
Boss: Just back in office from my tour. So how did the demo go? What was the client feedback?
Dev: …when the client turned up an hour later we realized that it was the same day the Daylight Savings Time change was introduced.
Boss: Dev, you just frightened the living daylights out of me with this news. It was an important meeting. How could you forget?
Significant portion of a project manager’s time is spent in communicating with stakeholders, what is going to be done. For clear and effective communications one needs to consider all factors like different realities, the space the communication takes place in, verbal/non-verbal messages, etc.
Team Mate 1: Guys, I am so looking forward to the long weekend. I am going out for a hike with my friends. What about you all?
Team Mate 2: Yes, me too!
Boss: Team, I am quiet keen to know what this excitement is all about but before that one important update. We have an important pitch coming up and I want you to share critical data that I need over the weekend for the same.
Boss: Remember, this pitch is for a prestigious client so the team will need to gather some motivation and enthusiasm to work over the long weekend.
Team Mate 1: My enthusiasm and motivation just “went for a hike” after hearing this…what about that!
A project leader needs to use emotional intelligence to increase co-operation by identifying, assessing, and controlling sentiments of team members, anticipating their action and acknowledging their concerns.
Boss: Ravi, I have some bad news for you. The management has decided to downsize you and your team.
Ravi: Boss, this is so unfair. The team has always performed beyond expectations and you know that well. Then why?
Boss: Ravi, this has nothing to do with performances. The organization has decided to adopt agile approaches and practices for managing projects henceforth.
Boss: So we won’t need project managers like you any more.
Boss: I hope you understand me.
Ravi (thinking): Of course I do understand you and your ignorance about the fact that there is no “one-size-fits all” approach to managing projects.
To lead your project to success, there are many methods — agile, waterfall, hybrid, and many more — and often no single approach will do. It’s important to find the right method to match the needs and requirements of your project.
Boss: Did you finish the project tasks we discussed in our last meeting?
Dev: Hmm, well kind of?
Boss: What do you mean “hmm, kind of.” Dev, clearly we need to work on your sense of urgency.
Boss: And what? The balance 20% is waiting for Christmas, is it?!
Dev: That 20% is what I could not understand as you rambled off since you were rushing for a meeting.
Dev (thinking): Yeah, of course! Your door is always open but sadly, can’t say the same about your mind.
Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback. Regular reporting of the project’s progress and feedback is crucial to the success of the project. Communicating in a clear and precise manner is paramount, so that all understand what the key messages are.
Dev: I heard you have put me onto yet another project. I am already neck deep in others and with one more, I will not be able to put my head above water.
Boss: Dev, stop over playing. I am sure you will get on with the project like a duck to water.
Dev (thinking): I wish the projects also rolled off easily like water off a duck’s back.
Many organizations have several projects going on at once. This requires thorough project resource planning because usually team members are active on several different projects, all at the same time. Also, scheduling becomes complex when the same resources are shared across divisions, with different project managers. It can also lead to your best resources becoming burned out.
Boss: I am putting you on Maya’s project as she will be going on medical leave a week from now.
Boss: Make sure the necessary handover is completed.
Dev: But Boss, I am a Data Analyst and Maya’s project scope is beyond my understanding. So how will I ..
Boss: Dev, when will you learn to step up and be enterprising? Moreover, this project is not at all complex. You can take it up as a small challenge.
Boss: How is the project “Square Peg in a Round Hole” coming along?
Dev (whispers): Just like it should be…in a hole!
Dev (thinking): Never mind, he will never get it!
Selecting the ‘right’ people to manage projects is the key to minimizing project failures, maximizing organizational efficiency, improving time to market, and increasing profits. With the right project managers in place, projects are managed more effectively, increasing the probability for success and return on the project management investment.
Boss: Your project milestone has been missed by almost three weeks. Do you want to explain?
Project Manager: So it is like this…In the last quarter I have been drawn into several project status meetings where nothing concrete was discussed and not much was achieved.
Project Manager: Yes, I did an analysis of where most of my productive time was wasted. And I have realized that it was only attending meetings where there was no pre-set agenda, there was ineffective handling of action items, spending time on tangents and ill-prepared team members.
Effective status meetings are those that not only benefit the project manager, by providing timely task updates, but also benefit the entire team, by providing a venue for recognizing milestone achievements, sharing information, and bringing problems/issues to the team.
Dev: Boss, as you are aware, the Financial Management application that we are developing needs to be integrated with third party application.
Boss: Yes Dev, I know…but why do you look concerned?
Dev: Because the team does not have required knowledge and exposure to work on this third party application..
Dev: To avoid any unwarranted delay and also for future maintenance requirements, I propose we train them.
Boss: Sorry to say this but we no longer have training budget.
Boss: We are doing business in difficult times where every penny counts, moreover, training programs don’t add much value according to me.
Dev (thinking): I know what he is thinking right now. But the only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay as said by Henry Ford.
Boss (thinking): Train them and then see them leave to join competitors. No way!!
Training is an important technique for developing project teams. It helps to improve skills and competencies, and employee motivation, reduces staff turnover rates, and improves overall project performance.
Project Manager: Team, we shall be starting with our new project from next week. And for that I have made a perfect project plan which details out all the resources, tasks and dependencies related to this project.
Project Manager: Now that each one of you knows what tasks have to be accomplished we shall meet in couple of weeks for a quick update on the same.
Project Manager: Did you all finish the tasks that we talked about in the last meeting?
Team Mate 3: I have finished only half of my part and for other half I am waiting for Maya’s input.
Project Manager: Huh! So where on earth is Maya? She is the key resource for this project.
Project Manager (thinking): Oh boy! How did I forget Maya’s early maternity leave sanction in the Human Resource Management Plan.
Team Mate 2 (whispering): Looks like this project will go on a “pregnant pause” mode now.
As part of the Human Resource Management Plan, the Resource Calendar documents the time periods that each project team member is available to work on the project after taking into consideration their constraints, including time zones, work hours, vacation time, and commitments to other projects.
Boss: Guys, I have a very important project to be assigned to one of you. It needs to be initiated ASAP as we are pretty tight on it’s deadline.
Boss: But before that I need status updates of projects from both of you. Dev, you go first!
Dev: Boss, I have my plate full already. If I take it up then that would leave me with very less time to focus on my ongoing projects. And that would lead to missed deadlines! Are you okay with that?
Boss: Ravi, since you don’t have much to say on this, I assume you have enough bandwidth to take this project.
Ravi (thinking): If I say ‘No’ I might look unproductive and moreover my appraisals are around the corner. So I better say yes.
Boss: Let me assure you that this is a very prestigious project for our organisation and is of topmost priority.
Ravi (thinking): Looks like every project in this organisation is of top priority…don’t know what to focus on!
Some organizations have not sufficiently defined their goals and strategies. If top management is unclear on project priorities, then it is given that the entire organization is also not clear about which projects need to be taken on priority. Eventually, leading to an overworked and unhappy team.
Project Manager: Maya, why haven’t you done those minor changes in the code, yet?
Project Manager: They were supposed to be done yesterday itself. Client had a demo scheduled today! I had mentioned so in my mail too!
Project Manager: I doubt if you read my mail ever.
Maya: Oh! Looks like you are talking about the mail which had a long and rambling conversation thread.
Maya: It was such a confusing and overwhelming email..
Maya: It took lot of time for me to understand what needed to be done from my end. And by the time I figured that, it was time for me to leave for the day.
Significant portion of a project manager’s time is spent communicating what is going to be done. Hence, for effective and efficient communication, project manager needs to consider all the factors like the different realities, the space the communication takes place in, verbal as well as non-verbal messages, and the intended meaning versus the perceived meaning, etc.
Project Manager: Boss, how could you assign Maya on another project? How am I supposed to complete the project on time, now. She was the only key resource on my team.
Project Manager: So…so what Boss!
Boss: The management thought that the project has fallen through and so we decided to move the resources to the new one.
In fast paced environments, many times project managers share team members with other project managers. Sponsors and executives do not have access to updated schedule/reports until it is too late to either redirect the effort or to cancel the project. Hence, executives must communicate to all team members the importance of updating tasks/projects on regular basis.
Boss: How is “Smooth Sailing” project coming up?
Project Manager: Great! boss. No sweat at all.
Boss: I have not heard much on “Smooth Sailing.” No news is good news I hope.
Project Manager: Absolutely fine. We are smooth sailing.
Boss: We are one month away from the project deadline. Hope all well.
Project Manager: Boss, I am glad you asked. We have hit rough weather with “Smooth Sailing.” We have missed certain deadlines on the project…and may even go over budget.
Boss: What! Were you sleeping the last two months? Why did you not come earlier to me?
Project Manager: No Boss, there has been schedule slippage and ..
Boss: Don’t say a word! All these months I have been telling the client that “Smooth Sailing’ is indeed smooth sailing. And now what do I tell him? That it is in hot waters?!
Control Schedule process helps to update project progress and manage changes to the schedule baseline to achieve the plan. The key benefit of this process is that it provides the means to recognize deviation from the plan, take corrective actions and thus minimize risk.
Boss: As a cost-effective approach, our USA counterpart has decided to outsource part of a new project work to our India Team. It’s quite an interesting and challenging project. And we got to work collaboratively.
Boss: By the way, schedule a meeting in the coming week for a better understanding of the project. And yes, they are going to handover the project requirements during the meeting, so please be attentive!
Project Manager: Boss, as proposed, I did schedule a meeting with our US team but I could hardly understand what they spoke. I think it was their accent. Believe me I was all ears!
Boss: What time did you schedule the call, may I ask?
Project Manager: Hmm..it was around mid night.
Boss: What! Why could you not suggest them to schedule the call at a mutually convenient time? Their accent was not the problem but it was your assent to have a call at such an unearthly hour.
In today’s increasingly complex and competitive global market place, technical skills are simply not enough. Project managers and team members are required to have soft skills such as negotiation and influencing skills to make a project successful.
Dev: Boss, need your urgent attention. I just realized that the technology to be used for Project Steadfast may not be cut out from our existing platform.
Dev: Yes, it could make the application slow and unstable with bugs. Also, may lead to development failure.
Boss: Whoa! Stop right there! I know you are the Project Lead but who's the boss here?! No need to teach me the technical details. I have 30 years of experience. I know what's right and what's wrong.
Boss: Dev, I have just been told that Project Steadfast is in trouble. You have to do something about it urgently.
Dev: I knew this would happen. Didn't I tell you long back about this issue. See, I am so good at anticipating problems but you don't even value it.
Boss: I wish you were even half as good at convincing me and forewarning me. We could have surely averted this situation today. Now get this sorted out at earliest.
Effective negotiation skills are critical for a project manager to be successful. It is important to embrace a mindset that everything about a project is negotiable and that a project leader needs to be a skilled negotiator. Hence, right up front is the necessity to define project success and establish desired outcomes.
Project Manager: Maya, are you done with the Test Code module?
Maya: Nope! But it will be done by the end of next week!
Project Manager: Why so late?
Maya: Unless he sends me the same I cannot finish the task.
Project Manager: Why don’t you put pressure and get it out from him?
Project Manager (thinking): Oh no! I should have known. December month always stresses me out!
Projects are rarely conducted in isolation and while managing them one is mostly likely to encounter dependencies. Dependencies are the relationships of the preceding tasks to the succeeding tasks. It is important for project managers to understand these relationships when looking to improve the project schedule.
Boss: Team, don't look so tensed. Relax! I have not called for this meeting to reprimand you on your dismal performance which caused the last project to fail.
Team mate 1: Oh really! It seems like it though.
Boss: ...But as a forward looking leader I want to offer something valuable to you. This I am sure will surely motivate the dispirited team.
Team mate 2: Is it a compensatory leave for all the weekends we worked in last 3 months?
Boss: Nope! You have to sign up for a Performance Improvement Plan which includes attending a tutorial after office hours for the next one month.
Boss: And this will be funded through your salary budget. So expect a cut in your next month's salary.
Team mate 1: huh!! huh!!
Team mate 2 (thinking): Is this motivation or entrapment?
Team mate 3 (thinking): What can we expect from him anyway!
If a project is to succeed, it must have both a motivated project leader and a motivated project team. To encourage positive "change management", top management should provide an appropriate environment to support and motivate project managers because this can take away the negative effect brought by previous project failure.
Boss: Dev, I need you to come with me to a meeting..
Dev: Excuse me Boss! What is this meeting about?
Dev: Sorry, I didn’t get that.
Boss: I am not sure about it myself. I think there will be a discussion on marketing strategies for the new product launch.
Dev: Err Boss, but I am a technical person and I know nothing about marketing.
Boss: Oh, don’t worry about that. I want you there just in case they ask some technical questions. I need you to field those queries. Got it! Now just come along.
Dev (thinking): Someone wants to look good in the meeting. But what about me? Hope I don’t look like I have lost my way in the meeting room.
Most project meetings are for the purpose of resolving problems or making decisions. To have purposeful meetings, they need to begin with a defined list of issues to be discussed, which are circulated in advance to appropriate stakeholders with minutes and other information documented specifically for the meeting.
Boss: Dev, as you are aware, we have bagged a new project which requires developers with JAVA expertise. I understand we don’t have enough resources with those skills. Is that right?
Boss: So as the project manager, I suggest you take the responsibility of hiring the best resources available in the industry. Just remember that this project will start in two weeks from now, so start looking right away!
Dev: Boss, I have finally managed to put together the best resources for our new project that too at a short notice. And..
Boss: Oh, didn’t I tell you? Our client has changed the entire project technology strategy. We do not require JAVA professionals now.
Dev: What? We had put in so much hardwork to get the best people on board in limited time. Now what do I do with them?
Boss: Dev, you worry too much on small issues. We will figure out later. Now you focus on the current requirements.
Project managers spend most of their time communicating with team members and other project stakeholders. Effective communication creates a bridge between diverse stakeholders who may have different perspectives and interests, which impact or have an influence upon the project execution or outcome.
Boss: Mr.Dev…you skipped yet another important project meeting today. Your presence as Senior Tech.Lead was much required there.
Senior Tech.Lead: What? Which meeting? No one informed me about it.
Boss: I had sent an email to all concerned more than a week back so that there is ample time for preparation.
Senior Tech.Lead: Email? I have not received any email regards this meeting.
Boss: I had also marked it as “Urgent meeting” so it is not missed out.
Senior Tech.Lead: Oh ok! Now I understand. Well, you see, I receive umpteen number of emails with “Urgent” in the subject line every day. It is never easy to figure out which is truly urgent and needs action.
Senior Tech.Lead: Next time if there is anything really urgent, I recommend that you inform me personally as well. I won’t miss it that way.
Plan Communications Management is the process of developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder’s needs and requirements, and available organization assets. The key benefit is that it identifies and documents the approach to communicate most effectively and efficiently with stakeholders.
Project Manager: Jay, the project team has been waiting for you to deliver the few lines of code since last two weeks.
Project Manager: Why is it taking so long? The project is getting delayed because of your procrastination.
Project Manager: Just put an extra bit of urgency in your work and ensure you get it done by the end of the day.
Senior Tech.Lead: There is a saying,”Patience is a virtue” and also best things in life are worth waiting, you see!
Project Manager: Huh, best things in life??
Senior Tech.Lead: Yeah, like me and my work! Slurp!
Dependency analysis is a technique used to analyze the dependencies between activities. A dependency exists whenever the outcome of an activity or the occurrence of an event influences the execution of another activity. An examination of the dependencies helps structure the process model.
Boss: Our project is six weeks behind schedule…you have to do something to get it back on track.
Boss: so till the issues get ironed out, this office is your home and your team is your family! I shall check on the project status exactly after three weeks from now …OK?
Boss: Gaaah, what happened? You look like a hit and run victim.
Employee: You can say that again! I have been attempting project crashing to get the project on track.
Employee: This is the effect of overtime, somehow bringing in additional resources, and last minute coordination.
Crashing is a schedule compression technique used to shorten the schedule duration by adding resources and without reducing the project scope. Crashing works only for activities on the critical path where additional resources will shorten the activity’s duration.
Project Manager: Team, I have some news for you. Our new product was launched successfully on time and within specified budget. So kudos to the project team!
Project Manager: Hold on… Hold on!! I’m not done with the news yet! That was the good news. Now brace your heart for some bad news.
Project Manager: The client has said that the project objectives are no longer in tune with the overall business strategy of the organization.
Project Manager: ..and hence the project outcomes will not be of any benefit to the company.
Team mate 2 (thinking): I hope “our benefits” do not get affected due to the same.
It can be defined as the processes and practices for identifying benefits and aligning them with formal strategy. Through BRM, organizations can ensure that project and program benefits are realized and sustained.
Boss: Are we all set for the launch of the new website, tomorrow?
Boss: Good! But make sure there are no unexpected problems cropping up at the last moment!
Project Manager: Yes Boss! Don’t worry! All that is taken care of.
Boss: Our server has crashed. Our network is down… The website launch has been thwarted…the client is bombarding me with incessant calls! Can you please explain!
Project Manager: Oh! It could be the power outage!.
Boss: What!!! If you remember, I had clearly told you to take care of these problems beforehand.
Project Manager: But you asked me to take care of ‘Unexpected’ problems..while this one was a Scheduled Outage carried out for some routine maintenance.
Project risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives. Known risks are those that have been identified and analyzed, making it possible to plan resources for those risks. Known risks that cannot be managed proactively, should be assigned a contingency reserve.
Boss: How did your client meeting go?
Project Manager: I suggested that we should add some more awesome features and make it more useful.
Boss: Why on earth did you do that?
Boss: Of course…it has made an impact but only on our timelines and budget!
Project Manager (thinking): Bad decision! I guess!
Gold Plating is giving the customer something that he did not ask for, not part of the project scope, often something that the client may not want and possibly even beyond what is practical or reasonable for the effort.
Boss: Team…as you are aware, our project went live yesterday successfully. Kudos to all! But it’s not all over yet. We still need to provide project support for the next six weeks.
Boss: I want you all to work full steam and provide required technical support at all times without any breaks.
Team mate 1: Sure, you can depend on us for that!
Client: Hello! I can’t seem to log-in to the application. It is giving error messages.
Night Watchman: I don’t seem to see any problem with the application…the problem must be…ahem! Your technical ignorance… maybe.
Client: WHAAT! Are you out of your mind! Who am I speaking to, by the way!
Night Watchman: I am the night watchman. I am handling the calls till the support team is back from their break.
Human Resource Planning is used to determine and identify human resources with the necessary skills required for project success. Effective planning should consider and plan for the availability of or competition for scarce resources.
Client: Your organization is known in the industry for being customer-focused and adaptable. As clients we are highly impressed!
Boss: And I am flattered, thank you!
Client: So on that note, here are a few features I want you to add in the application.
Boss (thinking): That’s something outside the project scope… but not doing so will taint our “customer focused” image.
Boss: How is the new project coming along?
Project Manager: It is going as per plan. Thankfully, no delays so far.
Boss: That’s great! Here are some additional features which the client wants to be added to the application.
Project Manager: But we cannot deliver the project on time if the customer adds features which are not part of the scope.
Boss: Stop the excuses. We are known in the industry as being customer-focused. Do not forget that!
Project Manager (thinking): What happens to the focus which my team may lose because of this scope creep.
Scope creep is one of the most devious problems commonly faced by project managers. To avoid it, clear and well-managed scope is a key element to successful projects. If the product scope and its requirements are not clear and specific, it is a ‘breeding ground’ for scope creep.
Boss: Dev, I have mailed you the Project Plan. Please take a look and send me your inputs. I am sure it won’t take much of your time.
Boss: Dev, your help is urgently needed on Project Da Vinci…the team is stuck with a complex coding issue. And yes, I also want you to train the new team members for our project. Be patient with them, they are newbles!
Dev: Huh, But Boss..I have..
Boss: Hey Dev! Ravi just called in sick. So now I want you to step in and go for the requirement-gathering meeting on his behalf. And by the way, have you completed the white paper document I had asked you to work on?
Boss: Why is your project still not complete? Are you saying nothing has been accomplished in the past few weeks.
Dev (thinking): He has conveniently forgotten that I have completed all his sundry urgent tasks, on time.
Boss: Can you at least enlist a few significant activities?
Dev (thinking): I wish I had recorded all those “outside of my scope” tasks that he was happily dishing out to me while my project suffered.
Conflict is inevitable in a project environment. Sources of conflict include scarce resources, scheduling priorities, and personal work styles. Team ground rules, group norms, and solid project management practices, like communication planning and role definition, reduce the amount of conflict.
Boss: Psst! Is there some sort of masquerade party in office for which I haven’t been invited to?
Project Manager: No Boss! Actually, off late, I had noticed lot of conflicts among our team members. It was the main reason for their inefficiency and project delays.
Boss: So what’s with the masks I see on their face?
Project Manager: To resolve these constant fights and arguments, I came up with this “Conflict Resolution Plan”, which I hope will lead to team harmony and congeniality.
The success of project managers in managing their project teams often depends a great deal on their ability to resolve conflict. Successful conflict management results in greater productivity and positive working relationships. | 2019-04-19T18:16:14Z | https://www.pmi.org.in/fundas_t.aspx?id=fundas&term= |
The October 2012 Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) finds increased risks to the global financial system, with the euro area crisis the principal source of concern, and urges policymakers to act now to restore confidence, reverse capital flight, and reintegrate the euro zone. This GFSR presents a report on whether regulatory reforms are moving the financial system in the right direction, and finds that progress has been limited, partly because many reforms are in the early stages of implementation and partly because crisis intervention methods are still in use in a number of economies, delaying the movement of the financial system onto a safer path. The final chapter examines whether certain aspects of financial structure enhance economic outcomes. Indeed, some structural features are associated with better outcomes. In particular, financial buffers made up of high-quality capital and truly liquid assets tend to be associated with better economic performance.
U.S. Risks: Complacency or Confidence?
Risks to financial stability have increased since the April 2012 Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR), as confidence in the global financial system has become very fragile (Figures 1.1 and 1.2). Despite significant and continuing efforts by European policymakers, which have been essential in addressing investors’ biggest fears, the principal risk remains the euro area crisis. Incremental policy-making has been insufficient to fully allay market tensions, despite the recent market rally since end-July. Imbalances in the United States and Japan are amenable to medium-term adjustment, but clarification now of necessary policy actions to be taken over the medium term would sustain confidence and preempt potential future market pressures. Emerging market economies have navigated well through increased global risks, but if spillovers were to intensify, rising domestic vulnerabilities and a reduction in policy space could pose increased challenges.
Note: Away from center signifies higher risks, easier monetary and financial conditions, or higher risk appetite.
Note: Changes in risk and conditions are based on a range of indicators, complemented with IMF staff judgment; see Annex 1.1. in the April 2010 GFSR and Dattels and others (2010) for a description of the methodology underlying the Global Financial Stability Map. Numbers in parentheses denote the number of individual indicators within each subcategory of risks and conditions. The “overall” notch change in each panel is the simple average of notch changes in individual indicators in that panel. In the panel on monetary and financial conditions, a positive value for lending conditions represents slower pace of tightening or faster easing, and QE = quantitative easing.
Since the April 2012 GFSR, markets have been volatile, gyrating between extremes of disappointment and optimism (Figure 1.3). Confidence in policymaking has faltered, despite significant and continuing efforts by European policymakers. In addition, rising political risks elsewhere have postponed medium-term adjustment. These risks have spilled over to broader global economic conditions. Notwithstanding recent market improvements in response to policy actions described below, conditions remain fragile after a prolonged deterioration in underlying trends. Flows into global bond funds have jumped since the April 2012 GFSR, with investors favoring safe-haven sovereign bonds and investment-grade corporate bonds amid concerns about tail risk outcomes (Figure 1.4).
Sources: Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Bloomberg L.P.; and IMF staff estimates.
1 Spreads are over bunds, inverted.
Note: LTROs = longer-term refinancing operations.
The combination of lower risk appetite, a weakened outlook for growth (see the October 2012 World Economic Outlook), and persistently volatile and wide spreads in the euro area periphery has led to an increase in macroeconomic risks. Emerging market risks have also risen, as the prospects for these economies appear increasingly linked to the global cycle. In recent years, the resilience of emerging market economies amid the high-risk global environment has been evident in persistent investor flows seeking the relative safety of the sector’s fixed-income assets. However, a further escalation of euro area stresses poses risks, especially for the countries in central and eastern Europe. A slowdown in economic activity heightens these risks, as some emerging market economies have only limited policy space to provide countercyclical stimulus and safeguard against external shocks.
Credit risks remain largely unchanged, albeit at high levels, as the renewed deterioration in the banking sector and growing deleveraging and credit pressures in the euro area periphery have been offset by some improvements in corporate and household balance sheets in advanced economies. Within the euro area, capital has continued to move out of the periphery, both to the core and to countries outside of the euro area altogether, as official measures to safeguard integration have so far proved insufficient to offset strong private sector forces for fragmentation.
A further deterioration in the euro area crisis is the biggest risk to global financial stability, but rising imbalances elsewhere are also a cause for concern. Safe-haven inflows to Japan have compressed government bond yields to near-record lows despite a more challenging sovereign debt load and a strengthening sovereign-bank nexus. While these imbalances are mostly a medium-term issue of fiscal adjustment, derivatives markets are pricing in risks of rising interest rates and currency volatility (Box 1.1).
For the United States, safe-haven flows, central bank purchases, and balance sheet de-risking have also contributed to an unprecedented compression of credit risk premiums and yields. The looming debt ceiling, fiscal cliff, and related uncertainty are the main immediate risks, while unsustainable debt dynamics remain the key medium-term concern. If compressed credit spreads rise in a disorderly or rapid manner, longer-term fiscal risks could pose increasing stability challenges for the United States and the global financial system. Markets are not pricing in such an outcome (see Box 1.1), suggesting a degree of complacency, as reflected in extended long positions in Treasury bills across broad investor classes, in which interest rate risk, given near-zero policy levels, is essentially all one way. Meanwhile, U.S. banks face structural challenges related to changes in their business models.
Monetary authorities have reacted to the elevated risks of financial instability and tighter credit conditions by maintaining a supportive policy stance, thus keeping overall monetary and financial conditions broadly accommodative. The European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) three-year LTROs (longer-term refinancing operations) eased bank funding strains and slowed the pace of deleveraging in the euro area in the first quarter. Lending conditions stabilized but then began to deteriorate again toward the end of the second quarter as the divergence between the euro area core and periphery continued to grow. However, a broad-based commitment from the ECB, beginning with a statement by ECB President Mario Draghi at the end of July to do “whatever it takes” to preserve the euro, and followed by the introduction in September of a program of Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) to provide liquidity to sovereign debt markets in the euro area periphery, helped to reduce tensions and boost market recovery. In response to the weakening outlook in the United States and persistent high unemployment, the Federal Reserve launched a new round of quantitative easing (“QE3”) in September. Also in September, the Bank of Japan, responding to weakened external growth prospects and persistent domestic deflation, enhanced monetary easing by increasing the size of its Asset Purchase Program. Together, these central bank actions boosted prices of risk assets and bank equities, while narrowing sovereign peripheral spreads in the recent period.
This GFSR welcomes the important steps taken by the European authorities and encourages strong implementation of announced policies along with further steps outlined in the complete policies scenario below that could act as a turning point in the crisis toward durable stability (see Box 1.2).
The rest of this chapter focuses on critical global stability risks and policy challenges. Chapter 2 assesses these financial risks in the sovereign, banking, and corporate sectors across regions of the world.
The deepening euro area crisis has driven a wedge between the periphery and the core.
The euro area crisis has moved from a sudden stop into a capital-flight phase despite substantial policy interventions, as cross-border private capital is being repatriated from the periphery back to the core of the currency union (Figure 1.5). Since domestic currency depreciation is impossible within the monetary union, higher risks have translated into rising credit spreads on the periphery’s sovereign and bank borrowers, particularly in Spain and Italy (Figure 1.6). As financial integration unwinds rapidly in this internal capital account crisis, the private capital leaving the periphery has been mostly replaced by large public sector flows, principally across central bank balance sheets (Figure 1.7).
Note: To estimate the autonomous, private-sector-driven component of total flows, flows are calculated as the sum of net portfolio and other investment flows, excluding changes in TARGET2 balances at the central bank. Core = Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands; periphery = Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Note: Share of nonresident investors in total debt stock, and generic yield of 10-year government bond. Yields are 3-month moving averages.
Sources: Bank for International Settlements (BIS); Bloomberg L.P.; European Financial Stability Fund; Haver Analytics; national central banks; and IMF staff estimates.
Note: Current exposures of the rest of the euro area to the periphery (Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) amount to €2.2 trillion; including cross-border lending by euro area banks reporting to the BIS on an ultimate risk basis (end-March 2012); periphery banks’ borrowing from the Eurosystem, excluding emergency liquidity assistance; ECB purchases of periphery government bonds through its SMP; and EFSF and EFSM contributions to programs with Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. ECB = European Central Bank; EFSF = European Financial Stability Facility; EFSM = European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism; SMP = Securities Market Programme.
Yet despite the significant public resources being deployed to the periphery, private sector confidence has remained low. Concerns over a possible euro area breakup have led to extreme fragmentation between funding markets in the core and the periphery (Figure 1.8). The announcement of the OMT program in early September has helped address such concerns and reduce sovereign spreads between the periphery and the core. However, periphery bank and corporate spreads have narrowed less, which may act as a brake on recovery. Banks, insurers, and nonfinancial corporations are trying to match assets, liabilities, and collateral in each country of the periphery as protection against redenomination risk. In turn, liquidity in core economy banks is not being recycled to the periphery but is instead being deposited at core central banks or in relatively safe government bonds.
Sources: Bloomberg L.P.; Thomson Reuters Datastream; and IMF staff estimates.
Note: Data for sovereigns are weighted by GDP; for banks, by assets; and for nonfinancial firms, by outstanding bonds. Corporate spreads are calculated via option-adjusted bond spreads. Core = Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands; periphery = Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Following a brief pause afforded by the ECB’s LTROs, deleveraging pressures on periphery banks have increased amid a sharp economic downturn, worsening funding conditions for both banks and sovereigns, and financial fragmentation within the euro area (see Box 2.3). The corporate sector could quickly become an additional force in this pernicious feedback loop, as downgrades of sovereign ratings threaten to drag investment-grade corporate debt down to the subinvestment-grade level. It is too early to tell whether the ECB’s OMT program will relieve deleveraging pressures, as further measures at the national level are likely to be needed, as discussed below.
Restoring stability to reverse financial fragmentation within the monetary union remains the key policy challenge.
Restoring confidence among private investors is paramount for the stabilization of the euro area. Euro area policymakers are laying foundations to support that confidence, but numerous technical, legal, and political challenges remain. The urgency of the task is also increasing, as the fragmentation of funding markets remains intense despite the recent market rally, posing a risk of further damage to the financial system and the real economy. This report explores these policy challenges by updating and extending the euro area scenarios for baseline policies, weak policies, and complete policies introduced in the April 2012 GFSR.1 Developed in detail in Chapter 2, these updated scenarios are briefly summarized below. Owing to mounting pressures on periphery banks since the April 2012 GFSR, the degree of deleveraging stress under all three scenarios is now higher than it was in that report, rising to $2.8 trillion under the baseline policies scenario, or as high as $4.5 trillion under the weak policies scenario (Figure 1.9).
… increasing pressure on banks to reduce assets and credit.
Investors are increasingly buying protection against extreme risks, even if investing in the instruments designed to provide the protection can be costly and may prove ineffective. Evaluating extreme risks can inform policymakers on threats to financial stability, by region, timing, and the structure of the protection. In Europe, markets point to some risk of currency redenomination. Reflecting medium-term fiscal challenges, markets are pricing in some upside risk to Japan’s low interest rates. In contrast, U.S. markets are sanguine over both near-and medium-term risks from macro imbalances.
The realization of extreme risk in 2008 led to a material alteration in investment strategies: strong demand for insurance against tail outcomes (the risk of low-probability but high-impact events). This demand has been relatively price insensitive in the recent past, indicative of a lasting structural shift in investment strategies. New instruments have emerged to satisfy investor demand, the most notable aimed at exploiting the inverse correlation between equity prices and the expected volatility of equity markets.
The S&P Volatility Index is an indicator of market expectations of future volatility and is widely used as a measure of global risk aversion. In January 2009, in the midst of the steep decline in global equity values, an instrument that tracks market expectations of volatility was introduced—the VXX. The demand for such products has surged, and they now account for a significant share of the equity options market.1 Demand is also strong despite poor performance (the VXX is down 60 percent on an average annualized basis), indicative of investor focus on extreme risks.
Global tail risks may emanate from one or more sources, such as the euro area crisis or U.S. and Japanese fiscal imbalances. Evaluating the source of specific risks provides policymakers with a guide to areas of potential instability discussed below.
Risks in the euro area are dominated by balance of payments imbalances across member states. Creditor countries are repatriating capital from debtor nations even when the cost of doing so is high, as demonstrated by negative nominal shorter-term interest rates in various countries (Figure 1.1.1). Investors are willing to accept negative interest rates as the cost of guarding against a euro breakup and the introduction of national or subregional currencies (currency redenomination risk). Creditor countries expect to see their currencies appreciate substantially, more than offsetting the negative interest rate.
Note: Yields are weighted by nominal GDP. Creditor countries = Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Debtor countries = Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Redenomination risks can be evaluated against Denmark, a country with a long-standing currency peg to the German mark and now the euro. Figure 1.1.2 estimates the probability of the Danish kroner breaking the strong side of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM-II) peg to the euro in one year’s time from market prices, which has been rising and falling alongside strains in the euro area. This can be viewed as a proxy for the expectation that a stronger, northern euro bloc will emerge from the crisis where the Danish kroner peg is reset to the stronger-currency countries and appreciates against the weak-currency ones.
…while currency markets reflect euro redenomination risks.
Note: ERM-II = European Exchange Rate Mechanism. The probability of breaking the strong side of the ERM-II boundary is estimated from the one-year euro-Danish kroner forward and volatility from option markets.
Japan’s imbalances are unique in the context of history: very high government debt yet a very large external creditor position. The resolution of these imbalances could have significant implications for both interest rates and exchange rates. The natural expectation leans to a significant increase in bond yields. Interest rate markets do indeed reflect the potential for higher yields in the medium term.
The implications for foreign exchange markets are more complex. As seen during the March 2011 natural disaster in Japan, rapid currency appreciation may occur given the potential for the repatriation of foreign assets. Alternatively, the threat of an erosion of confidence in domestic policy, or, over the longer run, of a deterioration in the current account, might cause substantial depreciation. The market has resolved these two competing forces by anticipating a very high level of medium-term volatility in the dollar-yen exchange rate (as shown in Figures 1.1.3 and 1.1.4), well above realized volatility and high relative to past crises.
Note: The medium term is derived from the difference between the 5-year and 10-year implied volatility in the yen versus the U.S. dollar and the euro. The short term is the historical 3-month volatility.
…and risk of higher interest rates in the medium-term in Japan but not in the United States.
Note: A 10-year by 10-year swaption is a 10-year call or put option on a 10-year interest rate swap agreement. The option premium differential depicted here indicates the relative demand for insurance against the possibility that future interest rates will be higher than expected.
The United States has a blend of the imbalances seen in the other major countries. U.S. government debt is high, though not as high as in Japan. The United States is an international net debtor, though not to the same extent as Spain and other countries in the euro area periphery. Nevertheless, markets have a benign expectation for the resolution of U.S. imbalances. Evidence of extreme risks in interest rate and currency markets is absent at virtually all horizons.
While the capacity of the U.S. government to repay its debt is not in doubt, continued growth in macro imbalances would raise the likelihood of a misalignment of policy incentives across internal and external creditors. If the expansion of the Federal Reserve balance sheet is the last-resort policy that prevents a large rise in bond yields, the clearest transmission mechanism is currency depreciation. Medium-term expectations have been, instead, leaning toward a U.S. dollar appreciation (Figure 1.1.5).
Note: Trade-weighted dollar risk reversal index is constructed using 5-year option risk reversals on the euro, yen, and British pound, indexed to a medium-term mean, reflecting investors’ bias toward appreciation or depreciation. Data for 2012 are through August 31.
In the near term, the U.S. sovereign credit default swap curve suggests that the debt ceiling, as well as the fiscal cliff, will be resolved without issue (Figure 1.1.6). Uncertainty about a potential technical default as a result of the debt ceiling led to credit risk in short-term default swaps rising above those over longer horizons in July 2011. No such pattern has emerged this time around. In the longer term, option markets are pricing far less fear of a rise in longer-term interest rates compared with Japan (as shown in Figure 1.1.4).
…while markets are sanguine about the near-term U.S. fiscal cliff and debt ceiling risks.
Evaluating extreme risks supports financial stability in three important ways. First, policymakers can disagree with the market assessment and provide targeted, logical foundations to the contrary both when there is too much and, importantly, too little concern about future imbalances. Second, understanding strategies that attempt to insure against extreme risks can reveal potential vulnerabilities in the financial system. Seemingly effective hedges, such as long-term euro interest rate swaps, could further concentrate counterparty exposures, exacerbating risks when extreme events occur. Third, changes in investment strategies lead to financial innovation. New products, particularly fast-growing ones where risk diversification is likely to lag innovation, could lead to risks simply being transferred and concentrated, and therefore should be closely monitored.
Note: Prepared by Marcel Kasumovich and Narayan Suryakumar.1 Instruments such as the VXX and other volatility-based products are roughly 40 percent of listed S&P 500 options.
Since the April 2012 GFSR, European policymakers have announced further important policy measures aimed at reversing the fragmentation of euro area financial markets and strengthening the architecture underpinning the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). To ensure maximum effectiveness, these measures will need to be followed by implementation at the national level, with further steps taken toward more complete integration.
In addition to agreeing on up to €120 billion in European Union (EU) growth-enhancing initiatives, euro area leaders promoted measures to address the sovereign-banking nexus. These included removing the seniority of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) loan to recapitalize Spanish banks once the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) loan rolls over; opening the possibility for the ESM to directly recapitalize Spanish banks once the single supervisory mechanism is in place; and restating the commitment to use EFSF/ESM interventions to stabilize secondary sovereign bond markets. Bond spreads in the euro area periphery narrowed sharply in the aftermath of the summit in the belief that these steps constituted a significant step toward spreading the liability for future bank rescues across the euro area.
In a preliminary ruling on September 12, 2012, the German Constitutional Court stated that the ESM and the Fiscal Pact were consistent with the German Constitution, paving the way for Germany to ratify the ESM Treaty. The Court attached the condition that Germany’s commitment to the ESM is capped at the currently planned €190 billion unless the lower house of parliament decides to approve additional funds. The court also ruled that both houses of parliament must be informed about ESM decisions and that granting it a banking license would be incompatible with primary EU law.
Greater credibility. By explicitly targeting intervention to address convertibility risk and the broken transmission mechanism, and by tying intervention to conditionality and shorter maturity bonds, the ECB gained near-universal acceptance that it is acting well within its mandate.
Operational lessons learned. OMTs will not dilute existing bondholders by taking a senior position in the sovereign’s capital structure, thereby lessening investors’ incentive to sell as the ECB buys. Additional transparency will enable investors to assess the ECB’s position in, and commitment to, OMT country bonds.
Easing of periphery bank liquidity and capital concerns. An OMT program is likely to encourage domestic banks to continue to participate in sovereign primary bond markets as the ECB will act as a backstop buyer of one- to three-year bonds. The OMT announcement reopened the primary market for unsecured debt of periphery banks—if sustained, this will reduce liquidity concerns for banks.
Potential reduction in sovereign bond volatility. A credible OMT program, with potential backup support from the ESM in the primary market, should help anchor sovereign yields at the short end, encourage domestic banks to participate at longer maturities, and reduce volatility, thereby attracting external investors back.
The ECB’s actions have eliminated a number of the potential “bad equilibria” arising from fears that a periphery sovereign and its banks will face an extreme liquidity crisis. By addressing many of the operational defects of the SMP and being more clearly within the ECB’s mandate, the OMT program has greater credibility and is likely to be deployed with less hesitancy. However, the OMT program still faces significant political and implementation risks. Governments now need to ask for support under the EFSF/ESM, agree on conditionality, and implement reforms. Furthermore, steps need to be taken to put in place the other elements of the complete policies scenario—notably, moves toward greater fiscal integration, credible bank recapitalization and resolution, and a banking union. The OMT program does not give categorical assurance that debt sustainability will be restored given the uncertain impact of conditionality.
On September 12, the European Commission published its proposals for banking union within the euro area. These envisage rapid implementation of a Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) by January 2013, with the ECB empowered to act from that point on, taking over supervision for systemically important financial institutions in July 2013 and all banks from January 2014. EU countries outside the euro area can opt into “close cooperation” with the ECB, which will then issue guidelines and requests to these authorities and their banks. The European Commission envisaged adoption, by end-2012, of EU legislation harmonizing national prudential regulations, bank resolution, and deposit insurance, and steps toward a single bank recovery and resolution framework. It also proposed that the European Banking Authority’s powers of “binding mediation” over national authorities be extended to the ECB.
Numerous issues with this ambitious plan now need to be resolved and agreed upon. These include the boundary of responsibility and delegation between the ECB and national supervisors, the balance between euro area and other EU regulators, the future of macroprudential policymaking across the EU, and the optimum timetable for implementation. Furthermore, these proposals, while important, are only preliminary steps in the creation of a full “banking union” with the aim of weakening the nexus between a sovereign and its banks. This will require, in particular, adequate pan-euro area backstops for deposit insurance and bank resolution, and a bank resolution mechanism. Without these, the cost of banks’ capital will still be linked to their home country, while a sovereign’s creditworthiness will remain tied to that of its banks.
1 OMT features include (1) conditionality: the assisted sovereign signs up for an ESM/EFSF program or precautionary credit line; (2) mode of intervention: unlimited, fully sterilized, short-dated (one to three years) ECB bond purchases in the secondary market with no formal yield target; (3) ranking of claim: pari passu ranking with other bondholders for OMT purchases of sovereign bonds; (4) transparency: OMT holdings and their market values to be published weekly and the average duration and country breakdown to be published monthly; and (5) collateral policy: minimum credit rating requirements for sovereign-issued collateral used for ECB liquidity operations are to be suspended for sovereigns eligible for the OMT program.
The WEO/GFSR baseline policies scenario assumes a gradual restoration of confidence based on additional policy actions that demonstrate political commitment to closer integration. Specifically, it assumes that policymakers establish a single supervisory mechanism on the current timetable and contain pressures on spreads, including potentially through the ECB’s OMT program, and policymakers in periphery economies follow through with their adjustment programs. Under this scenario, policy credibility and confidence improves gradually, while capital flight from the periphery to the core slows. Activity would continue to contract in the periphery from still-elevated funding costs, while the core would see only very sluggish growth.
Unless the policy actions under the baseline are taken, the euro area is likely to slide into a weak policies scenario. This scenario envisages current commitments remaining unfulfilled as the periphery’s political resistance to reform grows, or support from the core wanes, or both. Strains in the euro area deepen as the forces of fragmentation increase and become entrenched (Box 1.3). Potential financing gaps widen, the degree of fragmentation and financial repression increases, capital holes in banking systems expand, and the increasing intra-euro area capital account crisis spills outward. These developments pose a far-reaching threat to the global financial system and the global economic outlook.
To avoid rising economic and financial costs seen under the baseline scenario, the complete policies scenario envisages that euro area policymakers advance timetables for actions assumed in the baseline scenario. In addition, they present a clear roadmap to a banking union and fiscal integration and deliver a major down payment toward those goals. Examples might include putting in place a euro area deposit guarantee scheme and bank resolution mechanism with common backstops, or concrete measures toward fiscal integration, as anticipated in the “Four Presidents” report submitted to the euro area summit (European Council, 2012). Under this scenario, the euro area begins to reintegrate financially as policy credibility is restored and capital flight reverses. Funding costs in the periphery and core normalize by the end of 2013, credit channels reopen as banking strains dissipate, and economic growth returns to the periphery and picks up in the core.
Chapter 2 uses these scenarios to demonstrate that unless additional policy measures are taken swiftly to achieve the complete policies scenario, confidence will not be sustainably restored, and the result will be higher levels of deleveraging (Figure 1.9), a greater reduction in credit supply (Figure 1.10), leading to a sharp contraction in investment (Figure 1.11), a cut back in employment (Figure 1.12), and a steeper drop in output (Figure 1.13). The longer the crisis continues, the greater will be the public sector costs of its ultimate resolution—because of the transfer of rising credit exposures from the private sector to monetary and fiscal authorities—and the more difficult it will be to reintegrate the periphery with the core. Merely muddling through also imposes increasingly higher costs, as the unchecked forces of fragmentation continue to gather speed and undermine the very foundations of the union—a common monetary policy, and economic and financial integration within the single market. The existing strains in the markets require a leap to better policies if the euro area is to stabilize funding markets and reduce spreads, arrest capital flight, and begin to reintegrate financially (Figure 1.14).
Note: Core = Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands; periphery = Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Total credit includes domestic and direct cross-border credit supplied by banks.
Note: Core = Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands; periphery = Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
… and growth under the downside scenario.
Reducing sovereign spreads would help relieve deleveraging stress.
Note: Periphery sovereign spreads are GDP-weighted average spreads of Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
What is needed to achieve the complete policies scenario?
The complete policies scenario requires, first, regaining credibility through an unflinching commitment to implement already adopted measures. That credibility supplies the platform on which further actions, taken at both the national and euro area levels, can stabilize the current situation and facilitate a rapid move toward a more integrated union.
For sovereigns, the top priority remains the continued implementation of well-timed medium-term fiscal consolidation strategies. Countries must continue the process of adjusting high debt burdens. To navigate short-term fluctuations, however, countries with fiscal space should let automatic stabilizers operate around a path of sustained fiscal adjustment (see the October 2012 Fiscal Monitor for further details).
For the banking system, important steps must be taken to recapitalize or restructure viable banks where necessary and resolve nonviable banks. Conservation of public resources should require burden sharing by shareholders and by subordinated debt holders in banks that receive significant injections of public capital. Full protection of bank liabilities by impaired sovereigns is likely to do more systemic harm than good by raising the credit risk premium for the whole economy through higher sovereign funding costs. In the case of resolution, other creditors may be subjected to bail-in, respecting the creditor hierarchy.
Individual countries must address the issues that caused them to lose access to long-term market financing within the currency area. Wide-ranging, growth-enhancing structural and institutional reforms are needed to strengthen competitiveness and economic governance and to narrow external imbalances.
For the banking system, this should include continuing adequate funding for banks through the ECB’s liquidity framework—supplemented with relaxed standards for collateral, as already announced in September. For countries facing a severe feedback loop between banks and sovereigns, banks need direct support from the existing crisis management facilities, namely the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and its successor, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), following the establishment of a single supervisory mechanism.
Separating the sovereign debt issue from sovereign liabilities toward domestic banks will require decisive moves toward a banking union. Progress is needed on common regulations and supervision, as well as bank resolution and common safety nets, along with adequate backstops to both a joint deposit insurance fund and a single bank resolution authority. While current plans envisage the creation of the single supervisor, it is also essential to provide a clear timeline and detailed concrete steps toward creation of the resolution authority and joint deposit insurance, which will happen at a later stage. This is essential to guide market expectations and regain confidence.
Box 1.3.Resilience of the Euro, or Fragile Equilibrium?
Since the start of the euro area crisis, the resilience of the euro has stood in contrast to the strong depreciation of other free-floating currencies during past periods of banking and sovereign stress (Table 1.3.1). While the euro has been supported by an overall favorable aggregate euro area balance of payments position and relatively favorable debt position, increased stress within the euro area and financial fragmentation could put pressure on the currency.
1 Equity performance in local currency terms. Euro area equities performance is based on the euro Stoxx 50 Blue Chip index.
2 Increase of five-year credit default swap (CDS) spreads for Hungary and the United Kingdom, 10-year U.S. dollar bond Z-spread for Turkey, and GDP-weighted average of five-year euro area sovereign CDS spreads for the two euro area periods (excluding Greece).
Balance of payments flows provided support to the euro during the 2008–09 financial crisis leading to the first Greek program, and in the subsequent period of euro area periphery stress (periods I and II in Table 1.3.1). From the beginning of the financial crisis the ongoing shrinkage of assets in the financial account due to portfolio investment repatriation, particularly from European monetary financial institutions (MFIs; red line in Figure 1.3.1), as well as resumption of foreign portfolio inflows by foreign MFIs (blue line in Figure 1.3.1) have reduced some of the pressure on the euro. Moreover, as the euro continues to be a major reserve currency, the increase in general portfolio investment liabilities during the first half of 2012 (foreigners’ purchases of European bonds and equities) helped cushion the large drop in fixed-income portfolio investment assets by domestic investors over the same period. From a valuation perspective, the present interest rate configuration suggests that the euro is fairly valued, according to consensus analysts’ forecasts and models.
Note: The red line corresponds to European monetary financial institution (MFI) portfolio investment flows outside the euro area; the blue line is the portfolio investment flows into the euro area by foreign (non-euro area) MFIs.
Three broad pillars continue to instill confidence in the euro. First, the euro area as a whole compares favorably with other major economies on fundamental factors (see Table 2.1 in Chapter 2). Countries in the euro area periphery face serious challenges, but the core countries make up the majority of the euro area in output and overall economic standing. Second, the European Central Bank has acted to diffuse tensions in periods of acute risk aversion in the past and has pledged again to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro. Third, commercial bank deposits have stayed within the euro area so far, albeit with some recycling from the periphery to the core.
However, even though the euro has remained broadly resilient with the ebb and flow of “muddling through” measures, the existing equilibrium is precarious. One may think of the euro as a two-state regime. In periods of decreasing or stable tail risks, the aggregate performance of the euro area in terms of overall balance of payments improvement and the steady deposit base help to keep the euro stable.
In this state, typical interest rate fair value models describe adequately the evolution of the nominal exchange rate of the euro, as shown in Figure 1.3.2 (blue line). During periods of increasing risk aversion, the fragility of equilibrium in the euro area is highlighted by the disparities between core and periphery countries (see Table 2.1 for German, Italian, and Spanish macro variables relative to the euro area). Under such stressed conditions (as in May 2010 around the time of the first Greek program), a model incorporating sovereign and bank funding risks on the nominal euro-U.S. dollar exchange rate (red line in Figure 1.3.2) performs better, as questions arise about the sustainability of current policies and the possibility of a breakup of the currency union.
Note: Fitted values until October 2010 are based on two-year rolling regressions of weekly observations. The rate differential model uses three-month interbank rate spreads, one-, two-, and five-year rate spreads between euro and dollar swaps. The euro area stress model uses GDP-weighted average 10-year bond spreads to Germany for the euro area, and one-year cross-currency euro-dollar basis. After October 2010, the lines correspond to out-of-sample predictions on the latest estimated coefficients.
The resurgence of credit risks during the fourth quarter of 2011 and in May 2012 would be consistent with a much weaker euro under the euro area stress model, in contrast to results from typical interest rate fair value models, which track spot rates closely. A prolonged period of high tail risks may push the currency off its fragile equilibrium toward the state specified in the weak policies scenario especially should the strength of the three pillars listed above erode.
Note: Prepared by Evan Papageorgiou.
The process of further integrating the euro area as a monetary, fiscal, and financial union must be pushed forcefully ahead. Tangible commitments to the roadmap toward fiscal integration would help anchor expectations about the irreversibility of the euro area project. An immediate step toward greater risk sharing would be to provide a common fiscal backstop for a banking union. Common borrowing, with appropriate fiscal safeguards, could provide such a backstop, ensure market access for sovereigns under stress, and create safe assets for the banking sector.
Sovereign credit risk is also an important challenge to stability in the United States amid a weak economy facing slow growth and inadequate demand. Unsustainable debt dynamics remain a medium-term concern, but the looming fiscal cliff, debt ceiling deadline, and related uncertainty also pose near-term risks—to the extent the accompanying unpredictable political process erodes confidence in policymaking and triggers market volatility. Given the very special role that U.S. Treasuries play in global capital markets, keeping them safe is of paramount importance, both for the United States and for the global financial system.
Safe-haven flows, central bank purchases, and balance sheet de-risking have contributed to an unprecedented compression of credit risk premiums and yields in the United States. This makes risk largely asymmetric or “one way,” since yields are close to record lows and are more likely to adjust upward. Fiscal imbalances are largely medium-term challenges, but if political discord in managing shorter-term issues or other stresses causes yields to rise in a disorderly or rapid manner, the consequences for global financial stability could be severe, given worldwide exposures to Treasuries. While perceptions could change, markets are currently not pricing in such an outcome (see Box 1.1).
There is little room for complacency in tackling these major policy challenges, even if markets are not yet signaling imminent concerns. The main priorities are to promptly define a gradual consolidation path to avoid the fiscal cliff, restore fiscal sustainability with a balanced approach to medium-term consolidation, and complete financial sector reforms. At its September 13 meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee agreed to extend its low interest rate guidance from late-2014 to mid-2015 and to undertake additional purchases of mortgage-backed securities at a pace of approximately $40 billion per month, conditional on a substantial improvement in the labor market. While these measures have helped to boost prices of risk assets and reduce mortgage rates, additional steps may be needed to unclog the transmission mechanism and accelerate the repair of household balance sheets. Going forward, the focus should be on proactive policies that prevent near-term risks from materializing, that address medium-term sustainability, and that forestall the buildup of vulnerabilities.
The present difficulties in the euro area provide a cautionary tale for Japan, given the latter’s high public debt load and interdependence between banks and the sovereign that is expected to deepen over the medium term. Japan has been a beneficiary of safe-haven inflows as a result of the crisis in Europe; these flows have pushed government bond yields to near record lows, facilitating easy financing of the nation’s high public debt. However, safe-haven flows have also driven the yen exchange rate to near historic highs, impacting Japanese exports and domestic production. In turn, this has added headwinds to the economic outlook, leading to continued weakness in credit demand from the private sector. Banks have responded by increasing their holdings of government bonds.
The rising concentration of government bond risk in the domestic banking system is a central financial stability concern in Japan. Since 2008, demand from the traditional investor base for Japan’s sovereign debt has waned, and domestic banks have become the dominant buyers. Stress tests of the major banks reveal that, over the near term, they are able to handle moderately large shocks to government bond prices. But a potential sharp rise in government bond yields in the medium term could pose sizable risks to Japan’s regional banks (see Chapter 2 and Box 1.1).2 Measures to induce banks to take greater account of the risks inherent in large holdings of government bonds may help control this risk, particularly in the case of regional and smaller banks.
Emerging market economies need to guard against potential further shockwaves from the euro area while managing a slowdown in growth that could raise domestic financial stability risks. Thus far, flows into their bond markets have continued as fears about sovereigns in the euro area have escalated. However, local markets could come under strain in an adverse scenario of acute global stress that precipitates large-scale capital outflows.
Policy priorities vary significantly, depending on domestic conditions, external vulnerabilities, and available policy space. Overall, countries in central and eastern Europe are the most vulnerable of the emerging market economies, because of their direct exposures to western Europe and some vulnerabilities shared with countries in the euro area’s periphery. In broad terms, many economies in central and eastern Europe remain focused on resolving the legacy of past credit and asset price booms that have left them with large external debt burdens and limited space for expansionary macroeconomic policies.
The Achilles’ heel of many economies in central and eastern Europe is a banking system struggling with deleveraging pressures, worsening asset quality, and slow growth. At the same time, the region is most exposed to headwinds from the euro area. This challenging constellation argues for continued efforts to reduce vulnerabilities. In particular, authorities should push ahead with coordinated debt resolution policies—such as debt workout plans or loan modification schemes—that allow borrowers a path back to sustainable finances in close coordination with their creditors. Bank regulators simultaneously need to require full loss recognition and adequate capitalization to lay the groundwork for a recovery in credit supply. These domestic efforts must be supported by cooperative approaches from home regulators in the euro area, notably under the Vienna II Initiative.
Emerging market economies in Asia and Latin America generally appear more resilient, but several key economies are prone to late-cycle credit risks following an extended period of rising leverage and property prices. Meanwhile, the scope to provide fresh policy stimulus is limited in several economies, especially where strong recent credit expansions argue against a loosening of financial policies. Policymakers must therefore keep their guard high and deftly navigate their country-specific challenges to avert external and domestic threats to financial stability. The priority for them, therefore, is to build additional buffers in balance sheets—private and public—to withstand possible setbacks, as the cycle may turn downward in the near future.
More broadly, policymakers in emerging market economies are well advised to continue developing local capital markets so as to reduce their vulnerability to reversals of capital flows. The still-limited scale of domestic asset managers in many emerging market economies heightens the risk of disruptive shocks from capital flows. Promoting capital market development is therefore a key priority.
There is a need for a continued strong commitment to the regulatory reform agenda. Implementation of reforms in the current environment, in which banks are facing reduced profitability amid persistent legacy problems, poses considerable challenges. Debates have arisen over the timeliness and difficulty of reforms, and many countries are struggling to implement international agreements in full, as set out in Box 1.4. As documented in Chapters 3 and 4, the reform agenda seeks to improve the resilience of institutions. Without more resilient institutions, recovery will continue to lag. Momentum to carry through with the agenda, in full, should not be lost.
The focus of the regulatory reform agenda has shifted from the development of standards to rulemaking and implementation.1 An April progress report by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS, 2012a) shows that some countries are much further behind than others in the implementation process, raising the possibility that some may miss the January 2013 deadline for the national rules to be in place. Among the G20 countries, according to the report, only India, Japan, and Saudi Arabia had published their final rules for implementation. China subsequently published its final rules for a phased implementation commencing in January 2013. The United States also released its consultative package but did not announce an implementation date.
The liquidity requirements under Basel III—the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and the net stable funding ratio (NSFR)—are still some time away from implementation, with the LCR and NSFR currently within the observation period. Although the LCR rules will be clarified by early 2013, the final shape of the NFSR is less certain, as the implementation date is further out, in 2018.
Agreement has been reached on the identification of global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) and on the different buckets of capital surcharge applicable to them. Discussions are now focusing on extending the framework to domestic SIBs and to nonbanks, including global systemically important insurers (G-SIIs). In a consultation paper, the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS, 2012) has proposed a methodology for identifying G-SIIs that places greater emphasis on nontraditional and noninsurance activities and interconnectedness. The BCBS has released draft guidance on a principles-based approach to identifying domestic SIBs and applying related systemic risk charges (BCBS, 2012b). Implementation is targeted for 2016.
The various groups examining shadow banking activities and entities within the Financial Stability Board (FSB) are expected to deliver their reports and policy recommendations over the next six months. Recommendations are expected in the near term on money market funds, securities lending and repos, and enhancements to the regulation of banks’ interactions with shadow banks. The work on other entities that could be considered shadow banks (ranging from hedge funds to finance companies) is going at a slower pace, in large part because such entities vary across jurisdictions.
The extraterritorial implications of the Dodd-Frank Act and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) adopted in the United States are still being evaluated by other jurisdictions and the market. The full implementation of both pieces of legislation continues to evolve. FATCA has potentially far-reaching effects on the compliance obligations of banks, and parts of the Dodd-Frank Act, such as the Volcker rule, would alter the business model of dealer banks.
Implementing effective domestic and cross-border resolution regimes remains a key component of the reform agenda. The FSB published “Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions” in November 2011 (FSB, 2011). It also set out an ambitious timetable, including the preparation of recovery and resolution plans by end-2012 for all designated global systemically important financial institutions, conducting their resolvability assessments, and concluding institution-specific cross-border cooperation agreements in the first quarter of 2013. A methodology to assess country compliance with the Key Attributes is on track to be completed in 2013. FSB members have begun the first of an iterative series of thematic peer reviews on the implementation of these items. These peer reviews are expected to provide a fuller picture of progress toward implementing the new standard and emerging challenges. Standard setters are also at work on the application of the methodology and resolution tools for G-SIIs (the IAIS) and financial market infrastructures (the CPSS and IOSCO).
Crisis management groups have been established for nearly all the designated G-SIBs. Progress in developing resolution plans is less advanced and uneven as many jurisdictions lack the necessary statutory tools for resolution. Legal reforms to align national resolution regimes with the FSB Key Attributes are under way in many jurisdictions.
Note: Prepared by Christopher Wilson and Michaela Erbenova.1 See Chapter 3 for a more complete assessment of the potential effects of regulatory reforms on financial structures.2 For example, the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) in April released the final version of the “Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures,” which contains standards for “all systemically important payment systems, central securities depositories, securities settlement systems, central counterparties and trade repositories” (CPSS-IOSCO, 2012).
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS)2012a “Progress Report on Basel III Implementation” April 2012 Update (Basel: Bank for International Settlements). www.bis.org/publ/bcbs215.htm.
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS)2012b “Dealing with Domestic Systemically Important Banks” Consultative Document (Basel: Bank for International Settlements). http://www.bis.org/press/p120629.htm.
Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and International Organization of Securities Commissions (CPSS-IOSCO)2012 “Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures” (Basel: Bank for International Settlements and International Organization of Securities Commisions). www.bis.org/publ/cpss101.htm.
DattelsPeterRebeccaMcCaughrinKenMiyajima and JaumePuig2010 “Can You Map Global Financial Stability?” IMF Working Paper No. 10/145 (Washington: International Monetary Fund).
European Council2012 “Towards a Genuine Economic and Monetary Union” (Brussels). http://consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/131201.pdf.
Financial Stability Board (FSB)2011 “Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions” (Basel). www.financialstabilityboard.org/publications/r_111104cc.pdf.
International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS)2012 “Global Systematically Important Insurers: Proposed Assessment Methodology” (Basel). www.iaisweb.org/G-SIIs—918.
Note: This chapter was written by Peter Dattels and Matthew Jones (team leaders), Sergei Antoshin, Serkan Arslanalp, Eugenio Cerutti, Julian Chow, Nehad Chowdhury, Kay Chung, Sean Craig, Reinout De Bock, Martin Edmonds, Michaela Erbenova, Jeanne Gobat, Mehmet Gorpe, Kristian Hartelius, Sanjay Hazarika, Changchun Hua, Anna Ilyina, Patrick Imam, Marcel Kasumovich, William Kerry, Alexandre Kohlhas, Rebecca McCaughrin, Tommaso Mancini Griffoli, Peter Lindner, André Meier, Paul Mills, Nada Oulidi, Evan Papageorgiou, Jaume Puig, Jochen Schmittmann, Katharine Seal, Stephen Smith, Narayan Suryakumar, Takahiro Tsuda, Constant Verkoren, Chris Walker, Christopher Wilson, Lei Ye, and Jianping Zhou.
In the April 2012 GFSR, the baseline policies scenario was called the current policies scenario.
Chapter 2 projects that domestic regional banks will raise their holdings of government debt from 24 percent of assets in 2011 to 30 percent by 2017. At that point, an increase of 100 basis points in the yield on the debt would reduce the Tier 1 capital of those banks by one-fourth. | 2019-04-19T12:29:33Z | https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/IMF082/12744-9781616353902/12744-9781616353902/ch01.xml |
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EACH TIME I’VE OFFERED Ricki Carroll’s fabulous mozzarella/ricotta cheesemaking kit in a random drawing, the response has been overwhelming. Consequently I’ve ordered another kit for this month’s giveaway. Who’d like a chance to win it?
It was Ricki Carroll who introduced me to the pleasures of homemade cheese. Her kit contains enough vegetable rennet and non-gmo citric acid to make 30 batches of mozzarella. Also included is a thermometer and a large piece of high-quality butter muslin. I use butter muslin for straining a number of cheeses, including the Greek-style yogurt I make almost every week.
1. Subscribe — if you haven’t already — to my weekly email newsletter.
I’d be ever so grateful if you clicked the “like” button, too.
The drawing expires on Friday, May 18, 2012, at 11:59PM. As always, I’ll use the little number-gadget at Random. org to select a winner. The winner will be notified by email.
I am a subscriber and I wanted to say thanks for the info on layering, my neighbor and I are going to try it! My favorite cheese at the moment is Robusto!
I just subscribed, and I would love to be entered in the drawing.
would love to see this put to use by my family. Love most cheese, but would love to start making some at home.
Subscriber, and I love many cheeses…mozzarella, brie, raclette and spanish drunken goat are some of my faves. Love your blog!
I love ALL cheeses! My least favorite is Blue Cheese.
Thank you for another giveaway. I love Swiss and would love to learn to make Mozzarella. I’ve made soft vinegar cheese with herbs from my goat milk, but would love to make more cheeses!
I’m a cheese-a-holic and lovin’ it! I love nearly all kinds of cheese, but use mozzarella and asiago the most. Ricotta makes a great breakfast mixed with various fruits or other goodies.
Thanks for your great column, full of useful ideas. I look forward to it each week.
I love mozzarella cheese the most, the fresh one, of course.
My first taste of it was at a Greek house, with tomato slices and basil, drizzled with olive oil.
Thanks for your newsletter! I learn a lot.
Pick a cheese? Impossible! Homemade dill garlic mozzarella would be up there!
I subscribe to your newsletter and follow you on FB and Twitter.
When my grandson once asked me why Emmenthal was my favorite cheese, I answered, “Because it’s ‘Swiss-ier’ than Swiss!” He thought that was hilarious!
Mmmm Mozzarella! I think Mozzarella may be my favorite. I also like Chevre goat cheese.
I love all cheeses. Mozzarella with tomatoes and basil… Nothing better!
My favorite cheese is mozzarella 🙂 Thank you for a chance to win Ricki Carroll’s fabulous mozzarella/ricotta cheesemaking kit!
I am a current subscriber to your newsletter! I love it!! Thanks for providing such awesome information 🙂 I love both Ricotta and Mozzarella..They are both fabulous on Pizza..I’ve never had homemade before.
I would have difficulty deciding which cheese I would prefer. Both are perfect for our spring and summer produce! Goat cheeses are of interest to me as well. I am on the path of preparing nutritious foods for delivery and am fermenting vegetables, making yogurt and making cheeses is a natural next step. I want to make everything by hand! What a wonderful way to show love!
I love it! I was just talking to my husband about making Mozzarella and him giving me a kit to get started. We live in a rural area and good cheese is hard to find.
I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE AND NEWSLETTER.
Super love your website! Already a subscriber and would love to make my own cheese..we love to do yogurt now, so that would be another fun yummy for sure! Yippie!
I just discovered your website a couple of months ago and joined your mailing list the other day. We just moved to a fixer-up after 20 years of apartment life so I am really new to gardening, but really excited. Your site has been so helpful and I love the recipes.
Picking one favorite cheese is hard! I love them all. I never thought of making it on my own so I think mozzarella sounds like a great way to start learning how to make cheese.
A friend served me fresh homemade Ricotta on a homemade baguette, topped with avocado, drizzled with local honey and red pepper flakes…Fabulous!
Already a subscriber :). I haven’t met a cheese I didn’t like!
I’m first-generation Italian, so of course I have to say Parmisano-Reggiano, the king of cheeses!
I remember my Italian nonna making scarmozza, a regional type of mozzarella, and I would love nothing more than to make my own mozzarella to go with fresh tomatoes this summer.
Thanks for the chance to win this wonderful giveaway, but if I don’t win, I’ll still be looking into getting this kit. Oh, and I am a loyal subscriber!
Mozzarella is fav …I’ve always wanted to make cheese!
I am a current subscriber- my hubby is insanely addicted to Ricotta cheese- by the way.
I recently discovered your wonderful newsletter, and have been sharing it with friends who also love natural gardening and home style recipes and tips. In our house cheddar and mozzarella are two favorites.
I am a current subscriber who LOVES your newsletter and who loves my own garden! I love goat cheese and cambozola any given day.
I just want to say, I very much enjoy your emails. I have learned so much and your recipes are awesome. Thanks for your time and knowledge. As for cheese, I would have to go with mozzarella.
I’d love to win this cheese kit. My grandchildren would love making cheese!
I have always wanted to try this kit! My favorite cheese? It’s hard to pick just one…it would be like trying to choose a favorite child.
I am a current subscriber to your newsletter! My favorite cheese is fresh mozzarella.
Never met a cheese I didn’t like, tho’ some more than other. I make yogurt, so mozzarella should be too big a stretch.
Thanks for the great newsletter! I love cheese. Have been wanting to try to make my own mozzerella for some time.
I love fresh mozzarella, but really love most cheese! I am a subscriber. Enjoy your newsletter!
Hi Kevin, I absolutely love Havarti Cheese. I think that it is my favorite which is hard to choose since I love cheese of all kinds. They are very versatile to any meal, snack or wine. Thank you for your newsletters for they have help open a new door in my life.
Hello and thank you for another chance at the drawing.
I love fresh mozzarella. It’s my favorite!
I am a subscriber who loves cheese and would really enjoy the reward of putting this kit to the test.
Cheese??? LOVE IT ALL! Nice Idea, this fun contest. Thanks! And BTW, your website and info are an endless delight. I look forward to receiving it and always open it right away, roam through, and set aside the goodies to digest at leisure later. It spreads the pleasure out. Love your work and inspiration!
I’m a subscriber. I’d love to make fresh mozzarella to go along with the tomatoes and basil we have growing. . .Caprese Salad!!!
I am a subscriber to your newsletter, and I love it-Thank you.
I like cheese in any shape or form. The only cheese I have ever made is kefir cheese, would love to win a kit to try.
HI, This sounds wonderful!! I am a new subscriber and love the emails, they are so informative!!
All cheeses are favorites depending on the use, but a friend gives me fresh mozzarella for our pizzas and it is fabulous.
I love cheese. I love all kinds of cheese. Cheese is my middle name. Well, it’s not really. But I still love cheese. This giveaway makes me happy I subscribed to your blog a few months ago.
I like to use mozzarela in making pizza.
Really haven’t discovered a cheese that I don’t like! The cheese making kit sounds delightful!
I like many cheeses, so I can’t really say what is a favorite. Mozzarella is one of my favorites though. I am already enrolled to receive the newsletter which I enjoy. So Thank you for providing this service.
Hello ! I love cheese and I love to cook. Sounds like a win/ win . Did I mention that I love cheese?
And I enter every time, and one of these days I’ll win the kit! My favorite cheeses are Havarti and Muenster. Thanks!
I am a current subscriber and look forward to and truly enjoy the advice in your newsletter.
Goat brie – the best!
I think I’d have to chose low fat ricotta, I’ve learned to make some healthier desserts with it. Particularly good is ricotta cheese beaten with a little skim milk to make it smooth and creamy then add almond flavoring and it make a great dip for strawberries. (Better than sour cream!
I love mozzarella cheese! So does my family. I would love to have the ability to make it at home.
I love your site. So much great info. Would love to know how to get rid of fleas naturally in the yard. It didn’t get cold enough in Atlanta to kill them.
My favorite chees right now is Camberbet. I never thought of making my own cheese. Would love to win the kit.
I’m new to your website and am enjoying your input on gardening and home living. Thanks for sharing yourself. I am an e-mail subscriber and would like to be entered for this cheese maker. Sounds very interesting. Perhaps this will be what finally gets me to making cheese! We make a lot of homemade pizza, so the mozzarella would be great!
Hello! I would be over the moon to win a cheese kit! Thank you for the opportunity!
I’m happy to say I found a cheese from my childhood. I remember my dad always stopping at a store in Pinconning, MI when we were in that part of the state. He would stock up on sharp Pinconning cheese. I started thinking about it a few months ago and the next time I was in a big Meijer store….there it was in their cheese cooler. Yes, I stocked up but I’m down to my last piece. Time to go back to the big store. 🙂 Thanks for offering this gift. I am already signed up to receive your newsletter which I very much enjoy. I would really like to make my own mozzarella.
Hello – I love and have loved since I was a kid – aged Gouda spiced with Cumin.
WOW I woukld love to make cheese!
Any cheese, if it is cheese it is for me! Am a subscribefr and LOve Love Love your emails.
Hello! My fav is goat cheese, keep trying to convince the hubby to let me get some goats to milk. He said it would be goats or him. I told him I will get back to him!
Have always wanted to try my hand at making cheese! Great giveaway!
very informative article about the ticks! I hate those things! My wife and I get some on us every year, but take the same precautions that you do. Always check between your toes. My mom got one there and she got real sick before it was discovered! By the way, I do love cheese and could sure use a kit! Thanks for your great weekly emails!
With tomato season coming up, a bit of fresh mozz to make insalata caprese would be lovely!
I’d love a chance to try making my own cheese. This way I know what really is in my cheese!
Our family loves all cheeses & I’ve always wanted to learn to make mozzarella. I would love to share the process with the 4th grade class I work with in their school garden. Hands on science projects are awesome for kids. Thanks for offering an opportunity!
I already subscribe and enjoy your newletter. I love mozzarella. Also love feta, blue cheeses ….just love cheese! Thank you!
I am subscribed, happily. Feta and farmers are my favs. Too hard to pick just one!
I’m an email subscriber and I love fresh mozzarella!
I’m a subscriber and I love mozzarella cheese!
I love fresh mozzarella for my pizza making evenings with m y grandchildren.
Any cheese is great-but linburger!!!! But to be able to make my own -knowing exactly what is in it. is the very best. And to pass to friends——awwww’ !!!!! The satisfaction of making your own. I make my own bread so to put my own cheese would be great. Thank You.!!!
Hello, I love all cheese!!!
I see the kit makes 30 batches of cheese, we use a lot of monzzarella cheese here.I have been looking into making my own cheese, this kit would get me started. Thanks for the drawing.
My favorite is mozzarella because my grand kids and I love making pizza and use the tomatoes we grow in Lala’s garden! I very much enjoy your blog! Thank you!
Right now I am enjoying champagne cheddar but I like to try all kinds of cheeses. I have been on a tomato/mozzarella kick lately (w/a little bit of basil, olive oil and lemon juice.).
I am a subscriber who enjoys your photos and benefits from your knowledge…thank you!
Is there a cheese I don’t like? NO! One favorite is cream cheese because I can add herbs or veggies to it for spreads, bake with it, make candy, etc. The chance to win a mozzarella cheese kit is appreciated!
I enjoy most cheeses, but I’m not wild about the veined ones like blue cheese. I guess my current fave is d’Affinois, a semi soft, Brie-like cheese. I also enjoy all the good info in your newsletter – gardening and food – what more could one want!!!!
I adore fresh mozzerella and have been wanting to make it for several years now. Thank you so much..Love your site!
I adore all cheeses and fresh is always a special treat!
I love cream cheese used in place of butter. Would like very much to make my own. Look forward to your Newsletter every week. It is oh so good!
I am very intrigued by your newsletter and look forward to reading it weekly.
I am very fond of Ricotta and would like to make some as well.
Love your newsletter – I look forward to it. Mozarella is my favorite.
Happy Mother’s Day! My favorite cheese is Ricotta-I use itineverything from appetizers to desserts. And I’d love to try making my own!
I am a subscriber and brand new mom. While I am breast feeding, my doctor has advised me to get at least 4 servings of calcium. No problem. Cheese. Cheese. Cheese. And more cheese. I’ll take any kind I can get my hands on, but some of my favorites are Brie, asiago, Boursin and of course VT extra sharp cheddar.
I love raw cheddar and mozzerella cheeses.
P. S. Thanks for the awesome emails! I divided hostas yesterday worked great!
I bake weekly,with one of my at risk students. What a great idea! I am definetly looking into this activity. His favourite cheese is cheddar.
I am a subscriber. I can’t seem to pick a favorite since I love them all. I have always wanted to make cheese at home for my family.
Kevin, I really love your newsletter…it is so full of wonderful information and receipes. Thanks!!
Enjoying my weekly newsy letters; so glad I found this site.
This time of the year, with fresh tomatoes slowly starting to come in, I crave good mozzarella cheese.
Mozzarella, I’ve made it before and it is so good! All around favorite is Edam.
Though Munster is a close runner up.
Pick a favorite cheese would be like trying to pick a favorite son or daughter!! They are ALL my favorites!!
I am a new subscriber and enjoy all the tips you give. My all time favorite is queso fresco.
already a subscriber. I love mozzarella! Love the way it melts and gets stringy but cream cheese is used so much more… hmmmmm cheeeeeese….
I thoroughly enjoy your blog as I am passionate about food, gardening and home decor. Anyway, I was lucky enough to live and work in Rome, Italy for 3 years and not only learned about the wonderful cuisine of that area of Italy, but loved living “La Dolce Vita” as well. I have never attempted cheese making, but that would seem like a perfect next process in my culinary adventures!
I LOVE cheese, our family favorite is cottage cheese, and we use fresh mozz weekely for our “family fun nights”. Love your newsletter, it is so hard to find a gardening journal so packed with useful information for our area. Thanks for your hard work!
Oh the list of comments is long already!! My favourite cheese is old cheddar. Thank you for the hosta dividing info. Helped me a great deal this spring.
I’ve only made the mozzarella, following your recipe and it was really good. Your site is very inspirational. I look forward o your postings. Don’t Stop.
I’m with the lady above who never met a cheese she didn’t like.
Love eating warm apple pie with a slab of sharp cheddar on top!
I’m a subscriber and I think it would be great learning how to make cheese!
Hi, I am subscribed, and I enjoy reading…I am really interested in making mozzarella, I could eat it every day! Have a great day!
Hi! (I’m back!!!) All cheese is wonderful!!!!! (and your mozzarella was delicious!!!!!) See you soon!!!
depends on what I am going to use it for.
Subscriber here who has tried and failed at Ricotta so I’d love a kit…..and love the Blog.
Hello, I am a new subscriber and wanted a chance to win your cheesemaking kit.
Love both kinds of cheese!
Hi! I’m a subscriber and we love ricotta cheese! We also love your newsletter!
Really, couldn’t pick a favorite. Love them both for different reasons. Would love to try a kit!
I love both kinds of cheese! Yogurt too!
It’s a tie for me. Cheddar and Monterey Jack. But my luck at making Mozzarella has been really bad. With this kit I might have better luck! I’d love to win it!.
Thanks for your newsletter. I love all cheeses, but I especially like spicy cheeses. And I love mozzarella, especially with the fresh tomatoes from my husband’s garden!
I’m already a very pleased subscriber!!
I just tried the easy popover recipe – DELICIOUS!!!!
Love both kinds of cheese.
I already subscribe and I love Mozzarella the most!
I loooove mozzarella, particularly on a grilled sandwich with basil and tomato. It would be great to win this kit and learn to make my own.
Creamy goat cheese on summer salads is so yummy! As much as loving all cheese, I love your newsletter! It’s everything I adore, you bring nature and fabulous recipes into harmony, thank you!
A lot of people would like to have the cheese making kit, myself included. Really like your website.
I am a subscriber and i love ricotta.
Already a subscriber. Like all type of cheese. This is an Italian family so, we have the basil & tomatoes growing and of course virgin olive oil ready to pour!
I love this newsletter and read it as soon as it comes out. I get such great tips and will be making your veggie bean burger this week. I love cooking and gardening. I have a small garden in my backyard which include veggies, herbs and flowers. I usually grow peas, onions, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers ( variety) zucchini, just to name a fews. I also have started a strawberry and blackberry patch,which the wonderful animals seem to enjoy. What is better than going out and picking your veggies that look good, then making dinner for your family based on what you grew.
I never made cheese, but would love to learn. Thanks for the opportunity.
First off love your weekly newsletter, it is like a breath of fresh air. As a Sweetgrass vendor I would love to figure out how to make a poster to put in my booth for my customers to all find out about you. How do I decide which cheese I like, wow depends on the recipe. I made one and added Jalapenos, ooh it was awesome. As with so many others would love to have the cheese making kit. Hope to see you at the Mother Earths News fair the first weekend in June.
I’m a recent subscriber and just LOVE IT! And I’ll have to go with fresh mozzarella…. its so versatile!
I want to make cheese.
I’m a recent subscriber who learn more every week. Cheese is my favorite way to get dairy in my food plan. Any type is great but favorites include Mozzarella, Gouda, and goat cheese. With my cheese loving family coming for a summer visit it would be great to have homemade cheese with them.
I’m a subscriber, and I love mozzerella!
mozzarella with fresh basil and tomato from the garden!
The cheese guy at Honest Weight got me hooked on the too-expensive but oh-so-wonderful raclette de savoie. Fortunately, I don’t live near enough to the food coop to indulge myself as often as I might otherwise be tempted to do!
I’m already a subscriber, and would love to try homemade mozzarella.
I’ve been a subscriber for 3 months and I look forward to your posts! It’s a great site.
I’d love to be entered in your drawing and I love all cheese; choosing a favorite would be like choosing your favorite child! I just can’d do it!
I am a subscriber and I love fresh Mozzarella!
Just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for sharing your wonderful garden and garden tips with everyone. I love following the progression of your garden and share your tips with my gardening friends. Thanks for all you do. Cheese…I have to admit that Jarlsberg is my very favorite cheese although I love and eat a lot of different cheeses (except Lindenberg…can’t seem to get past the smell), and would love to learn how to make cheese. But mostly I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your blog and browsing through your site.
I love all cheeses and love trying out your recipes!
Awww, just realised my email address was wrong but Ive still been getting the newsletters …strange!
I like most cheeses but am partial to bleu cheese. I’m f rom Vt so I’d love to learn how to make cheddar. I’ve seem Mozzarella made on tv and would love to try it.
Love the posts, and have already been using them every week! Thank you so much. Love all cheeses, so very excited to try! thanks!
I have finally found goats milk at a reasonable price, close to home and I am able to visit the nannys whenever I go for the milk. Thanks for the contest.
Kevin, really love Mozzarella cheese, this look so easy to do. Thank you so much for your blogs/website and for sharing with all of us. You should see my apples and grapes right now, just loaded, picked a few apples yesterday to can on Monday. We have been blessed with rain the last couple of days so everything is perking up….even the weeds….Grrrrr.
I love Greek style yogurt & mozzarella cheese. The newsletter is great!
Pecoino Romano is the most used cheese in our house but mozzarella is right up there with it. Would love to make my own fresh mozzarella!
I love the newsletter and have long wished to try my hand at cheese making, so hope I win. Thanks very much for the contest.
My son and I would love to win this!!
My favorite cheese is Feta!
Right now I am loving queso fresco, manchego, and some very sharp cheddars. My favorite cheese of all time has to be Cougar Gold from the WSU Creamery. To. Die. For!!!
Yikes….which is my favorite? Very hard to say I really love cheeses of all kinds!! I have a little bit of a frenzy whenever I go to Trader Joe’s since they have a great little selection of cheeses…loved the Chocolate Cheddar!! And the Brie and Asiago…I could go on! Thanks for offering this great giveaway!! I love your newsletter!!
Hello! Please add my name for a chance to win the cheese making kit. I enjoy receiving your emails.
Cheeeeez! I don’t think I’ve ever met a cheese I didn’t like. Even Limburger! But Mozz is the Bozz. Having 3 kids, we go thru mozz cheese stix like crazy.
I am already on your email list and love your newsletters. I’m from Wisconsin and like almost all cheeses but l like goat cheese and mozzarella best. Thanks!
Can’t say I have a favorite when they are all so good! If I had to pick, it would be any goat milk variety.
Already a subscriber – thanks for your site!
Love your site! Husband eats cheese all day with crackers- he loves a smoky cheddar, but likes the asiago, and I the Emmenthal yet the ricotta is soo famous for many applications….
Thanks for the opportunity to enter the contest!!
It isn’t easy being cheesy!!! This would sure help so count me in:) I don’t know a cheese I don’t like!
I am a subscriber. I love fresh mozzarella – with homemade pizza (something I’ve really gotten into).
I would love to try my hand at mozzarella cheese. Thank you for an incredibly informative newsletter.
although I think I’d have trouble with the one that has live maggots in it:P and some of the super furry French ones…ok, I take it back…there are cheeses I don’t think I’d like!
I would love a chance to win the kit! Mozzarella is my favorite cheese, but I also love Provolone, Ricotta, Sharp Cheddar, Romano, and others.
I eat cheese!!! Enter me please. PS-love the newsletter!
Hi, I love your newsletter, the gardening ideas and the scrumptious recipes!! Please enter me in your Cheese Kit Giveaway, thanks. My favorite cheeses are Asiago and fresh Mozzarella, would love to buy one of the kits if I don’t win, tell us where we can purchase these cheese making kits please! Keep up the great website/ newsletter!~!
I make raw yogurt from raw goat milk and am interested in making cheese too!
Enjoy your newsletter. I’m a big mozz. fan. Have basil, will make and eat!
Love ur knowledge….I am already a subscriber , and I am a lover of all cheeses!!
I LOVE Ricki’s cheese kits! I’m a subscriber, and I’d love to be able to win this giveaway!
I’m a subscriber, and would love to learn how to make mozzarella cheese.
mozzarella/ricotta I have to choose? lol me me pick me!!! please please please pretty please!!
I don’t think there is a cheese I don’t like. At least I haven’t found it yet. I have been so intrigued by the recipes on the internet but not knowing where to get the products to make it. This kit looks like the ticket!!
I love almost any kind of cheese and enjoy trying new ones. I guess my favorite would be either a good cheddar or a creamy goat cheese. I’d love to try the cheese making kit!
If I don’t win this great drawing, will you tell me where I can by this kit from? I would love to make homemade cheese!
My favorite cheese is Gouda, but I love most every cheese I’ve tried.
I would love to make mozzarella cheese. It seems so easy when you did it. I just saw your link for the bread pan and I went and I just ordered it from Amazon.
My favorite cheese is colby, But mozzarella is my second fav. I’d love to try making my own cheese! Thanks for the chance to win!!
Is there ANYTHING better than fresh, homemade ricotta??!!???
I like a nice smoked gouda but would love to make mozzarella. MMMMMM…..
Fresh mozzarella is my favorite. Capreze salad is so delicious. Hope I’m the lucky winner.
I am an avid reader of your newsletter. Keep up the good work!
Love, Love , Love your site. Discovered it about 3 weeks ago and you have helped tremendously with my first year veggie garden. My fave cheese is mozzarella. I make egglpant pizza crust with fresh veggies and mozzarella. Cooked in muffin top pans these delights can make a perfect lunch or an appetizer. I’ve heard about this kit before and would love to try!
Since I was named after it, I am going to have to say my favorite cheese is Brie.
I’m a subscriber. My favorite cheese at the moment is smoked cheddar!
I do enjoy your website.
I am particularly fond of soft goat cheese.
I’m sure the kit would be lovely.
I’m a subscriber and we love cheese. Mozzarella and cheddars are a favorite.
I’m already a subscriber and my favorite cheese right now is Farmhouse cheddar!!!! I’d love to make it at home!
I am a newbie to the newsletter and enjoy it already.
I was intending to make onion soup last week so was thrilled to find your recipe. Best onion soup I’ve ever made! I used Gruyere on my croutons.
BUT, I enjoy many cheeses.
I’m not a big fan of cheese. I’ll eat but would not go out of my way to but the rest of my family are cheese-aholics! I think they would enjoy making it.
Smoked gouda is my number one fav!! If I could, I’d sit down and eat a whole wheel. Thanks for the give-away opportunity!!
I am a recent subscriber and am very happy to learn that we are in the same area of NYS – I’m in Grafton at present but soon will be moving to an apartment in Albany and will need tips on container/balcony gardening. Fortunately, my apartment is on the sunny side of the building so there will be good light. Any instruction will be greatly appreciated.
Please enter me in the cheese kit drawing – mozzarella or ricotta are perfect! Thanks.
Subscribed to your site early this month. Love it! And would like the chance to make my own ricotta cheese!
I love all cheese! Thanks for offering this!
Last week I made a homemade cream cheese, and a homemade creme fraiche. Then used them to make my daughter’s birthday “cake”…cheesecake. It was fantastic. She then asked me if we could learn to make mozzarella. This kit would sure help!
I’m an aged cheese lover so needless to say I do tend to love a cheese with a bite, among my favourites though I include Blue Vein, Mozzarella, Quark, Goats Feta, Brie & Camembert. Quark is on my list as a more healthy option.
Love Jarlsberg cheese! Also love this excellent newsletter and website for all of the useful info. Keep up the great work. Cheers.
Have been wanting to try mozzarella and grill some pizzas. Would really love to have an outside pizza oven, but not to be right now. Thanks for an interesting newsletter.
I love most kinds of cheese, but very sharp cheddar is my favorite.
Love fresh ricotta and mozzarella!
Love you newsletter! I’m such a novice at gardening, and I have no experience with cheese making. Would love to learn how. Love most cheeses, but really love mozzarella.
I love Mozzarella with fresh Basel and tomatoes. I have subscribed your newsletter about a month ago and love the tips I do get, thanks for the good work. I forwarded your website and e-mails to my father in-law and he loves it. I hope I win this sounds a wonderful tip.
I loved when I made my own cheese years ago need to get back to it as it was so easy and the cheese was always fresh and wonderful! didn’t have to worry about sell by dates! My Grandson love his “pizza cheese” so I guess that is what I will start making first!
Mmmm There is nothing better than fresh mozzerella cheese!
I think the kids would really enjoy trying to make their own cheese. Fun!
I’m a 60 year old grandmother who loves your blog. I also love cheese and you make it sound so easy. I love your newsletter and have learned many things. My 90 year old mother is probably as smart as Kevin, but doesn’t seem as excited sharing her knowledge as when we were both younger. I love your enthusiasm and positive, never fail attitude. Thank you.
I love some fresh mozzarella! Either on a homemade pizza with spinach and artichokes, or with some sliced homegrown tomatoes and basil. I would love to win and try and make my own!
I’m a subscriber. My favorite is cheddar–it goes with almost everything.
I am a rather new subscriber to your blog/newsletter. Best “stumble upon” in a very long time. I found a recipe just like the one you posted except for the instructions. They vary a bit. BUT, I do make mozzarella often and for fun will be teaching/demonstrating making mozzarella at my local library on this Wednesday for their Lunch and Learn class. Of course I would love to win but I already have most of what is included in the kit. (No butter cheesecloth). Totally enjoy the blog and all of the great information. Thanks!
I love many varieties of cheese. Mostly depends on what I am using it with, but wouls have to say my favorite is PROVALONE.
Just a note to you….I love your newsletters…can’t wait for the new installments every Sunday.
I’m a subscriber and I love cheese. I would love to win and make some mozzarella and make some fresh pizza for my family with it along with some tomatoes and basil for me.
I have not met too many cheeses I did not like!!!!
Hi – Love your site and emails. keep forwarding the emails to folks i think would love what you do to get them to sign up as well, especially my sisters!!!
I love both mozzarella and ricotta!!! Though during the summer heaven is a sliced fresh tomato, sweet onion slices, torn basil leaves with ballsamic vinegar & Olive oil.
Mozerella is my favorite but love to try different kinds.
YUMMYYYYYY!!!! I would LOVE love, LOOOVVVEEEE to win this! Just in time for summer tomatoes with fresh basil!!!
I loooove mozzarella on homemade pizza.
I am already a subscriber and LOVE your newsletter. I also like making soft creamy goat cheese and yougurt cheese.
I love pretty much all cheese, can’t live without it!
I would absolutely adore it if I could make my own mozzarella!
I love all types of cheese!
I love cheese but, would really like to try making my own fresh mozza!
I am a newbie to your site and enjoy it immensely! I have told my gardening friends about it too. I would love to add cheese making to my list of skills. Hopefully I’ll be the lucky one this time!
Fresh mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes and basil!!!
I love your site and have wanted to learn to make cheese.
Hi from Texas! I look forward to your newsletter each week. Currently I’m unemployed and for the first time in my life I’ve planted a garden all by myself! ( With assitance from newsletters and reasearch!) I’ve always cooked, canned and baked but making cheese is a new journey for me. Your how to instructions makes me believe I can be successful! Thanks for sharing and may your have a blessed day!
I L-O-V-E cheese, but there’s nothing like fresh mozzerella with fresh tomatoes and basil in the summer!
this cheese idea looks super nice, really interested..
My husband is French, so we eat A LOT of different cheeses around here. He’d like to get goats and make chevre someday, but it sounds like the mozzarella would be do-able for me.
Hello! I would love to know how to make a good ricotta.
I would love to make my own ricotta!
Provolone is one of several favorites at our house.
This is another gouda contest.
I love all cheese, but White Cheddar is my favorite.
Was talking to my 87 yr old Mother about your site, and how I read how you made cheese. We both got excited and want to try making some. Our mouth’s watered at the thoughts of the first bite! Love your Blog!
love your weekly newsletter, I have tried mozzarella once, with little success.
I’m a new subscriber. …made your popovers and they were wonderful. I didn’t know you could even make your own fresh mozzarella! I’m italian so I’d love to try this kit! Thanks so much for your inspiration!
I love your newsletters, keep them coming!!
To make my own fresh mozzerella would be fantastic!!!
Subscriber who loves all cheese especially mozz – want to give one of these to my daughter for her birthday.
Hi, This is my very first attempt at commenting on a blog. Giveaway’s are a great motivator!!
We love fresh mozzarella cheese. I enjoy baking with ricotta cheese.
I was looking at The New England Cheesemaking Supply website earlier today because I’ve been wanting to make some cheese from some local raw milk. My favorite cheese, is cheese from the milk of happy, healthy cows.
Mozzarella Cheese all the way !!! With some tomatoes and basil ……. yum!
Goat is my Favourite cheese! We hope to have a goat one day and experiment in the wonderful world of cheese making!
I love all your garden tips. I have learned so much from you. My favorite cheese is mozzarella.
I would love to try and make cheese!
I look forward to your newsletters! I love them & I’ve learned so much in just a few weeks! Thank you so much! I love cheese & have only found one I didn’t like, something really stinky while I was in France!
New to your site and really enjoying it! Looking forward to trying your recipes for mozzarella and cream cheese.
I would absolutely LOVE to win the cheese making kit. Got my fingers crossed!
It is a little known fact that on the 8th day, God had a wine and cheese party to celebrate finishing creation- you know, just a little get-together with the seraphim and the archangels. Everybody got very relaxed and comfortable, and the party went well into the cosmic night as they sat around the starfire and told stories.
That’s how great cheese is.
I am a subscriber as well and love mozzarella and extra sharp cheddar 🙂 Thank you so much for all you do! Love the blog!
Gouda is my favorite cheese. Would love to win this prize, Mozzarella would be a nice variety to the cheese we make in apuela Ecuador.
Like your newsletter–Never met a cheese I didn’t like!
This subscriber loves chedder cheese!
Just learning to making cheese so would love a kit to help me along!
Hello, I love cheese curds. Love the recipes you give us.
I love all cheeses, especially Sharp Cheddar, but I do have a fondness for Mozzarella too!
much. Gouda is my favorite cheese.
I really like your blog. Discovered it on Pinterest. It all started with winter sowing …. than Clara’s Dandelion Salad. Have not made it yet. I got hooked on nicotiana for evening perfume… but I have not found a seller of the seeds for the white variety you mentioned. Perhaps it to late but I would really like to hope it is not. And cheese… you name it and I love them all!
Maybe this will work this time…..was given an error when I tried to comment before….I’ve never tried to make cheese, but would love to learn how. I’ve never eaten a cheese I didn’t love….am not sure what my favorite is. Sure enjoy your blog………..
This would be a wonderful way to get started making cheese. Thanks for the opportunity.
vegetarian bean burger truly made my day. I look forward with much anticipation and excitement to see what is going on in the garden, kitchen and house next.
I found your January blog with your favorite seed sellers! All set thanks!
I just made a baked gluten free mac and cheese for dinner today…it was awesome! The recipe called for two of my favorite cheeses, gouda and sharp cheddar. When I really want a nice snack cheese though, I make a finely chopped pecan, maple syrup mixture poured over a wheel of brie….heated in the oven or microwave and served with some really nice crackers and a cranberry walnut relish…that’s three but who can have only one favorite cheese?
I signed up for your newsletter last week after following a picture someone had pinned on Pintrest from your website. Since then I’ve found myself pouring through your site – I love it!!! You come up with wonderful ideas and information and communicate it in a very easily read style. Thank you!
Mozzarella is the best, but I like all cheese.
Don’t expect to win, but I’m real glad to have found this site. I’ve already improved the health/appearance of the roses here at home, have gotten a couple of ideas to help my cooking, and gotten enjoyment just reading all the stuff you do. I like most cheeses but Ricotta is my favorite to cook with right now. Gonna look up this Rikki lady and if they’re not too dear gonna buy one of them cheese kits and give it a shot. What the heck, it won’t blow up will it??
I use both kinds of cheese for cooking veggies and pasta disher, always wanted to make my own cheese.
Hello…..love mozzarella! but just like most cheese. I’m love your site!!!
I love your website! Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful info. I always look at the recipes first. The popover’s were wonderful!
I’ve never made cheese….but, if I was to win the GRAND “Ricki’s Cheese Making Kit” I think my mother (82 yrs old) and I would enjoy playing in our own cheese making factory.
With all of the cheesie folks in this house… no doubt, it would be eaten ;^).
So many good things you can do with cream cheese – it would be great to be able to make your own!
I’ve never made cheese but it looks like a great family activity!!!
I love gouda but would love to learn to make mozzarella and ricotta too.
I am soo looking forward to refering to this site for tips and ideas as I put in a new yard and garden. Thank you for letting us into your world. I think both of the cheeses would be fun and tasty. More so coming from my own kitchen.
I would love to get the kit! I am new to the cheesemaking, and have yet to try it but want to make my own little mozzarella cheese balls.
Yum! Cheese! My inner mouse is excited!!! Thanks for a great, informative blog Kevin!
I am already a subsriber. I love cheese of all kinds. Love your website.
I love cheese. My favorite is fresh mozzarella. I like to use it in caprese salad using fresh tomatoes and basil picked straight from the garden. Drizzle a little olive oil with basalmic vinegar. Yum!
Its so hard to pick a favorite cheese! I haven’t met too many I didnt like. I love a good Vermont cheddar and I love fresh mozzarella. I imagine homemade mozzarella must be one of the most delicious things ever!
My sister put on to your website a little while ago, what fun to learn new things. My most used cheese is mozzarella.
It’s too hard to decide which we like best. They are both wonderful. I am teaching my daughters the almost lost arts of cheese making and canning. We all appreciate your website!
Thanks for offering another great giveaway! I’ve been trying a lot of your recipes lately (rosemary navy bean soup, naan, cheese danish, and chocolate mouse) — I really enjoy your site!
Can’t think of a cheese I DON’T like! Thanks for your terriffic info and fun contests!
My favorite cheese depends on the season and my mood: chevre in the summer, blue cheese in the fall with a good caesar salad, hard cheeses like leyden in the winter. I love your blog and newletters. I always learn something new and admire the photographs.
I am a subscriber and have enjoyed (and used) many tips & hints already concerning the garden. Cheese is in the DNA of this family…so making our own would be amazing! My favorite cheese…so hard, like choosing my favorite child! A quality extra sharp cheddar would be way up there as well as fresh mozzerella (I eat Trader Joe’s packaged in oil & spices from the package…) Thank you for sharing with us your practical advice and experiences.
I made the cottage cheese, have to try the others yet, but I love your newsletter and all the great info in it.
Cheese!! I could live on cheese!!
Love cheese!!, make yogurt weekly, would love to make cheese. Enjoy your newsletter.
Hi! I look forward to your newsletter every week – and I love mozzerella! I hope I win! Thank you!
I’ve never found a cheese I didn’t like. Thanks for your newsletter! I sure enjoy and appreciate it.
mmmm….I would love to make fresh mozzarella! My husband was just saying how he would love to try making it so this would be a real treat!! Love learning about gardening too from your blog. We bought a house with a beautiful perennial garden, so I’m still learning what everything is.
Love cheese. Can’t wait to make some!
I would love to try fresh mozzarella, too. It’s so good with fresh tomatoes and basil! I also love the variety of your blog!
I love ricotta! Mozzarella is good, but to me, its just a way to get to the ricotta in the cheese making process.
I love your newsletter!! I tried to make the mozzarella recipe you have posted, but I didn’t have a thermometer. It ended up a little like cottage cheese. Best flavor! I made lasagne with it. I love muenster cheese.
Just had the BEST Raclette from Southwind Farm in Vermont! But I never met a cheese I didn’t like.
I like your newsletter. But I LOVE everything CHEESE. Everything is better with CHEESE.
I subscribe to your weekly email newsletter.
Just recently found your blog, and I am hooked!
I have never made cheese at home, however we do consume a lot of it. This would be a great kit to try.
Love all cheeses, except if they have caraway seeds!!!
I’ve been wasnting to learn to make cheese and would love a kit to get me started. Love ricotta!
i am a subscriber and i am lovin’ feta right now. but all cheese is glorious!!
I love them both, but in summer mozarella and fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. MMMMMMMM – nummy. first time I ever made cheese was from your recipe posted in your fab-u-lous weekly newsletter. Thanks!
What a fun give away! My 5 year old and I had a great time making your english muffins for a brunch tea party, and we would love to make our own cheese!
(subscriber) mmm…cheeeeese! one of my favorite commercials is when a family awakens Christmas morning to the entire living room FULL of presents. the father looks at the daughter and says, “wow, those must have been some good cookies you left for santa.” daughter replies “i didn’t leave santa cookies; i left him CHEESE”! that about sums up my relationship with cheese! LOL!
I have never tried to make cheese but it sounds like it would be fun. Plus, I think my husband was a mouse in a former life so he would definitely enjoy this kit! I also would like to add that I accidentally stumbled onto your site one day. After reading your wonderful articles I decided to sign up for your newsletter and have enjoyed every newsletter I have received to date!
I love all kinds of cheese. Mozzerella is right up there at the top of my faves! Thanks for the chance to win the cheese kit. I have wanted to try to make cheese for a while now.
I already subscribe and love to read your posts. Smoked gouda is my favorite. Your garden looks sooooo amazing!
Excited for the chance to win this as Ive always wanted to try making my own cheese. I love all cheeses!
Love lots of cheeses, especially lately some local artisan offerings from Finger Lakes Cheese Trail members. I’ve played around with making mozzarella, cream cheese and yogurt.
My current fave is a hard goat cheese that I nibble in tiny slivers with slivers of granny smith apples and some pecans. Best snack/light meal replacement ever! Thank you for sharing your extensive knowledge with the peons!
My daughter loves white American cheese, I like provolone and asiago, my husband and son like it all. Would love to provide fresh cheese without all of the additives. We are trying to eat better, more fresh, less pre packaged. My son and I are even trying to grow zucchini and strawberries this year because I was inspired by your newsletter. We have already had 6 berries and the zuch’s are full of blooms. He is 4 and will sit on the back porch and swears he can see them growing. Love your newsletter, keep them coming.
i am a subscriber! I love parmesan and asiago but my daughter loves mozarella most!
I love fresh mozzarella. would love to have the kit to make it!!!
I love Baby Swiss and PepperJack Cheese. I am a subscriber and would Love to learn how to make cheese. Looks like an easy way for beginners!
I am a current subscriber and love your postings..I also love mozzarella cheese, especially during the summer months when it is paired with tomates and basil fresh picked from our garden.
I like any type of cheese. Especially healthy cheese.
Yuuuuummmmm! Cheese! Thank goodness for cows, sheep, and goats. I don’t have a favorite but the top of my list includes D’Affinois, Grana Padano, and a good grass-fed cheddar. Thanks for a great website!
I am so excited to get a chance at this. I didn’t know it would be easy to make cheese. WOW doing this with my granddaughter would be a special treat. I am not picky on the type of cheese. Could be a fun family activity.
Morbier slices in endive is my favorite cheese!
There are very few cheeses I don”t love. Lately I’ve been gravitating to goat cheeses. I would give this kit as a gift to my daughter if I won it. She’s just begun her cheese making journey.
I appreciate the opportunity to win this kit. I’m excited to make my own mozzarella cheese. Almost daily do I reference something I’ve learned from you. Thank you so much!
Love mozzarella, asiago and nice sharp cheddar. Thanks for your website. I have learned so many new great things. Love the popovers.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a cheese I didn’t like. My personal favorite is parmesan reggiano.
Hi there. I’m a current subscriber and really like this e-newsletter. I need to restrict my dairy intake but love good cheeses including feta, bleu, stiltons and fresh mozzarella. I do make my own yogurt cheeses and have been wondering where I can get the ingredients for my own mozzarella.
Brand new email subscriber, first time commenter.
My favorite cheese is ALL CHEESE. I can’t live without a true parmigiano reggiano, though.
I have been researching this kit all day today. Would be so excited to give it a try! Thanks and love your website!
Hi there! I’m a newer follower, but i’ve already found so much information in your blog/newsletters!
Would love to win a kit! Appreciate your website so much! Thanks for all the great tips and the recipes!
I’m a big fan of cheese. I like hard, strongly-flavored cheeses.
hello. My husband and I both love using cheese for different recipes. I would love to win this. Thanks for the chance.
Loove making ricotta – nothing like the fresh, moist homemade taste!
Want kit…love cheese of all varieties. Thanks for the opportunity!!
I’d love to make some cheese!
I would love to be able to make some fresh mozzarella cheese to go with the tomatoes that are growing in our backyard veggie garden.
I’m growing some heirloom tomatoes in my garden this summer and some fresh mozzarella would be pretty nice to have with it!
Never met a cheese I didn’t like.
I subscribed to your newsletter! I have made mozzarella, yogurt, paneer, and butter so far. Would really like to try some cheddar! I have my rennet, packets of culture in the freezer and am waiting for the cheese salt so I can begin! Thanks for the opportunity to win this!
I’m a subscriber. We’ve been talking about trying our hand at making mozzarella, but haven’t done it yet. Would love to get a cheese making kit.
I haven’t met a cheese I didn’t like so far!
I really like Mozzerlla cheese — and most other cheeses too!!! Thanks for your weekly newsletter — they’re great!
I am also a lover of all that is cheese 🙂 ~ I love mozzarella and frequently buy the “sticks” at the grocery store for a snack. Frankly I would have to attribute my bone density to the amount of cheese I eat ~ my husband would attest to that. Would love to try home made. I have perused Ricki’s site and everything looks wonderful. Count me in please…..
Love fresh mozzarella made from raw goats milk. It is sweet and so creamy tasting. Have to say my favorite though is vinegar cheese made from raw goats milk. It is so versatile. We milk 26 to 28lbs of milk from our goats so we make a lot of cheese.
I really enjoy receiving your newsletter each week! Thanks for offering this super giveaway too. I think I could live on mozzarella cheese. I’ve always heard homemade mozzarella can’t be beat, but I’ve never had the opportunity to make my own.
Homemade mozzarella & ricotta… They both sound delicious!
Love all cheeses! Been a subscriber for a couple of months now, really appreciate the great information we get from you. Thanks so much!
Mozerella is one of many favorite cheese choices with my family.
Fresh mozzarella is my fav! Insalata Caprese!! Vine ripen tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and mozzarella…the best olive oil you can find and sea salt and ground pepper! Yummy!!!
I love your blog and just signed up for the newsletter. I make my own chevre and want to try making cheddar next.
Hello, I love your site!
I would definitely love to try and make the mozzarella, if I should win!
I’d love to try this. Thanks!
love your blog & if you say this is fab then I am a believer!
I LOVE cheese! My late husband decided years ago that I am the head rat!! Cheddar is one I use alot as well as monzarella & ricotta & provolone & feta….okay, okay…ALL cheeses that I have ever eaten!
I would love to make mozzarella but getting close enough to a buffalo could be a problem.
WE LOVE PIZZA NIGHT ………… freshly made Mozzarella cheese with garden basil! yum!
Thanks so much for the great info. I love all cheeses, really, but my favorite is cheddar!
I am a new subscriber and am enjoying your newsletter very much. After most of my life thinking I didn’t like cheese, I’ve discovered that I do. Good thing, too, since I’m on the New Atkins diet! Mozarella is my favorite, altho I eat a lot of Swiss, too.
My favorite cheese… All of them Im a cheese addict! Love your newsletter. Would love to have more gardening tips for the very Northern climates such as Alaska, where I am from.
Thanks for your wonderful news letter I pass it on to all who are interested in the things you \write about.
Mozzarella is my favorite. I’ve never made my own cheese, and don’t have a clue how to do it, so this kit seems like a great way to learn. (Pick me, pick me, random number-gadget thingy!) I’ve already learned so much from your site. Your newsletter is the first email I read when it shows up in my inbox. Please keep it up!
I love, love, love mozzarella!!!!
I got the rennet to make the cheese. Can’t wait to try it. I love trying new things.
We love making cheese! It’s been a while. And it isn’t a matter of my favorite cheese, but more a matter of what cheese don’t I like!
I enjoy your website and share it with all of my friends! Thanks for all you provide, to help us be self sufficient and learn more about so many things. I love cheese and am glad to have an opportunity to win the kit. Thanks for having another contest!
Having lived in Switzerland, I know a good cheese. Would love to make my own!
My hubby keeps talking about making cheese. I didn’t know there were kits out there. Cool!
I am a subscriber. I enjoy your e-mails – was hoping this one would have more info for natural tick repellents as I hate the little beasties!!
I’d love to learn to make cheese. We used to make yogurt and butter, but have gotten out of the habit. . . .
Enjoy this site! Mozzarella is the cheese of choice.
Kevin, you are the bomb! Love your blog and all the great info that you put out there for all of us.
Would love to learn to make cheese, so I will start with your site and download the recipes to try.
I love almost all cheese, but for some reason any type bleu cheese makes me sick.
already a subscriber – i learn something new with every post! my son and i love mozz and ricotta. he’s more of a cheese-head than i am and dreams of baked brie and smoked gouda and all the spanish cheeses along with queso fresco, cotija, greek frying cheese, etc.
i’ve never tried to make cheese – i’d love to win the kit!
I would love to learn how to make my own cheese. I already subscribe and love your newsletter. I have gotten so much info from them.
Really enjoy your site and cheese. Interesting association!
subscribed recently, tx so much for such an enjoyable, information filled newsletter each week! a friend makes a very yummy, soft herb goat cheese and this offer inspires me to try my hand at cheese making. and yes, i remembered to “like”!
I never made cheese. I would love an opportunity!! I love all cheeses!!!! Yum!!
Fresh mozzarella heated over most any kind of bread……some fresh basil marinara to boot……yum.
I LOVE Cheese! Mozzarella is delicious and would love to make some!
There is nothing like fresh mozzarella–it goes best with everything I grow in my garden!
It is difficult to pick a favorite cheese. I guess it would be between feta or goat cheese. I always have them on hand along with parma & mozzarella.
I don’t remember how I found your site ( I think a friend sent it to me???), and I love it. I tell lots of others about it. So I’m just saying “HI.” I hope the computer picks me.
I am a subscriber and would like to enter the drawing. I like Provolone cheese on my sandwiches.
I’m a subscriber also. I’d love to make chevre!
Already a subscriber! The recipe for homemade cream cheese sounds awesome! Will try the homemade mozarella too! it’s good the recipes are sized for sharing!
one question though….how long can you store these cheeses?? i’ve heard you can freeze cheese; does that work with these recipes?
My brother-in-law was kind enough to introduce me to your blog months ago so I’ve been a subscriber for a while now. I love your recipes and garden tips, but I love, love, love fresh mozarella cheese and if I could make it myself, that would be wonderful! Thanks for all your great ideas.
We love cheese and making our own would be awesome! Home made is always better!
I love nearly any kind of cheese. Making my own would be so much fun!!!
Hi, I’m a subscriber & really enjoy your posts. My “favorite” cheese is whatever variety I’m eating! I love all kinds of cheese & look forward to making my own someday – sounds like fun. Thanks for the giveaway, too!
I am new to your e-mail list and enjoy getting each one. I like just about any kind of cheese. Hope I win, I would love to make my own.
We like all sorts of cheese. I think we use Mozzarella the most, making lots of homemade pizza.
I love Mozzarella cheese the best! I also love you e-newsletter! Thank you!
Hello! I’d love to make mozzarella cheese! I’ve tried it and it turned out okay, but I’d love to try the kit!
Someday I would love to learn how to make goat cheese!
I love fresh mozzarella with basil and tomatos from the garden.
I love fresh mozzarella. My sister makes goat cheese and I have a few friends with goats who give the milk away. I’d love to give it a try.
I get your very pleasant and helpful online newsletter, but am fairly new to it. I am a vegetarian, so I was very happy to see that your cheese kit makes cheese with vegetable rennet! Thanks – sometimes that is hard to find!
By good fortune I stumbled on your website a few days ago and I have to admit, I have been devouring all the useful information you have posted. I just subscribed to your weekly newsletter, and am looking forward to receiving them. I just want to congratulate you on your successes, and say once again thanks for being an inspiration! I hope to achieve some success, and hope to over come some past hiccups with the deep south Texas weather.
I am a subscriber and really love reading your news letters!! My most favorite cheese is Muenster, but it is so hard to choose just one, mozzarella and garlic and dill cheese curds are right up there.
I really never even thought to make my own cheese! Would love to give it a try.
I have never made my own cheese–yet. Mozzarella would be my choice of what to make.
I love Havarti, so good, and deep flavored. Never thought I would even try making cheese but since finding your site I am having all sorts of new ideas. I will be making your Naan today, looks so good and easy. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I just say cheese please! Thank’s for the opportunity to enter your drawing!
I’m a subscriber and love this newsletter and website. Would love to make my own ricotta and mozzarella. Our family loves cheese….it’s great with your naan bread! Thanks for all the great ideas and thanks for having this drawing and the opportunity to enter!
Thanks for your blog, it’s great info for those of us who still love to cook and garden like it’s 1859.
Great blog you’ve got here! Very good information – and I am looking forward to making cheese.
Hello! I would LOVE to win the cheese kit. We just switched to RAW dairy this past year and our bodies are loving it! I’ve expanded my knowledge of the kitchen and want your kit to continue! I even planted a garden for the first time! Thanks for all your tips.
Would love to make cheese.
I recently found your site, and have been absolutely loving it! My recent favorite “cheese” is skyr, which can’t quite decide if it’s a really thick yogurt or a really soft cheese.
I have to say that Gorgonzola has to be one of my all time favorites! And thank you so much for all the garden info and great recipes! I am learning a lot here!
I subscribe…and I think a mozzarella would be great to start. Thanks for offering a unique giveaway!
Scrolling forever and thinking of a Soap Opera called What are the ODDS? Slim to None !
I’m already a subscriber and would love to have the cheese kit ( hint, by a couple more next time ) lol..
With all going on in the world, this is where I come to relax and learn and hopefully share new tips. My gardents are not as fancy as yours, but have loved growing things my whole life and have been mainly organic for over 30 years.
Really only got away from vegetables and “house plants’ in the last few years.. Older age has slowed me down enough to appreciate flowers, trees and shrubs. Also have picked up bird appreciation (watching) so I plant more and more for the birds.
We just moved ( less then 2 yrs ago ) to this region of the Country, N. Fl. and it hasn’t been too much fun getting used to this soil here.. slowly but surely I am mastering it when the old back lets me. I will garden to my dying breath. Nothing gives me more satisfaction and peace than gardening, even though it is hard work and I now need a bit of help with the heavy work!
Keep up the great Website, I love it here !
I like a number of cheeses ( raised in Midwest ) and dairy was large part of our diet growing up in the late 40’s, 50’s,. and 60’s. Believe it or not Dairy was very inexpensive back then, not like today.
etc. and would love to master cheese making of my own.
Great Giveaway Idea Thanks for the opportunity and sharing your knowledge !
Mozzarellaaaaaa YUMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Love this site, thanks for your newsletters.
Not only do I love being a Domestic Goddess, this would be an excellent activity with my mother-in-law, who has early Alzheimer’s. Well, OK, we also love cheese! I don’t think there’s a cheese we don’t love, but probably Mozzerella would be enjoyed the most! Cheddar or Colby would be a close second. I love the idea of making our cheese so we don’t get lots of unnecessary additives. I try to cook wholly natural foods, organic, etc. I am convinced it is healthier for Mom! Thanks for your great blog – glad I found you!
Love homemade cheese I hope I win because it’s been ages since I made my very tasty mozzarella grilled cheese. You can only make it with really fresh mozzeralla.
Everyone at my house loves parmesan cheese drizzled with aged Italian balsamic vinegar.
I have been a Facebook fan for several months and I’m so delighted to have found your blog. LOVE it to pieces!! My favorite cheese is mozzarella and I’ve never had the chance to try fresh, homemade, so that would be an entirely different experience, I’m sure!
Thank you for your awesomeness.
And hang it from trees!!!
I love mozzarella, and most other cheeses. I just subscribed to the email list. thanks for a chance to win the kit.
I haven’t made many cheeses but my favorite of what I have made is quark which is made from buttermilk .
I like provolone the best, but mozzarella is a close second.
Hi, subscriber and lover of everything cheesey!
Hello! I love your website! So many great things. Thanks for all the ideas, recipes, etc.
I would love a chance to make my own cheese! I love most cheese 😉 I subscribe to your newsletter and have recommended it to others! Thank you!
This morning, http://www.random.org selected comment #269. Congratulations, Larry Doyle!
I’m a beginner. I ordered 2 books with recipes for butter, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, ricotta and other cheeses.. Yesterday I made homemade sour cream for the first time. It turned out great, so I’m encouraged. I have a source of raw milk and I’m ready to start making cheese. Extra sharp white cheddar, mozzarella and ricotta are among my favorite cheeses.
I love cheeeese and I love your idea of a ‘kit giving’ !!! Its a good one!
And yes, I would love to win the fabulous cheese kit!
Thanx for the chance to do so!
My daughter loves mozzarella, especially fresh! We are planning to try cheese making this summer while she is home from school.
Thanks for the chance to win this kit, and for the amazing blog. It has been very helpful in the short time I have been subscribed!
Cheddar, very sharp. If you haven’t tried the buttery goodness that is Stickleton Bleu from Zingermans’ though, you haven’t had the best yet!
I am becoming a fan of good ricotta!
Oh, my goodness, why didnt anyone say Cheeze Whiz? (Joking) . I love mozzarella. I may try to find one of these kits and try my hand. I never win anything!
I’ve been fearful of trying cheese making, so I’d love the opportunity to make it with “training wheels”.
This would be SO wonderful to own! Thank you for all your advice, recipes, giveaways and for this site!
Buongiorno, Kevin! I never knew Mozzarella & Ricotta cheese making could actually be this easy. And, you made it so – thank you! I printed out your how-to-s. And, now there’s a contest – yippee!
My Italian Grandmother would visit all the way from New York City to California when I was young. We would try to contain ourselves until she opened her suitcase. Out would come two wrapped balls of fresh mozzarella. She’d slice, we’d add salt and pepper, and everyone would die and go to heaven as we savored the “real” deal straight from Little Italy. Would I ever love to replicate that experience on my own! | 2019-04-22T14:27:38Z | https://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/05/the-may-giveaway-ricki-carrolls-cheesemaking-kit/ |
Buspar or buspirone is used as an anti-anxiety medication. It is considered by many to have a low risk of addiction. Most believe it can be very effective. However, this is not the whole truth. Like many prescription drugs, it is still misused and abused. It is important to educate yourself if you or a loved one use buspirone. An understanding of this drug can help lower the chance of addiction.
Buspirone hydrochloride is the generic form of Buspar. The FDA classifies it as an anxiolytic. It is not related to benzodiazepines or barbiturates. This medication is prescribed to treat symptoms of severe anxiety. Sometimes, it is used for patients suffering from both anxiety and depression. Experts are not sure exactly how it works. They believe it affects certain chemicals in the brain. The chemicals serotonin and dopamine are most likely. These would explain buspirone’s anti-anxiety effects.
Often, it’s given to patients who have a hard time coping with life. Buspar is said to help clear the mind and ease worried thoughts. Meant to encourage relaxation, it is also supposed to improve jitters and irritability. Sleeping issues, sweating, and a pounding heartbeat may get better, as well. It comes in a white tablet form that can be split in half. The tablets come in 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, and 30 mg. Usually, they are meant to be taken 2 or 3 times a day.
Reports on whether Buspar can be abused show different opinions. Some say that because it isn’t a benzodiazepine, addiction shouldn’t be concern. Other doctors and experts disagree. They claim that the mild sedation it causes can be habit forming.
Internet drug forums show a lot of interest in buspirone. Many wonder if it is similar to Xanax. Some who try it believe it has no recreational value. Others have a different experience. Those who favor it say the high lasts around 30 minutes. The effects seem to vary, however. A number of people describe feeling sedated. Different users say the buzz is similar to speed.
Why Is This Drug Abused?
Unlike medications such as Xanax, Buspar doesn’t cause feelings of euphoria. In that case, why abuse it? The sedative effects of this drug are a major reason. Buspirone abuse can result in a state of extreme sedation. People coping with anxiety might induce this by taking large doses at a time. Users become more and more sedated as doses grow higher. This provides temporary, but dangerous relief from their symptoms.
Buspirone abuse may also occur in users trying to ease symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Studies have shown that the drug can be effective for this purpose. Many medications work well when used for off-label reasons. However, trying this should never be decided on your own. It is very important to consult a doctor first. Still, some see Buspar as a cheap way to deal with withdrawal symptoms. This sort of self-medication is common among substance abusers.
Are Buspar and Xanax the Same Thing?
Buspirone and Xanax are both used to treat anxiety. They are prescribed to patients suffering from various anxiety disorders. However, these are very different drugs. Buspar is an anxiolytic medication and Xanax is a benzodiazepine. Doctors consider benzodiazepines to be quite addictive. On the other hand, anxiolytics are thought to be lower-risk.
Often, medications like Buspar are prescribed to people with a history of addiction. Many doctors will refuse to give benzodiazepines in such situations. Also, doctors tend to be less comfortable prescribing Xanax for long-term use. For example, Buspar and similar drugs should be taken daily. Xanax is often prescribed to be taken as-needed. For this reason, it is frequently used to treat panic attacks.
Buspar is less habit-forming than Xanax. However, it also takes longer to work. The effects may wear off over time as well.
Xanax works very quickly. Still, it is more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms. It is also prone to interacting with other medications.
Buspar is not very effective in treating short-term anxiety and panic attacks. Xanax usually works well to relieve symptoms of these conditions.
Xanax users report more issues with memory problems, dizziness, drowsiness and confusion.
Buspar is a better choice for people with liver problems. This is because Xanax is processed by the liver. As a result, the organ is put under extra stress.
Xanax is available in pill, extended release, dissolving tablet, and liquid form. BuSpar is only available in pill form. They can both be bought as a generic.
Another reason why Buspar may be abused is the feeling it gives when combined with alcohol. This combination is said to create an intense “high”or drunken state. Together, the effects are said to be better than either substance by itself. Users can become extremely intoxicated after using large amounts of both.
Alcohol greatly increases the sedative effects of buspirone. Likewise, this medication also makes alcohol more potent. The usual symptoms of drinking can become heightened. Mixing the two may also cause a person to get drunk very quickly. Even someone with a high tolerance might begin to feel overwhelmed.
Combining prescription medications with alcohol is always dangerous. Severe cases of buspirone and alcohol abuse may lead to an overdose, coma, or death. Such situations can be easily avoided through education. It’s important to understand how Buspar and alcohol affect the body. Even without drinking excessively, there could be terrible consequences.
Patients prescribed Buspar usually begin with a dose of 7.5 mg, twice a day. Maximum dosage should not exceed 60 mg per day. A quick Google search shows that recreational users suggest taking between 5 – 20 mg at a time. It depends on the person and their tolerance level.
Additional doses are often taken throughout the day. These are meant to maintain the high. Some take the pills whole. Others like to “parachute” them. Parachuting is done using crushed pills. The powder is wrapped inside tissue paper and swallowed. This is said to result in a faster, stronger high.
Many choose to snort buspirone. This is done by grinding or crushing pills into a fine powder. The powder is inhaled through the nose. Snorting is also said to cause a fast and intense high. It allows the drug to enter the bloodstream very quickly. However, there is a large downside. This method can make forming a habit more likely. Also, some people who have tried snorting Buspar advise against it. Many report experiencing “brain zaps”. They say this feels like multiple electric shocks to the brain.
What Are the Possible Side Effects of Buspar Abuse?
The side effects of buspirone are made even worse when this drug is abused. Additional symptoms caused by abuse include hallucinations, memory loss and cognitive impairment.
Can Someone Become Addicted to Buspar?
The short answer is yes, they can. Even patients using it as prescribed can become addicted. Unlike benzodiazepines like Xanax, Buspar doesn’t have an immediate effect on anxiety. Patients may have to wait several weeks before seeing an improvement. Often, many will have to switch to a higher dose.
With continued use, small amounts of the chemicals in buspirone will remain in the body. Over time, these chemicals begin to build up. As a result, long-term users can develop a tolerance to the medication. If a patient using Buspar suddenly stops, they may experience withdrawal symptoms. This means that they have become physically dependent on it. Abusing the drug makes this even more likely.
A psychological dependence is also possible. Buspirone is generally used to help patients deal with everyday life. If it works for them, the relief can be life-changing. Patients may become unable to function without it. Unfortunately, a tolerance can also make the effects of Buspar less noticeable over time. This can lead to self-medicating with larger doses than prescribed. It can also cause users to abuse other drugs in order to cope.
Suddenly discontinuing this medication can result in difficult withdrawal symptoms. This is the result of a physical dependence. It can be incredibly tough to overcome. Those who take buspirone may have a very hard time stopping. Some may decide to continue with it even when they don’t want to.
The withdrawal process can be very painful. Serious damage to the body is possible without medical supervision. Internal organs can even come to permanent harm. Remember, attempting to withdraw on your own is never necessary. There are always people who are willing to help. In the long run, it is much safer to accept assistance.
Are You Addicted to Buspar?
You may not be sure if you’ve reached the stage of addiction. It may help to consider the common physical and psychological signs.
What Are the Treatment Options for a Buspar Addiction?
Detox is usually the first stage of treatment for an addiction to prescription medication. It is helps to safely remove drugs from the body. This process should always be done with medical assistance. Post-detox, there are many options available. Looking into inpatient, outpatient or residential treatment is a very good idea.
Inpatient treatment centers are helpful in cases of serious addiction. These are best for individuals who need intensive care. They offer a comfortable place for people to work through their issues. Everything is taken care of, so patients can focus on themselves.
Residential treatment centers offer plenty of time to concentrate on recovery. They provide many services, including constant medical supervision. Patients are given a very structured environment. These centers offer family therapy, nutritional recommendations and more.
Outpatient treatment centers can help prevent a full-blown addiction. They are the best option in early stages. These are also useful as a recovery tool post-detox or after inpatient treatment. Patients are able to live at home and travel to their appointments.
Having a good support network is crucial to a successful recovery. It’s a great idea to look for a therapist, counselor, or someone you can talk to. Support groups can be helpful, as well. They’re a great reminder that you’re not alone. Cutting out bad influences is also very important. The people in your life should be respectful of your choices. Leading a drug-free life may seem impossible now, but the journey toward happiness and health can begin whenever you choose.
Wow! Thank you. The article was very, very informative. It was very balanced. I clearly got the sense that the writer at really cares about the buspirone user or potential user. I was just prescribed this medication by my very conservative doctor. He was very thorough and wanted to take “baby steps” in treating my increasing anxiety. I wanted to do my own research and this article was Not “alarmist”, but very balanced in pointing out the do’s and don’ts and potential problems regarding the use of this medication. Thank you!! YOU’VE eased my Anxiety as much as the medication.
We are glad to know that this article resonated with you, Aaron! Have a wonderful week!
I absolutely agree. Extremely thorough and helpful, without being alarmist about the risks. That’s a difficult balance to achieve. Thank you!!! Karen, R.N., M.N.
How has it been working for you? I as well have been prescribed this a few days ago but I always do tons of research before I even take my first dose. I hope your doing well and look forward to your reply. I do not know how these replies work I’ve never commented on anything before so I hope you see this.
I took 3 7.5 hdl can I have an overdose?
Ted, we recommend contacting your care provider or pharmacy where you get your prescription filled for recommended dosages. Best wishes!
I was just given a prescription for this medication. I was given all the info. You provided thank you. I’m terrified of this drug.
We our glad you stopped by during your investigation into your prescription. Have a wonderful day!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! We wish you all the best on your journey!
Meanwhile, I started taking it in january, and no real side effects to speak of… maybe a few hot flashes when I had my dose increased, but otherwise its been a joy to take unlike virtually every SSRI i tried before this.
I’m noticing at my clinic…first, all of us in chronic pain were taken off our pain medications. That was about 5 years ago and things have not been good since. All the older doctors retired and there’s this whole new crop of very young doctors who won’t prescribe anything.
Today I went in for my six month medication check for the few medications I still get to take and as the doctor came in there was no pleasantries at all; right to business. I knew this wasn’t going to be good. The discussion sounded a lot like the day I came in to find out I wasn’t getting hydrocodone anymore (this path isn’t working anymore; these drugs weren’t designed to keep you free from pain forever; we need to take a new ‘course of action’ etc). In so many words I was told to get ready because now the doctors (and the DEA) are going after our anti-anxiety meds too. I was told to start taking burspar and I politely said no. I didn’t want to get into it but I really want to just let this doctor have it. I know what they’re doing; I know WHY, I also know they don’t care at all about we the patients, they care about not getting sued and showing the DEA they’re not prescribing any controlled substances.
I think it’s time to find a new doctor. I hope this isn’t the case everywhere.
Do not take this medication and especially don’t give it to your children.. When coming off this medication which was Prescribed to me in jail for post traumatic stress and anxiety I became 51..50. I had insomnia for a whole week and didn’t even sleep an hour.. I knitted like a cat with my feet I had uncontrollable hostility. I found myself sitting a d realizing I was staring into space with a comotose blank stare for god Knows how long..i bid inside closets from my adult children so they wouldn’t see their mother like a serial killer zombie with feet like a kitten.. This medication was insane for me and worst of all I never received the precautionary pharmacy List while incarcerated.. Which I asked for so I could make an informative decision. Based on not my own decision I was prescribed this with the jails best interest at heart.. So it seems now..
That is a very powerful message, Julie. Thank you for your input.
I despise Dr’s. -This just proves they don’t really care about their patients.
-They want to take me abruptly off something I have been taking for 15 years and has helped me (Ativan). I never needed to up my dose, and it helped me tremendously to have a normal life and to deal with my stress and anxiety. … And put me on this.
I asked why I cant continue as I have been? Or, at the LEAST, since I have been taking it all this time, wean me off it very slowly … which they refuse to do.
I have read I can have seizures or it can cause death if I don’t have it in my system.
How horrible. … And now I have to worry about that, along with trying to deal with the extreme stress I am under every day, and not having something that helped me so much and I have been used to taking for years.
What horrible people they are. … Now having the huge anxiety all of a sudden on me. … There has to be a special place in Hell for anyone who would do that to another human being.
Now they are trying to tell me I am a nut job and they had some kind of drug crisis center call me.
What kind of people DO that?
All because my Dr who I had all my life retired. …It’s unbelievable. … Now I know why my wife doesn’t trust or have any faith in Dr’s .
and wont go to them.
She does things the “natural” way. -So I am going to try her way and go the way of chinese herbs and serenagen (from metagenics). Sadly it costs a lot more, but so be it.
I think you are worrying way too much. Truth is, you don’t know how this will effect you if you don’t try it. This medication does wonders for my general anxiety. My whole life I have struggled with anxiety and most medications (Like xanex) just made me irritable and tired. Meanwhile, this medication helps me focus, doesn’t make me drowsy like the others, and even helped me cut back on smoking. I suggest that you do your research before you down play other doctors. Not all of them are the same and sometimes it takes time to find one that works for you. I hope the natural way helps you, but if it doesn’t i suggest finding a doctor who will listen to you, instead of vilifying all of them. People do not become doctors to be evil. One bad experience doesn’t justify being a jerk about all of them.
I was prescribed this medication recently also. After reading, I don’t believe I’m going to take it. The last thing I need is for my anxiety to be exasperated with more trouble to deal with. I think I’ll stick to my CBD oil. If there’s another medication that you’d recommend over this one, without the unwanted side effects, feel free to give me your input. I was told I could take this medication AS NEEDED, which is what I asked for, which is not what I read here. It even says “take as needed” on the bottle, which is a red flag for me if this is not an as needed medication.
We are glad that the information assisted you, Cara! Best wishes and happy holidays to you.
I have a very addictive system Fram 2008 being prescribed morphine for 3 years after a surgery and going cold turkey off of it I thought I was going to die so I’m terrified of medication. I have a good doctor now who is treating my anxiety with Valium which works for me but I know it is very addictive and the last thing I want is another addiction. I have this prescription because it was prescribed to me from another doctor before I went to the new dr. I never started taking it for some reason I think my addictive behavior thought I needed eight instant gratification I wanted it to work today. So I never stuck with the program. I am a daily Valium user I’m allowed to take 30 mg that I only take 10 mg per day typically. Can I take BuSpar while I am taking Valium and then slowly wean myself off of Valium? I really don’t want be addicted to a benzo.I’m also on a clinical program with suboxone another medicine I would like to get off a. Would adding this to my Regiment of medications be harmful and could I wean myself off of Valium by taking his medication along with my Valium and slowly just quit my Valium. I do have the extended release form at it is prescribed to me I can get refills and would really like to be on something that I feel like I don’t have to chase after the pill if you know what I mean. I’m the only one in my family that has has addiction issues since 2008 and the morphine episode. Except my mother was an alcoholic I’m assuming I got a lot of her traits. She was a beautiful woman with a serious addiction and I look like her and I behave like her. Any input would be so appreciated thank you..
How has everything worked out for you? I understand alot of what you have said and would be interested in knowing what you have done to help your hard situation. Look forward to hearing from you.
My Dr tried to give me byspar, and I told her I only wanted something to treat the panic attacks , not a daily med. She got mad because I wanted xanax, and refused to be my dr anymore. Shes young and dumb so I didnt agree with her. I’m 60 , and know what will work for me, but she insisted I take a pill daily. I told her to take a flying leap, and now I know I was correct in my own analysis. Drs think they are superior know it alls and it seems to be the general consensus that the patient never knows better then them. I’ll stick to CBD also. Looking for a new dr now, one one is not so quick to prescribe poison.
Not all doctors think they are better. People abuse xanex all of the time. And if they prescribe something like that and the person abuses it, they could be held responsible. I have met two doctors that lost their licence due to patients ODing on xanex and pain killers. That would be enough to make me super cautious. Also, Buspar is far less addicting and will keep the panic attacks away overall. Otherwise you are taking xanex when you are having a panic attack, versus keeping the panic attacks away.
I was very worried about starting this medication but reading all the information you provided helped me in alot of ways. I do know that anyone can become addicted to ANY medication. That has happened to me and my husband because we have been on them for so many years. I think that if you take them as prescribed and they work for you with no major side affects then I don’t see a problem. So far I don’t have any side affects and I am excited to see if it works because I’ve only taken 5mg. 3 times a day for 3 days. I’ll let you know when it works. Thanks for listening.
We are glad that this article resonated with you, Lisa. Thanks for your perspective, and look forward to hearing back from you. Best wishes!
I have been taking this medication for sometime now and have nothing but good results. All drugs have something that you may not like. I take it 4 x a day and it’s easy on my system . I sleep well eat well I have no crazy thoughts just calmness. I workout 3 x per week and have a happy feeling that I did not have before taking Buspar. It’s been a life saver for me.
Thank you for reading my thoughts on my experience with Buspar.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the medication, Maryjo! Happy holidays.
How has everything worked out for you are you still taking them? I was just prescribed these as well 5mg 3 times a day. Look forward to hearing from you.
Buspar abuse? Is this a joke?
No, Frank, this has become a recurring issue, and we are trying to spread awareness. Have a wonderful day, thank you!
Thank you for reaching out, Emily! We would advise to follow your doctor’s recommendation. It may be that the medicine does not need to accumulate over time in your system, and the doctor would like you to take it as needed, or when you suspect you will need it that said day. If you have any further questions, you are welcome to contact us at the number provided on this page! Have a wonderful day.
These 5MG Tablets 3 Times A Day Have Been Amazing For Controlling My Anxiety! I have been on tons of meds and this one is by far the easiest to take and has made a huge difference in my life short term. I have been having crazy dreams though. Before I never had dreams, I would rather have dreams than to have to suffer with anxiety though. These have been great for my life and seem to have little to no side effects compared to Xanax and Volume.
I don’t know where you get your info but Buspar is FAR less addictive then ANY Benzodiazepine, and has little or no potential for abuse.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Scott. Happy holidays!
I was prescribed this medication about a year ago 15 +15 a day. I stopped taking it 3 months ago because I couldn’t tell any difference in its effect since I m rather calm most of the time and I only need it when I have to fly. However, when I stopped taking it, I developed insomnia for the very first time in my life.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience with insomnia and BuSpar.
Buspirone, is similar to SSRIs in it takes a week or two for effects taken orally, and it affects serotonin. Snorting it is common in jail, or when you don’t have any better substances. Calling it an equal to xanax is an exaggeration. It’s mildly euphoric and might make you smile or laugh, but don’t expect anything too enjoyable.
Thank you for your input, Emiko!
I just started buspar. Thank you for the great read.
You are most welcome, Richard! Happy new year!
Great article. I started buspar recently and I think it’s great. I can feel it working within 20 minutes,not a high, just calmness. I take 7.5mg as needed once or twice a day and 20mg Prozac. It’s definitely cut my urge to drink.
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences, Rob! Wishing you the best as you continue your journey.
My mother has Alzheimer’s and her dr started her on buspar for her anxiety and sundown symptoms. However, I think her agitation and nervousness has worsened and want her off this medication. I read that it needs to be gradually eliminated. What are the recommendations?
Rebecca, sorry to hear about your mother. The best option would be to bring up the concerns to her doctor and discuss taking her off the medication. Wishing you and your family all the best moving into the new year!
I recently started taking this prescribed at 7.5 once or twice a day. Since taking it, I’ve experienced a tightness in my chest that rises up to my throat. Anyone else? Is this from the medication?
Marsha, anti-anxiety medication can have adverse side effects. The tightness in your chest could be a side effect. You should contact your care provider for next steps. Best wishes.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Landon! We wish you nothing but the best moving forward!
I took buscar for 4 years daily and just recently tapered off and the withdrawals have been HORRIBLE!!!! even with tapering! I highly suggest researching other options before taking this medication. It worked at the beginning but then it wasn’t anymore. If I wouldve known I would Go through all of this getting off of it, i would’ve never taken it. I have every single withdrawal symptom on that list and I’ve eve had to take time off work. Please don’t take it if you have healthier options.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Amarie! Wishing you nothing but success as you continue on your recovery journey!
Hi Amarie! I also have been taking buspirone for about 3 years now. Out of nowhere I started to get vertigo, and horrible heart palpitations. I stopped taking it cold turkey and ended up almost going to the emergency room because I thought I was having a heart attack. Turns out it was because my anxiety has sky rocketed because of these withdrawal symptoms. So I got back on it and cut my dose from 5mg a day to 2.5 in the morning and night. This has caused me to have HORRIBLE insomnia. I mean only at night when I’m exhausted and going to close my eyes, and I jolt out of my sleep and feel like I’m literally dying and go into a complete panic attack. I’ve had to take .25 of Xanax when this happens now until these side effects go away. I have generalized anxiety/panic disorder. I have never experienced anxiety to this measure before. I’m constantly afraid I’m going to have a heart attack or seizure. I have been on many different medications and have never had issues like this before. I now am only taking 2.5mg of buspirone once in the morning. I will continue this for a month and then try to come off of it completely and try to get my neurotransmitters and serotonin levels back to normal with a holistic healing doctor.
I have been on Effexor for 13 years. Tried getting off twice with terrible results. I weaned off over the course of 30 days and felt sick, angry, crying, out of control. My friends noticed the change and told me to go back on it. So I did. I started on Xanax 5 years ago while being treated for liver cirrohsis .05 mg 2x day as needed. I was experiencing shaking and crying and the panic attacks were the worse. My doctor was very conservative and careful about every medication he started on me to help the symptoms, high blood pressure, edema in legs, gastric ulcers ect. Then 2 years ago I moved to another state and continued the same regiment only I was now suffering with sciatica due to back problems. New Dr. added Gabepentin to the mix. Now I live in Alabama and went to the sweetest Dr.ever. He wants me to wean off Xanax and prescribed Buspirone 5mg. 3x a day as needed. I enjoyed your article especially the comparison of Xanax vs Buspirone and how Buspirone is better for the liver. I hope this medication works for me so I can get off Xanax. I am recovering alcohalic 5 years sober. I have PTSD and have been in therapy. Therapy doesn’t stop a panic attack. Keeping my fingers crossed this med helps me. Thanks for the informative article.
Thank you for sharing your honest experiences, Christine! Wishing you nothing but continued success with your sobriety and medication changes!
for that. At the beginning when l first started it l remember feeling a little dizzy but it did go away after the 4th day. Now there is a shortage on this medication n l ran out and had to completely stop. I did not have any side effects stopping it after being on it 10 yrs.
What l will say here for all to know is different pharmaceuticals have there own fillers they add to making the buspar pill and that can have side effects that people arent aware of. Like brand names mylan’s buspar is excellant. Zydus brand is much stronger so you need less. Tevia lve heard has lots of bad reviews but the cheapest for your dollar. If l should ever need the medication again l hope the shortage of the best brands will be available on the market again. It IS important to know that not all buspar medications are the same by the type of fillers the companies use to mix with the buspar powder. Ive done my research n this is what lve experienced trying these different brands that make this medication. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing your research with us! We are glad you haven’t experienced any negative side effects with this medication. Wishing you and your family all the best!
I have been taking buspirone for a couple weeks 5 mg twice a day. It’s seem to help the first week or so felt relax and could sleep. Until the other day I would wake up with anxiety attacks every morning. My doctor told me to stop consider it was causing me to have more anxiety attacks. So I didn’t take any on Thursday. Woke up Friday morning at 4 am heart beating like crazy. Scared me so bad went to er they ran all types of test ekg blood work and all didn’t see anything wrong by the time I left er everything was back to normal. So I started thinking maybe I shouldn’t just stop this medication so I took only one Friday woke in the morning with a anxiety attack not as bad as the morning before. So that Saturday I decided to take half to wean myself off woke up again Sunday morning with another anxiety attack and can only sleep for three hours wake up try to bring myself back to normal and go back to sleep. I never had anxiety this bad waking up heart pounding sweating hand, stiff neck, headache, ringing in ear constipation. I don’t know if I should take any tonight? I don’t know how long it takes to get it out of my system but can’t wait. I see my doctor tommorrow hopefully she can guide me.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Kimberly. It sounds like you are taking the right steps by tapering off, but I would definitely discuss your struggles with your doctor to see how much they recommend you taper by how long. We wish you nothing but success!
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences!
This is my third day on BuSpar. It seems fine, but today on day three I had an anxiety attack. It went away after an hour or two. Am I supposed to feel anxious when dealing with this medication in the first 3 days?
If you are concerned about the side effects of your medication, please reach out to your doctor. They have your full medical history and current medications, so they can provide an informed response to your concerns. We wish you all the best!
I’ve been on 10mg twice daily for months and I have to say that this medication works well for me. I also take escitalopram 15mg daily and the combination of both has me completely relaxed, no anxiety nor stress that I felt daily. Escitalopram on its own was making me too drowsy and had a difficult time focusing with the addition for buspirone I function normally. The only negative is weight gain which I’m trying to get under control but it’s difficult.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us! We wish you all the best in the future!
with all negativity why is this drug prescribed?
Sometimes the benefits for the individual may outweigh the negatives. However, it is always best to know the potential risks, which is why we try our best to educate everyone.
Hey thanks for the great information i really like your blog and often times i visit your blog to see such interesting articles keep it up.
Glad you like the articles! We wish you all the best!
I was prescribed 10mg Buspirone 2x per day (generic for Buspar) in December of 2017. I have always taken Xanex/Klonopin for my anxiety, but upon entering a drug treatment program for methamphetamine addiction, I advised my doctor to give me something that was not a narcotic.
I took my medication as prescribed until February 24th 2019, when I quit “cold turkey”. There are several different personal reasons that I decided to discontinue use on my own, without consulting my doctor, but this particular day was chosen because it is when my medication had ran out and I didn’t have a ride to the pharmacy and when I went the next day, I got there 10 minutes late and they were closed. So upon waking up the next day, which was day 3 of not having my meds, I decided to just “wait and see” if the withdrawals were going to hit.
I’ve never been diagnosed with any type of bi-polar disorder, but the only way I can describe how I felt for the next few days were almost what a bi-polar person would describe what they feel on their “manic” days. It wasn’t a bad feeling at all, I had a burst of energy and motivation that was borderline “overwhelming” but it felt really good. I work from home on my computer and I found myself pushing through hours of work with no breaks and resulting in some very productive performance!! I even had someone ask me if I was drinking or high, because of how “talkative” and “giddy” I was. I have NO IDEA if this was related to me coming off of this medication but here it is March 3rd 2019 (exactly 1 week since I quit cold Turkey) and I feel great.
I know that there have been many other reports of people who quit cold turkey or by slowly reducing their doses, but with some pretty bad withdrawals. I just wanted to share my story for the people out there that are afraid of the withdrawals and to give some hope that you might not experience any of those things at all. I am not on any other medication and did not self-medicate with any type of substance and I feel incredible.
I am very thankful to have been able to stop this medication without any negative side effects and if you are thinking of coming off this medication also, I hope that your experience is similar to mine.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and providing a bit of inspiration to those looking to get sober too! Great job on your recovery as well and we wish you nothing but continued success!
I’ve only been taking 5mg 2xday for 5 days and I just want to stop taking it now. Will I have any withdrawals?
If you are concerned about stopping your medication and experiencing withdrawals, please reach out to the doctor who prescribed your medication. Your doctor would be able to advise you about stopping any medication.
I just started taking it and the first day was great because I had a terrible reaction from Trintillex, which was good at first, and then I had ups and downs of being very sleepy, or not knowing what to do, and no able to get any work done, so I stopped. The doctor told me to have blood tests, then all three of them never called. I was so angry with them. A friend called and he said he took Buspar mabe with iod on it, and it worked great. He and I were both on Lorazipam to make us less nervous and I took Tramadol for spinal pain and he took the biggie one, the one people get hooked on, and I can’t spell it. Anyway, he said his new doctor said for him to take those two drugs together that could kill him! So, I told my doctor I would try the new Buspar (ion?). The first day I felt better, could sleep even if I woke up I could go back to sleep. And, the next day I get the two-weeks laundry I just couldn’t face and it was easy. But, my food doesn’t taste very good and I’m not sure if it is the pill. I’ll keep trying it, but I think it has to be with something else. Something about the serotonin re uptake that my other med had isn’t the same with Buspar the doc told me, and acts on the seratonin and brain differently. I need to study more, I do not want to go in that awful slump I was in. I always have Xanax in my purse against panic attacks, and used to take 1/2 at night (the orange one…Alprazolam, I believe, the generic)…lasts just 4 hrrs. in your system I was told. So, I’ll continue reading and wish I knew what to do, I’m so tired of different pills. Before this, I took Wellbutrin in the morning and Alprazolam at night. For four years.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! We wish you nothing but the best as you continue your journey!
This was extremely helpful to me. I just started buspirone a month ago after having an anxiety attack. It actually started working within 3 days after starting treatment. My biggest hope has been that I can function without any anti-anxiety drugs in the future. Thank you for addressing the addiction factor of buspirone, as I’ve been concerned about that.
Glad the article resonated with you! We wish you the best of luck!
I can’t believe the paranoia expressed on this blog about friggin Buspar. Many, many years of experience with anxiety and dysthymia, as well as medications and therapies to deal with them. Of all the medications out there I wouldn’t be worried about, Buspar would be at the top of the list. I would suspect that many of the issues folks have with Buspar are related to withdrawals or affects from other medications. Buspar, when taken at a proper dose is very gentle, has a good track record for reducing anxiety, especially when connected to GAD. Don’t abuse it…don’t take too little or too much…it’s a good med.
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences! We wish you all the best!
I’ve been taking it since the end of January and I think the medical establishment is either lying or dumb when they tell you that there is no tolerance to this medication. I started out at 5 mg 2X a day, and that worked well at first, then stopped working. Then I upped it to 10 mg 2X a day, and that worked well at first, then stopped working. This is what happens to malevolent drugs that build a tolerance in your system. I tried to titrate down by 5 mg but it caused me to become so nervous that I went back up to 10 mg, but it still doesn’t help me anymore. I seriously think that even if I titrate up to 15 mg 2X a day, it will work at first, then stop working again.
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experiences with BuSpar. We wish you all the best on your journey!
I have been on this medicine for 3 years, along with Lexapro. It is in no way addictive. It takes 2 weeks to feel any difference and all it does is makes you sleepy.
My 15mg prescription says to take twice per day, one during the day, one before bed. I usually skip the day time medicine because I get too tired.
Giving out all this information on how to get high was kind of a trigger, just glad I’m 35. Not cool for the kids.
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experiences! We wish you and your family all the best!
Hi all. I just started Buspar 5 MG March 7th to help ween me off klonopin that I’ve been taking for about 28 years. I have severe panic attacks, agoraphobia, and OCD. Along with major depression and Fibromyalga. The klonopin has kept it all under control all these years. Now due to the government, I have to withdrawal from one and try the Buspar. I’m having little panic attacks and some trouble leaving the house. I hope this stuff works. My NP now wants to add abilify at night. My answer is NO!!! No more pills. I will be 61 years old April 4th, I just want to live my life in peace with as little B.S as possible.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, and we wish you all the best as you try to switch your medications. | 2019-04-22T03:02:33Z | https://www.evergreendrugrehab.com/blog/high-buspar-anti-anxiety-med-isnt-innocent-might-think/ |
These questions and answers correlate to pages in Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map from Beginning to End, Third Edition, which you have purchased.
As teachers of qualitative research and advisors of doctoral students, we have witnessed and experienced many of the frustrations of students confronted with the academic challenge of writing a dissertation. The questions below have been raised time and again in conversations with students and research colleagues. The intent of including these questions in the companion website for Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map From Beginning to End is that they will hopefully stimulate critical thinking, reflection, and dialogue, thereby motivating doctoral students or prospective doctoral students to seek and consult additional relevant texts and resources in order to delve deeper into the many issues raised. These questions might also be used to prompt discussion between doctoral students and their advisors.
One caveat in compiling this list of questions is to demystify the dissertation process but not to sacrifice intellectual rigor for the sake of simplification. Completing a qualitative dissertation indeed is a rigorous and demanding process, and understanding the process means grasping many complex and interrelated issues. As a second caveat, one must remember that while most institutions will approach the dissertation in common ways, at the same time there are differences in terms of the organization and presentation, as well as distinct differences in terms of what and how qualitative language and terminology are used. This book presents information as guidelines that are meant to be flexible per institutional expectations and requirements, and subject to modification depending on your institution, department, and program. As such, students should always consult with their advisors and committee members to ascertain specific or particular institutional or departmental requirements.
Parts 1–2 cover conceptual information; that is, the thinking and planning aspects of the dissertation. Parts 3–6 cover the practical aspects involved in preparing to actually write the dissertation. Part 7 includes the detailed requirements related to each of the chapters that compose the dissertation. Part 8 provides the information that one needs regarding the various activities that occur after writing the dissertation.
1. How does qualitative research and quantitative research differ, and what are the defining features of qualitative research?
Rather than determine cause and effect, or predict or describe the distribution of an attribute among a population, qualitative researchers are interested in understanding how people interpret their experiences and how they construct their worlds. The two paradigms or orientations that inform qualitative research, namely Interpretivism and Critical Theory, place emphasis on seeking understanding of the meanings of human actions and experiences, and on generating accounts of meaning from the viewpoints of those involved. Both paradigms assume that reality is socially constructed and that there is no single observable reality, but rather multiple realities or interpretations. For more information regarding the key defining features of qualitative research, see pages 37–44; 53–55.
2. What is implied by “rigor” in qualitative research, and what does it mean to conduct a “rigorous” qualitative study?
Sound research requires a systematic and rigorous approach to the design and implementation of the study, the collection and analysis of data, and the interpretation and reporting of findings. Central to the rigor of qualitative research is whether participants’ perspectives have been authentically represented in the research process, and whether the findings are coherent in the sense that they “fit” the data and social context from which they were derived. Because rigor is about being very transparent, evaluating the quality of qualitative research includes criteria that are concerned with good practice in the conduct of the research (methodological rigor), as well as criteria related to the trustworthiness of interpretations made (interpretive rigor). For more information regarding rigor vis-à-vis qualitative research, refer to pages 162–164; 240–242.
3. Writing a qualitative dissertation is a long and iterative process. What exactly is this “process,” and what should a student expect?
Writing a dissertation is a process but not one that is neat and linear. This work is intellectually rigorous—requiring intensive thinking, preparation, and planning—and is very much a matter of having tenacity, perseverance, and patience. For most people, conducting research and writing a document such as this is a first-time endeavor, an undertaking for which there is little experience. For a broad overview of the qualitative dissertation process, see page 3.
4. How does one manage data in the most efficient and practical manner throughout the dissertation process?
As you proceed with your research, you will begin to gather and accumulate a diverse array of material that has potential relevance. You certainly do not want to lose any of your material, nor do you want to drown in it. Organizing and managing dissertation-related “stuff” right from the beginning is essential to getting on track and staying focused. For more information regarding data management strategies, see pages 19–20; 65–66.
5. How can I start thinking about planning my time and resources?
The ability to focus, problem-solve, and make informed decisions at every step of the way will bring your study to completion. Because the time commitment required is substantial, you will need to pace yourself from the beginning. For some practical strategies, suggestions, and tips, see pages 20–23.
6. What would be a realistic timeline in which to complete my dissertation, and how can I remain practical about this?
If you work on your dissertation only when you feel like it, the project will most likely never be completed. Scheduling your time allows you to develop a plan for writing, and also helps reduce the pressure associated with deadlines, as well as the tendency to procrastinate. Moreover, setting a schedule also helps integrate your writing into the rest of your life. There are some basic principles for developing an effective writing schedule, and these can be found on pages 35–36.
7. Journaling is said to be an integral aspect of the qualitative dissertation process. Why is this necessary?
Aside from keeping track of information, you also need to keep track of your thinking. One way to ensure that you preserve your reasoning and thinking and are able to spell out the development of your ideas, is to keep a research journal. The rationale for recording your thinking is explained on page 23.
8. What is the actual starting point of any qualitative dissertation?
The starting point for any research project, and indeed the first major challenge in conducting research, involves identifying and developing a sound topic. How to go about selecting a worthy and researchable topic and considering potential options is described on page 24.
9. Does my selected topic need to be original or unique?
A dissertation should be an original piece of research and should make a significant contribution to the field. However, it is important to remember that making an original contribution does not imply that there need be an enormous “breakthrough.” In social science research, the discovery of new facts is rarely an important or even challenging criterion. Rather, research is a process of searching or re-searching for new insights; it is about advancing knowledge or understanding of a practice or phenomenon. More information on going about selecting a topic is provided on page 27.
10. Once I have decided on an area of interest, how do I go about developing and refining a researchable topic?
Once you have identified a general area of interest, you will need to begin narrowing your topic. The process of developing a researchable topic is a process of idea generation—the movement from a general interest “out there” toward a more clearly refined idea around a researchable problem. More about this “narrowing” process is discussed on pages 28–30.
11. What are the most common traditions or genres of qualitative research, and what are the key differences between them?
There are numerous qualitative traditions or genres, each of which has ways of defining a research topic, critically engaging the literature on that topic, identifying significant research problems, designing the study, and collecting, analyzing, and presenting the data so that it will be most relevant and meaningful. Understanding the logic behind a research approach allows your study to be appropriately positioned within an inquiry tradition and also lays the foundation for supporting your study’s findings. Pages 44–45 offer a descriptive and critical overview of some of the most current qualitative traditions.
12. What are the key characteristics of Case Study methodology, and how do I conduct a case study?
As a form of qualitative research methodology, case study is an intensive description and analysis of a bounded social phenomenon (or multiple bounded phenomena)—be this a social unit or a system such as a program, institution, process, event, or concept. Case study is at the same time both a methodology (a type of design in qualitative inquiry) and an object of study. Case study is an exploratory form of inquiry that affords significant interaction with research participants, providing an in-depth picture of the unit of study. More information can be found on pages 46–47.
13. What is Ethnography and how is an ethnographic study conducted?
Ethnography, as both a method and a product, has multiple intellectual traditions located in diverse disciplines. The researcher studies a cultural or social group in its natural setting, closely examining customs and ways of life, with the aim of describing and interpreting cultural patterns of behavior, values, and practices. Rooted in cultural anthropology, ethnography involves extended observations of the group, most often through the researcher as a participant observer becoming immersed in the day-to-day lives of the participants. More information can be found on pages 47–48.
14. What is Phenomenology, and what are the characteristics of a phenomenological study?
Phenomenology is both a philosophy and a method, the purpose of which is to investigate the meaning of the lived experience of people to identify the core essence of human experience or phenomena as described by research participants. Phenomenology does not endeavor to develop a theory to explain the world; rather, the aim is to facilitate deeper insight to help us maintain greater contact within the world. Phenomenologists focus on describing what all participants have in common, the basic purpose of research being to reduce individual experiences with a phenomenon to a description of the universal essence. More information can be found on pages 48–49.
15. What is Grounded Theory, and what does a grounded theory study look like?
The purpose of grounded theory is to inductively generate theory that is grounded in, or emerges from, the data. A core component of grounded theory is to move beyond description and to have the researcher generate or discover a theory that is “grounded” in data from the field—especially in actions, interactions, and social processes. Research involves multiple recurrent stages of data collection and the refinement of abstract categories of information. More information can be found on pages 49–50.
16. What is Narrative Inquiry, and how does one go about conducting this type of research?
Narrative research has many forms, incorporates a variety of practices and applications, and is rooted in different social disciplines. As a method, narrative research begins with the experiences as expressed in lived and told stories of individuals or cultures. In this form of research, the researcher studies the lives of one or more individuals through the telling of stories, including poetry, play, or performance. Paramount to all narrative work is the centrality of relationship in the research process and recognition of the sacredness of the stories that participants share and trust within the research environment. Uncertainty and tension guide the work, and rather than produce conclusive findings, the process is intended to offer understanding and meaning. More information can be found on pages 50–51.
17. What is Action Research, and what is an action research study?
Action research is a systematic orientation toward inquiry that seeks effective solutions to complex problems that people confront in their communities and organizations. Especially valuable to those involved in professional, organizational, and community research, action research focuses on specific situations that people encounter by engaging them in collaborative relationships and working on developing localized solutions. Action research, being about collaborative and democratic practices, makes it essentially political because it aims to influence processes of change. Action research is an intervention because it promotes actual change. More information can be found on pages 51–52.
18. What are Postmodernism, Poststructuralism, and Critical Theory Research?
In the past two decades, a critical turn has taken place in the social sciences, humanities, and applied fields, with scholars challenging the historical assumptions of neutrality in inquiry, asserting that all research is fundamentally political. It is increasingly argued that research involves issues of power and that traditionally conducted social science research has silenced, marginalized, and oppressed groups in society by making them the passive objects of inquiry. Postmodernism views the world as complex and reality as transitional. In recognition of the socially constructed nature of the world, meaning rather than knowledge is sought because knowledge is seen as constrained by the discourses that were developed to protect powerful interests. Poststructuralism, with its emphasis on language, forms a subset of postmodernism. More information on these genres can be found on pages 52–53.
19. With all the different options available, how do I go about choosing an appropriate qualitative research approach for my study?
The choice of research approach is directly tied to one’s research problem and purpose. A research problem should not be modified to fit a particular research approach; nor can you assume a particular qualitative approach regardless of your research problem. Having decided on a qualitative research approach, you will proceed to appropriately design your study within the framework of one of the traditions or genres of qualitative inquiry. Thus, the components of the design process (e.g., the theoretical framework, research purpose, and methods of data collection and data analysis) reflect the principles and features that characterize that tradition. More information can be found on pages 55–56.
20. What exactly is the dissertation proposal, and what is its function and purpose?
The proposal is an integral and very distinct segment of the dissertation process. It is a well-thought-out written action plan that identifies a narrowly defined problem; a purpose that describes how the problem will be addressed; research questions that are tied to the purpose and, when answered, will shed light on the problem; a review of the literature and relevant research to determine what is already known about the topic; and data collection and data analysis methods. More information regarding the content and process of the dissertation proposal can be found on pages 61–62.
21. How do I go about developing my proposal, and what are the key components of a qualitative dissertation proposal?
As mentioned at the outset of this book, and as you will be reminded throughout, while most institutions approach the proposal and dissertation in common ways, at the same time there are differences in terms of the organization and presentation, and distinct differences in terms of what and how qualitative language and terminology are used. This book presents information as guidelines that are meant to be flexible per institutional expectations and requirements, and subject to modification depending on your institution, department, and program. You will no doubt have to attend carefully to the variations that reflect the expectations and requirements of your particular institution. More information pertaining to the core elements of a qualitative proposal (introduction, literature review, and methodology) can be found on pages 63–65.
22. What are some additional elements that I should be aware of when preparing my proposal?
In addition to the three key parts of the proposal (introduction, literature review, methodology), there are some other elements that you will need to address, and information regarding these elements can be found on pages 65–66.
23. What is an elevator speech?
You may have heard the term "elevator speech." This refers to your ability to clearly and concisely answer the question "what is your study about?" A few points about an elevator speech and its relationship vis-a-vis your proposal are presented on page 66.
24. The idea of a “literature review” really scares me! There seems to be so much that is required! How do I even begin to think about it?
Literature review is a distinct form of academic writing, a skill that doctoral candidates must master to demonstrate knowledge of the literature landscape that surrounds any given dissertation research problem. Right from the beginning, the literature review is an essential, integral, and ongoing part of the research process. Producing good reviews is a test of your ability to manage the relevant texts and materials, analytically interpret ideas, and integrate and synthesize ideas and data with existing knowledge. Guidelines and suggestions regarding undertaking, managing, and operationalizing literature reviews are provided on pages 105–108.
25. What are some of the most important guidelines regarding academic writing?
A dissertation demonstrates your ability to write a coherent volume of intellectually demanding work. It involves the combination of performing research and writing about your research to describe and explain it. As a researcher/writer, knowing how to best express your ideas in written form to convey them to the reader becomes an essential skill. The dissertation requires a high level of scholarly writing, and as such you will have to get into the mode of writing for a particular audience, that is, the academic community. Further information regarding academic writing requirements is presented on pages 66–68.
26. What are the general format and style requirements for a qualitative dissertation?
A research report must consistently follow a selected system for format and style. Format refers to the general pattern of organization and arrangement of the report. Style refers to appropriate writing conventions and includes rules of grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation to be followed in preparing the report. Most colleges and universities require the use of a specific style—either their own or that in a published style manual. You will need to make inquiries regarding your particular department’s recommended style preference. Regardless of which style manual you use, you are expected to adhere to its rules meticulously. Further information regarding format and style is presented on pages 68–70.
27. What are some of the most important aspects of academic integrity, and what constitutes plagiarism?
The strength of your writing rests on your ability to refer to and incorporate the work of others. It is imperative, however, that you attribute recognition to all and any sources of information that you use. Integrity matters! There are few intellectual offenses more serious than plagiarism in academic and professional contexts. A charge of plagiarism can have severe consequences, including expulsion from a university or loss of a job, not to mention a writer’s loss of credibility and professional standing. Further information regarding academic integrity and strategies for avoiding plagiarism is presented on pages 71–73.
28. What is Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and why is it necessary?
Any research designed to research human subjects, interact with human subjects, provide interventions for human subjects, obtain identifiable information about living subjects, or observe and record private behavior of human subjects, must come under the jurisdiction of the governing board of Institutional Research. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) have emerged in accredited academic institutions of higher education as bureaucratic entities responsible for the regulation, governance, and enforcement of significant research ethics. While there are some variations across disciplines and national boundaries, IRB approval is a stamp of credibility backed by a legitimate academic institution. This credibility is valuable both for the researcher and for the research participants. Further information regarding application for IRB approval is discussed on pages 74–75.
29. What are the differences between “methodology” and “research methods”?
Methodology determines how the researcher thinks about a study, how decisions about the study are made, and how researchers position themselves to engage firstly with participants and then with the data that are generated. The term methods commonly denote specific techniques, procedures, or tools used by the researcher to generate and analyze data. The methods that a qualitative researcher chooses are informed by both the research design and the research methodology so that there is a conceptual fit across all levels. More about methodology and methods, and the interrelationship between them, can be found on page 157.
30. What is meant by “methodological congruence”?
As the researcher, you actively create the link among problem, purpose, and approach through a process of reflecting on problem and purpose, focusing on researchable questions and considering how to best address these questions. Thinking along these lines affords a research study “methodological congruence.” In essence, the position of the researcher is the bridge between philosophy, methodology, and the application of methods. Thus, the alignment between the research question, chosen methodology and personal philosophy, and the ability of the researcher to be reflexive in relation to the research is critical to ensure congruence in the study that will be manifested in the products of the research. More information regarding the notion of methodological congruence can be found on pages 153–154.
31. What are the most commonly used methods of data collection in qualitative research?
Based on the research questions, specific data collection methods are chosen to gather the required information in the most appropriate and meaningful way. A solid rationale for the choice of methods used is crucial, as this indicates methodological congruence, and illustrates that the choice of methods is grounded in the study’s overall research design. Details pertaining to some of the most commonly used methods of data collection (e.g., interviews, focus groups, observation, critical incidents, surveys, and document review) can be found on pages 154–157.
32. What is meant by “triangulation” of methods, and how important is this?
Triangulation enhances the quality of data from multiple sources (e.g., people, events) in multiple ways (e.g., interviews, observations, document review) with the idea that this will illuminate different facets of situations and experiences, and help portray them in their entirety and complexity. More about triangulation strategies and the significance thereof in qualitative research can be found on page 154.
33. What are some of the most important considerations when writing up the methods section?
To show that you have done a critical reading of the literature, and to acknowledge that data collection methods are not without some advantages, your discussion should be sufficiently detailed. More information pertaining to these necessary details is presented on page 158.
34. The idea of “researcher as instrument” is often portrayed as problematic. How do I best understand this phenomenon, and how can I go about defending this perspective to those who see qualitative research as limited and subjective?
“Researcher as instrument” raises important ethical, accountability, and social justice issues, including inter-subjectivity, power, positioning, and voice. Importantly, the reflexive researcher understands that all research is value-bound and that a reflective stance is therefore imperative; that is, reflexivity implies the explicit self-consciousness on the part of the researcher, including social, political, and value positions. Reflexivity is defined as the researcher’s conscious awareness of her or his cognitive and emotional filters comprising their experiences, world-views, and biases that may influence their interpretation of participants’ perceptions. More information on this key qualitative research issue can be found on pages 54–55; 242–243.
35. What is qualitative data analysis really all about?
Qualitative data analysis is the process of bringing order, structure, and meaning to the masses of data you have collected. Although there are stages dedicated to formal analysis, analysis is an inherent and ongoing part of the research and writing process. Many students become overwhelmed at this point of the dissertation process, having completed or still being immersed in data collection and faced with mounds and mounds of “stuff” and unsure about what needs to be done first. Indeed, there can be a really vast amount of data that need to be transcribed, organized, and reduced. More on qualitative data analysis can be found on pages 187–189.
36. What advice is there for student researchers to best prepare themselves for the huge task of data analysis?
The data generated by qualitative methods are voluminous, and the sheer quantity of raw data can indeed be quite daunting. The best piece of advice I can offer is that if data are to be thoroughly analyzed, they must be well organized. Attention to detail in managing data is important at every stage of the research process. This notion becomes all too clear when it is time to write up the research. Strategies regarding data management in preparation for data analysis are presented on pages 189–190.
37. What does it mean to develop an “analytic mindset”?
Qualitative research does not purport to be objective nor is this a goal of qualitative research. However, to be rigorous, qualitative research does strive to be transparent, and to openly and clearly document and communicate all decisions taken throughout the research process. This must become an integral part of your thinking and mindset. More about ways of maintaining transparency, and hence ensuring the rigor of your study, is discussed on pages 158–159; 188–189.
38. There are many different ways to go about doing qualitative data analysis. How do I decide on the best approach for my specific study?
Different qualitative research traditions or genres promote specific strategies for data analysis. Whatever approach you choose to use should be suited to the research tradition that you have adopted. In addition, the preference of your advisor and your department will of course need to be taken into consideration. Different analytic strategies are discussed on pages 190–193.
39. What are “codes,” and what are their role and function in the qualitative data analysis process?
Much is made about coding as a fundamental skill for qualitative analysis. Although there is really nothing that mysterious about it, the literature on data analysis and coding in particular is voluminous, and the vast amount of information can certainly be overwhelming. Details pertaining to codes and the overall coding process are provided on pages 197–199.
40. What is the procedure for coding data?
The reason you have spent so much time and energy talking to participants is to find out what their experience is and to endeavor to understand it from their perspective. You, as the researcher, will be exercising judgment as to what you think is significant in each interview transcript. Some passages may stand out because they are striking to you in some way. Others may stand out because they are contradictory and seem inconsistent with your conceptual framework. In this regard, you must be vigilant in not only seeking material that supports your own opinions but also remaining open to the unexpected. All of the aspects of coding your material are presented on pages 201–202.
41. What do you do once you have coded your data?
Once you have coded your material, you are ready to categorize your units of information. What is imperative is that your coding scheme and conceptual framework continue to remain flexible. All aspects of the process of assigning your codes to categories are presented on pages 202–204.
42. What is content analysis, and how does it differ from coding?
In traditional content analysis studies, counting the number of times a particular set of codes occurs is an important measure in assessing the frequency of items or phenomena. However, in the qualitative analysis process, frequency of occurrence is not necessarily an indicator of significance. The analytic approaches for most coding methods do not ask you to count; they ask you to ponder, speculate, assess, integrate, and synthesize. Qualitative analysis therefore goes way beyond simply counting. See pages 199–200 for further discussion on this distinction.
43. There is a lot of talk around computer software analysis programs? What types are available, and are these preferable than conducting a manual “old fashioned” analysis of my data?
If you choose to make use of computer aided software, then searching for the most appropriate program is important so that it directly supports and is usable in terms of your study’s research design and methodology. Information regarding the most common software currently in use, including benefits and limitations, is provided on pages 205–207.
44. How does “data analysis” differ from “interpretation of findings”?
By way of data analysis, you are forming a record of frequently occurring phenomena or patterns of behavior. Once you have established patterns, these patterns need to be explained. This is where interpretation of findings comes into play. Whereas the chapter of data analysis presents the findings of your research by organizing data from various sources into categories to produce a readable narrative, the purpose of the chapter dealing with interpretation of findings is to provide interpretative insights into your study’s findings. You now have an opportunity to communicate to others what you think your findings mean and integrate your findings with literature, research, and practice. More about this is discussed on pages 233–236.
45. What essentially is “interpretation” in qualitative research? How do I go about interpreting what I have found?
Qualitative research begins with questions, and its ultimate purpose is learning. To inform the questions, the researcher collects data. Data are like building blocks that, when grouped into patterns, become information, which in turn, when applied or used, becomes knowledge. The challenge of qualitative analysis lies in making sense of large amounts of data—reducing raw data, identifying what is significant, and constructing a framework for communicating the meaning of your findings. This is discussed on pages 240–243.
46. How and in what ways does analysis of findings differ among the various qualitative research traditions?
Analytical approaches are linked to particular forms of data collection and are underpinned by specific conceptual and philosophical traditions. These differences are discussed on page 238.
47. How and in what ways does interpretation of findings differ among the various qualitative research traditions?
Just as there are clear analytic distinctions among traditions or genres demanding that the researcher will have to think about data analysis in a particular way, so are interpretation and representation strategies specific to each tradition. These differences are discussed on page 241.
48. How do I prepare myself for analysis and interpretation?
You might ask yourself what the chapter on interpretation of findings is really all about and what it should constitute. Since findings are not to be taken at face value, how does one go about seeking the deeper meanings behind the findings? What is really involved? And how does one get started? How to begin thinking about your analysis and interpretation is presented on page 236.
49. How do I begin to go about analyzing and interpreting my findings?
You are most likely asking yourself what the chapter on analysis of findings is really all about and what it should constitute. How does one get started, and what is really involved? You may want to structure your thinking according to three interrelated activities: (a) Seeking significant patterns and themes among the findings, (b) making use of description and interpretation, and (c) providing some sort of synthesis or integration. More about these activities and how to go about “peeling back” the many layers in order to explain the meaning behind your findings is provided on pages 236–244.
50. What are the limitations of my credibility in the analytic and interpretive process? After all, I bring my own perspectives and experiences, and hence assumptions, subjectivity and biases!
Whereas in quantitative research the role of the researcher is detached with the aim of being as objective as possible, in qualitative research, the researcher is personally involved, believing that research is always value-bound. Factors that enhance the credibility of a qualitative study are discussed on page 244.
51. A lot is made about the notion of “synthesis.” What are the implications of synthesizing findings in qualitative research?
Qualitative research involves moving from a holistic perspective to individual parts (analysis) and then back to a holistic look at the data (synthesis). Whereas the findings chapter splits apart and separates out pieces and chunks of data to tell the “story of the research,” the analysis chapter is an attempt to reconstruct a holistic understanding of your study. Analysis is intended to ultimately depict an integrated picture. More details are presented on pages 243–244.
You will notice that the questions in Part 7 below are organized around particular standard dissertation chapters. Please be aware that different institutions have different expectations and requirements with regard to the structure and flow of dissertation chapters. Students will need to consult with their advisors in this regard.
52. What is the overall purpose of Chapter One (the study’s Introduction), and what are the key components of this chapter?
The first chapter of your dissertation is the most critical, and everything that follows hinges on how well this chapter is constructed. The introductory chapter therefore sets the stage for the study; it also makes a case for the significance of the problem, contextualizes the study, and provides an introduction to its basic components—most specifically, directing the reader to the research problem, research purpose, and research questions. This first chapter of the dissertation also forms part of the proposal. The various elements that comprise this chapter are discussed on pages 9–10; 85.
53. How do I move from identifying a research topic to developing and articulating a viable research problem?
The sooner you can begin to narrow your research interests (topic) and identify and develop a topical focus (research problem), the better. Beginning researchers often confuse a topic with a research problem. A topic refers to a general area of interest. A research problem is more specific; it seeks to understand some aspect of the general topic. More on how to begin narrowing down a research topic and developing a clear research problem is discussed on pages 86–88.
54. What is the research problem, and how does this inform the development of research purpose and research questions?
At the heart of a dissertation is the articulation of the research problem. This is the place where most committee members go first to understand and assess the merits of a proposal or a dissertation. More on the research problem and how it informs the research questions is discussed on pages 88–91.
55. How do I go about developing and honing my research problem statement?
The problem statement serves a foundational role in that it communicates what is the formal reason for engaging in the dissertation in the first place. The problem statement is the discrepancy between what we already know and what we want to know. The problem statement also illustrates why we care; that is, why your study should be conducted. More details about what constitute a viable problem statement, and how to go about assessing viability, is discussed on pages 87–89.
56. What is the purpose statement, and how do I articulate this?
Once you have identified your own narrowly defined topic and concise problem statement, you are ready to formulate your purpose statement. The purpose statement is the major objective or intent of the study; it enables the reader to understand the central thrust of the research. More about the purpose statement and how to go about developing this is discussed on pages 88–90.
57. How do I develop and articulate effective and relevant research questions?
The research questions are directly tied to the research purpose. Answering the questions must accomplish the study’s purpose and contribute to shedding light on and addressing the problem. One must be able to trace all the ideas in the research questions back through the purpose statement to the problem statement; this underscores that you must ask relevant and effective questions. Details regarding how to craft research questions are included in pages 90–92.
58. What are some other additional elements that need to be included in the introductory chapter?
The first chapter of your dissertation (and of your proposal) introduces and describes the critical components that set in place a research study: problem, purpose, and research questions. In addition, there are some other associated elements or subsections. It should be noted that there may be some variations in required subheadings depending on individual programs and/or universities, and you should be sure to check for this. An outline of typical subheadings that compose Chapter One is presented on pages 92–94.
59. What is the function and purpose of the literature review chapter in the qualitative dissertation?
The literature review is a sophisticated form of research in its own right that requires a great deal of research skill and insight. You are expected to identify appropriate topics or issues, justify why these are the appropriate choice for addressing the research problem, search for and retrieve the appropriate literature, analyze and critique the literature, create new understandings of the topic through synthesis, and develop a conceptual framework that will provide the underlying structure for your study. More on the function and purpose of the literature review chapter is presented on pages 104–105.
60. What is the scope of the literature review chapter in the dissertation? In other words, how extensive is the review meant to be?
The major purpose of reviewing the literature is to determine what has already been done that relates to your topic. This knowledge not only prevents you from unintentionally duplicating research that has already been conducted, but it also affords you the understanding and insight needed to situate your topic within an existing framework. Therefore, a thorough search and reading of related literature is, in a very real sense, part of your own academic development—part of becoming an “expert” in your chosen field of inquiry. Given all of this, you might be asking, “What is the scope of a literature review, and how extensive will this review need to be?” These questions are responded to on pages 105–108.
61. How do I start preparing for the literature review?
Thinking about the entire literature review may be overwhelming and intimidating. Instead of viewing it as one big whole, try to think of it as a series of steps—and steps within those steps—and prepare to tackle each topic one by one, setting small achievable goals within each topic area. The different stages of the literature review process, and all the key elements involved in digesting scholarly sources, are discussed on pages 108–118.
62. What is the idea of “synthesis” vis-à-vis the literature review? And how is synthesis different from summary?
Synthesis and summary are strategies that are used in reading, review, and research. Both are important skills or techniques in making sense of what one is reading, and each one plays an important role in the qualitative research process. However, they are very different activities. Each has a different purpose, process, and outcome. This is discussed on pages 121–122.
63. What should I know about and be aware of with regard web/online resources?
Although not always scholarly, the Internet will more than likely be your initial starting point for topic ideas and information. However, anyone anywhere can put information on the web, so any information from the Internet should be cited with caution. Remember that using the Internet to find academic information takes a lot of hard work to carefully evaluate and determine if a web resource is a reliable, authoritative, or even a scholarly information resource. Criteria for evaluating the credibility, accuracy, currency, and legitimacy of web resources are discussed on pages 113–114.
64. How do I present my literature review in the dissertation?
Qualitative researchers use existing literature to guide their studies in various ways depending on the type of study being conducted. There are also differences regarding the purpose and process for presenting the review of the literature with respect to each of the research traditions. Guidelines for presenting a literature review are discussed on pages 122–124.
65. So much is made of the conceptual framework. What is it, and how can I start thinking about this?
Graduate students often lack a clear understanding of the nature of the conceptual framework; what it is, its purpose, where it is derived from, how it is developed, how it is used, and what effect it has on research. Thus, they find themselves at a loss in the process of developing a conceptual framework. Moreover, oftentimes experienced researchers and advisors encounter challenges in guiding candidates as to what constitutes a rigorous and meaningful conceptual framework. As such, the structure and function of a conceptual framework continues to mystify and frustrate. More information on this is presented on pages 124–127.
66. What are the role, function, and application of the conceptual framework in the dissertation?
The conceptual framework plays a central role throughout the entire research process, and, most important, in the final analysis. A well-conceived conceptual framework is influenced by and at the same time influences the research process at all levels and at all stages. There are a set of distinct roles and functions of the conceptual framework in a qualitative dissertation, and these are discussed on pages 127–128.
67. What is the essential value of the dissertation’s conceptual framework? And are there any limitations associated with a conceptual framework?
The conceptual or theoretical framework strengthens your study in many ways, and there are also some caveats to be aware of. The value and limitations are explained on pages 128–130.
68. How do I go about developing and presenting my study’s conceptual framework? Does this have to be an elaborate diagram?
In acknowledging the conceptual framework as an integral element of the research process, as a qualitative researcher, you need to know how to develop and create a conceptual or theoretical framework and where to introduce this in the dissertation. The term is somewhat an abstract notion, conjuring up a “model” or “diagram” of some sort. Moreover, there is no uniform and consistent definition, and discussions in the literature around conceptual frameworks are not clear or precise. Strategies for developing the conceptual framework and ideas for presenting it in the dissertation are discussed on pages 130–132.
69. What is the purpose of the Methodology chapter?
The Methodology chapter of the dissertation presents the research design and the specific procedures used in conducting your study. In this chapter, you will show the reader that you understand the methodological implications of the choices you have made and, in particular, that you have thought carefully about the linkages between your study’s purpose and research questions, and the research approach and research methods that you have selected. More details regarding the purpose of this chapter are presented on pages 143–145.
70. What are the key components of the Methodology chapter?
The dissertation’s methodology chapter covers a lot of ground. In this chapter, you will document each step that you have taken in designing and conducting the study. This chapter situates the study within a particular methodological tradition and provides a detailed description of all aspects of the design and procedures of the study. While your headings and subheadings in this chapter are contingent on your particular university’s requirements, make sure your sections are in a logical sequence and what you write is comprehensive, clear, precise, and sufficiently detailed. An overview of the elements that would constitute a comprehensive and sound methodology chapter is presented on pages 11–12; 146–147.
71. What is the research sample, and how is this different from the research population?
The research sample is a subset of the population. Identifying your research sample, and the method you used to select that sample, provides the reader with some sense of the scope of your study. In addition, your study’s credibility relies on the quality of procedures you have used to select the research participants. Further information regarding qualitative research samples is provided on page 147.
72. How do I go about selecting my research sample, and how large does it need to be?
In qualitative research, selection of the research sample is purposeful. The logic of purposeful sampling lies in selecting information-rich cases, with the objective of yielding insight and understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. This method is in contrast to the random sampling procedures that characterize quantitative research, which is based on statistical probability theory. Further information regarding purposeful sampling and sample size is discussed on pages 148–149.
73. What kinds of information am I going to need from the research site and research sample?
Four areas of information are typically needed for most qualitative studies: contextual, perceptual, demographic, and theoretical. Additional details regarding the types of information needed, and how to go about collecting that information, are discussed on pages 149–151.
74. What is “research design,” and what are the implications of the choice of research design for my study?
Engaging in research involves choosing a study design that corresponds with your study’s problem, purpose, research questions, choice of site, and research sample. This calls to the fore the concept of methodological congruence, whereby all the study’s components are interconnected and interrelated so that the study itself is a cohesive whole rather than the sum of fragmented or isolated parts. You will also need to consider whether the design is a comfortable match with your worldview and your skills. How to go about developing the research design of your study and the criteria to take into consideration in doing so are presented on pages 151–152.
75. What are the key ethical considerations in conducting qualitative research?
In any research study, ethical issues relating to the protection of the participants are of vital concern. As researchers, we are morally bound to conduct our research in a manner that minimizes potential harm to those involved in the study. For the most part, issues of ethics focus on establishing safeguards that will protect the rights of participants and include informed consent, on protecting participants from harm, and on ensuring confidentiality. As a qualitative researcher, you need to remain attentive throughout your study to the researcher–participant relationship, which is determined by roles, status, and cultural norms. Central issues with regard to ethics in qualitative research are discussed on pages 161–162.
76. How do I best understand issues of “trustworthiness” or “legitimation” regarding qualitative research?
Qualitative research is based to a large degree on reflection and interpretation. The researcher as instrument brings her or his experience and perspective to the table. Qualitative research does not purport to be objective, nor is this a goal of qualitative research. However, to be rigorous, qualitative research does strive to be transparent and to openly, legitimately, and clearly document and communicate all decisions taken throughout the research process. Issues of trustworthiness in qualitative research (credibility, dependability, and confirmability) and how these compare with quantitative research criteria are discussed on pages 162–163.
77. How can I better understand conflicting reports about the generalizability of qualitative research?
Although generalizability is not the intended goal of qualitative research, what must be addressed is the issue of transferability; that is, the ways in which your reader determines whether and to what extent some of the elements of your study can be used as a way to understand similar elements of another context. Exactly what transferability implies and how to account for transferability in your qualitative study are discussed on page 164.
78. What is meant by “limitations” and “delimitations” in a qualitative research study, and what is the difference between these two concepts?
Limitations of the study are the characteristics of design or methodology that expose the conditions that may weaken the study. Delimitations refer to the initial choices made about the broader, overall design of your study and are those characteristics that define and clarify the conceptual boundaries of your research. More about limitations and delimitations and how to account for these in your study is discussed on pages 164–166.
79. What constitutes the dissertation’s findings analysis chapter?
In this chapter, you present the analysis of your raw data, which are your findings. You have now moved beyond data to information. The challenge of qualitative analysis lies in making sense of large amounts of data, identifying what is significant, and constructing a framework for communicating the essence of what the data reveal. This chapter lays the foundation for the analysis, conclusions, and recommendations that will appear in subsequent chapters. Factors to take into consideration when preparing and writing this chapter, as well as a suggested outline, are provided on pages 13; 187–189.
80. What is the procedure involved in qualitative data analysis, and what is the role of the conceptual framework?
Data analysis demands a heightened awareness of the data and an open mind to recurring and common threads, some of which may be subtle. The process can be repetitious, tedious, and time consuming. While there is a somewhat systematic and stepwise procedure to prepare and analyze the data, the interrelationship among these steps is not necessarily linear. The phases involved in data analysis and the integral function of your conceptual framework are presented on pages 193–197.
81. How are research findings to be presented in a qualitative dissertation?
As the researcher, your goal is to tell a story that should be vivid and interesting, while also accurate and credible. In your report, the events, the people, and their words and actions are made explicit so that readers can experience the situation in a similar way to the researcher, as well as experience the world of the research participants.
Qualitative analysis is a creative and ongoing process that requires thoughtful judgments about what is significant and meaningful in the data. General guidelines for presenting this chapter are presented on pages 207–208.
82. What does this mean to present findings by way of quotation categories, and how do I go about doing this?
In qualitative research, interviewing is usually the major source of the data needed for understanding the phenomenon under study. The findings of qualitative research are typically reported in a narrative manner. Reports of qualitative studies usually include extensive samples of quotations from participants, and these provide the detail and substantiate the story that you are telling. An overwhelming question facing any researcher embarking on the write-up of the research report is, “Where do I begin to tell my story?” The various steps involved in this process are discussed on pages 208–212.
83. What is meant by thematic presentation of findings?
While the standard form of presenting quotes in qualitative research is to weave the quotes into your narrative, this is not the only form. Quotes can also be presented within charts, tables, or figures, with the overall goal to convey the story-line of your research according to the most predominant themes. More about this way of presenting findings can be found on pages 212–213.
84. What is the role and function of the analysis and synthesis chapter?
The previous chapter of the dissertation involved the analysis of data to produce the study’s findings. Organizing, preparing, and presenting the findings of your research is a somewhat objective exercise; the researcher is, in this instance, a reporter of information. This chapter involves the analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of those findings. Both chapters involve analytic decisions, and these two chapters together should convince a reader that you, the researcher, are sufficiently knowledgeable about the interlocking analytic processes that constitute qualitative research. Further details pertaining to this chapter’s place in the dissertation are provided in pages 13–14; 233–236.
85. What does it mean to seek patterns and themes?
Qualitative analysis is essentially about searching for patterns and themes; that is, the trends that you see emerging from among your findings. Now again, when you are analyzing your findings, you look for themes once again—this time not in raw data but in the findings that have emerged. Bear in mind that analytical approaches are linked to particular forms of data collection and are underpinned by specific conceptual and philosophical traditions. Each tradition provides a perspective on reality that is specific to that tradition. More on this is discussed on pages 238–240.
86. Once I have established patterns and themes, how do I go on to describe and interpret my study’s findings?
A qualitative dissertation should not only provide sufficient description to allow the reader to understand the basis for an interpretation but also provide meaningful interpretation to allow the reader to appreciate the description. An interpretive reading of your data involves constructing a version of what you think the findings mean or represent or what you think you can infer from the findings. Interpretation, in effect, moves the whole analytic process to a higher level. Guidelines for interpreting your material are presented on pages 240–243.
87. Formulating the study’s conclusions and recommendations constitute the final chapter of the dissertation. What should I be aware of regarding this chapter?
The final chapter of the dissertation presents a set of concluding statements and recommendations. By way of the conclusions, the story of your research is wrapped up, bringing it to its logical finale. Recommendations are the application of those conclusions. Writing conclusions and providing recommendations will draw on your ability to be a critical and, at the same time, creative thinker. Characteristics of worthy conclusions and recommendations are presented on pages 15; 269–270.
88. How do I begin thinking about developing trustworthy conclusions?
When you were developing the study’s key findings, you engaged in critical thinking and reflection about all the potential deeper meanings behind these findings. As such, you were able to brainstorm a number of possible interpretations that explained your findings. In generating conclusions, you now need to go back to your findings and interpretations. A process to stimulate thinking about developing conclusions and making sure that your findings, interpretations, and conclusions are all aligned is presented on pages 270–271.
89. How do I write up my study’s conclusions?
As a general rule of thumb, you should provide at least one conclusion for each finding. However, the process is not altogether linear, and so it is possible that one conclusion can (but does not always) cut across more than one finding. It is important to bear in mind when thinking about and formulating each of your conclusions that they must be logically tied to one another. More about writing conclusions, as well as a tool for generating conclusions, is presented on pages 271–272.
90. How can I go about I developing actionable recommendations?
Recommendations follow your findings and conclusions. They are the application of those conclusions. A tool for generating the study’s recommendations is presented on pages 272–273.
91. How do I write up my recommendations?
You make recommendations based on your own experiences in conducting the research, as well as in any other professional capacity. Recommendations can have implications for policy and practice, as well as for further research. Further details pertaining to providing recommendations are presented on page 273.
92. Will I have an opportunity to reflect on my research and findings?
Most certainly! As you near the end of your study, you may want to pause and reflect on the long qualitative journey you have undertaken. You may include this reflection in the last chapter, following your conclusions and recommendations. Suggestions about this piece of the dissertation are provided on pages 273–274.
93. Why is alignment such an important component to consider, and why should this be revisited as I near completion of the dissertation?
You will have known throughout your research about the importance of alignment among the first three core critical elements: problem, purpose, and research questions. As you reach the final stages of writing your dissertation, it is crucial that you once again make certain that all the necessary elements that constitute your dissertation are aligned with one another. This will ensure that your study is tight and that you have taken an important step in ensuring methodological integrity; this is extremely important for the defense when, among other things, the methodological integrity of your research is finely scrutinized. More about alignment is presented on pages 283–284.
94. How do I craft my study’s title?
The title of your dissertation should catch the readers’ attention while at the same time properly informing them of the main focus of your study. Crafting an effective title is an iterative and ongoing exercise. A title has many uses. Most important, it should accurately reflect your work. More details about the title are provided on pages 284–285.
95. How do I prepare an Abstract?
Writing a good abstract requires that you explain what you did and what you found in simple, direct language. The abstract needs to be dense with information but also readable, well organized, concise and specific, focused, and coherent. Abstracts can differ in terms of style and word count. It is suggested that you consult with your advisor, departmental regulations, and the relevant style manual regarding abstract requirements. More about the abstract is provided on pages 285–289.
96. What is the essential purpose of the dissertation defense?
The defense, in effect, moves your dissertation from the private domain into the arena of public discourse, providing you with some sense of closure. Actual procedures for conducting the meeting and the formalities involved are discussed on pages 302–303.
97. What is the process for selecting a defense committee?
Be aware that each university or college has a different system regarding dissertation committee structure and the process of preparing for that structure. Each institution has its own way of going about setting up the defense meeting, and it is recommended that you consult with your institution’s office of doctoral studies with regard to the correct procedures and protocol. Some general guidelines are provided on pages 300–301.
98. How can I best prepare myself for this milestone event, and what are some beneficial pre-defense strategies that I should know about?
Because this is the culminating aspect of a rigorous, traditional, and long-standing ritual, you are likely to approach the defense with some sense of anxiety. This is certainly understandable! Therefore, the more you can frame the defense as an opportunity to present your research publicly and the more you take a proactive position, the better the experience is likely to be. Guidelines toward this end are provided on pages 302–306.
99. Following the defense and all necessary revisions to my dissertation, what opportunities can I pursue regarding publishing my research?
The dissertation process comes to a definitive end when the final document is submitted and the doctoral degree is awarded. At this juncture, you might consider looking beyond the dissertation and think of how you can share what you have researched with a broader audience than the academic community. Publishing your findings is a way to contribute to the ongoing knowledge base and work toward advancing your professional career. Details regarding publishing your research are provided on pages 308–309.
100. Following the defense and all necessary revisions to my dissertation, what opportunities can I pursue regarding presenting my research?
In addition to publications, completion of the dissertation provides you with opportunities to present your study in other academic settings and research forums, such as graduate seminars and professional associations. Details regarding presenting your research are provided on page 310.
101. It is sometimes said that “the best dissertation is a DONE dissertation.” However, how does one actually evaluate the quality of a qualitative dissertation?
I have no doubt that you will ask yourself whether there are key criteria or pointers that can help you determine the quality of your work as you navigate this long and intense journey. The short answer to this question is yes! Once you have some idea of the core elements that are required for the various sections of your dissertation, an evaluation rubric is included for your convenience on pages 316–325. Please be sure to use this rubric as a broad set of guidelines only in checking your work at different points along the way and in assessing or evaluating the quality of your work overall once completed. Hopefully this tool will be useful to you in determining where limitations may lie and where improvements can be made. | 2019-04-19T19:51:31Z | https://study.sagepub.com/node/27335/student-resources/chapter-2 |
1981-05-04 Assigned to ASSOCIATED RESEARCH, INC. A CORP. OF IL. reassignment ASSOCIATED RESEARCH, INC. A CORP. OF IL. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: BEAUBIEN, WILLIAM H.
The invention employs a pair of known resistors which are permanently connected to the input terminals to which the unknown resistor may be connected. A source of d.c. voltage is connected to one input terminal and the voltage drops produced across each known resistor are alternately sampled and supplied to an A/D converter which converts these voltage drops into corresponding digital signals. A microprocessor computes the quantity VR1/VR2-1 where VR1 is the voltage drop across one known resistor and VR2 is the voltage drop across the other known resistor. The computed quantity is a linear function of the value of the unknown resistance. This computed quantity may then be converted to a corresponding analog signal and supplied to a meter. Since no switches are connected across the unknown resistor, leakage problems normally associated with extremely high resistance measurements are virtually eliminated and very high resistances in the order of 5000-10,000 megohms may be accurately measured and displayed.
The present invention relates to resistance measuring arrangements, and more particularly, to resistance measuring arrangements which are adapted to measure insulation resistances in the order of hundreds or thousands of megohms.
Various types of resistance measuring arrangements have been heretofore proposed. In Lucas U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,847 a resistance measuring arrangement is disclosed wherein the voltage across an unknown resistor and the voltage across a calibrated resistor of known resistance value are employed to determine the resistance of the unknown resistor. Dornberger et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,361 uses a frequency measurement to calculate the unknown resistance. Thuot U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,578 discloses a resistance tester which employs a digital ratiometer. Gartner U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,319 discloses an arrangement for determining the magnitudes of the equivalent voltage source impedance and the equivalent voltage source voltage on a telephone line. Hall U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,474 discloses an arrangement wherein a microprocessor is employed to calculate ratios which indicate impedance. An article by Taylor entitled "Measurement of High Resistance Using an Operational Amplifier," which appeared in Electronic & Radio Technician (GB) Vol. 4, No. 3, pages 129-132 (October 1970) also discloses a high resistance meter arrangement which employs an operational amplifier to provide a relatively high current signal for driving a milliameter rather than the conventional microammeter. None of these prior art measuring arrangements is suitable to measure high resistances in the order of thousands of megohms while providing a linear meter scale.
Various arrangements have also been heretofore proposed for switching between different ranges of an ohmmeter or voltmeter arrangement. These are shown, for example, in Flood et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,323, Nordholm U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,998 and Cook et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,094. None of these arrangements are suitable for use in a high resistance measuring circuit wherein the problem of leakage at the unknown resistance terminals is particularly important.
Cliffgard et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,904 and Westlund U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,098 are directed to temperature compensating arrangements for use in various types of measuring instruments. However, these arrangements are not capable of providing temperature corrected resistance readings which are calculated in accordance with the setting of a manually adjustable potentiometer so that resistance readings corrected to a standardized temperature, such as 40° C., can be displayed.
Lozowski U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,591 discloses an ohmmeter protection circuit wherein voltage on the ohmmeter probes actuates an electronic switch sufficiently rapidly to disconnect the ohmmeter from the measuring probes "before the external voltage can damage the ohmmeter." Such an arrangement has the disadvantage that external voltages having an extremely steep wavefront may still damage the ohmmeter.
Briefly considered, the preferred arrangement of the present invention employs a pair of known resistors which are permanently connected to the input terminals to which the unknown resistor may be connected. A source of d.c. voltage is connected to one input terminal and the voltage drops produced across each known resistor are alternately sampled and supplied to an A/D converter which converts these voltage drops into corresponding digital signals. A microprocessor computes the quantity VR1/VR2-1 where VR1 is the voltage drop across one known resistor and VR2 is the voltage drop across the other known resistor. The computed quantity is a linear function of the value of the unknown resistance. This computed quantity may then be converted to a corresponding analog signal and supplied to a meter. Since no switches are connected across the unknown resistor, leakage problems normally associated with extremely high resistance measurements are virtually eliminated and resistances as high as 5000-10,000 megohms may be accurately measured and displayed.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved arrangement for measuring high resistances, in the order of thousands of megohms, in which a reading is provided which is a linear function of the value of the unknown resistance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved high resistance measuring arrangement wherein a resistance reading corrected to a standardized temperature, such as 40° C., is provided.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved automatic range switching arrangement which is particularly suitable for use in a high resistance measuring instrument.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved resistance measuring arrangement in which damage to the resistance measuring circuitry by external voltages on the measurement probes is positively prevented.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved circuit arrangement for discharging any capacity associated with the unknown resistance after the resistance measurement has been made and the test voltage has been removed from the unknown resistance.
FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9, when placed in the order shown in FIG. 10, comprises a detailed circuit diagram illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, wherein the basic principles of the high resistance measuring technique of the present invention are shown, the unknown resistance to be measured is designated as Rx. The unknown resistance Rx may comprise the insulation resistance of a transformer or motor winding and, in accordance with an important aspect of the present invention may have a resistance as high as 5000 to 10,000 megohms. A sampling switch indicated at S-1 is employed selectively to connect the unknown resistance Rx in series with the known resistors R1 and R2 across a power supply designated as Es. More particularly, when the switch S-1 is in the position shown in FIG. 1 the unknown resistance Rx is connected in series with the resistors R1 and R2 across the supply Es and when the switch S-1 is in its other position the resistors R1 and R2 are connected directly across the power supply Es and the unknown resistance Rx is out of the circuit. The sampling switch S-1 is preferably an electronic switch which is moved back and forth at a rate of from 30 to 40 cycles per second.
When the switch S-1 is in the position shown in FIG. 1 a relatively small voltage is developed across the voltage divider standard resistance R2 and when the switch S-1 is in the other position a larger voltage is developed across resistor R2. These voltages which are alternately produced across the resistor R2 are supplied through a high impedance buffer 50 to an analog-to-digital converter 52 wherein the analog DC voltages developed across the resistor R2 are transformed to corresponding digital numbers. These digital numbers are applied to a microprocessor 54 which performs certain calculations on these voltages and supplies its output to a serial to eight bit converter 56 the output of which is supplied to a digital to analog converter 58 which provides an output signal to the analog meter 60.
The voltage VR2 developed across the resistor R2 when the switch S-1 is in the position opposite that shown in FIG. 1 is equal to Es R2/(R1+R2). When the switch S-1 is in the position shown in FIG. 1 the voltage V'R2 across the resistor R2 is equal to Es R2/(R1+R2+Rx). The voltage ratio VR2/V'R2=1+Rx /(R1+R2). The microprocessor 54 is employed to compute the quantity (VR2/V'R2)-1 so that the output of the microprocessor 54 is equal to Rx /(R1+R2). Since R1 and R2 are fixed known resistors the output of the microprocessor is linearly proportional to the unknown resistance Rx. This digital output is then converted back to analog form and employed to drive the meter 60 so that the reading of the meter 60 is a direct and linear function of the unknown resistance Rx. Thus, for example, if the known resistors R1 and R2 have a total resistance of 1 megohm the quantity (VR2/V'R2)- 1 computed by the microprocessor 54 will equal 1 when the unknown resistance Rx is 1 megohm, 2 when Rx is 2 megohms, and 5000 when Rx is 5000 megohms. Since the supply voltage Es is employed during both positions of the sampling switch S-1, the supply voltage drops out of the equation and the quantity computed by the microprocessor 54 is dependent for its accuracy only on the accuracy of the known resistors R1 and R2. In this connection it will be noted that the same result may be obtained when R1=0. However, a relatively large value of R1 is usually required to lower the voltage drop across R2 to a value acceptable by the A/D converter 52 when Es is a large voltage.
Because the unknown resistance Rx is in the numerator of the quantity computed by the microprocessor 54 the resultant output to the analog meter 60 is linear so that this meter can be calibrated linearly to provide much more readable high resistance values than the conventional meter scale in which the high resistance values are crowded very close together, particularly in the higher resistance ranges. Furthermore, the ability of the arrangement of the present invention to measure extremely high resistances, in the order of 5000-10,000 megohms, while at the same time providing a linear scale, is accomplished without requiring an extremely high value of standard resistance. For example, in the 5000 megohm range of the meter of the present invention the resistances R1 and R2 may have a combined value of 10 megohms, which is a quite reasonable value of standard resistance under varying conditions of temperature and humidity. If, on the other hand, one was attempting to measure such high resistances with a constant current source, such an arrangement would require a standard resistance value approximately equal to the unknown resistance being measured in order to provide a linear reading of the meter. Since a reference resistor of a magnitude of 5000 megohms cannot practicably be obtained, the range of such constant current type of measuring systems is limited to much lower maximum insulation resistance values.
While the arrangement of FIG. 1 is capable of measuring relatively high insulation resistance values while employing a relatively low value standard resistor, it will be noted that the fixed contacts of the sampling switch S-1 are connected across the unknown resistance Rx so that any leakage resistance between these terminals, which may vary with temperature, humidity, and so forth, will prevent an accurate determination of the value of resistance of the unknown resistance Rx. Also, in the arrangement of FIG. 1, the voltage divider R1, R2 is connected directly across the supply voltage Es when the unknown resistance is out of the circuit. This means that the value of R2 must be chosen so that the voltage produced across this resistor does not exceed the acceptable input of the analog-to-digital converter 52 and microprocessor 54. Conventionally, this input is limited to 5 volts. Accordingly, if the supply voltage Es has a value of 1000 volts and the total resistance of the voltage divider R1, R2 has a value of 10 megohms, the resistor R2 must have a value of only 50,000 ohms in order to limit the voltage across this resistor to 5 volts, the resistance R1 then having a value of 9.95 megohms. However, when the sampling switch S-1 is moved to the unknown position shown in FIG. 1 and assuming the unknown resistance Rx has a value of 1000 megohms the voltage across the resistor R2 will be only 0.05 volts which is too low a voltage for the analog-to-digital converter to accurately convert to a digital number since the A/D analog-to-digital converter 52 has a full scale input of 5 volts.
In order to eliminate these difficulties with the circuit arrangement of FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2 may be employed. Referring to this figure, two separate voltage divider networks are employed, one of these networks being directly connected from the Es terminal to ground, i.e., the voltage network comprising the resistor R3 and R4. The other voltage divider network R1, R2 is connected from the other side of the unknown resistance Rx, i.e., the common terminal, to ground. A pair of sampling switches 62, 64 are controlled by the microprocessor 54 so that they alternately and successively connect the junction of the resistors R1, R2 and the junction of the resistors R3, R4 to the input of the buffer 50. These analog voltages are supplied through the buffer 50 to the analog-to-digital converter 52 wherein they are converted to digital numbers and are employed by the microprocessor 54 to determine the desired quantity (VR4/VR2)-1 and hence the value of the unknown resistance Rx. It will be noted that in the circuit arrangement of FIG. 2 neither of the switches 62, 64 is connected directly across the unknown resistance Rs so that no switch leakage problems are presented and an extremely high value of insulation resistance Rx, in the order of 5000-10,000 megohms may be measured. Also, since separate voltage dividers are used in the circuit of FIG. 2, the voltage divider R1, R2 may be chosen to produce a much higher value of unknown voltage V'R2 than the voltage divider R3, R4 which produces the known voltage VR4 across the resistor R4. For example, the unknown voltage developed across resistor R2 may be chosen to be 20 times the value of the known voltage produced across the resistor R4. Such an arrangement has the advantage that a larger unknown voltage is developed across the resistor R2 which can more accurately be translated into a digital number by the analog-to-digital converter. Since the microprocessor is employed to take the ratio of the known voltage across the resistor R4 to the unknown voltage across the resistor R2 and this unknown voltage has been increased by a factor of 20 (in the denominator of the ratio), the microprocessor is then programmed to multiply the resulting ratio by a factor of 20 so that the resistors R2 and R4 are effectively given the same value by the microprocessor 54 but the analog-to-digital converter 52 is able to measure a higher unknown voltage across the resistor R2. Such an arrangement is particularly important where an extremely high value of insulation resistance Rx is being measured in which case the voltage across R2 is quite small due to the large value of the series unknown resistance Rx. After the mircoprocessor has multiplied the resulting ratio by 20, it then subtracts unity from the modified ratio to obtain the value Rx /(R1+R2), as discussed heretofore in detail in connection with FIG. 1.
It will be noted that in both the embodiment of FIG. 1 and in the embodiment of FIG. 2 the value (VR2/V'R2)-1 computed by the microprocessor 54 increases in value as the value of the unknown Rx increases. This is because the ratio taken by the microprocessor 54 is the ratio of the known voltage across the resistor R2, i.e., the voltage when the sampling switch S-1 is in the position opposite to that shown in FIG. 1, compared to the ratio of the unknown voltage across the resistor R2 which becomes smaller as the value of the unknown resistance Rx increases. If this quantity is directly converted into a corresponding analog voltage and applied to the meter 60 the needle of the meter would increase by a move to the right with increasing value of the measured resistance. However, conventional resistance meters are arranged so that 0 volts is registered at the right hand edge of the scale and increasing resistance moves the meter needle to the left. In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the microprocessor 54 is arranged to invert the calculated quantity, preferably by taking the complement of the number calculated therein, and this inverted number is then supplied through the converter 56, and the digital to analog converter 58 to the analog meter 60. Accordingly, even though the voltage ratio measuring arrangement of the present invention provides an increasing signal for increasing unknown resistance, the actual display on the meter 60 will be in accordance with conventional resistance meter techniques wherein 0 is at the right, as shown in FIG. 3.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the preferred resistance measuring arrangement described in connection with FIG. 2 is incorporated in a multi-range resistance meter which is a portable, battery-operated unit contained within a housing, the front panel of which is indicated at 66 in FIG. 3. In this resistance meter the value of the supply voltage Es may be manually adjusted by means of the five position selector switch 68 (FIG. 2) so that the insulation resistance being checked may be tested under various different applied voltages. In this connection it will be understood that the characteristics of the insulation being measured, such as a transformer winding or motor winding, may vary with the applied voltage and hence it is desirable to be able to check the insulation resistance being tested at a number of different voltages. In the resistance meter of the present invention the selector switch 68 is actuated by means of the control knob 70 on the front panel 66 and permits the selection of test voltages of 100 volts, 250 volts, 500 volts and 1000 volts. The selector switch 68 has a fifth position in which a continuity check may be made, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. In the specific power supply arrangement of the resistance meter of the present invention an oscillator 72, which is arranged to be turned on and off by the microprocessor 54 by means of a signal over the conductor 74, supplies a variable power output stage 76 which is controlled by the selector switch 68 so as to provide any one of the four test voltages, the AC power developed by the output stage 76 being supplied to a rectifier and filter circuit 78.
In the resistance meter of the present invention the relatively high test voltages supplied by the rectifier and filter circuit 78 are employed only for the upper resistance ranges of the meter and for the 0-50,000 ohm and the 0-500,000 ohm scales a -5 volt regulated power supply 80 is substituted as the supply voltage Es. In accordance with a further aspect of the invention the power supply 80 is automatically connected into the circuit as the supply voltage Es by means of the diode 82 whenever the oscillator 72 is deenergized and no voltage is developed in the output of the rectifier and filter circuit 78. More particularly, if an output voltage is developed by the circuit 78, such as -100 volts, the diode 82 will be nonconductive and disconnects the supply 80 from the supply terminal Es. However, when the oscillator 72 is turned off in response to a signal on the conductor 74 from the microprocessor 54, the voltage developed by the rectifier and filter circuit 78 falls to 0. However, as soon as this voltage falls to -5 volts, the diode 82 conducts and a -5 volt supply voltage is connected to the resistance measuring circuit from the supply 80.
It will be noted that when different test voltages are selected by the selector switch 68 and supplied to the resistance measuring circuit the value of the voltages supplied through the sampling switches 62, 64 to the analog-to-digital converter 52 will vary over a wide range. For example, considering the known resistance divider, if the value of R4 is adjusted to give a voltage near the upper limit of the 5 volt measuring range of the A/D converter 52 when a 100 volt test voltage is employed, and this test voltage is changed to 1000 volts, the voltage across the resistor R4 would be 10 times larger than the acceptable input range of the A/D converter 52. This means that theoretically a different set of voltage dividers and sampling switches should be employed for each test voltage, i.e., that four different sets of voltage dividers and sampling switches would be required for the illustrated four test voltages selectable by the switch 68. However, in the resistance meter of the present invention the simplified arrangement shown generally in FIG. 4 is employed wherein the two sets of sampling switches 62, 64 and 84, 86 are employed and are connected to different points on the same divider chain. More particularly, for the 500 volt and the 1000 volt range test voltages, the sampling switches 62 and 64 are alternately controlled to supply the voltages from the resistors 88 and 90 to the input of the microprocessor. For the 100 and 250 volt test voltages, the sampling switches 84 and 86 are alternately closed, under the control of the microprocessor 54, instead of the switches 62 and 64.
When the sampling switch 84 is closed the serial voltage across both of the resistors 92 and 88 is supplied to the microprocessor and when the sampling switch 86 is closed the serial voltage across both the resistors 94 and 90 is supplied to the microprocessor. The unknown divider chain is completed by the top resistor 96 and the known resistor chain by the resistor 98, these resistors corresponding to the upper resistors R1 and R3 in FIG. 2. When a test voltage of 500 volts is employed, the voltage divider chains are chosen so that the maximum voltage across the resistors 88 and 90 is somewhat less than one-half the maximum input voltage range of the A/D converter 52. Accordingly, when a 1000 volt supply voltage is employed, the voltages across these same resistors will be somewhat less than the full input range of 5 volts so that the analog-to-digital converter 52 will never become overloaded. In a similar manner, when a supply voltage of 100 volts is employed the resistor combinations 92, 88 and 94, 90 are chosen so that the maximum voltages developed across these resistor combinations is somewhat less than two-fifths of the input range of the A/D converter 52. Accordingly, when a 250 volt supply is used the voltage across these resistor combinations will still be within the acceptable range of the A/D converter 52.
In accordance with a further important aspect of the present invention, a number of different resistance ranges may be automatically selected by the microprocessor 54 and the operator is informed of the particular range which is selected by means of a series of indicator lights on the front panel 66. Furthermore, the microprocessor 54 is programmed so that the lowest resistance scale is initially selected in which full scale output has been designed so that it will not exceed the input capabilities of the A/D converter 52.
If the unknown resistance has a value above ninety percent of full scale of the lowest resistance scale the microprocessor 54 then automatically switches to the next higher resistance scale and if the value of the unknown resistance is more than ninety percent of full scale of that scale the microprocessor again automatically selects the next higher resistance scale. This process of automatically selecting the next higher resistance range is continued by the microprocessor 54 until the resistance range is reached in which the unknown resistance has a value less than ninety percent of full scale of that particular resistance range.
If the value of the unknown resistance decreases to a point where its value is less than six percent of the resistance scale then being used, the microprocessor automatically selects the next lower resistance scale. Thus, if the unknown resistance has a value slightly more than 45,000 ohms (ninety percent of full scale in the 0-50K range) the microprocessor will automatically shift to the next higher range, 0-500K ohms. However, the microprocessor will not automatically shift back to the lower range (0-50K) until the value of the unknown resistance has dropped to less than 30,000 ohms (six percent of full scale of the 0-500K range). By providing an overlap between the points at which the microprocessor automatically shifts up and down hunting between ranges is avoided.
In the illustrated embodiment a series of six resistance ranges are provided. The first resistance range is from 0 to 50,000 ohms and the LED 100 on the front panel 66 is lit by the microprocessor 54 while this lowest resistance range is being utilized. The next resistance range is from 0 to 500,000 ohms and the LED 102 informs the operator when this resistance scale is being used. The next four resistance ranges are in the megohm range and are utilized to test high insulation resistances, such as transformer windings, motor windings, and the like. The lowest megohm resistance range is from 0 to 5 megohms and the LED 104 informs the operator when this range is being selected. The next resistance ranges are from 0 to 50 megohms during which the LED 106 is lit, 0 to 500 megohms during which the LED 108 is lit and 0 to 5000 megohms during which the LED 110 is lit. All of these fixed resistance ranges use the same resistance scale on the meter 60, as shown in FIG. 3. As discussed in detail heretofore, each of these scales is linear throughout its range so that an uncrowded scale reading even to as high an insulation resistance as 5000-10,000 megohms is provided by the arrangement of the present invention.
As discussed generally heretofore, a test voltage of -5 volts is employed for the 0-50K and 0-500K low resistance ranges, as in a conventional ohmmeter, and test voltages of -100 V. to -1000 V. may be utilized in the four megohm range when insulation resistance is being measured. When the unknown resistance has a capacity associated with it this capacity must be charged to the test voltage which is being utilized during the resistance measurement. The microprocessor interprets the changing of this capacity as a variable resistance and when this variable resistance exceeds 450K ohms the microprocessor will automatically switch to the next higher range, i.e. 0-5 megohms. However, when a megohm range is selected the test voltage is also changed to a much higher value (-100 to -1000 V.) so that the capacity associated with the unknown resistance now looks like a much lower value of resistance having a value below 300,000 ohms and the microprocessor switches back to the 0-500K ohm scale. Since a -5 volt test voltage is used on the 0-500K ohm scale the microprocessor would interpret the now almost fully charged capacity as a high resistance and switch back to the 0-5 megohm range again. The result would be that the microprocessor would continue to switch back and forth between the 0-500K range and the 0-5 megohm range when the unknown resistance has a relatively large capacity associated with it. This condition may be avoided by programming the microprocessor to wait for a period of from one to two seconds before it measures the output of the buffer 50 when changing back and forth between the 0-500K ohm scale and the 0-5 megohm scale. In the alternative, the microprocessor 54 may be programmed so that as between the 0-500K ohm scale and the 0-5 megohm scale it will only shift up and not down. However, the microprocessor can still shift up and down between the two ohmmeter ranges 0-50K and 0-500K, since a -5 volt test voltage is used for both of these ranges. Also, the microprocessor can shift up and down between the four megohm ranges, since the same test voltage is used for all four of these ranges. Accordingly, if the meter is reading, for example, 650 megohms and a short occurs across the unknown resistance, the microprocessor will shift back down to the 0-5 megohm range and register zero on this range, but will not switch on down to the 0-500K ohm range. Such an arrangement is preferred because no delay is required for the microprocessor to switch up to higher resistance ranges. If the operator wishes to measure the value of the low resistance short he can, of course, depress the push button 112 again in which case the microprocessor will start at the lowest resistance range 0-50K again, or the operator can adjust the knob 70 to the continuity position 122 if a lower resistance range is required.
In order to initiate a resistance measurement, the NORMAL push button 112 is pressed by the operator which causes the microprocessor 54 to initiate the proper range selection without any further action on the part of the operator. Also, in accordance with a further aspect of the invention no power is consumed by any of the electronic circuits of the resistance meter of the present invention until the normal push button 112 is depressed to obtain a reading. Accordingly, no energy is consumed by the resistance meter of the present invention unless an actual resistance measurement is being made.
In many instances, the winding whose insulation resistance is being measured may have an AC voltage on it and the operator may not be aware that such a condition exists. Accordingly if he places the test leads, which are connected to the common terminal 114 and the meg/ohm/volts terminal 116, across an unknown resistance which has an AC voltage of relatively large magnitude on it, a relatively high voltage may be impressed upon the semiconductor analog switches 62, 64 and 84, 86 which would be sufficient to destroy these circuit components. Also a relatively high voltage to the input of the buffer 50, A/D converter 52 and the microprocessor 54 could destroy these elements. In order to prevent such a situation, and in accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the microprocessor 54 is programmed so that it first makes a test to determine whether or not AC voltage greater than a small minimum voltage of 6-8 volts is present on the resistance element being measured. This test is made before any resistance measurements are made and if AC voltage greater than this minimum is present at the measuring terminals the microprocessor does not proceed to make any resistance measurements. During this AC TEST THE LED 118 is lit to inform the operator that an AC check is being made. Also, this AC voltage is displayed on the scale 120 of the meter 60 so that the operator is informed of the presence of AC voltage on the terminals being measured as a safety precaution. It is possible to use the resistance meter of the present invention as an AC volt meter which will measure the AC input voltage on the 0 to 600 volt scale shown in FIG. 3. Only if less than minimum AC voltage is present on the resistance element being measured will the microprocessor 54 then proceed to go to the resistance range switching program outlined above.
As discussed generally heretofore the control knob 70 may be adjusted by the operator to a continuity position 122 (FIG. 3). The microprocessor 54 is programmed so that it will not make a continuity check until the AC volts test has been made. However, if less than a minimum AC voltage is present on the element being measured the microprocessor is programmed to make a continuity check instead of proceeding to the resistance range switching outlined above when the knob 70 is in position 122. During this continuity test the LED 124 is lit to inform the operator that the test is for continuity. Also, the ohms scale 126 on the meter 60 may be read by the operator, this scale being from 0 to 250 ohms reading from right to left as in a conventional ohmmeter. In this connection it will be noted that all six of the resistance measuring scales of the meter 60 read from right to left for increasing resistance, as in conventional ohmmeters, due to the inversion of the calculated quantity in the microprocessor 54 as discussed heretofore.
Considering generally the manner in which the four megohm resistances ranges are automatically selected by the microprocessor, the lowest range 0 to 5 megohms is selected by the microprocessor by closing the relay SR-4 (FIG. 4) which places the resistor 130 in shunt with the voltage divider chain 96, 92 and 88. The resistor 130 has a value such that the voltage across the resistor 88, or the voltage across the resistors 92 and 88, will be properly calibrated for this resistance scale of 0-5.0 megohms.
If the unknown resistance Rx has a value greater than 4.5 megohms (ninety percent of full scale on 0-5 megohm scale) the microprocessor 54 opens the relay SR-4 and closes the relay SR-3 which places the resistor 132 in shunt with the voltage divider chain 96, 92 and 88. The resistor 132 is chosen so that the voltage across the resistor 88 is properly calibrated for the resistance scale of 0-50 megohms. If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of full scale on the 0 to 50 megohm range, the microprocessor 54 responds by opening the relay SR-3 and closing the relay SR-2 which places the resistor 134 in shunt with the divider chain 96, 92 and 88 so that the 0 to 500 megohm scale is calibrated for measurement. If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of full scale on the 0-500 megohm range, the relay SR-2 is opened so that the voltage divider chain 96, 92, 88 is employed directly to measure the insulation resistance on the highest scale of 0-5000 megohms. In this connection it will be noted that during these four range switching operations the known divider chain 98, 94 and 90 is not changed and hence the four megohm resistance ranges may be automatically selected in a simple manner by closing the relays SR-2, SR-3 and SR-4 while permitting any one of the four different test voltages to be employed during the resistance measuring operation and while employing only the four sampling switches 62, 64 and 84, 86 to accommodate a range of test voltages of from 100 v. to 1000 v.
In many instances there may be capacity associated with the insulation resistance being measured and this capacity is charged during the resistance measuring operation to the applied test voltage Es. Since this test voltage may be as high as 1000 volts in the resistance meter of the present invention the capacitive element of the winding could remain charged after the resistance measurement is completed and might cause injury to the operator who accidentally touches the capacitive element while it is still charged. In order to eliminate this situation and arrangement is provided which automatically discharges any capacity which may be present across the terminals 114, 116 after the NORMAL read push button 112 is released and battery power is removed from the circuit components. This action is provided by a delay circuit as will be described in more detail hereinafter and the LED 136 on the front panel 66 is lit to inform the operator that the capacitive element across the terminals 114, 116 has been discharged after the resistance test operation. Also, the microprocessor is programmed to sample the battery voltage of the portable resistance meter of the present invention. If the battery voltage drops to a first level at which the battery should be changed but accurate resistance measurements can still be made, the microprocessor lights the LED 138 continuously to inform the operator of this situation. However, if the battery voltage drops below this first level to a second level at which the meter will not function properly, the microprocessor flashes the LED 138 to inform the operator of this fact and does not proceed further with its program so that no resistance measurements can be made until the battery is replaced.
In many instances, insulation resistance measurements of various types of rotating machinery are taken periodically by plant perconnel to check that this machinery is operating satisfactorily. Since the temperatures at which these periodic checks are made may vary considerably, it is customary to correct the resistance measurements to 40° C. so that a comparison of different resistance measurements can be made based on the same temperature reference. In this connection it should be noted that insulation resistance customarily has a negative temperature coefficient and if the measurement is made at a higher temperature than 40° C. the actual resistance which is measured may be considerably lower than the value corrected to 40° C. In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, this resistance correction to 40° C. may be obtained automatically by the operator by setting the slider 140 of a linear potentiometer 141 which is connected in series with the potentiometer 143 to the -5 volt supply. The operator sets the slider 140 to the measured temperature of the winding under test and then depresses the push button 142 instead of the normal push button 112. If, for example, the temperature of the winding under test has been determined to be 60° C., the slider 140 is moved to this point on the scale on the front panel 66, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3, and the push button 142 is depressed. When the button 142 is actuated a resistance measurement is made in the same manner as discussed in detail heretofore when the button 112 is pressed. However, a signal is also supplied over the conductor 144 (FIG. 2) to the microprocessor 54 which responds to this signal by going to a separate subroutine which converts the actual resistance measurement obtained to a corresponding resistance value corrected to 40° C. This corrected resistance valus is then displayed on the meter 60 and the appropriate range scale LED is lit by the microprocessor 54 so that the operator may read directly on the meter 60 the corrected resistance value of the winding being measured.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the corrected resistance value is displayed on the meter 60 and the appropriate range scale is indicated even though the actual resistance being measured is on a different resistance range. For example, if the winding being measured has an actual resistance of forty megohms and the winding temperature is 60° C. the relay SR-3 will be closed to select the 0 to 50 megohm range. However, when the resistance correction button 142 is pressed the microprocessor 54 stores a digital value corresponding to the 40 megohms measured and computes with a look-up table the value of this resistance corrected to 40° C. Since the resistance doubles every 10° C. approximately, the resistance value corrected to 40° C. will be 160 megohms. This value of 160 megohms cannot be displayed on the 0 to 50 megohm scale and accordingly the microprocessor will light the LED 108, corresponding to the 0 to 500 megohm scale, while at the same time supplying a value equal to 160 megohms through the serial to 8 bit converter 56 to the digital-to-analog converter 58 so that the meter 60 reads 160 on the 0 to 500 megohm scale corresponding to the LED 108. This corrected resistance value is displayed on the meter 60 even though the relay SR-3 remains closed, corresponding to a resistance range of 0 to 50 megohms which contains the actual resistance value of the winding i.e., 40 megohms.
The voltage developed at the slider 140 is sampled by the microprocessor 54 by closing the semiconductor analog switch 145 which supplies an analog voltage within the 5 volt range of the A/D converter 52 and corresponding to the setting of the slider 140 i.e., the winding temperature of the winding being measured. The microprocessor 54 responds to the initiate resistance correction signal supplied over the conductor 144 when the button 142 is pressed, and the input supplied through the switch 145 corresponding to the actual winding temperature, by modifying the actual resistance value to the corresponding resistance at 40° C.
In addition to the analog switches 62, 64, 84, 86 and 145, and the relays SR-2, SR-3 and SR-4, the microprocessor 54 also controls a number of other relays and semiconductor analog switches, indicated generally at 147 in FIG. 2 to control selection of the 0 to 50,000 and 0 to 500,000 resistance ranges, the AC test circuit, the capacitor discharge circuit, the battery test circuit and the continuity check circuit, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
Referring now to the detailed schematic of the resistance meter of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive, the common terminal 114 is connected through the fuse 150 and the relay SR-1 to the unknown voltage divider chain which comprises the resistors 152, 154, 156, 158, 160 and 162. The resistors 152 and 154 collectively correspond to the resistor 96 in FIG. 4, the resistors 156, 158 and 160 collectively correspond to the resistor 92 in FIG. 4 and the resistor 162 corresponds to the resistor 88 in FIG. 4. A Zener diode 155 is connected between the junction of the resistors 152, 154 and ground to provide protection for the analog switches SA-6 and SA-8. A resistor 151 is connected across the fuse 150. Preferably, the resistor 151 has a valve of one megohm so that if the relay SR-1 is closed and the fuse 150 burns out this condition can be detected by shorting the leads connected to the terminals 114, 116. If the meter under these conditions measures 1 megohm (on the 0-5 megohm scale) the operator will know that the fuse has blow.
The known divider chain comprises the resistor 164, the potentiometer 166, the resistor 168, and the potentiometer 170, the arm of the potentiometer 166 being connected to the semiconductor analog switch SA-2 and the arm of the potentiometer 170 being connected to the semiconductor analog switch SA-1.
The analog switches SA-6 and SA-1 correspond to the switches 62, 64 in FIG. 4 and the analog switches SA-8 and SA-2 correspond to the switches 84, 86 in FIG. 4. The outputs of all four of these switches are supplied over the conductor 172 to the input of the high impedance buffer 50 which may be of the commercial type LF351. A high resistance 176, in the order of 1000 megohms, is connected from the conductor 172 to the ground to prevent the build-up of a static voltage on the high impedance input of the buffer 50. In this connection it will be noted that the test voltages which are employed in the resistance meter are all negative and hence the signals developed across the voltage divider chains are negative voltage signals which are impressed upon the input of the buffer 50. The output of the buffer 50 is supplied over the conductor 178 to the A/D converter 52 which is preferably of the commercial type ADC1211 and provides a 12 bit output on terminals 1-12 thereof. This 12 bit output is supplied through a pair of buffers U7 and U8, which may be of the commercial type 74C901, to the 12 bit input of the microprocessor 54, the specific interconnection of these buffers between the 12 bit output of the A/D converter 52 and the 12 bit input of the microprocessor 54 being shown in table 179 in FIG. 9 of the drawings. A clock 51, which may be of the commercial type 555, is arranged to supply clock pulses to the A/D converter 52, the external components including the resistor 430 and capacitor 431 being chosen so that these clock pulses have a frequency of 160 Khz.
The microprocessor 54 is preferably a single chip microprocessor of the commercial type 3870 manufactured by Mostek.
In order to use a single output line 180 for the output data from the microprocessor 54 a serial to 8 bit converter 56, which is preferably of the commercial type 74C164, is connected between the microprocessor 54 and the digital to analog converter 58, the converter 58 being preferably of the commercial type AD 7523. The microprocessor 54 controls the time at which the A/D converter 52 reads the analog input and converts it to a digital signal over the control line 53. The interconnection between the serial to eight bit converter 56 and the D/A converter 58 is shown in Table 181 in FIG. 9 of the drawings. The output of the digital-to-analog converter 58 is supplied to the meter 60, from pin 1 of the converter 58, a Zener diode 182 being employed to protect the converter 58 from voltage spikes.
Considering now the manner in which the various test voltages are developed in the meter of the present invention, it will be recalled from the preceding general description that no power is drawn from the 12 volt battery 111 until the normal push button 112 is depressed. However, when the push button 112 is closed -12 volts is supplied to the voltage regulator 80, which is preferably of the commercial type 7905, so that -5 volts is supplied to all of the indicated points in the schematic of FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive. When the push button 112 is closed -12 volts is also supplied to a converter 186, preferably of the commercial type ELEXON Model DC512, which supplies a DC output voltage to the filter circuit comprising the series resistor 188 and shunt capacitor 190 so that -16 volts is developed at the terminal 192 and is supplied to all of the indicated points in the schematic.
The oscillator 72 comprises the NAND gates 194, 196 and 198 which are interconnected to form an RC oscillator. When the button 112 is depressed and -5 volts is developed by the regulator 80a -5 volt signal is supplied through the resistor 200 to pin 4 of the NAND gate 194 so that the oscillator 72 is prevented from oscillating. However, if the voltage on the conductor 202, which is controlled in accordance with signals derived from the microprocessor 54 goes high, i.e., to ground potential the oscillator 72 immediately responds by generating oscillations which are supplied through resistor 204 to the base of a transistor 206 preferably of the commercial type 2N3393. In this connection it will be understood that all high signals are at ground potential and all low signals are at -5 volts in the schematic of FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive. The collector of the transistor 206 is coupled to the base of an output transistor 208 which is also connected to ground through the resistor 210. The emitter of the transistor 208 is selectively connected through different resistors to -5 volts so as to control the level of power developed by the transistor 208. More particularly, when the rotary switch 68 is in the 100 volt position the emitter of the transistor 208 is connected through a diode 212 and a resistor 214 to -5 volts. The resistor 214 is chosen so that the power which is supplied to the output transformer 216 by the transistor 208 and is rectified and filtered in the circuit 78 will provide -100 volts on the terminal 116 of the meter. When the switch 68 is moved to the 250 volt position the diode 218 and resistor 220 are connected between the emitter of the transistor 208 and -5 volts. On the 500 volt position of the switch 68 the diode 222 and resistor 224 are connected from the emitter of the transistor 208 to -5 volts and in the 1000 volt position of the switch 68 the diode 226 is connected between this emitter and -5 volts directly. Accordingly, any one of the four test voltages may be selected by the operator by manually adjusting the switch 68 to the desired position.
As soon as the read button 112 is depressed and -5 volts is supplied to the components of the meter, the microprocessor 54 immediately checks to determine whether the voltage of the battery 111 is sufficient for the meter to function properly. More particularly, when the switch 112 is closed the battery voltage is supplied to the voltage divider comprising the resistors 228 and 230, the voltage at the junction of these resistors being supplied through the semiconductor analog switch SA-3 to the input of the buffer 50. To control closure of the semiconductor analog switch SA-3 the microprocessor 54 supplies an enabling signal to the muI terminal of the switch SA-3. The interconnections between the microprocessor 54 and various points in the circuit of FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive, is shown in table 183 in FIG. 9. The details of a typical semiconductor analog switch are shown in FIG. 5 and will be described in more detail hereinafter.
The DC signal across the resistor 230, which is proportional to battery voltage, is converted to digital form in the converter 52 and read by the microprocessor 54. If the battery voltage is below a first level the microprocessor continuously energizes the LED 138 (FIG. 3), but permits resistance measurements to be made. If the battery voltage drops below a second level the microprocessor flashes the LED 138 and is programmed so that two resistance measurements can be made until the battery is replaced. However the microprocessor is programmed so that the AC measuring circuit is still able to respond to an AC voltage on the terminals 114, 116 and the operator is informed that AC is present on these terminals and that he should avoid touching them.
After the battery check has been made by the microprocessor 54, the microprocessor is programmed so that it makes a check to determine whether more than a predetermined minimum AC voltage is present on the terminals 114, 116 before any resistance measurement is made. If an AC voltage greater than this minimum is detected the microprocessor does not proceed to the program step which initiates a resistance measurement so that damage to the resistance measuring circuitry is positively prevented. More particularly, the relay SR-1, which is closed for resistance measurements, is opened for the AC test so that the resistor 232 and potentiometer 234 are placed in series with the common terminal 114 to the unknown voltage divider chain. A diode 236 which is connected to the junction of the resistors 158 and 160 in this chain rectifies the negative half cycles of any AC voltage appearing upon the terminal 114, this half wave rectified voltage being filtered in the capacitor 238 so that a negative voltage is developed across this capacitor when an AC signal is present on the terminal 114. Furthermore, the values of the resistors in the unknown voltage divider chain and the resistors 232 and 234 are chosen so that a peak voltage of six volts is present at the junction of the resistors 158, 160 when the negative half cycles of the AC voltage on the terminal 114 have a peak voltage of 700 volts. This permits the meter of the present invention to measure up to 500 volts rms. AC and to give the operator an indication of the magnitude of this voltage in addition to warning him that AC is present on the unknown resistance and that an unknown resistance measurement cannot be made.
After the relay SR-1 is opened the microprocessor closes the semiconductor analog switch SA-7, by applying an enabling signal to the muG terminal thereof, so that the voltage across the capacitor 238 is supplied to the buffer 50 and is converted to a digital voltage in the converter 52. This digital voltage is supplied to the microprocessor 54 and passes through the microprocessor without inversion since the AC voltage scale of the meter 60 reads from left to right. Also, the microprocessor responds to the presence of more than a minimum voltage on the condenser 238 when the switch SA-7 is closed by preventing the program from continuing to the point where resistance measurements are made. The operator, noting that more than a minimum AC voltage is present on the terminals 114, 116 by lighting of the LED 118, and also by deflection of the meter 60, must then take the necessary steps to remove the AC voltage before he can measure the unknown resistance. The diode 242, which is connected from the terminal 116 to ground at all times, shunts the positive half cycles of any AC voltage impressed upon the terminal 116 to provide a return to ground for AC measurement and also protects the analog switches SA-1 and SA-2 from damage due to these positive half cycles of AC voltage.
If the AC test indicates that less than a minimum AC voltage is present on the terminals 114, 116 the microprocessor 54 then proceeds to make a resistance measurement. As described generally heretofore, the microprocessor is arranged so that it first measures the unknown resistance on the lowest resistance range, i.e., 0-50,000 ohms. If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of full scale on this resistance range, i.e., greater than 45,000 ohms, the microprocessor then switches to the next highest resistance scale, i.e., 0-500,000 ohms. The microprocessor continues to switch to higher resistance ranges until the ninety percent value is not exceeded. Also, as discussed heretofore, during the measurement on the two lowest resistance ranges, the oscillator 72 is disabled so that no high test voltage is produced by the circuit 78. When this occurs the diode 82 is conductive so that -5 volts is applied to the terminal 116 as a test voltage.
In order to make a measurement on the lowest resistance range, i.e., 0-50,000 ohms, relays SR-1, SR-6 and SR-7 are closed under the control of the microprocessor 54. Also, the semiconductor analog switch SA-12 is closed by the microprocessor 54 by applying an enabling signal to the muJ terminal thereof. When the relay SR-6 is closed the resistor 250 is connected from the common terminal 114 through the relay SR-1 and the relay SR-6 to ground. When the analog switch SA-12 is closed the resistor 252 is connected across the resistor 250, the parallel resistance of the resistances 250 and 252, and the parallel connected divider chain 152-162, constituting the measuring resistor which is in series with the unknown resistance Rx. The voltage developed at the arm of the potentiometer 143 is employed as a reference voltage for the two low resistance ranges, the voltage at this junction being supplied to the input of the buffer 50 through the analog switch SA-5. The voltage across the parallel connected resistances 250, 252 is supplied to this input through the analog switch SA-11.
As stated heretofore the relay SR-7 is closed during the two low resistance ranges and places the resistor 240 in series with the diode 82 to the -5 volt regulated supply 80. The resistor 240 is of relatively low value so that it draws a large current through the diode 82 and stabilizes the potential at the terminal 116 with varying values of the unknown resistance Rx. However, the voltage drop through the diode 82 reduces the test voltage to about 4.2 volts. The reference voltage sampled by the switch SA-5 at the arm of the potentiometer 143 is chosen to duplicate the potential at the terminal 116, i.e. 4.2 volts, when the relay SR-7 is closed. Accordingly, the circuit operates exactly the same as if the switch SA-5 were sampling the potential at the known terminal 116, as described heretofore in connection with FIG. 2 and FIG. 4. However, by simulating the potential at the terminal 116 and sampling it through the separate switch SA-5 the complicated switching which would be necessary to avoid placing the high test voltages developed by the circuit 78 across the sampling switch is eliminated. In this connection it will be understood that the simulated potential of terminal 116 is conveniently obtained at the arm of the potentiometer 143 but has no connection with the resistance correction measurement obtained from the slider of the potentiometer 141, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
The microprocessor 54 alternately closes the switches SA-5 and SA-11 so that the voltages corresponding to the terminal 116 and the voltage across the parallel connected resistors 250 and 252 are alternately applied to the analog-to-digital converter 52 and supplied to the microprocessor 54. In both of the low resistance scales the reference resistor, i.e., the resistor 250 for the 0-500,000 ohm scale or the parallel combination of the resistors 250 and 252 for the 0-50,000 ohm scale, are preferably a substantial proportion of the full scale resistance value so that a substantial voltage is sampled by the switch SA-11 even with an unknown resistor Rx of maximum value for that range. For example, the resistor 250 may have a value of 301,000 ohm which is 60% of the full scale resistance on the 0-500,000 ohm scale. Accordingly, a voltage of substantial magnitude is supplied to the analog-to-digital converter 52 so that it can accurately convert this voltage into a corresponding digital number even when the unknown resistance Rx is of maximum value in each of the two low resistance ranges.
In the two low resistance ohm ranges the microprocessor 54 takes the ratio of the known voltage sampled by the switch SA-5 to the unknown voltage samples by the switch SA-11, multiplies the ratio by 150 and then subtracts 150 from the multiplied ratio. This is equivalent to multiplying the previously discussed quantity (VR4/VR2)-1 by a factor of 150. This multiplication and subtraction by a factor of 150 is employed to make the calculation within the microprocessor more accurate in these ranges and to adjust the computed quantity to provide a maximum resistance reading (minimum deflection) on the meter 60 when the unknown resistor has a value corresponding to this maximum value. Thus, on the 0-500,000 ohm scale, for example, if the unknown resistance Rx has a value of 500,000 ohms, this resistor in series with the resistor 250 (the resistor chain 152-162 has a value of 10 megohms and hence little shunting effect on the resistor 250) will result in an unknown resistor voltage drop of 4.2 volts (the voltage at terminal 116)×3/8. The known voltage sampled by the switch SA-5 is 4.2 volts. Therefore, the ratio of known to unknown voltage drops is 8/3 or 2.66. When 1 is subtracted from this ratio we have 1.66 which when multiplied by 150 gives the number 249. When the complement of this number is supplied to the digital-to-analog converter 58 a maximum resistance reading is provided on the meter 60.
As discussed heretofore, the microprocessor first tests the lowest resistance range of 0-50,000 ohms. If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of full scale in this range the microprocessor opens the analog switch SA-12 so that the resistor 252 is taken out of the circuit and the resistor 250 with the parallel connected chain 152-162 remain as the reference resistor for the 0-500,000 ohm range. If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of 500,000 ohms the microprocessor then switches to the lowest one of the four megohm resistance ranges, i.e., 0-5 megohms. In order to do this the relays SR-6 and SR-7 are opened and the relay SR-4 is closed. At the same time the oscillator 72 is enabled so that the test voltage selected in accordance with the setting of the selector switch 68 is applied to the terminal 116 in place of -5 volts from the supply 80.
Considering now the manner in which the relay SR-1 is closed after an AC test has been made, it will be seen from the chart of microprocessor functions in table 183 that the microprocessor 54 produces an output signal at the terminal muB (pin 18) when any resistance measurement, either megohms or ohms, is to be made. Also, the microprocessor produces a signal on its output terminal muC (pin 17) when the 0-5 megohms scale is to be selected. The muB signal is inverted in the inverter 260 (FIG. 8) the output of which forms one input of a two input OR gate 262. Also, the muC signal is applied to an inverter 264 the output of which forms the other input of the OR gate 262. The output signals from the microprocessor 54 always go low, i.e., from ground to -5 volts. Accordingly, when the MuB signal is produced, indicating that a resistance measurement is to be made, the output of the inverter 260 goes high and is passed through the OR gate 262 to an OR gate 266 the other input of which is the -5 volt supply. Accordingly, if the pushbutton switch 112 is closed and -5 volts is developed by the supply 80 this high signal is supplied through a resistor 268 to the base of a transistor 270 the collector of which is connected to the relay coil 272 of the SR-1 reed relay, the other end of this coil being connected to ground. The emitter of the transistor 270 is connected to a delayed -5 volt supply identified as -5 DV.
This delayed -5 voltage supply persists for a fraction of a second after the switch 112 is opened to permit the SR-1 relay to remain closed for discharge of the measured circuit, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
Considering now the manner in which the SR-6 relay is closed, the microprocessor 54 produces a muA output signal (pin 19) when the 500,000 ohm scale is to be selected and produces an output signal on the muJ output terminal (pin 31) when the 50,000 ohm scale is to be selected. Since the relay SR-6 is closed for both the 50,000 ohm scale and the 500,000 ohm scale both the muA and the muJ signals are supplied to control energization of the relays SR-6. More particularly, the muA and muJ signals are applied as two inputs to an AND gate 276 (FIG. 8) the output of which forms one input of an AND gate 278 the other input of which is connected to ground. The output of the AND gate 278 is supplied to an AND gate 280 the other input of which is grounded. The AND gate 280 is of the TTL type so that it can drive the relay coil 282 of the SR-6 relay directly. Accordingly, when either the muJ signal or the muA signal is produced the relay coil 282 is energized and the relay SR-6 contacts are closed.
Considering now the manner in which the relay SR-7 is energized, this relay is also closed for both the 50 K and 500 K scales. Accordingly, the output of the AND gate 276 is supplied as one input of the AND gate 284 (FIG. 6) the other input of which is high except when the switch 68 is on the continuity position, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The output of the AND gate 284 is supplied as one input to an AND gate 286 the other input of which is the output of the AND gate 260 which is high when any resistance measurement is being made. Accordingly, the output of the AND gate 286 is low for both the 50 K and 500 K ranges, this output being supplied as one input to AND gate 288. The other input of the AND gate 288 is connected from the -5 volt supply through the inverter 290 so that this input is always high when the switch 112 is closed and -5 volts is developed. The output of the AND gate 288 is supplied as one input of a NAND gate 292 (FIG. 8) the other input of which is connected to ground. Accordingly, when either of the muA or muJ signals is produced a high output is developed by the NAND gate 292 which is supplied through the resistor 294 to the base of a transistor 296 the collector of which is connected to the relay coil 298 of the SR-7 relay. The emitter of the transistor 296 is connected to the -5 DV voltage so that the relay SR-7 remains closed for a brief interval after the switch 112 is opened to discharge the unknown resistance circuit, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of 500 K, the microprocessor then opens the relays SR-6 and SR-7 and the analog switch SA-12 and at the same time enables the oscillator 72 so that the selected high voltage test voltage is supplied to the terminal 116 for measurements on the four megohm ranges. Also the microprocessor closes the relay SR-4 so that the lowest megohm range, i.e., 0-5 megohms is selected. The relays SR-6 and SR-7 are opened by removing the output signals from the muA and muJ terminals, the switch SA-12 also being opened by removal of the muJ signal.
Considering now the manner in which the SR-4 relay is closed, the muC signal which is supplied to the inverter 264 is connected to one input of an OR gate 300 the other input of which is the -5 volt supply. Accordingly, production of the muC signal by the microprocessor, indicating that the 0-5 M range is to be measured, supplies a high signal to one input of the OR gate 300, this high signal being supplied through the OR gate 300 through the resistor 302 connected to the base of the transistor 304. The collector of the transistor 304 energizes the relay coil 306 of the SR-4 relay, the emitter of the transistor 304 being connected to the -5 DV supply. Accordingly, the SR-4 relay remains closed after the pushbutton 112 is released so that the resistor 130 remains in the circuit to discharge any capacity across the measuring terminals after the resistance measurement has been made, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
As discussed generally heretofore, the unknown voltage divider R1, R2 (FIG. 4) is chosen to produce a much higher value of unknown voltage across R2 than the known voltage drop across R4. In the actual circuit of FIG. 7, this means that on the megohm ranges the microprocessor computes the ratio of the known voltage sampled by the switch SA-1 (or the switch SA-2 for test voltages of 100 v. or 250 v.) and the unknown voltage across the resistor 162 sampled by the switch SA-6 (or the voltage across the resistors 156, 158, 160 and 162 sampled by the switch SA-8 for test voltages of 100 v. or 250 v.). The microprocessor 54 then multiplies this ratio by a factor of 20 and subtracts 0.5 from this product. The microprocessor subtracts 0.5 instead of 1.0 because the resistor chain 152-162 was first based on a total value of 20 megohms which was later changed to 10 megohms. The D/A converter 58 and meter 60 are calibrated as if this value is indeed 20 megohms and hence 0.5 is subtracted rather than 1.0. In the program given at the end of this specification (step 80) the subtraction of -0.5 is eliminated because the meter 60 cannot be read to this accuracy (the voltage ratio varies from 1 to about 12 and is multiplied by 20). However, if a digital display is employed instead of the meter 60 the subtraction of 0.5 should be made by the microprocessor 54.
If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of 5 M the microprocessor opens the relay contacts SR-4 and closes the relay SR-3, as described heretofore in connection with FIG. 4. More particularly, the relay SR-4 is opened by removing the muC signal and the relay coil 308 of the SR-3 relay is energized directly by applying an output signal to the muF terminal (pin 27) of the microprocessor 54.
If the unknown resistance has a value greater than ninety percent of 50 M the microprocessor opens the relay SR-3 and closes the relay SR-2. The relay SR-3 is opened simply by removing the muF signal. The microprocessor produces the muE signal (pin 26) when a 500 M measurement is to be made, this signal being applied as one input to the AND gate 310 (FIG. 8). The other input of the AND gate 310 is the muG signal which is developed by the microprocessor 54 when an AC measurement is to be made. The output of the AND gate 310 is supplied to the relay coil 312 of the SR-2 relay. Accordingly, the relay SR-2 is closed when the 500 M muE signal is produced so that the resistor 134 is placed across the unknown voltage divider chain, as described in detail heretofore in connection with FIG. 4. In addition, the relay SR-2 is closed during the AC measurement so that the resistor 134 is connected across the unknown voltage divider chain and the voltage at the junction of the resistors 158 and 160 is reduced to a relatively low value which when filtered by the rectifier 236 and capacitor 238 provides an AC measurement signal which does not exceed the 5 volt input level of the buffer 50 and A/D converter 52.
If the unknown resistance Rx has the value greater than ninety percent of 500 M the microprocessor responds by opening the relay SR-2 so that only the unknown divider chain comprising the resistors 152-162 is in the unknown measurement path. The microprocessor opens the relay SR-2 by removing the muE signal.
Considering now the manner in which the oscillator 72 is enabled when the lowest megohm resistance range 0-5 M is selected, since neither the muA nor MUJ signals are now being produced both inputs to the AND gate 284 (FIG. 6) are high so that a high output signal is applied to the terminal 10 of the AND gate 286. The inverter muB signal from converter 260 (FIG. 8) is also supplied to the terminal 9 of the gate 286 so that the output of the gate 286 goes high. Both inputs of the gate 288 are now high so that the output of the gate 288 provides a high signal on the conductor 202 which enables the RC oscillator 72 so that the selected one of the voltages corresponding to the setting of the switch 68 is supplied to the terminal 116. In this connection it will be recalled that the diode 82 does not conduct as soon as the voltage at the terminal 116 falls below -5 volts so that the diode 82 effectively switches the -5 volt voltage developed by the supply 80 out of the resistance measuring circuit for the megohm resistance ranges.
Considering now the manner in which the sampling switches connected to the known and unknown resistor chains are alternately closed by the microprocessor 54, the microprocessor continuously changes the potential on its output muD terminal from -5 volts, at which potential the known resistor chain sampling switches are closed to ground, at which potential the unknown resistor chain sampling switches are closed, this potential varying back and forth between high and low values at a rate of from 30 to 40 per second. Considering first the manner in which the low resistance range sampling switches SA-5 and SA-11 are controlled, the potential on the output line muD is supplied directly to one input of an AND gate 320 (FIG. 8) and through an inverter 322 to one input of an AND gate 324. The output of the AND gate 276, which is low when either the 50 K scale muJ signal or the 500 K scale muA signal is present, is supplied through the inverter 326 to the other inputs of the gates 320 and 324. The output of the gate 320 is supplied through the inverter 328 to the enabling terminal of the SA-11 sampling switch and the output of the gate 324 is supplied through the inverter 330 to the sampling switch SA-5. Accordingly, the switches SA-5 and SA-11 are alternately closed at the sampling rate of the signal developed by the microprocessor 54 on the output conductor muD.
The sampling signal on the conductor muD also controls the sampling switches employed on the four megohm resistance ranges. However, it is also necessary to select a particular pair of these switches in accordance with the setting of the selector switch 68. More particularly, if the switch 68 is in either the 100 volt or 250 volt position the switches SA-2 and SA-8 are to be alternately closed whereas if the selector switch 68 is in the 500 volt or 1000 volt position the switches SA-6 and SA-1 are alternately closed instead of the switches SA-2 and SA-8. To accomplish this, when the switch 68 is in either the 100 volt position or the 250 volt position -5 volts is supplied through either the diode 332 or the diode 334 to the input of an inverter 336 (FIG. 6). When the switch 68 is in either the 500 volt or the 1000 volt position -5 volts is supplied through either the diode 338 or the diode 340 to the input of the inverter 342. The output of the inverter 336 is supplied as one input of an AND gate 344 (FIG. 8) the output of the inverter 342 is supplied to one input of an AND gate 346. The output of the AND gate 286, which is high when resistance measurements are made on any one of the four megohm resistance ranges, is supplied as one input of an AND gate 348 the other input of which is connected to ground. The output of the gate 348 is supplied to the other input of the two AND gates 344 and 346. Accordingly, if the 100 volt or 250 volt test voltage has been selected by the switch 68 the output of the AND gate 344 goes high whereas if a 500 volt or 1000 volt test voltage has been selected the output of the gate 346 goes high. The output of the AND gate 344 is supplied to one input of the two NAND gates 350 and 352 and the output of the AND gate 346 is supplied as one input to the two NAND gates 354 and 356. The muD signal is applied directly to the other inputs of the NAND gates 350 and 354 and the inverted muD signal provided at the output of the inverter 322 is supplied as the other input for the two NAND gates 352 and 356.
All of the semiconductor analog switches used in the meter of the present invention are of the same type and one of these switches is shown in detail in FIG. 5 of the drawings. Referring to FIG. 5, the semiconductor analog switch, such as the switch SA-8 is designed to accept a negative going or low signal on the enabling conductor 360, this signal being applied through the resistor 362 to the base of a transistor 364. The transistor 364 is operated from a -16 volt supply so that an adequate control signal is developed and applied to the control conductor 366 of the analog switch proper which may be of the commercial type 4016 or 4066. The -16 volt supply for the transistors 364 in the semiconductor analog switches is derived from the terminal 192, as described heretofore. Since the transistor 364 is of the PNP type this transistor is turned off when the control signal on the terminal 360 is high, i.e., ground potential so that -16 volts is supplied to the control lead 366 of the 4016 analog switch. However, when the input 360 goes low the transistor 364 is rendered conductive so that the potential at the terminal 366 is near ground and the analog switch proper is rendered conductive. When this switch is rendered conductive any voltage present on the input terminal 368 thereof is transmitted to the output terminal 370 thereof without modification. In this connection it will be understood that four of the analog switches, such as the switches SA-1, SA-2, SA-3 and SA-4, may all be a part of one integrated circuit commonly known as a quad analog switch. It will also be noted that if a voltage greater than 16 volts is applied between the terminals 368 and 370 of the analog switch the switch may be rendered conductive. Accordingly, the point on the unknown voltage divider chain at which the 1000 volt measurement is made with the analog switch SA-6 is chosen to be sufficiently low that the voltage at the junction of the resistors 154 and 156, to which the 100-250 volt analog switch SA-8 is connected is not subjected to more than 16 volts so that the switch SA-8 does not break down when a maximum value signal is being measured by the switch SA-6. This means that the switch SA-6 must have a maximum input of somewhat less than 4 volts when the voltage divider chain has the resistance values given hereinafter.
Considering now the operation of the meter of the present invention when the resistance correction switch 142 is closed instead of the normal read switch 112, when the switch 142 is closed battery voltage is supplied through the diode 374 to the voltage regulator 80 and to the converter 186. In addition, battery voltage is supplied through a resistor 376 to a Zener diode 378 which is connected to ground. The voltage developed across the Zener diode 378 is supplied to the microprocessor as a muL input signal (pin 33) which is used to initiate conversion of the actual resistance being measured to a resistance value corrected to 40° C. When battery voltage is supplied to the regulator 80, -5 volts is supplied to all of the components of the resistance meter so that they function in the manner described in detail heretofore to provide a resistance measurement of the unknown resistance Rx. In addition, the generation of the muL signal informs the microprocessor that it should take the resistance value which has been measured and go to a look-up table and determine the corresponding resistance value corrected to 40° C. In order to do this the microprocessor must know the actual temperature at which the resistance measurement is being made. Accordingly, the operator determines the temperature of the winding which is being measured, by a surface measuring technique, thermocouple or the like, and manually adjusts the position of the slider 140 of the potentiometer 141 to this temperature. For example, if the actual temperature at which the resistance measurement is being made is 60° C. the slide 140 will be adjusted to the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. The microprocessor then provides a muH output signal which is supplied to the semiconductor analog switch SA-4 to close this switch so that the potential at the slide of the potentiometer 141 is supplied to the input of the buffer 50 and is converted to a corresponding digital number in the A/D converter 52. The microprocessor then utilizes the actual temperature number together with the actual resistance number to determine the corrected resistance value from a look-up table. The corrected resistance value is then supplied from the microprocessor to the digital-to-analog converter 58 to that the corrected resistance value is displayed on the meter 60. At the same time the microprocessor lights the LED corresponding to the resistance range of the corrected resistance value which is displayed rather than the resistance range of the actual resistance value measured.
Each of the output signals from the microprocessor corresponding to one of the resistance ranges is supplied to one side of the corresponding LED on the front panel 66. For example, the muJ output signal is supplied to one side of the LED 100 when the 0-50K range is being used. The muA signal is supplied to the LED 102 when the 0-500K range is being used, and so forth. The other side of the six LED's 100-110 used to indicate resistance ranges are controlled by the output of an AND gate 380. When the rotary switch 68 is in any one of the four test voltage positions the output of the AND gate 380 is high so that any one of the six LED's 100-110 may be selectively energized by the microprocessor to indicate a desired range. However, since the selection of the LED is made by the microprocessor automatically and is independent of the resistance range at which the unknown resistance Rx is being measured, the microprocessor may light a different one of the LED's when the corrected resistance button is depressed than it would if the NORMAL read button 112 were depressed, as described heretofore in detail.
Considering now the operation of the meter when the switch 68 is moved to the continuity position, in this position -5 volts is supplied to one input of the AND gate 380 (FIG. 8), the other input of which is connected to ground. Accordingly, when the switch 68 is moved to the continuity position the output of the AND gate 380 goes low so as to prevent any of the six LED's corresponding to the six resistance ranges from being energized. Also, when the switch 68 is in the continuity position -5 volts is supplied as one input to an OR gate 382 the other input of which is connected to the output of an inverter 384 the input of which is supplied from the muB inverter 260. Accordingly, even though the switch 68 is on the continuity position, when the read button 112 is closed the microprocessor will function in a normal manner to make an AC test, as described in detail heretofore, and will then go to the lowest resistance range, i.e, 0-50K at which time the muB signal is produced. When a muB signal, which is negative, coincides with a -5 volt signal from the continuity terminal of the switch 68, the output of the OR gate 382 goes from high to low. This output is supplied as one input of an AND gate 386 the other input of which is connected to ground. Accordingly, when the output of the OR gate 382 goes low the output of the AND gate 386 also goes low and energizes the LED 124 to inform the operator that a continuity check is being made. Also, this low signal is supplied through a diode 385 to the muA output conductor of the microprocessor 54 which now acts as an input signal to inform the microprocessor that a continuity test is being made and that the microprocessor should disable the automatic range shifting program so that the microprocessor remains in the 0-50K range. In order to do this, each time the microprocessor is on the 0-50K scale, it looks ahead at the muA conductor, which is used as an output signal conductor for the 0-500K range and if it detects a negative signal on the conductor muA, indicating that the switch 68 is in the continuity position it does not shift to the 0-500K range but instead remains in the 0-50K range.
When the switch 68 is moved to the continuity position -5 volts is also supplied to the relay coil 390 of the SR-5 relay so that this relay is closed and places the resistor 392 in parallel with the resistors 252 and 250, it being recalled that in the 0-50K range the relays SR-6 and SR-7 and the analog switch SA-12 are also closed.
The voltage developed across the resistor 392 is sampled by the switch SA-11 alternately with measurements of the simulated reference voltage by closure of the switch SA-5, as in conventional 0-50,000 ohm range measurements. The microprocessor than takes the ratio of these two voltages, multiplies by 150 and subtracts 150 so that a full scale reading on the meter and a linear continuity scale 126 up to a maximum of 250 ohms is provided, as shown in FIG. 3.
As discussed generally heretofore, it is desirable to discharge any capacity which may be present across the measuring terminals 114, 116 after either the switch 112 or the switch 142 is released and battery voltages removed from the -5 volt supply. In order to accomplish this, when either switch is closed, the -5 volts developed by the regulator 80 is supplied through a diode 396 to a large capacitor 398 so that this capacitor is also charged to -5 volts. The voltage across the capacitor which is termed a delayed -5 DV is supplied to the emitters of the transistors 270, 296 and 304 so that these transistors will function for from 2/10 to 4/10 of a second after the switch 112 or 142 is released. In addition, this delayed -5 volts is supplied to the U17 chip on which the OR gates 262, 266 and 300 appear so that these OR gates may function in a normal manner during the discharge interval. Considering the transistor 296, as long as -5 volts is supplied to the emitter of this transistor and its collector is connected to ground through the relay coil 298, the NAND gate 292 may be deenergized and its output become ground potential (when the voltage regulator 80 ceases to develop -5 volts), and yet the transistor 296 will continue to conduct and hold the relay SR-7 closed for a delay period during which the measuring circuit can be discharged. In a similar manner the transistors 270 and 304 function to hold the relays SR-1 and SR-4 closed for the delay period. Accordingly, for from 0.2 seconds to 0.4 seconds after the switch 112 is released the resistor 130 is placed in series with the relays SR-4 and SR-1 to the terminal 114 and the resistor 240 is connected to the terminal 116 through the relay SR-7. Preferably the resistor 130 has a resistance value of 10,000 ohms which very quickly discharges any capacitive element which may be present across the terminals 114, 116 so that the operator will not be injured if he touches these terminals after the resistance measurement has been made. In this connection it will be recalled that as much as 1000 volts may be supplied to the measured element and if it has a substantial capacity which is not discharged after the resistance measurement is made there is a likelihood that the operator may be injured. It should be noted that closure of the relays SR-1, SR-4 and SR-7 takes place automatically as soon as the read button 112 is released and battery voltage is removed from the regulator 80 without any action on the part of the microprocessor 54.
The delayed -5 DV voltage is also supplied to the emitter of a transistor 410 (FIG. 8) the base of which is connected through the resistor 412 to the -5 volt output of the regulator 80. The collector of the transistor 410 is connected to one side of the discharge LED 136 the other side of this LED being connected to ground. During normal operation when the switch 112 is depressed -5 volts is applied to both the base and emitter of the transistor 410 so that this transistor does not conduct. However, when the switch 112 is released and the -5 volts from the regulator 80 disappears the delayed -5 volts will still be applied to the emitter of the transistor 410 and the base of this transistor is now at ground potential so that the transistor conducts and energizes the discharge LED thereby indicating to the operator that the measured circuit has been discharged by means of the above-described discharge circuit including the resistors 130 and 240.
It should be noted that the above-described delay switching circuit, whereby a load, such as the relay coil 298, or the LED 136, may be energized for a predetermined time interval after the operating voltage has been removed and the base of the transistor falls to ground while a delayed -5 volts is derived from the capacitor 398, is of general application and may be used in any situation where it is desired to delay the operation of the circuit element after power has been removed from the circuit.
When a muG signal is developed by the microprocessor to initiate measurement of AC, this muG signal is supplied through a resistor 414 to the base of a transistor 416 the emitter of which is connected to ground. The collector of the transistor 416 is employed to energize the LED 118 in response to the development of the muG signal on the conductor by the microprocessor 54 so that the operator is informed that an AC test is being made. During an AC test the relay SR-1 is open until a muB signal is generated by the microprocessor 54 indicating that a resistance measurement should be made at which time the relay SR-1 is closed.
The manner in which the microprocessor 52 may be programmed to accomplish the function discussed heretofore is shown in the following table of program steps. In this program the term measuring level refers to an integer ML which is established within the microprocessor to keep track of which one of the six resistance ranges the microprocessor is utilizing. The quantity ML has an arbitrary value of 0 for the 0-50K range, a value 1 for the 0-500K range, a value of 2 for the 0-5 mg range, etc. The microprocessor also establishes an integer DL corresponding to the display level, i.e. the resistance range which is being displayed on the meter 60 since the display range may be different than the measuring range when temperature correction is provided, as discussed in detail heretofore.
Step 1. Wait approximately 26 milliseconds for transients to die down.
Step 2. Set A/D converter 52 to read AC voltage and go to RAD (read A/D converter subroutine), step 64.
Step 3. If AC voltage read is less than 8 volts, go to step 6.
Step 4. Display AC voltage using DIS (Display subroutine), step 67.
Step 5. Go to step 2 to read AC voltage again.
Step 6. Set A/D converter 52 to read battery 111 voltage, close SA-3 and go to RAD, step 64.
Step 7. If battery voltage is within 13% of maximum, battery is ok, so go to step 10.
Step 8. If battery voltage is within 26% of maximum, battery is acceptable, so turn on battery light 138 and go to step 10.
Step 9. Battery voltage is less than 26% of maximum, so do nothing but flash battery light 138 on and off and do not proceed.
Step 10. Disconnect battery from A/D converter 52 and see if the temperature correction button 142 has been pushed, if not, go to step 13.
Step 11. Set A/D converter 52 to read temperature setting of potentiometer 141, close SA-4 and go to RAD, step 64.
Step 12. Save temperature for use later.
Step 13. Set measuring level, ML, to 0.
Step 14. If ML not equal to 0, go to step 16.
Step 15. Set lines for measuring on 50K scale and go to step 25.
Step 16. If ML not equal to 1, go to step 18.
Step 17. Set lines for measuring on 500K scale and go to step 25.
Step 18. If ML not equal to 2, go to step 20.
Step 19. Set lines for measuring on 5 Meg scale and go to step 25.
Step 20. If ML not equal to 3, go to step 22.
Step 21. Set lines for measuring on 50 Meg scale and go to step 25.
Step 22. If ML not equal to 4, go to step 24.
Step 23. Set lines for measuring on 500 Meg scale and go to step 25.
Step 24. Set lines for measuring on 5000 Meg scale.
Step 25. Go to subroutine MRD, step 72, to read known and unknown resistances.
Step 26. If ML greater than 1, indicating Meg scale, go to step 29.
Step 27. Go to subroutine CLO, step 77, to calculate the meter reading for the ohms scale.
Step 28. Go to step 30.
Step 29. Go to subroutine CLM, step 80, to calculate the meter reading for the megohm scale.
Step 30. Set the Display level, DL, to ML.
Step 31. See if meter reading is greater than 90% of full scale, if not go to step 36.
Step 32. See if continuity button has been pressed, if not go to step 34.
Step 33. Set CL and ML to 0 to stay on lowest scale and go to step 61 to display reading.
Step 34. See if ML is equal to 5, the highest level. If so, go to step 40.
Step 35. Add 1 to ML and go to step 14 to measure again.
Step 36. See if meter reading is less than 6% of full scale. If it is not less, go to step 40.
Step 37. See if ML is 0, the lowest level. If so, go to step 40.
Step 38. See if ML is 2, the lowest megohm scale. If so, we should not reduce level to ohm scale, so go to step 40.
Step 39. Subtract 1 from ML and go to step 14 to measure again.
Step 40. See if temperature was read in. If not go to step 50 to display resistance reading.
Step 41. Compare temperature with 40° C. If they are the same, go to step 50. If temperature is less than 40°, then go to step 45.
Step 42. Form T equal to the number of degrees that the temperature is above 40. Let N and R be two integers, such that T=10N+R. Form corrected meter reading by doubling the uncorrected reading N times and multiplying the result by 1+(R/10).
Step 43. See if reading is greater than full scale. If not, go to step 48 to display reading.
Step 44. Divide reading by 10 and add 1 to DL. Go to step 43.
Step 45. Let T be the temperature to be corrected to. Form integers N and R, such that T=40-10N+R where R is positive and less than 10. Form corrected meter reading by halfing the uncorrected reading N times and multiplying the result by 1+(R/10).
Step 46. See if reading is less than 6% of full scale. If not, go to step 48 to display reading.
Step 47. Multiply reading by 10 and subtract 1 from DL. Go to step 46.
Step 48. Check to see if temperature corrected reading must be moved to megohm scale. This is done by seeing if DL greater than 1. If so, scale is correct, so go to step 50.
Step 49. Increase DL by 1 and divide reading by 10. Go to step 48.
Step 50. See if meter reading is less than 94% of full scale. If so, go to step 53.
Step 51. See if DL is same as display level used when last reading was displayed. If so, go to step 53.
Step 52. Add 1 to DL and divide meter reading by 10.
Step 53. See if reading is to be on ohm scale. (DL<2). If so, since scale light is already on go to step 61.
Step 54. If DL not equal to 2 go to step 56.
Step 55. Turn on 5 meg light 104 and go to step 62.
Step 56. If DL not equal to 3, go to step 58.
Step 57. Turn on 50 meg light 106 and go to step 62. Step 58. If DL not equal to 4, go to step 60.
Step 59. Turn on 500 meg light 108 and go to step 62.
Step 60. Turn on 5000 meg light 110 and go to step 62.
Step 61. Turn off scale lights.
Step 62. Go to subroutine, DIS, step 67, to display reading.
Step 63. Go to step 14 to read resistances again.
Step 64. Wait 2 milliseconds to make sure circuit connected to converter is settled down then start conversion.
Step 65. Wait 110 microseconds for conversion to be finished and read in result.
Step 66. Go to the step after the one that transferred control to RAD.
Step 67. Set bit count, B, to 8 and clear D/A converter 52.
Step 68. Send next bit to D/A converter 52 along with strobe.
Step 69. Turn off strobe and subtract 1 from B.
Step 70. IF B not equal to zero, go to step 68.
Step 71. Go to the step after the one that transferred control to DIS.
Step 72. Set A/D to read known resistance.
Step 73. Go to subroutine RAD, step 64, to read it.
Step 74. Set A/D to read unknown resistance and wait about 6 milliseconds for circuit to stabilize.
Step 75. Go to subroutine, RAD, step 64, to read it.
Step 76. Go to the step after the one that transferred control to MRD.
Step 77. Calculate 8 bit meter reading, M, using formula M=(2K/(u/75))-150. (K-known, u=unknown).
Step 78. If M greater than 255, set M to 255.
Step 79. Go to the step after the one that transferred control to CLO.
Step 80. Calculate 8 bit meter reading, M, using formula M=8K/(8u/20). (K=known, u=unknown).
Step 81. If M greater than 255, set M to 255.
Step 82. Go to the step after the one that transferred control to CLM.
While the present invention has been illustrated and described in connection with the analog meter 60, it will be understood that a digital display arrangement of any suitable type may be employed in place of the analog meter 60 insofar as the above-discussed features of the present invention are concerned. In such event, the digital to analog converter 58 may be eliminated and the digital display connected directly to the output of the serial to 8-bit converter 56 through a suitable driver circuit, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.
While there have been illustrated and described several embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
1. The method of measuring the resistance of an unknown resistor which comprises the steps of measuring the voltage VR across a known resistor when said known resistor is connected to a source of voltage, measuring the voltage V'R across said known resistor when said known resistor is connected in series with an unknown resistor to said source of voltage, computing the quantity (VR/V'R)-1, and developing an output signal proportional to said computed quantity which corresponds to the resistance value of said unknown resistor.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurements of VR and V'R are alternately and repetitively made.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the successive measurements of VR and V'R are made at a rate in the order of 30 cycles per second.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said output signal varies linearly with the value of said unknown resistance.
5. A high resistance measuring circuit, comprising a pair of terminals across which an unknown resistance may be connected, a source of voltage connected to one of said terminals, a first known resistor R1, means permanently connecting said first known resistor to said one terminal so that a voltage drop VR1 is produced thereacross, a second known resistor R2, means permanently connecting said second known resistor to said other terminal so that a voltage drop VR2 is produced thereacross, means for computing the quantity (VR1/VR2)-1, and means for developing an output signal proportional to said computed quantity which varies linearly with the value of said unknown resistance.
6. The measuring circuit of claim 5, wherein said source of voltage is a d.c. source, analog to digital converter means for converting said voltage drops VR1 and VR2 to corresponding digital signals, and microprocessor means for computing said quantity (VR1/VR2)-1 as a digital output signal.
7. The measuring circuit of claim 6, which includes digital to analog converter means connected to the output of said microprocessor for developing an analog signal corresponding to said digital output signal, and analog display means connected to the output of said digital to analog converter means.
8. The measuring circuit of claim 5, which includes means for varying the voltage developed by said voltage source.
9. The measuring circuit of claim 5, which includes switch means for periodically sampling the voltage produced across said first and second known resistors and supplying the same to said computing means.
10. The measuring circuit of claim 9, wherein said voltage source is a d.c. voltage source and said switch means comprises semiconductor analog switches individually connected to said first and second known resistors.
11. The measuring circuit of claim 10, which includes means for controlling said semiconductor analog switches so that they are alternately rendered conductive at a rate in order of 30 cycles per second.
12. The measuring circuit of claim 10, which includes A/D converter means having an input connected to the output of said semiconductor analog switches, and microprocessor means connected to the output of said A/D converter means for computing said quantity (VR1/VR2)-1.
13. The measuring circuit of claim 12 which includes high impedance buffer means connected between said semiconductor analog switches and the input of said A/D converter means.
14. The measuring circuit of claim 6, which includes means for supplying a signal to said microprocessor which is proportional to the temperature of said unknown resistor, and means responsive to said temperature signal for correcting said computed quantity to a corresponding resistance value at 40° C.
15. The measuring circuit of claim 12, which includes means for developing a signal corresponding to the temperature of said unknown resistor, means for supplying said temperature signal to said A/D converter means, said microprocessor means including means responsive to said temperature signal for correcting said computed quantity to a corresponding resistance value at 40° C.
16. The measuring circuit of claim 15, wherein said temperature signal developing means includes a manually adjustable potentiometer, and temperature semiconductor analog switch means for supplying an analog temperature signal derived from said potentiometer to said A/D converter means.
17. The measuring circuit of claim 16, which includes a temperature correction push button, and means responsive to actuation of said push button for controlling said microprocessor means so that said temperature analog switch means is closed.
18. The measuring circuit of claim 15, which includes display means connected to the output of said microprocessor means, and means for supplying a signal to said display means corresponding to said temperature corrected computed quantity.
19. A high resistance measuring circuit, comprising a pair of terminals across which an unknown resistance may be connected, a source of voltage connected to one of said terminals, a first known resistor, means permanently connecting said first known resistor to said one terminal, a second known resistor, means permanently connecting said second known resistor to said other terminal, and means controlled by the voltages produced across said first and second known resistors for developing an output signal which varies as a function of the value of said unknown resistance.
20. The measuring circuit of claim 19, which includes range changing means for automatically shunting said second known resistor with another resistor when the resistance value of said unknown resistance exceeds a predetermined value.
21. The measuring circuit of claim 19, which includes a plurality of range changing resistors corresponding to different resistance ranges, and automatic range changing means controlled by the magnitude of said output signal for automatically and selectively connecting different ones of said range changing resistors to said other terminal and thereby shunt said second known resistor.
22. The measuring circuit of claim 21, which includes display means controlled by said output signal and arranged to provide a maximum resistance indication when said output signal has a predetermined value, and means for controlling said automatic range changing means to selectively contact the range changing resistor corresponding to the next higher resistance range to said other terminal when the value of said unknown resistance exceeds approximately 90% of maximum resistance on a given resistance range.
23. The measuring circuit of claim 22, which includes means for controlling said automatic range changing means to selectively connect the range changing resistor corresponding to the next lower resistance range to said other terminal when the value of said unknown resistance falls below approximately 6% of maximum resistance on a given resistance range.
24. A high resistance measuring circuit, comprising a pair of terminals across which an unknown resistance may be connected, means for selectively supplying voltages of different magnitudes to one of said terminals, a first series of resistors connected to said one terminal, a second series of resistors connected to said other terminal, a first pair of semiconductor analog switches connected to different resistors in said first series, a second pair of semiconductor analog switches connected to different resistors in said second series, A/D converter means having an input connected to the outputs of said first and second pairs of analog switches, means connected to the output of said A/D converter means for developing an output signal which varies linearly with the value of said unknown resistance, and means controlled at least in part by said selective voltage supply means for selectively controlling said first and second pairs of analog switches.
25. The measuring circuit of claim 24, wherein said A/D converter means is arranged to accept input signals up to a predetermined maximum value, and said first and second pairs of analog switches are selectively controlled so that said maximum value is not exceeded when voltages of different magnitudes are selectively supplied to said one terminal by said voltage supply means.
26. The measuring circuit of claim 25, wherein said voltage supply means includes a manually operable voltage selector switch, means for developing different control signals corresponding to different positions of said selector switch, and means controlled by said control signals for alternately closing different sets of said analog switches, each of said sets including one analog switch from each of said first and second pairs.
27. A resistance measuring circuit, comprising a pair of input terminals across which an unknown resistance may be connected, resistance measuring means connected to said input terminals and arranged to provide an output signal corresponding to the value of said unknown resistance, means connected to one of said input terminals for detecting the presence of an AC voltage between said one terminal and a reference potential, and microprocessor means programmed to first enable said AC voltage detecting means and then to enable said resistance measuring means only in the event that said AC voltage detecting means does not detect the presence of an AC voltage of predetermined magnitude between said one terminal and said reference potential.
28. The measuring circuit of claim 27, which includes a read push button, means responsive to actuation of said read push button for energizing said microprocessor means.
29. The measuring circuit of claim 27, wherein said resistance measuring means includes a source of voltage connected to the other of said terminals, first and second resistors individually connected to said pair of input terminals, and means controlled by the voltages produced across said first and second resistors for developing an output signal which varies linearly with the value of said unknown resistance.
30. The measuring circuit of claim 29, wherein said AC voltage detecting means includes means connected to one of said first and second resistors for rectifying an AC voltage appearing on said resistor, said microprocessor means being responsive to the output of said rectifying means for preventing said resistance measuring means from operating in the event an AC voltage of said predetermined magnitude is present on said one terminal.
31. The measuring circuit of claim 27, wherein said resistance measuring means includes display means normally providing an indication of the value of said unknown resistance, and means controlled at least in part by said AC voltage detecting means for controlling said display means to indicate the magnitude of the AC voltage detected by said AC voltage detecting means.
32. A portable resistance measuring unit, comprising a housing having a front panel which includes a pair of input terminals to which an unknown resistance may be connected, a battery contained within said housing, a read switch on said panel, an oscillator contained within said housing, means for rectifying the output of said oscillator and supplying a unidirectional voltage to one of said terminals, resistance measuring means connected to said input terminals and arranged to provide an output signal which varies linearly with changes in said unknown resistance, and means operative only during periods when said read switch is actuated for supplying power from said battery to said oscillator and said resistance measuring means.
33. The portable resistance measuring unit of claim 32, which includes a voltage selector switch on said panel, and means controlled by said selector switch for varying the power supplied from said oscillator to said rectifying means, thereby to vary the magnitude of the unidirectional voltage supplied to said one terminal.
34. The portable resistance measuring unit of claim 32, which includes a display device on said front panel for providing an indication corresponding to said output signal, a potentiometer on said front panel which may be manually adjusted in accordance with the temperature of said unknown resistance, means for developing a temperature correction signal corresponding to the setting of said potentiometer, and means for controlling said resistance measuring means in accordance with said temperature correction signal so that an output signal corresponding to the resistance of said unknown resistance corrected to 40° C. is displayed on said display device.
35. A resistance measuring circuit, comprising a pair of input terminals across which an unknown resistance may be connected, resistance measuring means connected to said input terminals and arranged to provide an output signal corresponding to the value of said unknown resistance, a read push button, means operative when said push button is depressed for enabling said resistance measuring means, and means operative as said push button is released for connecting a resistor of low resistance value across said input terminals to discharge any capacity associated with the unknown resistance connected to said input terminals.
36. The resistance measuring circuit of claim 35, which includes means operative when said push button is depressed for supplying a test voltage to one of said input terminals, said test voltage acting to charge any capacity associated with the unknown resistance connected to said input terminals, and means for removing said test voltage from said one terminal when said push button is released so that said low value resistor can discharge said capacity.
37. The resistance measuring circuit of claim 35, which includes a relay having an operating coil, said relay connecting said low value resistor across said input terminals when said operate coil is energized, a transistor having a collector connected to said operate coil, means controlled by said resistance measuring means for supplying a control signal to the base of said transistor to energize said operate coil, and means for supplying an energizing voltage to the emitter of said transistor which persists after said push button is released, whereby said transistor remains conductive to energize said operate coil after said push button is released and said resistance measuring means is disabled.
38. The measuring circuit of claim 21, which includes a read push button, means for connecting said voltage source to said one terminal only during periods when said read push button is depressed, and means for connecting one of said range changing resistors across said pair of input terminals after said read push button has been released, thereby to discharge any capacity associated with said unknown resistance connected to said pair of input terminals.
39. The high resistance measuring circuit of claim 21, wherein a relatively low test voltage is connected to said one terminal for at least one low resistance range and a relatively high test voltage is connected to said one terminal for at least one high resistance range, and means controlling said automatic range changing means so that resistance measurement can only be shifted upwardly from said one low resistance range to said one high resistance range, thereby to avoid switching back and forth between said low resistance range and said one high resistance when a capacity of substantial value is associated with said unknown resistance. | 2019-04-24T12:55:49Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US4408157A/en |
Boxes in GREEN are Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society sponsored or co-sponsored events.
Boxes in SILVER are events by other conservation-minded folks.
Fourth Sunday, 12 months a year: Malibu Lagoon field trip.
The Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society assumes no responsibility for injuries, personal or otherwise, incurred while attending Society sponsored activities, and will not be held liable for such accidents. No pets or collecting allowed.
We welcome members of all ages on our field trips. Some trips may be more difficult for children than others. We attempt to write down a few hints about each trip that will guide parents. Please call the leader or the Field Trip Chairman if you have any questions.
Saturday 6 Lower Los Angeles River.
20 Coastal Cleanup is perhaps the largest volunteer day on this planet. Last year almost 650,000 volunteers participated in every U.S. coastal state and in over 90 other countries. Here in Southern California, CCD reminds us that the beach begins at our front door. Trash travels from our streets through the storm drains system onto our beaches and into our bay. Our chapter concentrates its efforts at Malibu Lagoon, but you can call 1-800-HEALBAY for information and other places to volunteer. Parking will probably be free at the lagoon on this day - it has been before. Please visit http://www.healthebay.org/ for more details about locations all over the local coastline.
Sunday 28 Malibu Lagoon Adults and Teens at 8:30 a.m.
Parent-escorted small children at 10:00 a.m. for a short 1-hour walk. We provide binoculars if needed.
Tuesday 7 Evening Meeting 7:30 p.m. "A Good Fire Year" with Chad Hansen. See the Home Page for more details.
Saturday 11 Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Leader: Ellen Vahan (310-476-3359). Meet at 8:30 a.m.
Sunday 26 Malibu Lagoon Adults and Teens at 8:30 a.m.
Weekend 1-2 Butterbredt Spring Fall Campout. Leader: Mary Prismon. Participants must sign up with Mary Prismon.
Tuesday 4 Evening Meeting 7:30 p.m. "Birds of Kenya" with Alex Oloo, speaker.
Ballona Creek Area. Leaders: Lu Plauzoles and EllenVahan. Meet at 8:30 a.m.
Sunday 23 Malibu Lagoon Adults and Teens at 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday 2 Evening Meeting: 7:30 p.m. "The Condor's Shadow." Jeff McLoughlin, speaker.
Saturday 20 Butterbredt Christmas Count Citizen Science Event. Compiler Chuck Bragg. Contact him for time and meeting place via email. Weather cancellation date is Monday, 12/22. Note: this is a date change from 12/13 because the Count Period only begins on the 14th. We apologize for the change and the conflict with the Carrizo trip.
Malibu Lagoon Adults and Teens at 8:30 a.m.
Sun 25 Malibu Lagoon Adults and Teens at 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday 3 Evening Meeting: 7:30 p.m. "The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy." Melina Watts, speaker.
Weekend 7-8 Salton Sea. Leaders: Chuck & Lillian Almdale.
Sunday 22 Malibu Lagoon Adults and Teens at 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday 3 Evening Meeting. 7:30 p.m. "Birds, Primates and Other Animals of Uganda." Edie Gralle, speaker.
Sat/Sun 25-26 Butterbredt Spring Vernal Campout. Leader: Mary Prismon. This trip by reservation only.
Weekend 2-3 Morongo Valley. Leader: Chuck Almdale.
Tuesday 5 Evening Meeting 7:30 p.m.
Sunday 24 Malibu Lagoon Adults and Teens at 8:30 a.m.
Saturday/Sunday 20-21 Mt. Pinos Birds and Butterflies. Camping Saturday night optional. Leader: Mary Prismon. Meet at 8:00 a.m.
Angeles Crest, Charlton Flats, Chilao, Buckhorn. A yearly trip to the Alpine habitat - nice and cool while the city sweats. Join us for such birds as Steller’s Jays, Band-tailed Pigeons, nuthatches, Brown Creepers and White-headed Woodpeckers. It’s a lovely place for a picnic too, so bring an elegant repast if you wish.
[535 B3] Meet at 7:30 a.m. on Highway 2 (Angeles Crest Highway) just north of the intersection with Highway 210 (Foothill Freeway) in La Canada. We will carpool up Angeles Crest Highway. A National Forest pass is required - cost $5/day per car. Available at Sports Chalet, Adventure 16, Big 5, or the Clear Creek Visitor Center on the way up Angeles Crest. Bring snacks, lunch and drinks.
Antelope Valley Raptor Experience. This is be a great trip for the raptor enthusiast. We will be birding primarily the northwest and west end of the Antelope valley. The most likely raptors to be seen will be the Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Harrier and Black-shouldered Kite. Other possible species include Rough-legged Hawk, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, Golden Eagle, Merlin, and Long-eared Owl. We also keep our eyes open for Mountain Plovers, Long-billed Curlew, Mountain Bluebirds and other interesting species that winter in the area.
This is an all-day trip. Bring lunch, drinks, snacks and additional water. Dress for the weather. Leader: Cindy Schotté.
[Directions] Carpools will leave the North Hills area by 7.15 am so we can be in the Palmdale area by 8 am. Allow 1/2-hour drive time from Santa Monica to the carpool meeting place. For directions to the meeting place or additional information, call Chuck & Lillian Almdale (818-894-2541).
Ballona Jetty and Fresh Water Marsh.The breakwaters at Marina del Rey (the Ballona Jetty) are a good place to find rock-loving birds you don’t get at the beach, as well as the usual suspects in the gull and tern community and perhaps an unusual sparrow or two. After exploring the jetty we will go to the opposite end of the wetlands and bird the freshwater marsh next to Lincoln Blvd. This marsh has an ever-expanding bird list that has passed 150 species.
From Lincoln Blvd. in Playa del Rey take Jefferson Blvd. towards the ocean. Jefferson will merge into Culver Blvd as you continue. Turn right on Pacific Ave (almost at the end of Culver) and go to about 64th Ave. where you will find a parking lot between Pacific Ave. and the Del Rey Lagoon.
Ballona Freshwater Marsh. Everyone should visit this newest birding hot spot in LA County. Open since Spring '03, its bird list is already over 150 species, with rarities often appearing. Our first trip of the fall will show you around this small but productive wetland.
[702 C1] Meet at 8:30 a.m. Located just south of Marina del Rey on the southwest corner of Lincoln & Jefferson Blvds. Parking (free) is only along the south side of Jefferson, next to the wetlands. Family Guide: easy walking, open vistas, well-suited to any family and children.
Big Sycamore Canyon. The canyon is good habitat for orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, House Wrens, various flycatchers, and a local subspecies of the Canyon Wren, C. m. youbetcha, the Guaranteed Canyon Wren. In the springtime we pay special attention to nesting birds, especially the local Great-horned Owls, Red-tailed Hawks, House Wrens and orioles..
[96 C2 California] Big Sycamore Canyon State Park is about 5 miles north of the LA/Ventura county line on Pacific Coast Highway. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the creek bridge next to the rest rooms on the inland side of PCH. There is a parking lot inside ( fee $10!) and some parking along PCH if you get there early enough.
. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach has long been an excellent location to see shorebirds. In addition to all the usual shorebird, duck and seabird suspects, we'll look for: Western & Clark's Grebes, Reddish Egret, Osprey, Avocets & Stilts, Semipalmated Plover, both Yellowlegs, Red Knot, Baird's & Pectoral Sandpipers, Dowitchers, Phalaropes, various terns including the (not-so-common) Common Tern, and the Belding's race of Savannah Sparrow. Family guide: 2-3 miles walking on pavement, boardwalks and dirt trails. Morning temperatures start cool.
Directions: San Diego Fwy (#405) south to Garden Grove Fwy (#22) east. Exit almost immediately on Bolsa Chica Rd. Go south on Bolsa Chica Rd. to Warner Ave. Turn right on Warner Ave. to Pacific Coast Hwy, passing the parking lot . Go left (south) on PCH past the traffic signal and make a U-turn at the first turn-around on the divided highway and return to the preserve entrance. Meet there. Either way, allow 50-60 minutes travel time from Santa Monica. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot.
Butterbredt Spring Christmas Count. This is the one trip every year where you can count on meeting real birders, the kind that bring their cross-country skis when the weather turns iffy. No espresso-sipping wimps on this trip! All seriousness aside, dress warmly, bring $5 for the compilation fee, pack a lunch and snacks and be ready to spend all daylight time (it gets dark around 4:30 p.m.) in the Butterbredt count circle as we do our part to count all the birds that were too macho to fly south for the winter.
Click on Christmas Counts to visit the national website. This is Citizen Science at its best!
[80 B3 California] Contact the coordinator for exact instructions (the count circle instructions are different from our regular field trips to Butterbredt). We’ll be happy to arrange carpools if you don’t want to do any driving. Family guide: long car ride, possible cold weather; gotta love the birds.
Butterbredt Spring Halloween. Join us on our annual Halloween Campout! Travel will be on graded dirt roads. Birds we hope to see are the typical desert species (Golden Eagle, Sage Sparrow, etc.) and fall migrants such as (we hope) large flocks of Pinyon Jays. Bring a pumpkin for the annual Carving Exhibition and Ghostly Tree Display. Family guide: great fun for children over 10. In fact, we would like to encourage families to attend this camping trip. We have been invited to stay at Sageland Ranch, home of Keith Axelson. There will be camping space for all, but please bring enough water for cooking and washing, and some firewood would be greatly appreciated too. You can cook on the main campfire or on one of the barbecues.
Participants need to phone or email the leader to sign-up for this trip. They will be given directions, time and place of meeting, and be asked to sign a release formwhich will be available at the beginning of the trip or by sending a SASE to leader, Mary Prismon, 4310 Ocean View Dr. Malibu, CA 90265 (310-457-2240) when signing up.
Butterbredt Spring Spring Campout. Our annual spring camping weekend at the Butterbredt Spring Wildlife Sanctuary and the riparian habitat of Kelso Creek, surrounded by the high desert. Birds we will see are desert residents, spring migrants (three years ago we saw all eleven western warblers at the spring), and specialties such as Piñon Jays and Golden Eagles. Travel will be on graded dirt roads, passable by almost any car. We will camp in a spot close to Kelso Creek and north of Kelso Valley. Don’t leave Mojave without filling up on gas and bring water for cooking and washing. Family guide: a great camping trip.
NB: this field trip requires a signed release form which will be available at the beginning of the trip or by sending a SASE to Lillian Almdale, 15737 Tuba St., San Fernando, CA 91343.
See the Halloween directions above.
Carrizo Plain. his is a wintering ground for the Sandhill Crane, one of two species of cranes in North America. The Carrizo is also one of the best places in southern California to see a large variety of raptors, including Prairie Falcon and Ferruginous Hawk. Occasionally we find a flock of Mountain Plovers! We also look for shrikes, eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, sparrows, larks, Tricolored Blackbirds and scintillating Mountain Bluebirds, as well as more open and quiet space than anyone believes can still exist in SoCal. We usually stop by at the San Andreas Fault where it breaks through to the surface to check on how much it’s moved since last year.
Family guide: lots of car travel and stationary observation; young non-birders will be bored.
NB: You must call leader to participate. No fee, but this trip is limited to 5 vehicles, with priority given to those who are carpooling. In the event of adverse weather or road conditions, the trip will be cancelled by the leader no later than Friday evening. Sign-up anytime but please call the leader Chuck Almdale (818-894-2541) during the week before the trip to re-confirm. The leader contacts the Carrizo Plains Ed Center on Friday afternoon just before the trip to check on weather and road conditions and then will inform all participants if it’s a go or not.
[Directions] Carpools will leave the North Hills (San Fernando Valley) area by 7:15 am so we can be at the Maricopa re-grouping spot by 9 am. Allow 1/2-hour drive time from Santa Monica to the carpool meeting place. . Bring lunch, drinks, additional water and dress for the weather. You’ll probably want to fill up your gas tank in Maricopa as there are NO services in the Carrizo. If you have an FRS radio, bring it along tuned to Channel 11, privacy channel 22.
Visit Charmlee Wilderness Park to enjoy the< o:p>Butterfly Garden, see how and why butterfly gardens work and learn how< o:p>to create your own. Margaret Huffman will be your guide. Butterfly< o:p>Garden books, plants and seeds will be for sale. Bring water, a snack,< o:p>and $3 for parking. Binoculars will add a lot to your fun. 2 hours. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter, North American Butterfly Association LANABA.
August 1, 2002 News Update: Margaret says, "The Butterfly Garden at Charmlee has been eaten by hungry mammals, thanks to the Fire Department hacking off what they must have been using before now. So I won't be able to show off the garden [for a while]."
This is the 30th annual International Coastal Cleanup Day. You and your family can make your contribution to the Bay by joining us in the biggest cleanup of the year. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.: we encourage you to get waivers on-line at www.healthebay.org/ccd (click "Waivers" in the bar and choose the "Beach and Inland Site" waiver) and fill them out before you come. Waivers will be available at the site. From 9:00 a.m. until noon, volunteers will be given supplies and instructions on how to carry out a beach cleanup. Bring footwear that you don’t mind getting wet or muddy. Plastic gloves are supplied but bring your own work gloves if you prefer.
Coastal Cleanup Day is perhaps the largest volunteer day on the planet. At last count, not only was every coastal state in the USA participating, but so were 60 other countries. Here in Southern California, CCD reminds us that the beach begins at our front door. Trash travels from our streets through the storm drains system onto our beaches and into our bay. Our chapter is concentrating its efforts at Malibu Lagoon, but you can call 1-800-HEALBAY for information and other places to volunteer. Rumor has it that parking will be free at the lagoon on this day - it has been before.This is the 26th annual International Coastal Cleanup Day. You and your family can make your contribution to the Bay by joining us in the biggest cleanup of the year. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.: we encourage you to get waivers on-line at www.healthebay.org/ccd and fill them out before you come, but we will have them at the site. From 9:00 a.m. until noon, volunteers will be given supplies and instructions on how to carry out a beach cleanup. Bring footwear that you don’t mind getting wet or muddy. Plastic gloves are supplied but bring your own work gloves if you prefer.
Parking at the lagoon is usually free for participants.
Family Guide: Suitable for everyone but toddlers. You can get wet and dirty.
[Directions] See Malibu Lagoon .
Descanso Gardens. This is a place rapidly gaining a reputation as a good migrant trap, as well as offering nesting space for woodpeckers and the occasional strange warbler. Needless to say, the gardens themselves are glorious and worth the trip on their own.
[535 A4] Take the Glendale Freeway (2) north to Verdugo Blvd. Go East (right) on Verdugo to Descanso Dr. Turn right on Descanso and go a few hundred yards to the Gardens, on the right. Meet at the entrance (fee is $5) at 8:00 a.m.
Eaton Canyon Natural Area. Great birding all year round, an excellent Nature Center, large oak terrace, some water in the stream most years, many footpaths, excellent picnic facilities. Habitat includes chaparral, oak woodland and riparian. Will be hot in summer, pleasant to hot in the spring. We can expect over forty species - pretty good considering no shorebirds. In spring 2002 there were a Brown Thrasher and several Calliope Hummingbirds!
Evening Meeting Place. Our NEW meeting place is at Douglas Park, 2439 Wilshire Blvd. (between Wilshire Blvd, California Ave, Chelsea Ave & 25th St), Santa Monica. If you’re coming from outside Santa Monica, exit the #10 Fwy at Cloverfield Blvd., turn north, bear right onto 26th St. and continue north 9 blocks to Wilshire Blvd., turn left and go 2 blocks to Chelsea Ave. Street parking only.
Meeting Room: The meeting place is on the corner of Chelsea & Wilshire.
Meetings begin at 7:30 sharp with a little business, and then our main presentation. Refreshments are served afterward.
Parking: The Wilshire, Chelsea, and 25th St. sides of the park are metered until 6 PM at $1/hour. We don't know if the posted 3-hour limit is enforced on metered spaces after 6PM. Parking on Chelsea and 25th St. across from the park are non-metered but have a 2-hour limit until 10PM (if you park here, do not linger after the meeting.) The park side of California St. (north end of the block) has no parking restrictions, but only 9 spaces. Other areas north, east and west of the park seems to be 2-hour parking until 10PM. Wherever you park, please read parking signs carefully and avoid a big fat $40+ parking ticket.
Franklin Canyon Reservoir, Beverly Hills. Bring picnic dinner! This is a time to celebrate the warm evenings of late Spring. After dinner we will look for Wood Ducks (guaranteed), quail, California Thrasher, Golden-crowned Sparrows and whatever else we can find before dusk. As the sun sets we will look for the nest of Great-horned Owls and the Barn Owls that have been seen. We haven’t been to this location in a long time and it is a lovely place.
Directions: turn north on Beverly Drive from Sunset Blvd. This intersection is complicated (seven directions of traffic!) so be careful. If you’re coming from the west, Canon Drive is the street before Beverly; coming from the east, Rexford Drive is just before Beverly. Go north and be sure to stay left at the 4/10 and 7/10 mile marks to stay on Beverly. At the 1.5 mile mark at the signal (and fire station) turn right on to Franklin Canyon Drive. Keep going north until you see a gate and the nature center and parking area. Picnic at 5:00 p.m. and the bird walk at 6:00 p.m.
Hopkins Wilderness Park. This is a small park, but known for its ability to trap migrants. The hours for the park are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. but we will be allowed in early on this occasion only!
Park address is 1102 Camino Real in Redondo Beach. We will meet at 8:30 a.m. After doing a couple of circumnavigations we will proceed to Madrona Marsh (see below), a short distance away, and continue searching for those Spring Migrators.
Huntington Beach Central Park & Bolsa Chica.< o:p> We will look for migrants in Central Park for about two hours and then go for the shorebirds at the Bolsa Chica Reserve. The park is widely known as a migrant trap; Bolsa Chica frequently features uncommon shorebirds.
[21 B6 Orange County] Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the Slater Avenue parking lot at Huntington Beach Central Park. (1) From Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach go north on Golden West Street about 3 miles. Turn right on Slater Avenue and watch on your right for the parking lot. (2) From the San Diego Freeway in Westminster take Golden West Street south about 2.3 miles. Turn left on Slater Avenue and watch on your right for the parking lot.
Friday, November 3rd. If you've wondered just where it all goes after vanishing down the drain, or if you shudder to think about it, this week-day trip is for you. The tour will consist of a slide show, Q&A and a guided tour of the facility. You'll be astonished at what they have to deal with and how they do it.
You must sign up in advance for this trip with the leader, Chuck Almdale (818-894-2541). Walking shoes without open toes (e.g. no sandals) are mandatory. Carpooling is available. If you plan to drive yourself, Chuck needs the following information from you: (1) Your name; (2) Automobile information: make, model, color, and licence plate number.
This information will be sent to the tour director at Hyperion, so Chuck will need it no later than Tuesday, Oct. 31. The tour begins at 10:00 a.m. on November 3rd (Friday).
One of the newest of our local parks, this 588-acre area was previously owned by razor magnate King Gillette, then by Soka University. While exploring both the developed creeks, lawns, groves and ponds, as well as undeveloped chaparral and riparian habitats, we’ll be looking for birds resident in these habitats such as California Thrasher, as well as any early migrants and wintering birds such as Lewis’ Woodpecker. From the intersection of Las Virgenes (Malibu Canyon) Rd. & Mulholland Hwy., east on Mulholland to the 1st right, past the park gate to the 1st right towards the Botanic Center and park. Meet at 8:30 am, allow 45 minutes travel time from Santa Monica.
The lower portion of the LA River has become a fall hotspot for southbound migrants: Ruff, Stilt, Solitary, Baird’s, Pectoral, Buff-bellied, and Semipalmated Sandpipers in the river channel; various flycatchers, vireos, warblers, sparrows and other passerines in adjacent parks. We will search for whatever is around. Bring your telescope (if any),water, snacks and dress for variable weather.
Family guide: 1-2 miles walking on pavement and grass, ending approximately 11-11:30am.
[Directions to Car Pool] Call Chuck Almdale (818-894-2541) to carpool. Carpool will leave at 6:45 am from 533 4th St. (between San Vicente & Montana) in Santa Monica, allowing 45 minutes to reach Willow St. in Long Beach.
[Directions to LA River meeting spot] If you want to drive yourself or perhaps start early: From Santa Monica, take Fwy #10 east to Fwy#405, south on #405, 22 miles to Long Beach Fwy #710. South on #710 1.5 mi. to eastbound Willow St. exit. Cross Fwy & Los Angeles River to first stoplight at Golden Ave. Left on Golden, then immediate left onto 26th Way, then 2 blocks to end. Park near intersection of 26th Way and DeForest Ave. Go through gate up to bike path on east bank of river.
[763 D6] The Madrona Marsh Nature Center and parking are at 3201 Plaza del Amo in Torrance. From the 405 Freeway take Hawthorne Blvd. south 3.4 miles to Torrance Blvd. Turn left and go a half mile to Madrona Ave. Turn right and go a half mile to Plaza del Amo. Turn left and watch for the parking lot on the left.
Reservations are required. Basic instruction in kayaking is provided. Bring your binoculars (preferably waterproof). Wear shoes that can get wet, a hat & sunscreen, a long sleeve windbreaker, and long pants. Nylon is better than cotton. UCLA provides kayak, paddle, PFD (lifejacket) and wetsuit. Meet at the Aquatic Center at 7:30 a.m. Fee $21.
For those not kayaking, the walk will begin at 8:30 a.m. Meet in the parking lot of the Del Rey Lagoon. Bring a jacket, the wind can get chilly along the jetty.
[672 B2] UCLA Marina Aquatic Center, 14001 Fiji Way Marina del Rey. Parking at Lot 52 on Fiji Way. Please register in advance. Call (310-823-0048) for registration, information and directions.
This is always a lovely walk and we have the opportunity of seeing uncommon wintering birds such as Golden Eagle, Lewis', Red-breasted and Red-naped Woodpeckers, Western Bluebirds, Merlin and others. Deer, Bobcat and Coyote are possibilities.
[588 G5] Ventura Fwy (101) to Las Virgenes Rd. South on Las Virgenes Rd, 3 miles to Mulholland Hwy intersection (traffic light). Park entrance is 0.25 mile south of the intersection on Las Virgenes Rd /Malibu Canyon Rd. From Pacific Coast Hwy, north on Malibu Canyon Rd to park entrance (fee for parking).
Malibu Lagoon. We visit the lagoon every month, and there is always something to see. Spring and Fall bring the largest number of species, with Fall giving us the best chance at migratory rarities. In Winter we have all our resident species so bird numbers are pretty good. Even in Summer we have a good showing, and of course the weather is even more perfect. Please join us for an easy walk on the beach, and sometimes an extension to the grounds at Adamson House or to the lush grass and reclamation ponds at Pepperdine University. We stay out until 11:30 or noon but we never get far away from the start and you can easily come for a shorter trip if you wish. Species seen range from 40 in the summer to 75 during migration.
Adult Walk - beginner or experienced - 8:30 a.m. We put out special effort to make our monthly Malibu Lagoon walks attractive to first-time and beginning birdwatchers. So please, if you are at all worried about coming on a trip and embarrassing yourself because of all the experts, we remember our first trips too. Somebody had to show us the birds, and it’s our turn now.
Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road. Now that the parking lot is finished (fee - $12) we will meet in the same old place - at the first footbridge on the beach side of the parking lot. We will try to be obvious. You may also park either along PCH north of Cross Creek Road or on Cross Creek Road itself but be careful - some parts of PCH are off-limits (read the signs carefully). Lagoon parking in the shopping center lot is not permitted. We meet probably (!) next to the parking lot entrance where there is a pedestrian passage open to the back of the lagoon.
Matilija Nursery. For the Wild Gardeners who lust after more plants, or those who had to miss the sale of native plants on October 15-16, Margaret has scheduled a trip to the Matilija Nursery in Moorpark for October 29th at 11 a.m. Here you will find a huge selection of native plants to choose from. The nursery is about 52 miles from the intersection of the 405 and the 10, so the drive will take a little over an hour.
McGrath State Beach and Ventura Water Treatment Plant and Harbor. The beach, the facility and the harbor are great spots for wintering and migrant shorebirds, ducks and other water birds. Mew Gulls are likely, rock-loving shorebirds are on the jetties and various alcids show up in the harbor channels. Even a Glaucous Gull is possible. Please be on time as we will need to enter the treatment facility as a group. Bring a lunch as we usually eat at the Channel Island Park HQ picnic tables.
Family Guide: 1-2 miles of level dirt road and sandy beach.
[Directions] Call leader to carpool. Otherwise, take Ventura Fwy (US #101) and exit Victoria Ave. Go south 0.6 mile to Olivas Park Drive. Turn right and continue 2.5 miles on Olivas Park Dr. crossing Harbor Blvd. into Ventura Marina, where the road becomes Spinnaker Drive. Continue 0.4 mile and turn left onto Angler Court where you will park. Both sides of the street were wrongly painted red. Park on the side without NO PARKING signs and you’ll be OK. We meet here as we can no longer drive around inside the facility. Allow 75-90 minutes from Santa Monica.
[Directions from Malibu via PCH] About 30 miles past Malibu, after Hwy #1 becomes freeway, continue straight onto So. Rice Road. Continue 4.2 miles, cross Fwy #101, bear right to enter the freeway. Exit in 4.4 miles onto Victoria Ave., and follow the directions given above.
Morongo Valley. Morongo Valley is one of the finest birding spots in southern California, known for rare eastern migrants as well as the local specialties such as the Vermilion Flycatcher, Summer Tanager and Brown-crested Flycatcher. Most of the common desert species should also be seen. There are motels in 29 Palms and Yucca Valley and dry camping facilities in Joshua Tree National Monument for those who wish to stay over Sunday night or arrive on Saturday. The hours for the reserve are from 7:30 a.m. to sunset. Family Guide: can be quite hot; not for younger children.
[100 C2 California] Meet at 8:00 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot beyond the public parking lot in Covington Park. To reach Covington Park take Interstate 10 east to Highway 62 (29 Palms turnoff), which is beyond the Highway 111 turnoff to Palm Springs. Go north for about 10 miles to the town of Morongo Valley, then watch on the right for signs to Covington Park. Allow 15 minutes more for this drive than you would for going to Palm Springs.
Morro Bay. For the first time in nearly 10 years we are proposing a long-distance field trip to the Central Coast. You can get up very (4:00 a.m.) early to motor north, or either camp (BRRRR!) or motel (ZZZZZZ) in upper Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo Counties. Birding starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Natural History Museum overlooking Morro Bay and goes till 4:00 p.m., working our way south along birding hot spots. Plan on scoping hundreds if not thousands of wintering White Pelicans and Brant in the Bay, in addition to heron species, coastal woodland passerines, and soaring raptors. Possible Monarch butterfly stop also.
The proposed itinerary has numerous drive-and-view stops, so we require advance sign up. Email or phone trip leader Lu Plauzoles at 310.779.0966. Insufficient sign-ups by Feb 5th will cancel.
Mount Pinos. Pinos is a great area for birds, especially mountain birds such as Clark's Nutcrackers, White-headed Woodpeckers, Calliope Hummingbirds, Mountain Quail, Green-tailed Towhee and the large-billed form of Fox Sparrow. We will also go to places that give us an excellent chance to see one or more of the released California Condors! We will bird early and then go for butterflies. The wildflowers will be out in force.
This trip is scheduled as a day trip but the leader usually camps Saturday night at the Mt. Pinos campground; on Sunday we return on the most scenic route available, possibly through Lockwood Valley and Highway 33. Also, the night sky is crystal clear so if you are camping, bring your astronomical scope! Family Guide: lots of driving; lots of walking; can be hot.
O'Melveny Park.< o:p> This has always been a popular birding area. There are both good riparian and chaparral/oak habitats and prospects for migrating spring warblers, but the chief attraction is hummingbirds. Also, very excellent restrooms and picnic facilities.
[1 E3] Take the Balboa Blvd. exit south from the Golden State Freeway (I-5), or take the Balboa Blvd. exit north from the Simi Freeway (118) and go to Orozco St. Turn west on Orozco to Sesnon, turn left on Sesnon to the park entrance. Meet in the second parking lot in the park at 8:30 a.m.
Paramount Ranch to Malibu Creek State Park Birds & Wildflowers Walk. For a special treat, docent Peggy Mueller will lead us on another exploration of this area, this time a 1-way, 4-mile, approx. 4-hour hike. Mostly level with one small up & downslope. Starting at Paramount Ranch (free parking!) we'll pass thru former Prez's Reagan Ranch, meadows, past Chumash relics, riparian areas, streams, wonders galore! Bring water, sturdy shoes and lunch. We will arrange to have a couple of cars waiting (parked) at the end of the walk to carpool us back to the beginning. The RTD shuttle is not operating as of this writing.
Point Mugu. This trip is by reservation only. The rules set down by the Point Mugu Navy base regarding participation and cancellation make it necessary to require a $10 deposit for each person attending; this will be refunded to you on the day of the trip or if you cancel no later than three days before the trip. Please send your reservation request and check (made out to Santa Monica Bay Audubon) to Maja Block, 11826 Navy St., Los Angeles, CA 90066. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note with the full name of each person attending and his/her Social Security number and your phone number for confirmation and information. Reservations must be postmarked on or after January 1st (we want to give everyone an equal chance to get a spot on this trip, so postmarks before January 1st will not be allowed). The deadline is February 1st. Write that letter now, put a little note where the stamp ought to go, and stick it to the refrigerator. For further information, contact Maja Block. A naturalist at the base will lead the trip.
Don't miss this trip! Mugu has its own wetlands, endangered species study areas, and is next door to a duck club; neither sprays for mosquitoes and the result is a large and healthy bird population. We always see lots of birds and lots of species. No mosquitoes either, at this time of year. Family guide - gotta love the birds.
[108 D1 California] (where we have met in previous years) Meet at Davis Road (the Wister Wildlife sign-in point), 37 miles south of Mecca on Highway 111 at 9:00 a.m. Driving time from L.A. is about three hours. Car pooling is definitely recommended and staying overnight is a good idea. Camping is available, or you can motel it in Brawley or El Centro. This is not a reservation-only trip but please call the trip leader if you plan on going. We'd hate to find your bleached bones on our way back. Family guide: long car drive but room to roam at the end of it.
San Jacinto Wildlife Area. We haven’t been here in a few years, so this is your opportunity to join us at this wonderful winter location, filled will ducks, raptors, shorebirds, brush & field birds and all sorts of raptors. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the Gyrfalcon who stayed here a few winters ago will return.
[Directions] From Santa Monica, Fwy #10 E. 15.6 miles to #60 Pomona Fwy, 53 miles E. to #215 S. towards Lake Perris & Temecula, 7.3 miles S. to Ramona Expy, 8.2 miles E. to Davis Rd., left on Davis 2.4 miles to HQ parking lot & sign-in station. Davis Rd. S. from the #60 is blocked off. Allow 2 hours travel time.
Sand Dune Park (Manhattan Beach). Not well known to most people, this small park is well-known to South Bay birders as a migrant trap. We will go here specifically to find rare birds. If time permits, we will do the same at Wilderness Park, a little inland of Sand Dune.
[732 F4] 33rd and N Bell Ave in Manhattan Beach, a few blocks south of Rosecrans.
Santa Anita Canyon. Good selection of breeding and migrating birds including warblers, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Band-tailed Pigeon, three hummers and Dipper possible. Black Swifts also possible. Pack in dinner and water. Meeting time 6:00 p.m. because the Black Swifts only show up at twilight.
[537 1D] Take the 210 Fwy toward Arcadia, and take Santa Anita Avenue N about 2 miles to the parking lot at the very end of the road. Meet at the trailhead at the bottom of the lot. 4 mile round trip moderately strenuous walk through oak and chaparral canyons.
Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens.Join Ellen Vahan on a docent-guided tour of these wonderful gardens which feature a world-class collection of California native plants. Obviously we can expect some good bird life attracted to the plants and insects. They have an entire hilltop of ceanothus (California Lilac), desert landscaping, oak woodland, pond with turtles, and an excellent store with books on native plants and gardening. They also have a nursery with native plants for sale. They do not have a café on the premises, but they do have park benches and restrooms so bring a picnic lunch or snacks. Soft drinks are available from vending machines.
Take Hwy. 101 to Santa Barbara and turn right (north) on the [West] Mission St. turnoff. Go half a mile to State St. and turn left. Go two blocks and turn right on East Los Olivos St. Go one mile to Foothill Blvd (SR 192). Remember that about halfway to Foothill you will pass by the Santa Barbara Mission and the name of the road will change from Los Olivos to Mission Canyon . If you get lost in Santa Barbara at any time just follow the signs to the Mission and go from there. Turn right on Foothill for 2/10ths of a mile and turn left (north) on Mission Canyon Road (again!). Go north for half a mile to the Botanic Gardens (1212 Mission Canyon Rd., 93115). There is lots of parking.
Total distance from the Sunset Blvd./Pacific Coast Highway intersection in Santa Monica is 83.5 miles, going through Oxnard on PCH. Family Guide: good for the whole family. Entrance fee is $7 general, $5 for seniors (over 60). This trip is by Reservation Only so please contact the leader if you intend to go. Meet Ellen at the entranceat 9:45 a.m.
Sepulveda Basin. The Sepulveda Basin bird list reached 200 species at the beginning of 1996. Work continues on improving the habitat here and there are plans for further expansion. In the winter, the lake in the Wildlife Area sees almost every species of waterfowl that visits the county. In the summer, Pied-billed Grebes, Great Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night-herons, American Coots, Anna's Hummingbirds, Cliff Swallows and Blue Grosbeaks breed.
[531 1F] From I-405 in the San Fernando Valley, exit on Burbank Blvd. Go west to Woodley Ave. and turn right. Go right at the second park entrance, make the first right and go to the Wildlife Area parking lot.
Solstice Canyon. Join Chuck Bragg on this easy 2.1 mile round trip stroll along one of the only year-round streams in the Santa Monica Mountains. California Bay trees, Coast Live Oaks, and California Sycamores line the creek and host Acorn Woodpeckers, other chaparral and riparian birds, perhaps late spring migrants, as well as butterflies like Western Tiger Swallowtail and California Sister. Bring lunch if you want to picnic under the trees. Parking is limited, so carpool if you can. Family Guide: suitable for everyone but toddlers.
[628 C7] From the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and the Pacific Coast Hwy. drive north 11.2 miles to Corral Canyon Road. Turn inland and go a short distance to the entrance to < st1:place w:st=on>< st1:PlaceName w:st=on>Solstice< st1:PlaceType w:st=on>Canyon< st1:PlaceType w:st=on>State Parkon the left. Gate opens at 8:00 a.m., give or take a few minutes. There are a few parking spots at the entrance and a larger lot further up the hill. Meet at the upper parking lot at 8:15 a.m.
Trish Meyer’s Bird-Friendly Garden. Have you considered "wildscaping" your back yard to make it more attractive to birds as well as other wildlife? By using a combination of < st1:place w:st=on>< st1:State w:st=on>Californianative and other compatible plants, you can create a beautiful garden that's a magnet for wildlife - as well as one that's water conserving, low maintenance, and ecologically appropriate.
Chris and Trish Meyer converted what used to be an ivy-covered hillside garden in Sherman Oaks to a wildlife habitat for birds and other creatures. It's a true case of grow it and they will come; Chris and Trish have spotted over 50 different birds from hummingbirds to hawks in their own backyard habitat. They will share the secrets to their success, including growing "natural birdseed" and designing a water feature built especially for the birds. They will also provide a list of desirable plants. For more on the concept of wildscaping, visit their website, www.wildscaping.com.
The Meyer's garden was featured in the 2005 and 2006 Theodore Payne Foundation Native Plant Garden Tour.
We will meet at 11:00 a.m. (when the butterflies are awake). Since this is a private home, we have to limit the number of people attending at one time. Please email Margaret Huffman to reserve your spot and receive driving instructions.
Families with children over the age of 10 are encouraged to participate. Those who only want to paddle for an hour or less are also encouraged to participate. Wear clothes that can get wet, including windbreaker, long pants, hat, sun screen. Waterproof binoculars, and athletic gloves recommended. Family Guide - not recommended for children under 10.
This trip is limited to 15 people. Please call Bob to find out if there is any space left. For those who do not wish to kayak, we will have a birdwalk on the south side of the back bay while the kayaks are out (directions below for walkers). When they return, at about 11:00 a.m., we may have lunch there or, more likely, we will go to the San Joaquin Marsh Sanctuary for some fresh water birding and a visit to the Audubon Center run by the Sea and Sage Audubon chapter.
[889 C6] Directions to the Newport Aquatic Center: from Santa Monica south on 405; south on 55 which ends shortly on Newport Blvd; continue towards beach; left on 17th Street; left on Dover, with an immediate right into the Dover Shores Community. Follow blue Newport Aquatic Center signs down the hill to 1 Whitecliffs Drive, Newport Beach. NAC phone is (949-646-7725). We will meet there at 8:00 a.m.; the kayak rides will take about 2 hours.
Directions for walkers: take the San Diego freeway south to Jamboree Blvd. Go right (south) on Jamboree to Back Bay Drive near the Newporter Inn. We will work our way along Back Bay Drive (it's one-way only) keeping our heads down for rails. Meet at 8:30 a.m. where Back Bay Drive becomes a one-way only road. (If the road is closed we will go to San Joaquin Marsh). We usually see about 70 species of birds.
Ventura County Game Preserve. This private duck hunting club is located right next to Point Mugu Naval Airbase, and offers many of the same birds. In many cases we can get closer to the birds than we can at Point Mugu. Admission is by permission only, and attendance may be limited. Mark the date on your calendar - more details will come as soon as we know them.
This field trip is by reservation only. Please call trip leader after February 2ndto confirm your space. Management has asked us to limit the number of participants to 30 max. We will be carpooling from the buildings. If you have a FRS, please bring it along. One per car is very helpful. Family Guidelines: well-behaved adults and teens - this is private property and there are restricted areas.
Directions: take Pacific Coast Highway north to Point Mugu Naval Airbase. Take the Hueneme Road exit and go west about 1 3/4 miles to Casper Road; left on Casper until it ends and then left to the farm buildings that are the Game Reserve HQ. Meet there at 8:30 a.m. Traditionally we eat our brown bag lunches in the clubhouse.
Facilities: pit toilets, water, group camping.
Parking: Free but limited at upper (Walker Ranch) section.
Directions: From intersection #10 & 405 Fwys, #10 Fwy north 19.3 miles, #5 Fwy north 3.9 miles, #14 Fwy east 3.2 miles to Placerita Canyon Rd, 3.5 miles to Walker Ranch roadside parking.
Wildflower Show -- California Native Plant Society . Whatever the weather, native plants will be blooming in the Santa Monica Mountains and in the gardens of members of the California Native Plant Society. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the Society will put on a Wildflower Show at Malibu Bluffs Park, west of Pacific Coast Hwy. at Malibu Canyon Road. Books, gift items, native plants and refreshments will also be for sale and Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society will have a table displaying some of the best bird-friendly natives. Celebrate spring with your friends at this pretty, fragrant show.
Wild Gardners Workshops: In 6 weeks or less the winter rains will begin, so now is the time to plan your bird garden. Figure out where you’re going to have regular water features and grow bird-friendly plants. Bring a sketch of your garden, including existing plants and water features, to the sale of native plants October 14th or 15th so that Margaret Huffman can help you select plants for your situation during one of her workshops. She will hand out more detailed suggestions at our evening meeting on October 3rd.
Workshop Times: 11-12 and 2-3 on Saturday, October 14th; 2-3 on Sunday, October 15th. Location: During the Native Plant Sale at Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino, CA 91436.
Wilson Canyon. This has always been a popular birding area. There are both good riparian and chaparral/oak habitats and prospects for migrating spring warblers, but the chief attraction is hummingbirds. The trails are good and very scenic. The park has facilities for picnics and good restrooms.
[482 A1] Take the Foothill Fwy. (210) to Roxford. Go north a short way to Olive View. Turn right on Olive View and go east to Bledsoe (~1 mile from freeway turnoff). Now turn left on Bledsoe 3/10 mile to Saranac Lane. Turn right on Saranac to Wilson Canyon entrance. Turn left at entrance and follow the road up to the parking lot overlooking the dam. Family Guide: good for all ages.
Wind Wolves Preserve – San Joachin Valley. This is a relative new preserve in the southern San Joachin Valley, and a new birding destination for us, so we’re not sure what we’ll find. Come exploring with us. Golden Eagle is likely, as are wintering field and forest birds.
Family guide: Lots of car travel, then hiking. May not be suitable for young non-birders.
NB: All participants must fill out an insurance waiver, available from the trip leader: webinfo49@att.net. In the event of adverse weather or road conditions, the trip will be cancelled by the leader no later than Friday evening. Sign-up anytime but please call the leader Chuck Almdale (818-894-2541) during the week before the trip to re-confirm.
[Directions for Carpool] Call leader for meeting location. Carpools will leave the North Hills (San Fernando Valley) area by 7:30 am sharp so we can be at the Preserve by 9 am. Allow 1/2-hour drive time from Santa Monica to the carpool meeting place. Bring lunch, drinks, additional water and dress for the weather. If you’ll be driving yourself, allow 2 hours total travel time from Santa Monica. Leave North Hills carpool spot at 7:30 a.m.
[Directions to Preserve] I-5 north through the Grapevine pass to Hwy#166 Maricopa exit. Go west toward Maricopa 9.5 miles to the preserve turnoff, marked by a large sign for “Wind Wolves Preserve”. Turn left onto this access road and travel south 3 miles. Turn right and proceed through the main entrance gate and follow the signs. We meet in the trailhead parking lot. | 2019-04-21T12:12:42Z | http://smbas.atspace.com/smbascal.htm |
Copy of a letter from the Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the Colonies to His Excellency the Governor-General, dated 33rd March, 1904, regarding the use of the title of “ Honorable” by members of the first Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia.
I make this motion as a cover for a general statement of the intentions of the Government in regard to matters of policy, and, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, to provide an opportunity for a full discussion by honorable members of the statement I am about to make. Honorable gentlemen will easily understand that as Ministers are all new to office, and have had at their disposal a time all too short in which to consider the important matters with which they have had to deal - though I admit we had no right to ask the House for a longer adjournment - it has been impossible to prepare for consideration this session any large general measures of policy. There is now a comparatively short time remaining of the session which began in March last; but before Parliament is prorogued it will be necessary to consider the Budget,’ and, therefore, it seems impossible to deal with more than a short programme if the Ministry are at the end of the session to have the credit of having accomplished work, rather than of having submitted for discussion a long and impossible series of measures. The view we take is that we should submit a practical programme - a list of measures which we .have a reasonable expectation of passing during the time at our disposal. I will therefore briefly indicate a few of the matters in regard to which we hope to introduce legislation - providing, of course, that political exigencies allow us to do so. For immediate work we propose to resume the discussion upon the Conciliation and Arbitration Bill at the point at which it was dropped by the last Administration a few weeks back. We are in agreement with the members of the last Administration so far as the general principle involved in the measure is concerned ; that is, we believe in a measure providing for compulsory arbitration, as distinguished from any substitute put forward in either State or Federal politics for voluntary arbitration. As we are in agreement upon that point, and are anxious to get through business in the shortest time possible consistent with effective consideration, we intend to take up the Bill at the point at which it was dropped, and we propose to fill the blank created by the carrying of the amendment of the present Minister for Trade and Customs by inserting, first, a provision to apply the Bill to railway servants, and, secondly, a provision extending its operation to those employed in industries carried on by or under the control of the Commonwealth, or of a State, or of any public authority constituted under the Commonwealth or under a State. Guided by the opinion of our learned Attorney-General, we take the view that this Parliament is empowered by the Constitution to include within the scope of the Bill all industrial servants of the Commonwealth or of a State. Beyond that we feel, according to our reading of the Constitution, that we are not entitled to go.
– Then the Government have abandoned the public servants ?
– We have not abandoned the public servants. Personally, I have never asserted that we are bound to include the clerical employes of the Governments of the Commonwealth and the States “other than those who may be incidentally connected with industrial concerns carried on by those Governments. The honorable and learned member for Darling Downs brought the subject prominently before the House in September last, and, in answer to an interjection made by him while I was speaking, I said that I entertained considerable doubt as to our right to bring within the scope of the Bill public servants other than, those engaged4 in industrial enterprises carried on by the Governments of the Commonwealth and the States. We propose to bring within the scope of the Bill, first, the railway servants of the States, and, secondly, all other servants of the Commonwealth or of the States who are engaged in industrial enterprises carried on by those Governments.
– Will the carrying of that proposal be regarded as of vital importance ?
– That will be a matter for the Government to consider when the occasion arises. I have never made the matter one of vital importance, though I shall have excellent examples in the conduct of honorable gentlemen opposite of longer experience in politics, to justify any stand I may take in the matter. So far as that part of the Bill is concerned, honorable members may be sure that we shall show a proper appreciation of our constitutional position. At the same time I do not think it is a proper thing to attempt to coerce the House by making threats as to our attitude on a question of this sort.
– Much better leave it to the caucus.
– I have protested time and again against a position of that kind being taken by Ministers, and in September last, when the Bill introduced last session was dropped by the late Administration, I took the stand that they had no right to make a matter of detail a Government question. At the same time, I will not now say what attitude Ministers will assume if the measure is not amended in the direction they propose.
– To the members of the late Administration the matter was one, not of detail, but of principle.
– I admit that the honorable and learned gentleman had the right to distinguish between details and principles. For my own part, I expressed the view as far back as six or seven months ago that the matter was one of detail, and, therefore, if occasion arises, I shall be free to take any course without going back upon principles already enunciated. Another alteration of considerable importance which we propose to make in the Bill’ is in providing for the appointment of only one permanent member of the Court, the Justice of the High Court, who will preside. We propose to eliminate those provisions of the Bill which make the two assessors permanent members of the Court. There are various reasons for this change, though I shall not now more than briefly outline them. In the first place, we must be guided to some extent by the experience of other Governments who have similar legislation to administer; and we are aware that grave dissatisfaction exists amongst a large proportion of those affected by the decisions of the New South Wales Arbitration Court because the cases brought before it are adjudicated upon by assessors who know nothing whatever of the technical details of the industries in regard to which the disputes arise. That dissatisfaction has, in many instances, culminated in the expression of lack of confidence in the constitution of the Court. We, therefore, think it desirable to appoint additional members of the Court, or assessors as they may be more properly termed, selected for each dispute by the parties concerned; but if both parties are satisfied to abide by the direction or decision of the Judge alone, no assessors will be appointed. Another aspect of the question to which attention may be directed is that the measure has been framed for the prevention rather than the cure of industrial disputes. We hope that the existence of the Court will obviate the need for large expenditure to bring its machinery into active operation, and, if we are justified in that assumption, it will be unwise to provide for an elaborate tribunal with all the paraphernalia of an ordinary Court of Justice, before which, perhaps, no case will be brought for some considerable time. For these reasons we consider ourselves justified in proposing, at any rate as an experiment, that the Court shall consist ofthepresiding Justice and special assessors chosen by the parties concerned, whenever they think them necessary. Another amendment which, perhaps, will not be quite so popular among honorable members belonging to the learned professions, will prevent the appearance of counsel before the Court without the consent of both parties to a dispute. The experience of the trades unions of New South Wales is against the appearance of counsel. It is true that the presiding Judge there has expressed the opinion that counsel have occasionally assisted him in arriving at a clearer conception of the causes of disputes, but, on the other hand, in New Zealand, where a similar Act has been in operation for a much longer period, experience shows that disputes are investigated at a much lower cost than is the case in New South Wales. When I visited that Colony recently, I was assured by those interested that in many instances large and important disputes have been disposed of at a cost of not more than £10.
– The honorable gentleman is killing the business of the Minister for External Affairs.
– Both the Minister for External Affairs and the Attorney-General have shown a patriotism in regard to this matter which is worthy of imitation. These, are the principal alterations, but there are many others with which honorable members may make themselves acquainted by consulting the schedule of amendments which is now being circulated. We believe that with these amendments, we shall be able to pass the Bill through this Chamber within a reasonable time, and send it to another place, where I have every reason to believe that it will receive a cordial reception, with the result that the measure should become law very shortly. Another proposal is to introduce, as the first measure in the Senate, a Federal Capital’ Sites Bill. No one in the community has appreciated more than I have the immense influence which the selection of the Federal Capital site should have in largely dissipating the interprovincial jealousy existing, more particularly between the two larger States.
– In New South Wales we have been fully able to appreciate just how far many questions have been prejudiced by the mere fact that they were first proposed in Victoria> and during the three years in which I have resided mainly in Victoria I have come to the conclusion that that feeling is just as pronounced in this State as in my own. In view of this fact, I feel sure that we cannot expect any great diminution of this unfortunate feeling until we settle the question of the Federal Capital site, and the Parliament is removed from those sinister implications as to the influence which is exerted in one or other of the two great cities of the Commonwealth. Moreover, I believe that a settlement of the question will tend to encourage the growth of a larger and broader national feeling than that which has hitherto existed in regard to Federal politics. I admit that it ‘ is said that the establishment of the Federal Capital involves a large expenditure. Eventually, no doubt, the outlay of a very large sum will be involved, but if, in the council’s of the nation we have economically minded men, who are content ‘to work on a common-sense basis, and to always cut their coat according to their cloth, there need not be any large expenditure in this connexion for some time to come. I am informed that the Victorian Parliament was content for twenty years with an expenditure of ^20,000 upon the buildings in which we are now sitting. In the first instance, the complete design was put forward, but only the two legislative halls were erected. Some temporary adjuncts were also provided, and the Parliament was content with this accommodation for twenty years after the introduction of responsible government. Somewhat similar lines might well be followed in regard to our accommodation at the Federal Capital. We should first, I think, adopt a definite design, which would leave room for no mistake that could be foreseen by human prescience, and which would permit eventually of grand and noble edifices being erected, which would, do credit to, and be worthy of Australia. For the present, however, we might very well be satisfied with buildings which, whilst serving our immediate purposes only, would be in consonance with the complete plans agreed upon. Therefore, I think that the general statement that the establishment of a Federal Capital would involve extravagance and waste of money is not justified. Judging from my experience of the past- three years, I venture to think that whatever Government may be in power, when expenditure upon the Federal Capital is proposed, the House is not likely to support any extravagant expenditure, or the outlay of anything beyond the sum absolutely necessary for carrying out the Federal scheme. One feature of the proposed Bill will be a provision that the area to be selected shall not be less than 30 miles square, or 900 square miles, and it will also be provided that’ the land so acquired shall not be alienated.
– Why “30 miles square “ ?
– We mean 30 miles square or an equivalent area. The shape of the Federal territory will not matter. As was agreed by this House last session, the idea is that the area shall not be less than a certain minimum. It does not matter whether we speak of 30 miles square, or 900 square miles. We hope by the means I have stated to retain for the benefit of the Commonwealth - and the Commonwealth means the tax-payers of Australia - all the unearned increment that accrues through the expenditure of the tax-payers’ money, and I have yet to be convinced that when the matter is put fairly and squarely before the people of New South Wales there will be any grave objection on their part to such a course being followed by the Federal Parliament.
– Oh, yes, there will.
– That is a matter of opinion. In my constituency, which has not a site to offer for the Federal Capital, my views have been indorsed by the result of the general election.
– The Prime Minister’s constituency is very close to one of the proposed sites.
– I do not think that that affects the question. My opponent entertained views similar to those which I have expressed. It is the intention of the Government to push on the Bill through all its stages in this House, after it has passed the Senate.
– The Bill is to be introduced in the other Chamber?
– Yes, as the first measure. We could not introduce it into this House for some time, because of the Arbitration Bill, and we propose to put it forward as the first measure for consideration in the Senate.
– Will the Government name the site?
– No. I should very much like to arrive at a Ministerial decision in that respect, but I think that in view of the fact that members of the Government, in common with honorable members generally, took up a decided attitude with regard to the sites when the Bill was before us last session, it would be too much to expect us to submit a definite proposal.
– Will the Government confine themselves to two sites?
– No, we shall not. I think that every site which has a chance ought to be open for selection by a new Parliament; but I do not expect that any great number of sites will have such chances as would encourage their supporters to persist in thrusting them forward.
– There is only one site in it.
– I do not think there is j any likelihood of a protracted dispute be- I tween the two Houses. I am glad to say, on behalf of the Labour Party, both in this House and the Senate, that they are determined to push this matter through as a national question. Owing to the strength of the party in the Senate their help in that Chamber’’ ought to be of material assistance in the settlement of the question.
– Will the Minister bow to the will of the majority of his party ?
– I shall, decidedly. I have- always done so. I do not anticipate that the will of the majority will be in favour of the site advocated by my honorable friend ; but in any case I shall abide by the will of the majority. After the Bill is passed, it is the intention of the Government to enter into communication with the New South Wales Government, with a view to having the areas proposed as sites for the Federal Capital specifically set apart for the purpose.
– The Government do not propose to make the proposed area of 900 square miles an absolute sine qua non ?
– But the Government will not make it an absolute condition.
– No. That is a matter for negotiation, and I hope that we shall be able to arrive at an amicable understanding with the State authorities. On the initiative of the late Minister for Home Affairs, contour surveys of the proposed sites at Dalgety, and in the neighbourhood of Tumut, were undertaken some little time ago. These reports are now available, and will be laid upon the table of the House to-morrow. Therefore, honorable members will almost immediately have an opportunity to peruse the reports of the surveyors, and arrive at a more definite understanding of some of the details.
– Has a contour survey of the Lyndhurst site been made?
– No. The honorable and learned member will recognise that we are not responsible for what has been done. The surveys were initiated by the late Minister for Home Affairs, and we have not had time to arrange for any further surveys. Personally, I am familiar with the Lyndhurst site, and I do not think there is any grave necessity for a contour survey. Its general features are well known to be quite suited for the purpose of. a Federal Capital.
– It is the best.
– No doubt there is a good deal to be said on that point. I believe, however, that even if we had time there would be no necessity to engage in a contour survey of the Lyndhurst site. Another measure which we intend to introduce is the Trade Marks Bill, about which there can be little difference of opinion. I confess that I do not understand why it was not introduced as a necessary corollary of the Patents Bill. I know that in the States trade marks legislation has been worked in conjunction with that relating to patents without involving any additional expense. I think, therefore, that a Trade Marks Bill might have been introduced at the same time as the other measure.
– It was left alone in order to avoid delay in the passing of the Patents Bill.
– The Patents Bill was big enough by itself. It would have been a huge work if the other measure had been included.
Pacific, . and elsewhere in the southern hemisphere, connected with trade and other matters, which are constantly requiring attention, and we cannot rely for an adequate representation of our views with regard to such matters upon the AgentsGeneral, who are responsible only to their respective States Governments. If a High Commissioner were appointed within a comparatively short time the States Parliaments should be able to abolish the offices of their Agents-General and substitute for them, probably, some form of commercial agent, with an inferior status and a much less expensive establishment in the capital of the Empire. That should lead to material economies, having regard to the cost to which the States are put in maintaining AgentsGeneral, each with his secretary, his staff of clerks, and the whole paraphernalia of a Department resident in London, each largely duplicating the work of the other. During the last three years most unfortunate misconceptions have arisen on various occasions as to the scope and intention of legislation passed by this Parliament. On various occasions the people of Great Britain - I will not say because of ignorance, but because of misapprehension as to the intention and effect of such legislation - have shown an altogether false conception of trie general trend of Australian politics. It would be, in my view, most unfortunate if, having the opportunity .to correct that state of affairs, we neglected to avail ourselves of it, simply because of the raising of the parrot cry of extravagance. It should be open to the States to replace their Agents-General by commercial agents, and if they so desired to avail themselves of the services of the High Commissioner as a financial adviser. We presume, of course, that a man of high attainments will be appointed to the office of High Commissioner. Such a nian would be able to act as financial adviser to the Governments of the States, and, if they so desired, to deal with the inscribing of their loans and the payment of interest on their debts. In addition, the High Commissioner would be able to give assistance in the carrying out of the immigration proposals of which we have heard so much of late. I know that a number of the States Governments are anxious to second the work initiated by the late Prime Minister, in respect of immigration. I am sure that we all are most anxious that Australia, with all its resources, should be made known to the people of Europe, and more particularly to the people of Great Britain ; but it seems to me that it will be impossible to bring about that happy consummation unless we have some one in London who can speak on behalf of Australia generally, and also work in harmony with the Governments of the States in relation to the necessary measures that must be passed by the States before emigration to this continent can assume any large proportions. For my own part, I feel that unless the States Governments are prepared to cooperate with us - and to co-operate in no uncertain way - it is useless to expect anything in the way of a large immigration for some time to come. The key to the position is held by the States Governments.. They have control of the lands of Australia, and unless those lands are made available- unless they are opened up and their possibilities advertised in places where farmers, or would-be farmers, are to be found - we need expect for some years hence but little advance in the way of immigration. With a High Commissioner as energetic and as far-seeing as is Lord Strathcona in the representation of Canada - with a representative of like abilities and energy - we need have no fear.
– A Commissioner with similar means?
– I feel that it would be necessary for the Commonwealth to make adequate provision for the office.
– Might I suggest that ihe Government could not find a man of wider knowledge for the office than is the honorable member for Darwin.
– The appointment should be given to the right honorable member himself.
– The honorable member for Darwin has already informed me that he would be quite willing to give way to the right honorable gentleman opposite. He recognises that from our point of view a great benefit would be conferred on Australia if the right honorable member were sent to. London.
– If we went together we should, at all events, have a happy time.
– I do not think it is necessary to say any more in this regard, save that the Government feel that it is essentia], from all points of view, that the appointment of a High Commissioner should be made at the earliest possible date. We intend to re-introduce,- with very little alteration, the Bill introduced in the Senate by our predecessors in regard to fraudulent trade marks. The principal alteration will be in the title of the measure. The Bill was known as the Merchandise Marks Bill, and we propose that it shall be entitled the Fraudulent Trade Marks Bill. Its object will be to prevent a continuance of the commercial immorality which is practised at the present time both by- importers and manufacturers.
– That is a’ big order.
– I trust that it was a libel on Parramatta. My own conviction is that it never saw the district which the honorable member so worthily represents. The fact remains, however, that this alleged lime-juice contained no lime-juice whatever, but was found to consist of acids and water. . A thousand and one instances of these evil practices might be given, and I feel that the measure which I have indicated, while not involving any party question, will be of material value to the community. Another measure with which we propose to ask the Parliament to deal is a Bill relating to Papua. It will be mainly on the lines of the measure introduced by the late Government, but one or two small alterations will be made.
– What will the Government do with their coloured labour dependency ?
– Had the right honorable member been present a year or two ago when we dealt with the taking over of Papua, he would have known that I expressed grave doubt at that time, as to the propriety of thus widening our sphere of responsibility. We have an enormous territory to adequately defend and develop, and although I did not press the question to a division, my own opinion at that time was that it was unwise to enter upon a quasiImperial policy at such an early stage in the career of the Commonwealth j but it is now too late to discuss that aspect of the question. We have assumed the responsibility, whether it is wise or not, and that being so, the duty lies upon us as men to carry it out to the best of our ability. We have to do our utmost from a humanitarian stand-point for those who are now in Papua. I am sorry to say that, so far as appearances go, recent occurrences in Papua have not increased our chances of impressing the native population with the unswerving firmness and justice of our control. That, however, is a matter which will be- inquired into at a .later stage. At present, owing to the lack of necessary legislation, developmental work is absolutely suspended in the dependency. We are holding the territory in a most extraordinary way. We control it under an Order in Council of the Imperial Government, which allows us a nominal authority, but actually gives us very little control, and until the Parliament passes some measure sanctioning a govermenta organization for Papua, it will be impossible to secure adequate development of the territory.
– Why should we be so anxious to develop Papua? Have we not plenty to do in Australia ?
Governor in Council - that is practically the Legislative Council of Papua - with a general direction as to drawing a distinction, so far as periodic reappraisements are concerned, between urban and rural lands. We recognise that, so far as town lots are concerned, we may be able’ to secure settlement, notwithstanding that we insist upon comparatively frequent reappraisements of the rentals. But in regard to rural settlement, we consider that it will be essential in the first instance to offer the pioneers who are willing to improve the country which is largely malarial, heavily timbered, and very expensive to work, some encouragement by giving them long preliminary terms at pepper-corn rentals, and without re-appraisement. The leases, however, will be subject after the expiry of the first period to re-appraisement at fixed intervals. Our desire is that a distinction should be drawn between urban and rural lands, and beyond that it is unnecessary to go in the Bill itself.
– What will the Government do with regard to the resolution passed by the House in reference to the prohibition of the drink traffic in Papua?
– We do not intend to take any action in regard to the drink question there.
– But will the Government abide by the decision of the House?
Postal Rates Act, and to deal with postal matters generally. I may say here that we propose removing the prohibition of the employment of the aboriginals of Australia contained in the coloured labour section of the Post and Telegraph Act. So far as I am personally concerned, the existence of that prohibition is a pure inadvertence. It was never intended that by any prohibition of coloured labour we should place the aboriginal natives of Australia at any disadvantage or interpose any barrier to their employment. I do not say that they are people who may be safely intrusted with contracts; but if it is found that contractors desire to employ them we have no desire to interfere in the slightest degree with their employment. Having touched upon the question of coloured labour, I may be permitted to say that I am in a position to correct a- misapprehension which has been spread very largely throughout Australia during the last few months in connexion with the insistence upon the employment of white labour under ‘the general mail contracts between Australia and England. Some time ago the late Postmaster-General called for tenders for new contracts for the carriage of mails between Australia and the Motherland. The honorable gentleman, unfortunately, in my view, did not see his way to publish the details of the tenders received. My colleague, the present Postmaster-General, has since given particulars of the tenders to the public.
– And very properly, too.
– I had an opportunity of interviewing Mr. Anderson, the manager of the Orient Company, at Sydney, on Saturday last, and obtained from him direct particulars, not only as to the price at which the company would be prepared to carry the mails, but also as to the reasons by which they were, actuated in asking for a much higher subsidy than they had previously received.
– He was preparing that information at my request two months ago. I asked him to let me know exactly what he thought would be the extra cost involved in the employment of white labour only, and also the grounds upon which he asked for any increase at all upon the company’s previous tender.
– I am glad to hear the statement of the’ ex-Prime Minister. It is quite .in accord with what Mr. Anderson told me. He admitted that he had prepared the information which he gave me at the request of the honorable and learned gentleman. Some perplexity, however, still exists in my mind iri the endeavour to understand why the honorable and learned gentleman, who had so manfully shouldered the responsibility for the white labour section of the Post and Telegraph Act, had not communicated to (he public the reasons which lay behind the. request of the Orient Company for an increased subsidy.
– Mr. Anderson promised to put his statement in writing.
– I understood that the honorable gentleman had received the communication before vacating office.
– I had not at that time.
- Mr. Anderson showed me a letter which the honorable and learned gentleman should have received before he left office.
– I received a letter containing some particulars about so much a mile.
Mr. Anderson had stated that the information given by him to the Prime Minister was not supplied with the view to publication ; but of course Mr. Watson was the one to decide whether or not it should be made public.
That would appear to contain an implication that in giving certain information to the press I have divulged something which was given to me in confidence. That is not correct, and I feel sure that Mr. Anderson never intended to give colour to such a statement. What occurred was this: Mr. Anderson told me that he had prepared for the late Prime Minister certain information, and he submitted to me a copy of the letter, together with other particulars. It is quite correct to say that the statement given to me was not prepared for publication ; but after Mr. Anderson had submitted the information to me, I asked him whether I should be at liberty to make public the particulars contained in the document which he gave me, and he said that I might do so if I considered it necessary.
– That is what he admits.
– Yes ; but the statement’ which I have quoted from the Argus may leave the impression, in some minds, that I received something under the seal of confidence, and then exercised my own judgment in making it public.
– Mr. Anderson says the honorable gentleman was entitled to do what he did.
– I can say that I was, because I asked Mr. Anderson’s permission to make the documents public. 1 am justified now in stating with authority that the demand for an increased subsidy by the Orient Company has not been due to the insistence of the Federal Parliament upon the employment of white labour only upon mail vessels. Mr. Anderson, as representing the Orient Company, admitted at once that if they were permitted to employ any labour they chose, they would still, under existing conditions, have to ask the same sum for the carriage of mails.
– Did he not say that the company would look for some allowance to be made in certain cases where the boats were late ?
– Not an allowance in cash. He said that if the steamers were late, because of desertion on the part of the crews, the company would ask to be exempt from any penalty so long as that could be proved. That is a minor matter. But the idea which has been sedulously fostered throughout Australia has been that the extension of the White Australia principle to the mail vessels has led to an increase of 100 per cent, being asked for the carriage of mails. That 1 wish to deny absolutely on the authority of a man who is in a position to know the facts. Mr. Anderson stated, that the facts were that - the Orient Company being paid only at the rate of 2s. 7d. per mile, it was impossible for them to compete with the P. and O. Company getting 4s. 7d., counting all their services to India, China, and Australia, and whilst the German Government were paying a subsidy of 6s. 8d. per mile, and the French Government over 8s. per mile. He says in his memorandum that the service to Australia pays only during some five months in each year, and that it is impossible for them, to continue a regular service through the canal in view of the enormous canal charges and other expenses involved with either white or black la*bour unless they get a subsidy of at least ^150,000 a year, as Compared with a ‘ subsidy of ^86,000 a year paid at the present time. Whether it is wise for us to pay this increased subsidy in order to secure the additional facilities afforded is a matter which any Government will have to consider very carefully before coming to a decision. There are many interests concerned. We have to look to the interests of the producers in the rapid carriage of perishable products, and we have to ascertain how far their requirements may be met by services other than those concerned in the carriage of mails under present conditions. The interests of the producers and of the commercial community on the one hand, and of the taxpayers of the Commonwealth on the other, are such that we must have further time to consider the question before arriving at any decision. Another Bill which we intend to introduce is one to provide for a survey of the Western Australian railway. I am sure that our friends from Western Australia will be gratified to hear that. I have been in communication with the Premiers of South Australia and Western Australia for some days past in connexion with this matter. I shall have the pleasure at a later stage of laying upon the table a copy of the correspondence which has passed by wire between the Premier of South Australia and myself in this connexion. The effect of it is that- Mr. Jenkins’ Government is prepared to permit a survey to be made.
– We knew thai before.
– I am aware of that. But I was hoping that we should have received a little more from the Government of South Australia. I am sorry that the Premier of that State has not gone as far in the matter as I desired; but he is prepared to consider the question of allowing the construction when the survey has demonstrated that the cost will not be excessive. That is the most that I could get from him. With regard to the correspondence between Mr. James and myself, I am not yet at liberty to place that before the House. ‘ In its preliminary stages it has been confidential ; but I am justified in saying that I have every reason to believe that the Government of Western Australia will be willing to act liberally in regard to any, possible loss that may accrue after the railway is constructed. Under these circumstances I feel that we are justified in asking the House to carry the proposed Survey Bill. I do not think it should be held to commit either the Ministry or individual members of the House to carry through the construction of the railway at a later period, unless the circumstances as then known are found to be such as will justify the large expenditure involved. But so far as the present proposal is concerned it does seem to me that in view of the manner in which persons, who perhaps said more than they were entitled to say with authority, encouraged the citizens of Western Australia to hope that this transcontinental railway would be undertaken, we are justified in having a survey made to demonstrate beyond all doubt what the cost of the construction of the line will be, and also what is the character of the country through which the proposed railway will go. On this head we have a remarkable diversity of opinion amongst so-called authorities. But we are aware that no flying survey, which merely traverses one line of country, and shows nothing of the country north or south of that line, can satisfactorily determine the question whether country which is said to be likely to add another province to Australia if opened up, will really bear that description or not.
– What is the present estimate of the cost of the line?
– Something over £4.000,000. The cost of the survey, I understand, would be about £20,000. I think that from an exploratory stand-point alOne we should be justified in incurring some expense upon a survey, even though the railway should not afterwards be built. Mr. Johnson. - What is the route proposed? Is it the coastal route?
Ordinary that where the country is said to be good, and where there is a sufficient rainfall to secure a fair spring of grass, it should be impossible to conserve water at a moderate cost. In western New South Wales we have had experience in conserving water in most unlikely places, and I am glad to say that we have in many instances succeeded in doing so at a cost commensurate with the benefits gained. We also intend to introduce an amending Electoral Bill, to deal with a number of minor defects which have been discovered in the working of the Commonwealth Electoral Act. For instance, we intend to provide that bribery on the part of a candidate standing for election shall be sufficient to. invalidate his election and to prevent him from taking his seat. When the existing Electoral Act was passed I think that the . House inadvertently omitted to bring that offence within the purview of the High Court. So far as the obiter dicta of the Court goes it would appear that we omitted to take that precaution.
– What about a redistribution of seats?
– My colleague, the Minister for Home Affairs, has already taken steps to have the rolls in New South Wales and Victoria revised, but I do not think that the other States are at present affected, although it may, perhaps, be found that Queensland is entitled to another representative. In regard to the two States in which there is an admitted necessity for a redistribution of seats, the Minister for Home Affairs has asked their respective Governments to assist us by means of the police in collecting accurate rolls on the basis of the Federal franchise. We recognise that a re distribution is necessary, but, before anything is done in that regard, accurate Federal rolls must be collected in order to give the Commissioners who will have to be appointed a proper basis to work upon. My honorable colleague informs me that, generally speaking, the difficulties in regard to enrolment exist only so far as New South Wales is concerned, the Victorian rolls having been specially collected, and being therefore fairly accurate.
– When are the Government going to pay the men’ who did the work of the last elections?
– In every case, where no attempt at an overcharge has been made, payment, so far as the head office knows, has been made.
– Then the honorable gentleman had ‘better see the- Minister for himself. I am informed that in one or two cases the claimants are being compelled to substantiate their charges in the Courts, but in those cases what are regarded by the Department as absolute overcharges are being made.
– I am speaking of cases in regard to which there is no dispute.
– I am assured that in every case of that kind the account has been passed for payment. The money is available, and there is no reason why these accounts should not be paid.
– Do the Government favour equal electoral districts?
– Yes; so far as practicable.
– And the States are to be redistributed to bring that about?
– The Government will not find the rolls in the northern districts of Victoria anything like accurate.
– The Minister for Home Affairs has already taken steps to see if the rolls in some parts of Victoria are accurate, and, where sufficient reason is shown, that action will be extended to other parts of the State. The Bills to which 1 have referred constitute practically our programme for the session.
– When is the session to end ?
– Although I have occupied perhaps an unjustifiable length of time in referring to these measures, a number of them are measures which are not affected by party opinion. A few, such as the Conciliation and’ Arbitration Bill, will occupy us for some time; but most of them should not require lengthy discussion, and I have no doubt that when they come to be considered, they will be dealt with in a comparatively short space of time.
– Do not the Government propose to do something in connexion with the Navigation Bill?
– I am about to refer to that measure ; but I wish first to speak of the Inter-State Commission. On the initiative of the late Government, ‘ the Premiers of the States were asked to bring before the Conference of Railways Commissioners which recently met in Sydney the question of preferential, differential, and competitive rates, with a view to seeing how far existing grounds for complaint’ in regard to them could be removed. I have since followed up that action by telegraphing to the Attorney-General for New South Wales, asking him to be good enough to bring the matter under the notice of the Railways Commissioners again, so as to insure action being taken if possible. In reply, I have been informed that resolutions, which are not yet available, but which I hope to have before me shortly, were passed, which tend to show a reasonable probability of these rates being so ‘ minimized as to remove many of the complaints which have so justifiably been made against them. My hope is, that, by getting the Railways Commissioners to mutually agree to the abolition of preferential and differential rates, we may largely obviate the necessity for the appointment of an Inter-State Commission. None of us deem it wise to incur avoidable expenditure, and it is my conviction that the Inter-State Commission, if it be found necessary to appoint it, will have no work to do after it has been in existence for twelve months, assuming that its members display a reasonable diligence in addressing themselves to the task before them. Once they have settled upon a line of policy respecting Inter-State rates, it is reasonable to expect that the Railways Commissioners will not needlessly and carelessly come into collision with it, knowing the power of the Commission to enforce its determinations. Once a policy is announced by the InterState Commission, it will be conformed to by the Railways Commissioners, so that the members of the Inter-State Commission will have nothing further to do, until the lapse of a long interval of time. I admit that other matters besides railway rates would come within the scope of the Inter-State Commission. We have at the present time an anomalous condition of affairs with respect to wharfage rates.
– Cases of preference ?
– And in respect to shipping freights, too.
– I do not think we have the same necessity to interfere in regard to shipping freights ; but, as regards wharfage rates, there is no doubt that in some of the States local products are allowed to be landed without charge, or at lower charges than those imposed upon imports from other States. That is an undesirable condition of affairs, and amounts to a preference opposed to the spirit and letter of the Constitution. But if we succeed in removing by mutual arrangement between the Railways Commissioners most of. the difficulties at issue, surely similar good sense will be shown by the authorities responsible for wharfage rates. If we are able to put before the Governments of the States the alternative that, if they do not take action in removing the anomalies complained of, and cease from imposing improper charges, they will be responsible for imposing upon the citizens of the’ Commonwealth an expenditure of many thousands of pounds a year, most of them will, in my view, see the need of coming to an understanding which will remove the causes of complaint. Even if they do not, there is another alternative which I think worthy of consideration, and which the Government has under attention at the present time, and that is to appoint as members of the Inter-State Commission, not outsiders with salaries ranging from £1,000 to £3,000 a year, but State or Commonwealth officers, who will be able to conform to the provisions of the Constitution, but who will not require large increases of salary for the performance of these additional duties. It may be objected to this suggestion that we should be relying upon persons who have not the required calibre to deal with the important questions which will come before the InterState Commission, but I do not think that that objection will hold good. Notwithstanding my limited acquaintance with, the important public officers of the Commonwealth and of the States, I know quite a number whose long experience, probity, and keen judgment would commend them to the public as fitted to occupy these important and distinguished posts. Therefore, if it is found necessary to appoint the Inter-State Commission, it may be done without involving the Commonwealth in any large additional expense. Another question which must be considered in this regard is the control of the waters of the Murray. At present an unpleasant degree of friction exists in respect to this matter. The people of South Australia insist that there should be no diversion which might prevent a large minimum flow of water through that State at every period of the year, and, whilst, on the one hand, the Commonwealth authority is charged with the duty of controlling navigation, it seems to me impossible for us, at the- present time, to come to any determination as to the limits to which other States may go in regard to the reasonable conservation of water for irrigation. Therefore, some authority which will be able to pronounce judicially between these contending interests must ‘be set up. That, in itself, may constitute a reason which will ultimately necessitate the appointment of an Inter- State Commission on an inexpensive basis. However, our policy is to avoid, as long as possible, the incurring of any expense in the matter, and I hope that, in any case, there will be no need to appoint a large or expensive Commission. The Navigation Bill, introduced in the Senate by the late Administration, contains, as honorable members are aware, some hundreds of clauses, and as Ministers have naturally been busy in acquainting themselves with the detailed work of their Departments, and in the consideration of other measures, it would be unfair to expect us, within the short time at our disposal, to have dealt thoroughly with this measure. We see in it, however preliminarily, large grounds for objection, and have, therefore, decided to relegate it to a small Royal Commission. The appointment of such a Commission has been asked for by all sections of the community. The unions with which I have been indirectly associated have been almost unanimous in asking for its appointment. They contend that the Bill contains clauses which they regard as objectionable, and does not contain clauses which they regard as essential for the proper carrying on of the shipping industry. Other sections of the community have an interest in this matter, and each of them have put forward their representations. I do not favour- the appointment of an undue number of Royal Commissions, and certainly I should not approve of a large Royal Commission in this instance, because a. large body almost invariably leads, to delay in the presentation of the report* and difficulty in arriving at anything like a unanimous finding. Therefore, our view is that a small Royal Commission should be appointed to consider this most important question. We should expect a progress report very soon* and a final report within at least a few months of their appointment, but apart from any such final report we should be prepared to introduce a Bill next session. Every step will be taken by the Government to insure the presentation of the report to the GovernorGeneral in ample time to allow Ministers to digest the recommendations, and the evidence, and to, if possible, meet the objections raised to the measure by those who are held to possess particular information upon the points, at issue.
– Do the Government propose to do anything in regard to the iron industry ?
– Not at present. Another measure with which we hope to deal next session is that relating to Federal Quarantine. We do not propose to introduce it at present, for the reason that the Minister for Trade and Customs has asked the States Governments to allow the heads of their Health Departments or other duly authorized officers to attend a Conference in Melbourne, with the object of assisting him in arriving at a decision as to the most economical as well as the most effective manner of treating the question. This is largely a professional and departmental matter, and does not involve any political question. We have already received a reply from the New South Wales Government ‘to the effect that they are quite agreeable to send an officer to assist us, and I think honorable members will agree that, even if the Bill were introduced this session, it would be desirable to first submit its provisions to experts.
– That does not affect the policy of the Government. I presume that the Government have made up their minds to introduce a Bill of some kind.
– Yes, our. only object is to so shape the provisions of the Bill as- to avoid friction and insure efficiency. There is one other matter with regard to the work of this session upon which I should .like to sky a word or two. Even at this early stage, I think it is desirable, as a matter of policy, to indicate to the House that the Government have, made up their minds to ask for the grant of a large sum, apart from the ordinary military estimates, for expenditure on warlike material. The impression has got .abroad in the past that the Labour Party are opposed to any adequate, provision being made for defence. We have on several occasions led an attack upon the military estimates, and have assisted to cut down, by a very large sum, the votes proposed, with results which, I’ believe, afterwards proved very acceptable to the late Treasurer. Because of this, it has been assumed in many quarters that we had .no desire to see Australia defended, and did not wish to make any adequate provision . to that end. So far from that being the case, I would remind honorable members that, when the Estimates were .under consideration in 1901, 1902, and 1903, I specifically offered, on behalf of the Labour Party, to vote any reasonable sum in order to provide necessary armament, equipment, ammunition, and warlike stores generally.
– Are we to understand that the Government propose an increase in the total military vote?
– Yes, we do. As Treasurer, I should endeavour to cut down the military vote in some directions even below the present figures. There are some items of expenditure with which I think we might dispense for one or two years, whilst we are making special provision for warlike material.
– To what items of expenditure does the Prime Minister refer?
– -I have not yet gone into the matter in detail.
– The Prime Minister might perhaps mention the class of items in regard to which he contemplates economy.
– Well, I think that we might minimize the expenditure upon camps of instruction. We might substitute local for general camps for one or two years, in “order to save money, which would act as a partial set-off against the heavy expenditure upon warlike material.
– That has practically- been done this year.
– In some respects that may be true, but, although the camps which were held this year were called local, as distinguished from one general camp for each State, they involved a large expenditure, especially for railway travelling. Of course, the railway fares are paid over to the State, but nevertheless they form an item pf our expenditure. I might mention, for instance, that the whole of the light horse from the south of Sydney were conveyed by train to the’ Clarendon camp. This operation necessarily involved an enormous expense for the conveyance of men and horses.’ I am not now attempting to indicate the exact lines upon which we can cut down the ordinary military votes, but, whether we can cut them down or not, I submit that it is absolutely essential that we should spend a large sum in .providing -warlike material.
– What amount does the Minister propose to spend?
– .£120,000, and more if I can get it. .
– That is what I proposed last year. The Minister for De- 1 fence asked for £266,000, and I requested him to recast his estimates so that they should not exceed £125,000.
– I am glad to know that the arguments, we put forward had some effect.
– I said before that we were going to spend £125,000 - that for the first year we could afford only £75,000, in addition to what we could save in the Defence Department, but the total amount would not be very much short of £125,000.
– At any rate, I propose to ask for £125,000 at least, and all I can get in addition to that amount.
– Is it true .that the Government propose to cut down the expenditure upon cadet corps?
– We have not arrived at any decision in the matter.
An Honorable Member. - It would be a great mistake if that were’ done.
– There is plenty of time in which to announce the details of our proposals.
– The newspapers made an announcement to the effect I have indicated.
– I am not responsible for what’ appears in the newspapers. The position I take is that we must spend a comparatively large sum in providing armaments and other warlike material. There is one aspect of this question upon which I should like to say a word or two. It seems to me that at present our naval vote is an absolute waste of money. We have provided in the Naval Agreement for a contribution towards the maintenance of the Imperial Squadron. I did not approve of that agreement ; but there it is. It provides for the creation of Naval Reserves, from which the Imperial Squadron may recruit in case of necessity, and,, therefore, it seems to me that our purely local Naval Forces will form only a second reserve, and that without training. These so-called Naval Forces are of no value for harbor defence under present circumstances, because our forts are manned solely by our Military Forces. I understand that the late Minister of Defence proposed that we should secure the use of a third-class cruiser for Sydney, and others as they might be obtainable for other ports, and upon such vessels train our Naval Forces. I dissent altogether from any such proposition, because I hold that it would be absolutely impossible to properly train men upon ! a ship which dare not show its nose outside a harbor. Then there was another proposal to keep the Cerberus in commission. That vessel, even though she were armed with the most modern weapons, would be still only a floating fort, capable of proceeding from point to point only with the greatest difficulty.
– That would be absolutely one of the maddest of ideas.
– I quite agree with the right honorable gentleman. It costs £19,000 per annum to maintain the Cerberus, and the late Government agreed to spend £20,000 in re-arming her, which was necessary before she could be considered even as a floating fort.
– Is the Prime Minister aware that Sir George Sydenham Clarke approved of keeping the Cerberus in commission ?
– I do not care whether he did or not. The naval experts we have in the Commonwealth are unanimous in. their denunciation of the proposal, and any common-sense individual must see that to keep in commission a vessel that could steam . only nine knots under extreme pressure, even though she were armed with the. best of guns, would be ridiculous, in view of recent developments in naval warfare. No doubt Sir George Clarke is an authority upon defence matters, but I question whether he has given that detailed attention to the harbor defences of Melbourne that has been bestowed upon them by others. We suggest that the Cerberus should be put out of commission, that the £20,000 proposed to be spent ir» re-arming her should thus be saved, and that the men engaged on her and other vessels should be transferred to torpedo destroyers to the extent to which we can afford to provide them. We may be able to hire a number to start with, but if we were only able to build one vessel per- annum, we should soon be able to train a large number of men of the so-called Naval Forces. Their training, at week ends - which is consistent with our general policy in regard to the Militia Forces - would be of such a character that it would prove of advantage if trouble arose. We should thus be able to supplement our harbor defences, and provide a force which could act on occasions as the eyes and ears of the Imperial Squadron for scouting purposes.
– We proposed to make pro vision of that kind.
– No doubt, but according to what appeared in the newspapers, it was proposed to hire the Mildura, or some other third-class cruiser - an obsolete boat with obsolete weapons - for the purpose of training our men to act as a second reserve for the Imperial Squadron.
– Does not the Prime Minister think that it would be fairer to give the House the information contained in the Defence Department instead of that published in the newspapers, which his colleague must know to be incorrect ?
– I should be very sorry to do the honorable member any injustice.
– Does not the Prime Minister know that £20,000 has been saved in connexion with the Cerberus this year?
– That does not affect my argument. The sum proposed to be devoted to re-arming the Cerberus has not been spent, but I understand that it was proposed to spend £5,000 immediately.
– That amount was set down for expenditure next year.
– The Minister is totally wrong.
– Is it not true that the honorable member proposed to utilize thirdclass cruisers at Sydney and elsewhere for the training of the Naval Forces?
– No, we proposed to provide training ships for the naval cadets, which the Government now propose to . do away with.
– If my statements are not correct I withdraw them.
– If the honorable gentleman turns to the papers he will find that I made inquiries both as to the cost of torpedo destroyers and submarines.
– I am glad to hear it. I was giving myself credit for having hit upon a new idea, but I am glad to learn that it occurred to the honorable member before. He will, no doubt, assist in giving effect to it.
– We have now a member of the Ministry who has been a military man, and therefore knows something about this matter.
– I was only a corporal.
– Would not the honorable gentleman have acted more fairly by looking them up before speaking in “ this way ?
– I shall be glad to do so, and to withdraw any statement in regard to the honorable member which a perusal of them shows I should not have made.
– The honorable gentleman should examine Sir George Clarke’s paper on the subject before he asserts that the scheme is a mad one.
– Even Homer nodded, and even Sir George Clarke might be wrong in his judgment. The point I wish to make is that we are inviting the House to vary its policy in regard to naval defence. We contend that there is really no provision at present for harbor and coastal defence, that the Imperial Squadron, whatever reasons there were for entering into the agreement for its presence in these waters, does not provide for the coastal or harbor defence of the Commonwealth. If torpedo destroyers,, which are economical, which cost little to build or maintain, can be obtained, we shall be able to train our men on them in a way that will prove effective in the defence of Australia. We intend inviting the House to proceed in that direction.
– Do the Government propose to appoint a Council of Defence? The term of office of the Military Commandant of the Commonwealth will shortly expire, and something will have to be done in the matter.
– Quite so. I have not yet been able to give the matter that detailed consideration that I should like to bestow upon it ; but after a cursory glance at it, I am inclined to think that we might with advantage decentralize our administration ; that in regard to the details of administrative work, to which reference was made some twelve months ago by the honorable and learned member for Corinella - the authority to spend money to secure stores from the Ordnance Department, and to deal with many other matters - we might very largely localise the administration, and thus reduce not only the friction which arises from the present system, but also the expense which it incurs.
– ;At present the whole tendency is the other way.
– That should be altered.
– An officer’s time is occupied for the most part in signing documents instead of in drilling his men.
– I have not yet had time to go into the whole question; but my feeling is that we should, as far as possible, adopt a policy of decentralisation, converting the Commander-in-Chief, if not into an Inspector-General, at all events into an adviser as to a general policy for the Military Forces of Australia, and not allowing him to remain an administrator.
– If the Council disagree, who is to take action?
– But the Government will give full attention to the report of the Royal Commission on the Navigation Bill ?
– Certainly. I think the right honorable member was absent from the Chamber when I referred to the proposed Commission.
– I .heard what was said. It would be idle to appoint a Commission unless the Government proposed to pay some regard to its report.
– What I intended to convey when previously dealing with this matter was that we propose to appoint a Royal Commission, which will consist of only a few members - as’ the right honorable member knows, a small Commission is more consistent with expeditious work than is a large one - and to invite it to get to work at once and furnish us with a report as early as possible, consistent with the preparation of an adequate statement on the question. This session must certainly extend over several months, and some months are also bound to elapse between the closing of the present and the opening of the next session, so that the Commission will have some time at its disposal. I thought it desirable, however, to make the proviso that, even if the Commission were not ready to present a final report at the opening of next session we should nevertheless introduce the Bill and thus avoid undue delay.
– There would be a waste of money if regard were not paid to the Commission’s report.
– Quite so ; but we wish to guard against the possibility of being prevented from introducing the Bill because of the absence of a final report. The Commission might have furnished us with a number of progress reports, although its final report- might not be available at the opening of the session ; but, generally speaking, we should not attempt to move without having an adequate report.
– Do the Government propose to do anything this session with regard to a Commonwealth system of old-age pensions ?
– That matter will be dealt with next session. The Navigation Bill will be the first measure introduced, and the Old-Age Pensions Bill will be the next. We admit that there are huge difficulties in the way of the establishment of a Commonwealth system of old-age pensions, ‘but difficulties are created only to be surmounted, and we think that in this case they can be- overcome. We are willing, at all events, to pledge ourselves to introduce that measure during next session.
– Are the Government prepared to indicate how they propose to provide the necessary’ funds?
– That is rather much to expect at the present stage. We have had only three weeks in which to prepare our programme.
An Honorable Member. - Why do the Government put these proposals forward if they are not prepared to go into details?
– Simply because we think it due to the House to apprise it of our proposals. I repeat that we believe we see our way clear to deal with the oldage pensions question. We also propose during next session to take steps in regard to the tobacco monopoly. It is known to us that the importation, manufacture, and distribution of tobacco throughout Australia to-day is, practically speaking, in the control of one combine. I am informed, and believe the information to be correct, that beyond that combine there are only two small concerns - one in New South Wales, and the other in Victoria - manufacturing tobacco. All the distributing agencies, so far as imported tobacco is concerned, are in the hands of one combine. They purchase from the producers, and have the power to fix the rates at which tobacco may be obtained by retailers, and thus to fix the price at which it may be obtained by the consumer. It is true that ve might vary the excise duty with a view to making an alteration in the profits of this combine; but they have such complete control over the business that they would be able to pass on the increased burden, and so maintain their profits at the present rate. I am reminded by one of my colleagues that we do not propose to retail tobacco.
– Then the middlemen will, after all, come in.
– It is unnecessary to remind the right honorable gentleman that here, as in some other parts of the world, there must be a certain degree of competition amongst the retailers of tobacco. They cannot afford to combine.
– Shall we have a certain quantity of samples submitted to us ?
– I should imagine so. We should be fairly safe in trusting the right honorable member to examine them, for we know that he does not smoke. I was about to say that the tobacco industry is to-day an undoubted monopoly. I do not believe in the efficacy of anti-trust legislation, and, in my opinion, nothing short of the absolute resumption of this particular monopoly by the State will cure the evil. It is true that in the United States of America attempts have been made at various times to pass anti-trust legislation, calculated to be of some value, and that in one or two instances such legislation has temporarily “scotched” the desire of individuals to form big monopolies or combines. But for how long has such legislation had this effect ? It is invariably, found that the proverbial coach and four can be driven through it. The trouble is in relation to the cure, and the State can restrain those who are operating monopolies to the detriment of the general public, only by taking control of the industries.
– And so making a bigger monopoly in each case.
– That is so; but in such a monopoly the people would be partners, instead of having their blood, so to speak, drawn out of them.
– The tobacco monopoly of France is not in the interests of the people.
– It is to their interest not to smoke the tobacco. The quality depends on the financial exigencies of the’ State.
– If, as the honorable member suggests, the people of France are content, because of a sense of patriotism, to smoke inferior tobacco, that is no reason why a British community should be so foolish as to place men in charge of the State manufacture of tobacco who would not give them the very best they could obtain for the money.
– They increase the revenue by reducing the quality.
– I should like to say that there is no reason why, in regard to the details of the working of any scheme of this description, we should follow the example of France. In the first place, we should not be justified in my view in spending even £1 of the State’s money in this direction whilst we allowed political influence - whether exercised by a private member or a Ministry - to have any effect upon the administration or working of such a Department. That is one condition in regard to the taking over of great public concerns by the State, from which. I, at all events, shall never deviate. Non-political management and freedom from any influence on the part of Parliamentarians must be insisted upon before any such work is taken over.
– Do the Government propose a Commonwealth tobacco monopoly?
– And where do they find the power?
– I have looked into that matter.
-Order ! I would remind honorable members that the Prime Minister is setting before the House the policy of his Government, and would ask them to give him a patient hearing.
– Might I ask the Prime Minister whether the Government propose to control the importation of tobacco ?
– If we took over the manufacture of tobacco, we should probably” arrange for the purveying of imported tobacco. That, however, is a detail. At the present time the whole of the tobacco of Australia has to go through the hands of one firm, which can charge the consumer what it chooses, and give what it pleases to the producer. In the first place, I contend that a proposal such as I have indicated involves, as a sine qua non, non-political management, and we have no reason to anticipate that the gentlemen who are now managing the undertaking to which I have referred, or some of them, at all events, would not be prepared to take over the management of the industry on behalf of the State. Why should they be unprepared to do so ? It is only a question of money, and if we gave them £3,000 or £4,000 a year - a salary similar to that paid to the Railway Commissioners - they would be willing to enter upon the work.
– Then they would have a better billet than that of the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth.
– I think so. It would be open to us to surround the undertaking with safeguards that would make the managers or Commissioners on behalf of the Commonwealth, absolutely independent of any pressure on the part of Ministers in regard to the question of revenue, or in relation to a reduction of quality, as suggested by the honorable member for North Sydney, because of financial exigencies. Do the financial exigencies of the States always give us an inferior railway service ?
– If that is so in the case of Victoria I can only say that the people of this State are content with something with which the people of New South Wales would not be satisfied. An inferior railway service does not follow so far as New South Wales is concerned.
– What about the Coonamble line?
– That is not a case in point. The people of Coonamble are given as good a service as they can reasonably expect, having regard to the financial results of the working of the line. I am familiar with that railway, and it is most unfair to the Commissioners to make such a suggestion as the honorable member has done.
– The service on that line is a reduced one.
– That is because, deal ing with the matter on a commercial basis, no other service would be justifiable. All undertakings have to be managed on commercial lines. I come now to the question of the power of the Commonwealth to take over the tobacco monopoly. I admit that there is some doubt as to whether we have the power at the present time to undertake this work.
– I “ admit that most of the lawyers are on the other side.
– Has the honorable gentleman consulted the Minister for External Affairs ?
– I should not say most; I should say the greater part was.
– I desire to say this with regard to the question of our power : Of .course, the Bill is proposed for next session; but if we find that we have not the power, we intend to put a Bill through to provide for such an alteration of the Constitution as will give us the power. We have every reason to believe that by the time the ‘ consequent referendum comes round the people will be so convinced at least of the undesirability of the present monopoly that they will be prepared to allow the power asked for.
– Would the honorable gentleman mind coming back to the present century now?
– What I speak of is not very far away.
– Should not the honorable gentleman at the -same time deal with the drink traffic, which is a kindred matter?
– That would be going a little further than we propose at present. We intend to introduce, also during . next session, a Banking Bill, dealing particularly with the note issue, and containing certainly a section on the lines’ of the Canadian provision, that insists upon 40 per cent, of the cash reserves of the banks being held in Government notes. With regard to this proposal, I may say it is well known that our party is in favour of a Commonwealth Bank of deposit and issue. I am not prepared to say at this moment how soon we shall be able to take action in that direction. I admit that we have no justification for engaging in a business proposition of this kind until we feel our ground, and until we have thoroughly convinced ourselves as to what is the right step to take, not alone to secure the accomplishment of this object, but to secure that when such an institution is established it shall be on safe lines, which will conduce to the credit of those who have proposed it, as well as to the advantage of the people. I admit that there are several methods by which a Commonwealth Bank could be established with advantage to Australia, but I am not prepared at this stage to say when we shall be able to introduce a measure of that sort. I do say, however, that, under the powers given us in the Constitution, we are prepared to introduce a general Banking Bill, which will include a section such as that to which I have referred. In regard to this, I would say that when the late Treasurer, the right honorable member for Balaclava, referred to this matter casually as being under his consideration, a number of j the financial editors of newspapers throughout Australia immediately raised a howl of indignation against this proposal to rob the banks of a portion of their coin. They foretold that all kinds of disaster would be likely to accrue if we substituted Government notes, with the full credit of all the people of Australia behind them, for a portion of the gold hitherto held idle in the coffers of the banks. In the first place I may point out that in connexion with any of the proposals we are putting forward, we are not anxious to go beyond the safe lines that precedent has laid down in some part of the world or another. In this matter we have the example of Canada, where, although for thirty-four years they have had this provision in existence, the banks have nourished like the green baytree - certainly to a greater extent than they do in Australia, on a much lower coin reserve plus State notes than is found necessary here, where a similar provision does not exist.
An Honorable Member. - The circumstances are different. _ Mr. WATSON. - I freely admit that the circumstances are different. They have at hand, New York, for instance, where they can hold comparatively liquid securities, realizable at short notice, by which they can bring gold into Canada to assist them in making up their coin reserves when necessary.
– And there is the difference of their banking business. Australian banking business is peculiar in some aspects.
– I know that it is, but the peculiarity in some respects tends rather towards permanence of security than to any liability to a sudden run. For instance, in Canada, the banks cannot hold real property for longer than seven years, whilst here it can be held by banks for an indefinite period. That, no doubt,, means a greater proportion of coin locked up, but still- its effect is in the direction of permanence of security. Just as, about a year ago, when Sir George Turner referred to this matter, we were told by the financial editor of the Sydney Daily Telegraph that it would mean ruin and disaster, so when, in 1870, Sir Francis Hincks brought forward this proposal, the Government of which he was a member was told that it would mean disaster to the banks, and that it would introduce an element which would spell ruin to all financial institutions, and, incidentally, to the people. None of the prophesied disasters came about. Canada went on its way, and so far as that provision is concerned, not only has it not been repealed, but as time has gone on the proportion of reserve which must be held in Government notes has been increased. Whilst the provision in 1870 was that not less than one-third, but usually one-half, of the coin reserve should be held in Government notes, in 1880 it was found that the banks were in the habit of retaining only onethird, and the proportion was then increased to 40 per cent., and has continued at that rate up to .the present time; I have read a number of criticisms by bankers and others of the Canadian banking system, and not one, so far as I know, has been directed against that aspect of it. Dr. Breckenridge, whose work is acknowledged to be a monumental one upon the Canadian banking system, certainly quotes the remarks made in 1870 in the Canadian House of Commons in opposition to the proposal, but he utters not one word against the proposal in his survey of the banking system of Canada, down to two or three years ago.
– It is the best banking system in the world.
– He has not a word of complaint against that particular provision. I say that, so far as Australia is concerned, we have sufficient to go upon in the experience of Canada. Here is a feature which must command the attention of the House : We are told that the £20,000,000 odd in the banks in Australia held in coin and bullion must be retained there in that form, or else disaster will accrue.
– We never know that it is there.
– As the matter is not to come on for discussion until next session, the honorable gentleman need not enlarge upon it.
– That is so; but I wish to make one or two remarks which I think I am justified in making. It is a fact that in the 1.893 crisis, notwithstanding its importance and its far-reaching effects, and the extent of its incidence, the diminution of coin reserves in the banks amounted almost to an infinitesimal proportion of the total coin reserve held. The diminution was between £2,000,000 and £3,000,000 - I think from £19,000,000 to £17,000,000.
An Honorable Member. - Because they shut their doors.
– .1 admit that, and they appealed to the States Governments to stand by them. The Governments, in my view, in standing by them, did the right thing ; but the very fact that it .was the Government in each State that came to their assistance, proves that the . Government guarantee now should be just as good as it. was then, and the Government guarantee behind the notes is all that the public require.
– The States Governments gave assistance with paper only.
– What. does the honorable gentleman propose to do with the gold?
– I will tell the honorable member. Of the 40 per cent., to which I have referred, we should not be justified, in my view, in making use of more than, at the outside, two-thirds. We should, under a strict Act, keep in reserve, pending any run, at least one-third, and the balance should be applied, in my view, not in making good any deficiency in revenue, but in the construction of reproductive works; and for the Federal Capital.
– The honorable gentleman is still against loans, then?
– Yes, I am still against them.
– But the .honorable gentleman would appear to like a forced loan.
– I admit that this, in a measure, would be a forced loan ; but we should give good security for it, and would do no injustice to the banking institutions.
– Would the honorable gentleman compel me to establish a bank ?
– Does the honorable gentleman, propose- to bring in this banking legislation before he starts the Federal. Capital ?
– Does the honorable gentleman propose to relieve the masses of the very heavy taxation now imposed upon, them ?
– From all I can hear, the honorable and learned member should address that question to some of the honorable gentlemen sitting opposite to me. S have no intention to advert to the number of rumours which have been circulating; lately as to the intention of various honorable members in this House. I am concerned only with putting before the House,, in a clear, distinct, and unmistakable way, the proposals we have to submit to the Parliament, and to express the opinion that, in our belief, at any rate, they will be for the benefit of the whole of the people of Australia.
– I apologize for the length.
– I have no knowledge of that document. The notes from which I spoke were prepared last night.
– The suspicion to which I refer might otherwise, upon circumstantial evidence, be harbored against him. I think, however, he will admit that in asking for an adjournment of the debate until to-morrow to give us an opportunity of leading a report of his speech, and pf dealing with his remarks as they deserve, we are not requiring a concession beyond what is customary on occasions such as the present.
– I have no objection to an adjournment of the debate until tomorrow.
– Is it the pleasure of the House that the honorable and learned member for Ballarat have leave to continue his speech to-morrow?
Honorable, Members. - Hear, hear.
Debate (on motion by Mr. Deakin) adjourned.
Bill returned from the Senate with the message that the Senate had agreed to the amendments made by the House of Representatives.
Transfers approved by the Governor-General in Council, under the Audit Act, for the financial year 1903-4, dated 27th April and 12th May, 1904.
Correspondence relating to the appointment of Mr. B. Wallach, as Examiner in Electricity, Patent Office.
Drawback regulation as to import duty paid on sugar used in the manufacture of condensed milk, dated 30th March, 1904.
Provisional regulation under the Patents Act, dated 30th April, 1904.
Return to an order of the House, dated 18th June, 1902, as to troops supplied by the States to the Imperial Forces in South Africa.
I had no objection to the adjournment of the debate upon my Ministerial statement, because it is only proper that opportunity should be given for the consideration of so long a speech as I made. I do not, however, understand the reference of the honorable and learned member for Ballarat to the preparation of a document “submitted elsewhere.” I submitted my programme yesterday to another body than that to which I think he alludes.
– To a meeting of Government supporters.
– Was the AttorneyGeneral present?
– He was not able to get there, as he was busy. I hope that the discussion of my programme will be resumed to-morrow without further adjournment, because, naturally, Ministers wish to know whether they are to be permitted to get to work.
.’ - I desire to ask the Prime Minister if a report has been received from Lt. -Col. Owen upon several of the proposed Federal Capital sites, and from the right honorable member for Swan upon the Lyndhurst site. If such reports have been received, will he lay them upon the table of the House, so that honorable members may peruse them? I wish also to know if he has any objection to laying upon the table the correspondence which has passed between the Department of Home Affairs and the surveyors who are making contour surveys of the proposed i Federal Capital sites. I understand that a j good deal of correspondence has passed, and I think it should be placed upon the table, so that honorable members may peruse it, and may know what instructions have bean given to the surveyors. We should know all that has been done, so that everything may be brought into the open light of day.
– The instructions were given by the Government of which the honorable member was a member, not by this Government.
– I do riot cast aspersions upon any one, but I think it advisable that the House should know what is going on. I am giving my reasons for asking for these papers. Had the late Administration continued in power, I should still have asked for their production.
– Has the PostmasterGeneral any objection to laying upon the. table of the House the correspondence which has passed between his Department and theVictorian Deputy Postmaster-General relating to a question I asked in this Chamber some time ago?
– I wish to notify the Minister for Trade and Customs that I propose to withdraw notice of motion, No. 4.
– I hesitate to bring matters of detail before this House ; but I feel that I have done quite enough in other ways to secure attention to that upon which I am about to speak, and I do not propose to do more without ventilating it. I ask the Minister for Home Affairs when he. proposes to settle the account of a man in my electorate, who put up some polling booths for the last election, and cannot obtain payment for his work. I saw the electoral officer myself, two months ago, and he told me that the matter would be settled almost immediately. I also interviewed the Minister three weeks ago, but I have not had any reply - not even an acknowledgment of my communication to him. I submit that this should not be, and I hope that the honorable gentleman will see that the matter is dealt with at once. I protest against the way in which the Department seems to malinger in regard to the payment of small amounts for work faithfully performed. I understand that there is no dispute as to the claim, and that it has been favorably reported upon by the presiding officer for the electorate. The settlement of the account is hanging fire in the head office, but I hope that the present Minister will see that an end is put to this and to similar delays.
– In regard to the request of the honorable member for Yarra, I know of no reason why the papers containing the correspondence between the Department and the Deputy Postmaster-General for Victoria should not be placed before the House, and I shall take care that they are laid on the table to-morrow. In reply to the question of the honorable member for Kooyong, of which he kindly gave notice, I have to say that the Cabinet has not yet had an opportunity to consider the most recent despatch! from the Imperial Government. It is a despatch of a confidential nature, and we have not the authority of the Imperial Government to reveal its contents ; but I may inform him that there is very little in it which has not already appeared in the newspapers in the shape of cablegrams sent from London to the Australian press.
– Like the honorable member for Parramatta, I wish to draw the attention of the Minister for Home Affairs to the fact that, although five months have elapsed since the Federal elections were held, no fewer than no officers in the Singleton and Scone districts have yet not been paid for their services i-i connexion with them. I asked the last Minister to inquire into the matter, and he assured me that it would be attended to, and that the officers would be paid immediately, unless there was a dispute in regard to their claims. Upon returning to my electorate, I made inquiries on the subject, and I found that many of the accounts were not disputed. Only small amounts are owing to these men - j£i, £2, and similar sums- but they have been kept without their money for five months.
– And the electoral officer in Sydney knows nothing about the matter.
– Is the Minister for Home Affairs prepared to lay on the table of the House all papers and correspondence connected with the erection of a post-office at Wooloongabba, in Queensland ?
– I wish to inform the Minister for Home Affairs that there are some small accounts in my district which have not been paid, and I ask him to see that these, matters are attended to with more promptitude than was given to them under the administration of his predecessors.
– -I invite the at lent ion of the Minister for Home Affairs to a motion which I have placed upon the business paper, asking for a strict investigation of the working of his Department. I think that an inquiry into the cause of the complaints which have been made is very necessary, and that the manner in which the late general elections were carried out should also be- inquired into.
– I should like to ask the leader of the Opposition, through you, Mr. Speaker, whether - the adjournment for which he has asked’ is to give an opportunity to his followers to Study the Ministerial programme, or to enable him to put a finer edge upon the tomahawk ?
– I would remind the honorable member that the time for asking questions has passed. Although those who have risen during this debate have framed their speeches in the- form of questions, they must be taken as speaking on the motion for adjournment.
– The honorable member must not speak from the Ministerial bench.
– I beg pardon. I wish to direct the attention of the Minister for Home Affairs to the fact that a number of postmasters who have performed their duty well as returning officers were promised a bonus by the late Government. Such bonuses have not been paid, and I desire that the Minister for Home Affairs will pay particular attention to’ the matter, and see that the men to whom they are due receive them.
– I wish to direct the attention of - the Prime Minister to what I am informed is a fact, that a number of Federal officers in South Australia have not received payment for overtime and Sunday work since last January. ‘ Will the honorable gentleman look into the matter and see that the men receive their pay?
– In reply to a very large number of queries, I may say generally that, having been in office only about three weeks, I cannot hold myself responsible for most of the delays which have been complained of. I have not had an ‘ opportunity of looking into the causes of all of them. So far as concerns the Post . Office officials who have not been paid for electoral work, I will make further inquiries. With regard to the question asked by the honorable member for Kennedy, as to laying on the table of the House papers in connexion with the Wooloongabba Post Office, I have to say that I shall be very glad to do so. Concerning the question of the honorable member for .Hunter, I may say that the reasons are not very clear to my own mind as to the hundred odd. small accounts which have not been paid. But I can say that the amounts necessary to paythe accounts have been in the hands of the Returning Officer for some time. I understand that they have now been paid. With reference to the requests made by the honorable member for Parramatta, he will see that, while I. am doing my very best to settle these , accounts, they can only be settled as they are brought before me. Correspondence has to take place between the central office and the returning officers in the various districts.
– The correspon.dence has taken place long ago.
– All the accounts about which there is no dispute have, so far as the central office is concerned, been settled.- There may be some delay at the post offices where the money has been sent.
– Why should .the Central Government do’ all this? Why npt let the State officers do it ? ‘ That is the whole trouble.
– I do not want to. debate the question now, because it will, come up again. But I can assure- the honorable member that every possible ex-, pedition is being used to have the accounts settled. I have had hundreds of them .to. deal with, and shall be very glad to get them out of the way as quickly as possible.
– There is nothing unusual about that.
– I think it is unusual, and I also think that we can attain the desired object iri another way. I will give the report to the press, and I am sure that every one will value it very much. But I do hot care to establish a precedent, which I or any other ex-Minister might follow up, by furnishing long reports, which would be regarded as official documents. I regard the document as I should regard a similar report from any other member of Parliament, except that we all recognise the right -honorable member’s qualifications, and appreciate them.- I do not feel, as at present. advised, that I am justified in taking ‘any - such step as requested. The Minis ter will, however, communicate with the press, and give publicity to the document in that way. Question resolved in the affirmative.
House adjourned at 4.52 p.m.
Cite as: Australia, House of Representatives, Debates, 18 May 1904, viewed 22 October 2017, <http://historichansard.net/hofreps/1904/19040518_reps_2_19/>. | 2019-04-24T20:05:55Z | https://historichansard.net/hofreps/1904/19040518_reps_2_19/ |
§ Lords amendment: No. 13, after clause 4, to insert the following new clause—20-day livestock movement restriction rule— In the 1981 Act the following subsection is inserted after section 8(1) (movement generally)— (1A)In making an order under subsection (1) restricting the movement of animals in connection with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, any restriction of 20 days or more shall lapse at the end of a period of 8 weeks following the last confirmed case."
With this it will be convenient to take Lords amendment No. 45 and Government amendments (a) and (b) thereto.
The Bill is important. It deals with crucial animal health issues. In light of that, I am sorry that the Lords made the amendment. No one disputes the fact that there are serious problems of movement control and stock movement. However, I emphasise that the 20-day standstill rules are supported by firm scientific and veterinary advice and represent the Government's current best view of an appropriate precautionary peacetime control. The main purpose of the Lords amendment is to protect against future outbreaks, rather than deal with the aftermath of past ones. That is one of a number of reasons why we strongly disagree with the amendment, which seems to imply that movement controls should be applied only in the course of an epidemic. That is not the way that the Government see it and it is not the way that the independent reports see it. Furthermore, it is not the way that the majority of those in the livestock industry see it—they recognise that there is a sound argument for movement controls.
There is a legitimate debate about the extent of the controls and how they should be applied. In my experience, however, the vast majority of people in the livestock industry accept that there is a case for such controls as a routine measure to reduce the risk of disease.
I agree that the Lords amendment is flawed in that respect, but there is a principle behind it. The Minister mentioned the need for movement controls and, in principle, I agree. Does he accept, however, that the present 20-day rule is a restriction, not just a control? It is an overhang from the previous foot and mouth outbreak. Will he take this opportunity to give advance notice to the farming industry of how he sees that control system working? We cannot have a restriction that is so deadly, in particular to stock rearing and to the sheep industry?
I sat down with industry representatives during the summer to talk about the implications of the 335 20-day rule. The hon. Gentleman is right to the extent that that rule was strictly applied during the epidemic as a disease-control measure. However, the way in which it is being applied at present reflects changes that I agreed with the industry—a range of relaxations have been put in place and we have tried to strike a balance between my recognition of the industry's concerns and the detrimental impact that the rule can have on them, which I and the Department try to take into account, and the need to reduce the risk of disease spreading.
A large percentage of the livestock industry can work within the rules that we have amended. Some sections of the industry may find it difficult to do so. We take those issues seriously. We want to examine them and we will do so in the light of the independent risk assessments, which will be published towards the end of the month. That will allow us to consider movement controls in time for the spring movement regime and to put whatever recommendations are made in place.
Does the hon. Gentleman accept that one of the problems with the controls and the way in which farmers see them is that, in practice, they seem leaky and contradictory? For example, I can buy sheep and put them in a field next to my neighbour's sheep, separated by a bit of wire fence, and I am stuck with them for 20 days, but he can sell his sheep on. Farmer Morley and Farmer Curry can take sheep to market and they can be in adjacent pens talking to each other. I can take Farmer Morley's sheep home but, because I have put them in quarantine, they are not caught by the 20-clay rule. I cannot take my own sheep home without being caught by the rule. Those are the contradictions that bring the measure into disrepute. Those are the problems that the Minister has to solve if he is to get farmers to consent willingly to accept a measure that we all agree is necessary.
As always, the right hon. Gentleman makes a fair point, although there is supposed to be a separation distance between the fields as part of the isolation conditions. I accept that there are anomalies that need to be addressed. It is a case of balancing the risk and of taking measures to reduce risk. Whatever the regime that is put in place, there are likely to be a few anomalies. We have to try to square those anomalies while achieving an adequate balance. The independent risk assessment from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency will help us to deal with that issue.
The report makes it clear that if a 20-day movement rule had been in place when foot and mouth came to this country, the disease would have been confined to a tiny area. There were only a few cases of airborne infection; the rest resulted from animal movements. There are about half a dozen deadly diseases that could come into the country at any moment. It would be too late to impose a movement ban once they had done so; we must have the ban in place now.
My hon. Friend is right. If we had had the 20-day rule in place when the incident took place in Heddon-on-the-Wall—the outbreak in the pigs there 336 and the fact that it was not reported—the disease still would have spread, because of the two-week delay, but the consequences would not have been anywhere near as bad as they were as a result of the huge movement of sheep that took place. It is a question of trying to reduce the chances of that happening.
There has to be some sort of movement control. The principle is not hugely controversial. A minority will always want to return to the situation before FMD. I have made clear that that is not an option. We are not going back to the situation before FMD. Many of the measures in the Bill—vaccination, compensation and a range of other issues—are a recognition that, after FMD, the situation has changed for ever and that we must try to minimise the impact of dreadful epidemics. I am not talking only about foot and mouth: we must be on our guard against other exotic diseases. The control of animal movements is one of the tools in our armoury. We must accept that.
The Minister is elaborating on the thoughts behind the present movement restrictions. Does he accept, nevertheless, that the millions of animal movements that took place prior to the outbreak were perfectly legal and reflected the market livestock at the time. There may be flaws in that market. Many of us want a market that is much closer to home—that will minimise the transport of meat, whether live or on the hoof. Nevertheless, that market was legal. If it is his view and that of the Curry report that we have to open up markets for farmers—if farmers are going to have to be more commercial, to sell their produce more directly—that must be squared with the right of farmers to move their livestock and get the best value out of it.
I do not disagree with the hon. Gentleman—the vast majority of those movements were legal and no criticism should be made of the people who were moving livestock because it was their legal right and they were not breaking any laws. On the periphery, there were concerns about traceability and out-of-ring sales—wider issues that need to be tackled. I am glad to say that we were successful in obtaining funding, in our bid in the 2002 spending review, to develop more sophisticated traceability and sheep-tagging systems. We want to move to electronic tagging and to develop that in conjunction with the industry. There is much support in the industry for that as well as for improving traceability. Those are all issues to which we must apply ourselves. That does not get us away from the fact, however, that the lessons learned inquiry recommended that the 20-day standstill should be retained while a wide-ranging cost-benefit analysis and a risk assessment was carried out, and that is what we are doing.
I find it puzzling that although the other place suspended progress on this Bill to allow consideration of the independent reports, it ignored one of the key recommendations in the reports—the stop on movement. I emphasise that we are applying the 20-day standstill with variations and exceptions to recognise the needs of the industry, as an interim measure until we have the risk assessment and the cost-benefit analysis. When we have those, we will reconsider the issue and decide what is most appropriate in terms of risk of disease, taking into account the impact on the industry. We must presuppose, however, that there will still be a standstill period.
Will the Minister spell out the timetables for the assessment and the possible responses? As he said, people understand that it is important to make sure there is no recurrence of the disease, and that it is important to deal with the conditions that may have contributed to the spread of the disease. However, the hon. Gentleman will equally appreciate that the movement of livestock is an integral part, especially of upland farming and breeding. If people feel that there is a programme of evaluation followed by policy responses, I am sure that they will accept circumstances more willingly than if they think they are just knocking their head against a back wall, while the sheep are sucking the pebbles dry.
I understand that point. I can give an assurance that we expect the risk assessment and the evaluations towards the end of this month. We will then hold public consultation on that, and consultation on any potential changes or recommendations that flow from that. I can also give an assurance that, whatever regime is put in place, the intention is to have it agreed in time for the spring movements in early spring next year. That is a clear timetable, which takes account of the needs of the livestock industry.
As I said, I am surprised that Members in the other place have pre-empted the studies that are still going on and have gone against veterinary advice about the minimum proportionate movement restrictions. They have passed primary legislation which requires that a 20-day standstill would have to lapse eight weeks after the last confirmed case of an outbreak. Even if I thought that the measure was serious and proportionate—I appreciate that it gives an opportunity for a debate on the 20-day rule, and I understand why people may want to discuss that—the eight-week period does not make much sense to me. Eight weeks is not very long after the last known outbreak of a major epidemic. There could well be further risks, which could last beyond eight weeks. It is an arbitrary cut-off point, which we cannot accept.
I accept on behalf of the Government that there need to be strict controls on movements during the outbreak, and that those will be different afterwards. I accept the reasoning behind that, and it is what we have done through the range of exceptions from the 20-day rule that have been progressively introduced during the year, which have relaxed the controls. Some veterinary advisers feel strongly that we have gone too far. Again, it is a question of balance, recognising and responding to the legitimate concerns and needs of the livestock industry, while following the best veterinary advice and minimising risk. We are reviewing the rules.
I agree with the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mr. Thomas) that the amendment is not serious and does not belong to the Bill. It is certainly a vehicle for discussing the 20-day rule and we have no objection to debating the issues, because they are serious. However, the amendment is flawed and I ask the House to reject it.
I start by acknowledging that the Minister has made it clear that sensible people believe that in the case of a crisis such as the one that we endured during the foot and mouth epidemic, movement must be restricted. He is right to say that, with the exception of a very few 338 people, the entire House and the whole industry would acknowledge that. The issue is for how long movement should be restricted.
The 20-day rule was imposed to deal with what the Secretary of State described during her statement as the horror and tragedy of foot and mouth and with the problems that movement would have caused by exacerbating that crisis. The logic was that by preventing livestock from leaving a holding for 20 days after new animals had arrived on it, the disease would be confined to an individual farm, so the rule became part of the interim foot and mouth arrangements.
Some 10 months after the last confirmed case, the industry recognises that the need for the rule must be debated again. We should not underestimate the effect that it is having on the livestock industry. Hon. Members in all parts of the House will have heard from farmers in their constituencies who are suffering because of the continuing imposition of the 20-day rule. The Minister said—revealingly, I thought—that had the 20-day rule been in place before the outbreak, its spread would not have been so great. That is a self-evident truth, but from that we surely cannot make the judgment that we should have as an on-going precaution for all time a 20-day rule, just in case there is an outbreak of foot and mouth or any of the other diseases to which it might apply.
A restriction on movement cannot be a permanent precaution; it can only be a reaction to a problem that may arise when we hear about a confirmed case or outbreak of a significant disease. I would be very worried if the Minister were considering the imposition of such a rule as a permanent precaution against possible outbreaks. Perhaps he will intervene to reassure me.
I make it very clear that we are indeed considering permanent movement restrictions. Such restrictions are designed to deal not just with an epidemic, but with future animal disease risk. I do not think that the majority of the agriculture industry is against the idea of movement restrictions. People want to discuss measures that they consider to be proportionate and effective, and which take account of the other points that have been raised. I must make it clear to the hon. Gentleman that the Bill is about reducing risk for the future and protecting our livestock industry, following advice from our chief veterinary officer, our chief scientist and two independent inquiries. Is the hon. Gentleman saying, on behalf of the Conservative party, that he would ignore the advice from those bodies?
I am glad that the Minister is not saying that. If the rule were allowed to continue in that form, the British livestock industry would be decimated. 339 That is the simple fact of the matter. If the Minister does not believe me, perhaps he will listen to the National Farmers Union.
I shall quote from the NFU. I am sure that that will inform and inspire the hon. Gentleman's intervention and make it even more incisive and cogent than his interventions usually are.
The NFU states—I am sure that this reflects the views of farmers with whom I have dealt around the country, and I am sure that it reflects the opinions expressed in the Minister's communications with farmers: The 20-day rule, which in nearly all cases restricts the movements of any of the animals on a farm once some animals have been brought on to the farm, is causing considerable practical difficulties for many farmers. Particular problems in the production of sheep are being experienced, given their natural breeding cycle. The unnecessary complexities of the restrictions and the adverse effects they are having on the running of farm businesses are profound. As I said at the outset, I do not pretend that we do not have to consider movement restrictions. We need a sensible balance. The Secretary of State said earlier that there must be a proportionate level of control and a balance between costs on industry and necessary precautions. Most of us would accept that.
The NFU is, not unexpectedly, as conservative as ever and refuses to accept change where change is essential. If the 20-day rule becomes permanent, why does not the hon. Gentleman encourage non-contact ways of marketing animals, which worked successfully during the foot and mouth epidemic? I refer to marketing through direct sales, video links and the internet, which not only reduces the risk of infection but reduces the suffering of animals by reducing the number of journeys.
That is a good point, but it would require massive change in the livestock industry. The hon. Gentleman is right that some change is taking place. There are new and more innovative ways of trading, but the idea that that could be switched on like a tap, and that suddenly the livestock industry can change the habits not just of a lifetime but of generations, many of which are embedded in local culture and local business practice, is fanciful. He is right to suggest that we should aim at such additional means of selling products. However, it will not happen tomorrow, and unless we do something quickly to ease the burden that the 20-day rule is placing on the industry, there will be much less of an industry to regulate. He would not want that to happen any more than I would; I know that he is a generous and intelligent man who shares many of my perspectives on these issues. He is right that we need to consider more innovative ways of dealing with these matters, but they cannot be used immediately, although we are faced now with a significant problem in the livestock industry, as is reflected in the comments of the NFU.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way. Perhaps he can defend the NFU from the 340 brickbats that have been travelling in its direction from Newport. I remind him of what the NFU said about the movement scheme: We have urged the development and introduction of a new permanent control regime to be introduced as early as possible. That is the NFU's view.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. As I said, there is widespread consensus about the need to be moderate and practical in these matters, but that consensus must strike the very balance that the Secretary of State identified in her statement between sensible precaution and the costs and burdens imposed on the industry. My suggestion to the House, which is reflected in the Lords amendments, is that that burden is currently falling too heavily on the industry.
We have heard once again from the Minister that a detailed cost-benefit and risk-assessment analysis will be considered. We are aware of that, although it is not likely to be implemented until February. I understand from him and the Secretary of State that we are likely to know more about that later this month. That is good and healthy, but it will not please the industry or impress those who are currently struggling to maintain businesses, many of which are on the very edge commercially. We should not view this matter outside the context of the overall problems that farmers face. I do not need to remind the Minister or the House of how profound those difficulties are, especially in the less-favoured areas and among sheep farmers and some of the people represented by the hon. Members who are present in the Chamber. Those people will not receive well a conclusion to the deliberations that does not recognise that the existing regime is too punitive, costly, regulatory and burdensome for them.
I should like to refer to a matter that has not been aired in detail so far this evening, although it may be as we continue. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry) said, in many cases the rigidity of the 20-day rule is encouraging abuse. Farmers face an unpalatable choice between breaking the 20-day rule and going out of business. That is not an acceptable choice for us as responsible Members of this House to impose on the industry.
I concur with the hon. Gentleman. In answer to a written question, I was told that trading standards authorities have identified almost 2,000 cases of abuse. Of course, those involved in trading standards are themselves under pressure, so I suspect that there are more such cases. The crux of the matter is the need to separate the work of farmers from that of dealers. I have asked for that to happen throughout; if only it could be done. I know that some farmers are dealers, but not all dealers are farmers. Let us deal with the real problem. That is where the industry is at fault: it has failed to realise that the fault lay with those dealers who drove animals around the system spreading the disease and would do the same again, unless we do something about it. What does he have to say about that problem?
I am reminded of the comments made by Countess Mar in the other place, where she made a similar suggestion to that of the hon. Gentleman. I think that she used the phrase "wheeler dealers" in referring to people with small pockets of land all over the place, 341 whose regard for biosecurity is at best limited. He is right that we must recognise that, as well as the vast majority of dealers and farmers who are responsible, straightforward and honourable business men, there are always people who will try to get around the law and breach it to their advantage. We need to be mindful of that, as any responsible Government would be.
When I speak of breaking the 20-day rule, however, I am speaking not especially about that minority, but about the perfectly reasonable and sensible farmers who are now obliged against their instincts and judgment to face up to either going out of business or breaking that rule. That is a matter of profound concern. Countess Mar—I remind the House that she is a Cross Bencher and not a Conservative peer—also said: There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the 20-day standstill rule is being flouted, simply because it is unreasonable, unworkable and unenforceable."—[Official Report, House of Lords, 22 October 2002; Vol. 639, c. 1223.] I say to the Minister that, when that proper, independent study on cost benefit and risk assessment has been published, the resulting Government action must be based on those three factors; it must be reasonable, workable and enforceable. It must be bought by the industry.
It is perhaps worth saying at this juncture that this whole debate has to be founded on the basis of a partnership between the industry and the Government. If we do not have such partnership when something as catastrophic as foot and mouth disease occurs, our job in controlling, containing and dealing with it will be all the more difficult. The Americans formed a national strategy—we will debate this matter later, so I will not test your patience too much, Mr. Deputy Speaker—to deal with such problems that is very much rooted in the sort of partnership-based and collaborative approach to which I referred. In a sense, the 20-day rule is relevant to those matters, as it is emblematic of the tensions that they involve.
The Minister always speaks with authority, knowledge and conviction about these matters, but I disagree with him that we are examining an aspect of the Lords' consideration that is somehow exceptional. The 20-day rule is intrinsically linked to biosecurity, which we will debate in due course. However, I think that the separation of the 20-day rule and movement from biosecurity is rather artificial. I shall put it no more strongly than that. The issue needs to be seen as part of an integrated strategy to deal with the problems. If we had had a more cohesive and integrated strategy, it may well be that we could have handled foot and mouth more effectively. While Anderson certainly makes the point to which the Minister drew attention in respect of the 20-day rule, he also rightly expresses significant concern about the cohesiveness, coherence and integration of the strategy. Ministers should now acknowledge those concerns and I hope that they will bear them in mind in developing their national strategy.
For me, that issue is at the very heart of the tension that I believe underlies the matters before us. The Lords have got it right in wanting to be more flexible in respect of the 20-day rule. In that respect, I draw the attention of the House to the situation in Scotland. Hon. Members will know that, as my right hon. Friend the 342 Member for Skipton and Ripon pointed out about a week ago when we debated agricultural matters, the 20-day rule is applied much more flexibly in Scotland.
The process by which one can obtain an exception in Scotland is more flexible. Incidentally, the Minister will be aware of the worry that, when we draw up a national contingency plan, there may be some need to make the Scottish experience rather less flexible in order to deliver a degree of consistency. Clearly, cross-border trade has to be taken into account in that regard. The border does not necessarily prevent animals from being moved across from England to Scotland, so there are issues of consistency involved in the traffic of livestock.
The important thing is that the Scottish experience shows that exceptions can be implemented without significant risk. There is not much evidence that those risks have caused problems. The question must therefore be asked: if that can be done in Scotland, why can it not be done in England? Lord Plumb made that point when these matters were debated in the other place.
My family farms in the borders of Scotland, and all our cattle go over the border to Berwick-upon-Tweed. We now find that much more difficult to arrange because of the difference between the two countries. We are only four miles over an open border. In fact, our land runs up to the border, so if the cattle get through the fence, they go into England. The whole position is, therefore, ambiguous, because if we want to get them back, we have to go through another system. Does that help my hon. Friend?
My hon. Friend speaks with the perspicacity and incisiveness for which he has become well known in the time that he has been here. He makes precisely the point that I was making about the need for a consistent policy across the two countries, given that normal business practice means that livestock will be transported between the two.
It is worth saying a bit about the Scottish experience, because it is relevant to the amendments. Subject to the agreement of the Scottish Environment and Rural Affairs Department, farmers can get a separation authorisation for any animal. Their premises are not checked when the licence is issued, but there are spot checks, which represent a significant deterrent to those who might not be following the rules as carefully as they should be. The separation authorisation means that when brought-on animals are held separately from other animals on the farm, the 20-day standstill will apply only to those animals and not to any others. Additionally, when a farmer identifies animals to be moved off his farm and holds them separately from animals that have been brought on and mixed with other animals, those animals to be moved off will not be subject to the 20-day standstill.
Those are important differences between Scotland and England, because they afford the flexibility that allows trading and dealing. Although I acknowledge the 343 point made by the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) that not all dealers are farmers, many farmers are dealers. I was in conversation with one such person in Nottinghamshire last week, who did precisely what my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Liddell-Grainger) does, in moving animals between Scotland and England. He emphasised the difficulties that the inconsistency and the inflexibility of the 20-day rule caused for his business.
It is important for us to learn from that experience. The Minister will know that, in England, it is possible to get such an exception only for individually identified breeding rams and bulls bought at market, or sale bulls and rams returning unsold from a market or sale, which are isolated. There is room for manoeuvre here by the Government. The House of Lords has identified that fact, in looking studiously and carefully at the matter. Some flexibility in the application of the quite proper restrictions on movement that the Minister has identified—the need for which responsible Members will acknowledge in the light of the crisis—needs to be taken into consideration. For that reason, I am sympathetic with the Lords, and—I know that this will come as a great blow to him—less sympathetic with the Minister.
I do not want to speak for long on this matter, but this is the crux of how we proceed with the Bill. As someone who suffered, along with others, on the Bill when it was going through the Commons, I wonder whether I am experiencing déjà-vu, given that we started a year ago. Never let it be said that legislation is rapid in this place. Sometimes it is helpful to have the benefit of hindsight, and we now have the benefit of the hindsight of the Follett and Anderson reports. It needs to be put on record that those reports were, to a large extent, supportive of much of what the Government were trying to do.
I think that there is room for compromise here, although my hon. Friend the Minister has said that, until we get the results of the cost-benefit analysis, the 20-day rule will remain in place. Inevitably, that will need to be reconsidered regularly. We can look at the causes of the foot and mouth outbreak and at who was to blame, but what made it such a major outbreak was that the animal movements had an effect similar to pouring petrol on a fire. They completely took away any ability to control the disease.
My worry is that, unless we acknowledge two fundamental features of what went wrong and do something about them, that could happen again. As my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) said, it might not be foot and mouth next time; it could be blue tongue. Questions have also been asked about bovine tuberculosis. We face an epidemic of that in my part of the world, and I want to make a connection between those diseases, because the issues are not completely separate.
There are two matters to which I want to draw the attention of the House. First, there were people who were either acting illegally or, at best, recklessly—as they had been doing day in, day out—because of the way in which the process encouraged them to perform their duties. I referred to dealers earlier. I used that as a fairly pejorative term, but I would not insult everyone by 344 using it. What went wrong in relation to animal movements was that the dealers were driving the process rather than responding to it. I am not talking about a person who deals with 20 or 30 animals; I am talking about people who deal with thousands of animals.
The hon. Gentleman spoke of the dealers driving the process. I know what he is trying to say, but it is surely the supermarkets that are driving it. On the whole, the dealers are responding to a supermarket-set agenda when it comes to beef and sheep meat.
I do not disagree with the hon. Gentleman, in that we have to acknowledge that the operation of the food chain is too centralised. I have long argued that we need to re-localise it, but people say that that option has now gone away from us and that we have to be realistic and realise that the chain is now fundamentally different.
Does my hon. Friend think it false of the Opposition to blame the Government and the supermarkets for all the problems of the farming industry? Is it not true, as my hon. Friend the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mrs. Lawrence) said, that one group of animals bought by a farmer just before the foot and mouth epidemic was discovered, to his horror, to have been on 11 different holdings in the previous three months? That was all about fraud, and about maximising the number of payments made for those animals. That practice for sheep—bed and breakfasting, as it is called—was rife in the industry, and the 20-day rule is the answer to the problem.
I cannot speak with the same knowledge as my hon. Friend, although I have made allegations about my own area. Farmers there have been very clear with me about where some of the blame—we are talking about a minority of people—needs to be laid in relation to the dreadful legacy of foot and mouth.
My second point relates to that matter. We have created a monster that has now come back to haunt us, in that the subsidy regime encourages the movement of animals in a foolhardy way. At the moment, we have not dealt with that. We have to deal with the fact that people make money by operating this process—whether at the behest of the supermarkets or because of what the industry has become—and that they are being encouraged to do so by the subsidy regime, through bed and breakfasting or through the way in which the common agricultural policy encourages animal movements.
I am listening to the hon. Gentleman's argument. He has described farmers as reckless for moving sheep—those are his words—but now he suggests that the blame lies not with the farmers, but with the subsidy-driven system and the rules under which farming is governed, which contain loopholes that encourage people to benefit from sheep movements. Unfortunately, he cannot have it both ways. Not for one second do I believe that people who are moving sheep around the country are reckless; they are living with 345 market forces. Does he really think that the Government cannot control how subsidies are paid, except through this Bill?
I am not saying that at all, and the hon. Gentleman is doing my argument a disservice. In the main, I would call the people involved dealers, although some farmers are dealers, and the recklessness relates to the number of times that the animals are moved. I am also arguing that people are encouraged to do this by the subsidy regime that has been put in place. I would remove that subsidy regime tomorrow, but, unfortunately, that would have to go through European negotiations. Clearly, other parts of Europe undertake such movements more successfully in that they have not encountered the same number of breakdowns as us. However, they should learn from our mistakes, which is why, in essence, we need restrictions until we have dealt with that problem.
What is wrong with the amendment from the other place? I could understand the point of it if it provided some discretion, but it would allow a time scale of only eight weeks, come what may. To me, that would be the most unrestrictive restriction possible.
I am puzzling over the allegation that, somehow, the subsidy system prompts movements; I am having difficulty following it. I realise that hill farmers and sheep farmers receive an area payment and that there is a sheep annual premium payment, but I do not understand how that encourages them to move animals about.
It depends on how the animals are counted and who counts them. We know that in certain parts of Europe—between the Republic and Northern Ireland, for example—sheep are moved to derive the benefits of subsidy. The figures may be exaggerated, but anyone who knows anything about that part of the world knows that it is notorious for such exploitation. The figures for the mainland may also be exaggerated, but the people I talk to lead me to believe that they are not. Some people make a living in this way, although I would much prefer that not to be the case. That is why I say that, until we can deal with the problem, we must be able to put restrictions in place.
I speak rather a lot about bovine TB, because it is an ever-present worry in my constituency. The linkage occurs, I am led to believe, inasmuch as some work that the expert group is undertaking is considering cattle-to-cattle transfer, which also depends entirely on how regularly cattle are moved, who buys them and which parts of the country they go to. Unless we acknowledge that we must have some restrictions in place, the worry will be not just foot and mouth, but other diseases that we must also face up to. There is room for compromise here. We need a more realistic figure, as eight weeks is unrealistic.
The hon. Gentleman is very generous in giving way. I tend to agree about the eight weeks and the drafting of the Lords amendment is unfortunate, but should not the Government introduce a compromise solution? I am 346 sure he agrees that continuing a 20-day rule long into the future will render livestock farming in upland areas virtually unviable.
I agree. If I read what the Minister said correctly and given that the Government are trying to base their response on science, they are taking particular account of the Follett report, although they have also taken account of the Anderson report, which considered the practicalities. The Minister will no doubt come back on the point, but clearly he will consider the cost-benefit analysis, which will be principally a scientific evaluation. If and when it is possible to change the 20-day rule, let us change it, because it is causing my farmers some grief, although not to the extent of that faced by farmers in upland areas, even though such grief is part and parcel of how they earn their living.
I reiterate that we must keep learning from what went wrong until we can deal with the adverse consequences and we must have those protections in place. It may not be foot and mouth next time, but it could be something else. We must protect the people whom we want to keep in farming. They understand all that, even though they are finding it very hard in the short run.
First, I draw the House's attention to my entries in the Register of Members' Interests involving livestock farming. It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew), who was a fellow sufferer on the Standing Committee a long, long time ago, as well as a thoughtful and open-minded person about agriculture.
The Minister said that it is a great pity that the amendment was passed by the other place, but he will accept that it represents recognition of the despair and despondency in the livestock industry resulting from the continuing imposition of the 20-day rule. It is more than a year since the last confirmed case of foot and mouth and nearly a year since Britain was declared free of the disease, so farmers are concerned that we still have one of the most rigorous forms of control that they have ever experienced. They are concerned not just because such control causes them difficulty in running their businesses, but because the evidence on which the rule was imposed has never been made clear to them.
The Minister referred to evidence from the chief veterinary officer and other scientific advisers, but farmers always complain to me that there is no logic or rationale behind the 20-day rule, except, of course—we all understand this—that reducing the number of animal movements reduces the chance of disease being spread. Everybody accepts that and the fact that we cannot return to pre-foot and mouth times. There will be regulations and some form of control. As has been said, the NFU also accepts that.
Such is the absolute despair of farmers, particularly in the area that I represent, that 200 of them met one night last week in Brecon market and decided to travel down to the National Assembly the next day for a symbolic burning of licence forms and applications. Quite honestly, those farmers have plenty to do, so that is an example of the exasperation that they feel over the controls. They believe that there is a disproportionate burden on the livestock industry, because the risk lies not in the industry—this is foot and mouth-clear 347 country—but at the point of entry at ports and airports.—[Interruption.] The Minister disagrees, although I am grateful for today's announcement by the Secretary of State that the Government will reconsider how responsibility is exercised by Customs and Excise. One authority would certainly achieve greater cooperation over intelligence to be used at such points of entry. Farmers still believe that the controls are disproportionate. That, for them, is the crux of the issue.
The hon. Member for Stroud talked about dealers. It seems to me that the main burden of such regulation is falling on farmers. Dealers often run large and sophisticated businesses. They operate from a number of locations and sites, and they also have a number of holding areas, so they can circumvent the 20-day rule without breaking it. The rule has little effect on their operation, although it has great effect on the family farmer. I shall give examples of how family farmers have found it difficult to operate.
Last weekend, I was approached by two constituents. J.W. Hammond and Sons is a farming business in my constituency, run by a man with his two sons and their families. They operate from a number of farms, but they have a well-integrated and sustainable method of production: they produce hardy ewes on one farm, and the lambs and breeding ewes are passed to other farms. DEFRA has told them that they must have only one holding, which means that when they buy stock for a farm that is 15 miles away from another they cannot move that stock. Because they have accepted DEFRA's advice, it is impossible for them to continue a well-thought-out and efficient operation that produces good stock. Unless the 20-day rule is changed, they will be unable to continue.
I was approached by another young farmer who had just taken on a tenancy. We want to encourage people like him to join an industry in which I think the average age is well into the fifties. He told me that because he had been unable to move 20 cattle, he would lose an extensification premium that was a key part of his cash flow and the profitability of his farm.
I, too, could give examples from my constituency illustrating the problem of the 20-day rule, but there is a further confusion in Wales. It has been announced today that there will be a review in February, but the hon. Gentleman's colleague, Mike German, announced that it would take place in Wales in January. Does that suggest that Mr. German does not have a grip on the situation, or that he needs more time to fill in his credit card slips?
I do not accept either suggestion, but I thank the hon. Gentleman for leading me to my next point.
Farmers are fed up because it is going to take so long to complete the risk assessment and the cost-benefit analysis. We are told that the preliminary results will be produced in November, and that there may be some relaxation and modification of the restriction in February. It appears that the full results will not be known until June. Many vets have suggested to me that the process could be accelerated. Does the Minister 348 think there is any way of putting the results in the public domain more quickly, allowing us to conduct a thorough study?
I took a number of farmers on a delegation to meet Lord Whitty, but I also took the head of animal movements from Powys county council's trading standards department. He told Lord Whitty that any restriction of movements must be one with which farmers could comply, otherwise the whole arrangement would be brought into disrepute. We have been told that a number of people have directly abused the system. Many farmers have told me, almost in confessional mode, that they believe they have broken the regulations, but because those regulations are so complex they do not understand what is required of them. I ask the Minister to speed up the process and produce clear guidelines allowing farmers to continue their business.
What unites us is a desire to avoid the dreadful human and animal suffering that took place during the foot and mouth epidemic, but the Government must stand firm. The recommendation of the best scientists, of the Royal Society and the Anderson report, was not for a 20-day but for a 28-day standstill, because that represents the incubation period of the disease. The Government have already been conciliatory. They have made a compromise in that instance, and in a number of others.
Let us look at the risks. No one dreamt up the threat of blue tongue virus; it is spread by vectors, but it is a deadly disease that could destroy a third of our livestock, as it has elsewhere.
I know that the hon. Gentleman is an expert on blue tongue disease, but has it not been absent from Wales since 1997, when Wales last had a Conservative Member of Parliament?
The disease is certainly alien to our shores. Conservative Members are similarly alien to Wales, and long may that last. But we are now being warned that because of climatic and other changes, blue tongue virus is a serious threat. There are other diseases too, such as vesicular stomatitis, which is similar to foot and mouth, and there is the possibility of vesicular swine fever. The threat is real, and is not being exaggerated.
Nevertheless, the farming industry should know that we are looking at the reality of the spread of foot and mouth. I know that the Opposition parties are wedded to the idea that it was all the Government's fault, but they should look at the map showing movements all over the country before the disease was detected. We can see the spread from the far north to Devon, and from the east to Wales. That is why we had a problem that was not experienced in Uruguay, in the Netherlands, in Ireland or in France. In fact, the outbreak in Ireland was caused by the illegal import of an animal to Northern Ireland.
It cannot be ignored that all sorts of people—people in the farming industry, for instance, and civil servants—turned a blind eye to illegal movements by those wishing to increase the number of claims for subsidies.
What the hon. Gentleman is describing constitutes fraud. If it was fraud, it should be investigated by the police. The 20-day rule does not help when people are behaving illegally.
349 Will the hon. Gentleman at least accept that the disease was able to spread so quickly because it had been introduced into the country in the first place? Will he accept that our primary responsibility must be to prevent it from coming in, and to adopt bio-preventive measures to ensure that the spread is contained if it does ever come in?
It was fraud, but both Governments turned a blind eye on the pretext that it had happened elsewhere in Europe and they could see no reason why there should not be a multiplication of subsidies here. As for stopping the disease at source, I am afraid that that is another myth. It came here because one farmer did not pre-heat the swill he was using; if he had followed proper advice, he would not have used the swill anyway.
It is also absurd to think that we can build a wall around the country and keep out any contraband. Despite the heroic efforts of Customs and Excise, billions of cigarettes and thousands of gallons of alcohol are smuggled in, as well as a huge amount of illegal drugs. There is no way of ensuring that the country can remain free of illegal or bad meat.
I spent several hours with Customs and Excise in Dover yesterday. In fact, it has reduced illegal tobacco imports from £1.7 billion to £400 million worth in the last few months. Moreover, the hon. Gentleman has identified a contrast that no one else is seriously identifying. The Minister tried to do the same. I do not think that any Member on either side of the House has suggested an open-door policy enabling anyone to bring in anything at any time, or a hermetically sealed country. We are certainly not suggesting either. We are saying that a higher profile can change the mindset of most of the people who are engaging in such action, many of whom are doing so innocently. That can be seen in Australia and the United States.
That was an extremely helpful intervention as it makes the point that whatever we do we cannot stop imports coming in and bringing diseases into the country. So what should we do? The farming industry is reluctant to do anything as it is set in its ways. Farmers want to do their job in the same way as their parents and grandparents, but they must understand that this rule must stay. There is an easy, simple, cheaper alternative that has already been used. That is to use the methods that were used during the foot-and-mouth epidemic whereby animals were sold directly or through simple technology such as video links and the internet. That method avoids the expense of taking animals to market and the journeys and the animals can pass from farm to farm or to the slaughterhouse or where ever else they are going without contact with other animals. That is what we should all be encouraging.
Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that even with the 20-day rule, disease can be transmitted through illegal acts, so that although the more rules the Government make, the more likely it is in theory that disease will be prevented, what really happens is that law-abiding farmers go out of business, and farmers who break the law continue to spread disease. 350 The weakness in the 20-day rule, which has value directly after an outbreak, is that it will put law-abiding farmers and livestock markets out of business and affect the infrastructure on which all farmers depend to earn a living. Does the hon. Gentleman not see that even if the Government insist on it, the bad guys will continue to break the law?
I am following the best advice of the two bodies that I mentioned. No one made any suggestion that they were wrong in suggesting this essential deterrent.
I represent farmers and there were three outbreaks of foot and mouth in my constituency, but my constituents are overwhelmingly industrial workers who work mainly in the steel and aluminium industry. They have suffered terribly in the past two years and more than half their jobs have disappeared. All those families contributed £5 per week last year to pay for foot and mouth, in addition to the £10 per week they pay the farming industry in subsidies. If another disease comes along, is it reasonable that taxpayers—including the steel and aluminium workers in my constituency—should pick up the bill? If the farming industry is not prepared to take these sensible, modest precautions, why on earth should taxpayers pick up the bill for the next epidemic?
I am not sure whether or not it is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), who has clearly missed his vocation. He should have been a 19th-century non-conformist Welsh preacher predicting Armageddon—[HON. MEMBERS: "He is."] Perhaps he is. He reminds me of a character from a Dylan Thomas poem. I think it was Organ Morgan, but hon. Members will correct me if I am wrong. I should stress to the hon. Gentleman that Opposition Members are not against having some form of movement restriction—we are simply opposed to the particular restriction.
Let me begin by doing a Conservative thing and defending the dealers. We have had a lot of mud slung at the dealers in the course of the debate so far. Dealers are perfectly respectable people; they are simply using the market. The way that the livestock market has developed in the United Kingdom has encouraged the intervention of dealers. The reason is that we have a very large number of centralised meatpacking firms or abattoirs that require large numbers of animals on a regular basis. They get them from dealers who collect them from different parts of the country. Dealers make a turn on the price while fulfilling the needs of the abattoirs for a regular supply of animals. For better or worse, that is where we are with the market.
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. I am sure that he will agree with me that it is one of the structural problems of the industry that we have a concentration of livestock and a concentration of kill within abattoirs purely at the behest of the large supermarkets and their demands on the industry. We have to address that at some stage.
I agree with the hon. Gentleman that it has to do with the structure of the industry, but I am not sure whether we can change it. What the 351 hon. Gentleman is saying is the equivalent of suggesting that we ought to scrap large car plants and that all motor cars should be built in small back-street garages as they were in past centuries. The meat processing business is hugely capital intensive, requiring people working 365 days a year in two shifts. That is the way it is. A meatpacking plant in the hon. Gentleman's part of the country will eventually have to source lamb from my constituency in the north of England. That is a feature of the industry. Whether or not it is desirable, it is not easy to change. The dealers are providing for modern economics.
The Minister was critical of the amendment and I do not believe it is a particularly good one, but it provides us with an opportunity to debate a serious matter that is affecting farmers in my constituency very badly. It gives us the opportunity of expressing our concerns, hopefully in a vote. The Minister said that a large proportion of the livestock industry can cope with these regulations, but many farmers cannot. We have heard tonight that upland farmers in particular will find it extremely difficult. Certainly in the north of England, in the Pennines, the livestock buying and selling year is contracted into September and October. It has a very tight span. Farmers who breed sheep and suckler cows need to move breeding replacements on to the farm and to sell lambs and ewes at the autumn sales. If animal movements are restricted, those farmers have to hold stock on their farms which means extra expense and if the weather is particularly bad—fortunately it was not too bad this autumn—it would cause welfare problems. These are enormous costs to farmers who are already struggling. At the risk of being slightly out of order, farmers are facing not only the economic problems caused by the 20-day rule but the economic problems caused by the slowness of the Rural Payments Agency to pay up and the muddle caused by so many mistakes at the British Cattle Movement Service in Workington which means that cattle which are going into the over-30-months scheme are now being disqualified because of administrative errors that are not their fault. Perhaps the Minister will look at that in due course.
As I said, we accept the need for a traceability scheme and that would be the final answer. We also accept the need for some form of movement restriction, but it has to be very much more relaxed than it is currently. Farmers have suffered this autumn; they do not want to suffer next autumn. It is absolutely imperative that whatever scheme the Minister introduces, it must be properly in place early in the year so that the spring movement of livestock from winter quarters to summer quarters can begin. In particular it must be up and working at the end of the next back-end season.
Other suggestions have been made which the Minister did not consider for long enough. The simple scheme produced by auctioneers whereby farmers have three dyes and dye sheep with one colour one week, the next colour the following week and another for the third week means that no animal can be sold or brought to market until it has reached the three-week period. That is an incredibly simple system which would have carried us over until a proper system was put in place.
352 Let me reiterate that the real cost of this 20-day movement restriction falls on a particularly vulnerable group of farmers. While they all appreciate that some form of movement is needed, they need a more liberal regime, which will allow them at least to hang on to their lives and their work for a few more years.
Perhaps we can first get one or two historical facts in place. The movement of livestock is not some sort of modern aberration; it is at the absolute heart of the agricultural economy throughout Europe. Transhumance is one of the oldest practices of the human race. I refer the House to one of the great books—Ferdinand Braudel's "The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II". Although not particularly imaginative, Phillip II was an assiduous and meticulous monarch who ruled a very large empire. The culture of the Mediterranean world is based on the principle of transhumance, so let us get away from the idea that a bunch of wicked dealers have intruded on a pastoral scene characterised by William Cobbett, and brought it kicking and screaming into a bizarre modern world.
Let us also be clear that the consequences of the foot and mouth epidemic highlighted the importance of such movements, which are traditional, rather than bizarre movements designed to rig the system. When foot and mouth struck in my constituency, animals that had been sent to the lowlands to over-winter should have been coming back up to the hill. In fact, they could not be moved—they were caught in fields full of mud. In Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, where some farmers specialise in looking after animals over the winter, the resulting welfare conditions were serious. Of course, the sale of breeding stock off the hills forms part of the backbone of the uplands economy, and it is also one of the major sources of livestock for the lowlands. Those are traditional movements that are intrinsic to agriculture, and we have to find a way in which to accommodate them.
I should point out to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) that I realise that, in many ways, auction marts must appear to be some sort of Dickensian throwback—part of the world of "One Man and His Dog", or a television series about vets. However, in the light of his concerns and comments, he should not underestimate the role of the auction mart in combating the social exclusion experienced by those who live remote lives. They do not often meet their fellow human beings, and they derive benefit from meeting in the fug of the fish and chip shop or the pie shop.
During the recess, I visited Llanrwst market, which is outside my constituency, and spoke to the farmers assembled there. The strongest argument that they made in favour of the continuation of the mart was that it was the day on which families came to Llanrwst for social reasons. One understands that entirely, but there must be some way to improve their social life and reduce their isolation other than by getting animals together in a traditional but very dangerous way.
The hon. Gentleman and I may not be very far apart. In practice, we will see a more integrated 353 food chain, farmers contracting to retailers, and the pre-selection of animals, which go straight to the abattoirs. In fact, some auction marts are acting as intermediaries in order to organise that trade. So the role of the auction mart is changing.
Is it not true that, when we get to that stage, many of the Members who complained about dealers will be complaining that we do not have dealers any longer, and saying how much better things were in those days? One cannot ever get it right.
That is certainly true, and they will also complain that they have received planning application for the building of 93 desirable houses on the site of the auction mart, including a complement of social housing, which will doubtless occasion concern for other parts of the village. I speak from some experience, but I shall not go further down that route.
We should also admit that there were dreadful examples of negligence during the foot and mouth outbreak. In North Yorkshire, many farmers have several scattered holdings. Indeed, the Department found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that many farmers owned plots of land that were quite close together, but not contiguous. Some of those farmers moved stock from one farm to the other without any semblance of precaution. That was clearly criminal in spirit, if not in practice. The miracle of the foot and mouth outbreak was that the disease never reached the pig herds in Humberside. Had it done so, we would have got into vaccination to slaughter. The sheer volume of slaughter could have been coped with and brought under order only by the introduction of vaccination.
I make those preliminary points because I want to ensure that the Minister, for whom I have a lot of respect, understands the issue. I know his brief, and I also know how difficult it is under the 20-day rule to operate normal farming practice on a mixed beef and sheep farm in the uplands. People have to move animals around—to market, to pasture—and the high hills will not sustain them throughout the year. There are also practical problems. The Minister has said that there has to be a form of cordon sanitaire around a holding, but one cannot establish an isolation unit with a 50 m boundary for 300 sheep on a hill farm. In practice, it is very difficult to deliver that and then service the sheep with the tup.
As I pointed out to the Minister, under the problematic anomalies of the 20-day rule, I could buy 300 sheep and put them in a field next to sheep owned by my neighbour. If we are lucky, there are dry-stone walls and the sheep will not mingle. However, it is just as likely that the sheep will be separated by a few strands of wire, so they will mingle and converse, as it were. My neighbour, who is not caught by any restriction, could immediately sell off sheep that had been in contact with restricted sheep. Equally, in some cases the rule has the perverse impact of promoting the use of dealers. Let us consider the example of a farmer in Cumbria or North Yorkshire, who used to be able to buy young calves in the autumn from various local farms in a 40 mile radius. 354 All those farms are now caught by the same restrictions as he is, so the way to get round that is to buy the animals from a dealer who is shipping them from 250 miles away. In other words, the farmer is actually forced into an alternative pattern of procurement. According to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew), that increases exposure to the transmission of illness.
In making my final point, I shall use the example, if I may, of my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer). Farmer Gummer and I can both send our sheep to market, and the sheep can sit in adjacent pens in the auction mart. As we know, they are mere tubular structures, and communication can take place between pens. Let us say that I decide to buy Farmer Gummer's sheep, and I take them home. As long as I put them in an isolation unit, I will not be caught by the restriction. However, if I do not sell my sheep and I want to take them home, they will be caught by the 20-day rule—even though they have been in contact only with Farmer Gummer's sheep—and I will be unable to sell them on.
I appreciate that there are bound to be such anomalies; it is very difficult to establish schemes without them. However, in talking about trying to get the farming community to accept the necessity of restrictions, it is important to ensure that farmers cannot say, "Hang on, has anybody who has devised the restrictions thought about how we practise in reality—how we live and get through the working day?" As my hon. Friend the Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) pointed out, the scheme in Scotland operates somewhat differently. I accept that those differences are in the detail, but the regime is slightly more liberal in respect of, for example, applications for licences. There is spot-checking, as opposed to the prior approvals that have to be obtained in England. In Scotland, any animal can be put into segregation without triggering the provision; in England, however, only breeding animals can qualify under that criterion.
As a result of devolution, practices are diverging. Premium payments are now different on the two sides of the border, because the British Government—on behalf of England and Wales—decided to retain an element of the payment for a general kitty. That decision was not taken in Scotland, however. I imagine that that rule could be modified for Scotland under the powers of devolution, so that it becomes more different from that which applies in England. The argument would then arise of level playing fields within these shores, rather than simply between these shores and elsewhere.
I agree that the Lords amendment is not particularly well thought out, but it has served its purpose by enabling us to bring to the Minister's attention the practical problems experienced by farmers who want to make the system work, who are not out to dodge the system, and who have been through a tremendously rough time.
In my constituency, the second worst category of farmer was those whose animals got foot and mouth disease; the worst category was those whose animals did not because they could not move their cattle or earn a living, and the sheep were sucking the stones dry on the hills. Those farmers are now entering a further period of severe restrictions.
355 The Minister should spell out the programme and the scenarios that he hopes to be able to apply and acknowledge that he may want to retain some form of permanent restrictions, but ones that go with the grain of farming practices. He should show that he is seeking, as is inevitable across the field of such activities, to find the balance between the necessary precaution and enabling the industry that he is seeking to preserve to be able to continue to earn a living so that it can help to preserve itself.
It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry), who has just given some very good examples that are particularly pertinent to upland Wales, which experiences the anomalies and some of the perverse incentives in the present system that work against what many Labour Members have talked about tonight.
On behalf of Plaid Cymru, I want to make it clear at the outset that we find the amendment to be particularly awful in its drafting. Nevertheless, it has given us a useful opportunity to debate this vital issue and the way in which it is affecting farmers, particularly those in Wales and England, but not so much those in Scotland. It gives us an opportunity to raise a very basic principle about how we will cope in the future not only with the spread of foot and mouth, but its introduction into the United Kingdom.
Plaid Cymru strongly supports the principle of movement control. We must know what is happening to the movement of agricultural animals in this country. We must know where the animal is, where it has been and its intervening journey. However, there has been much talk in the debate about movement restrictions, and I should like to draw a distinction.
The term "restrictions" suggests a predetermination of the cost-benefit analysis that will be done on the 20-day rule. It suggests that people already accept that farming must be restricted in that way. An alternative should be considered and certainly thoroughly analysed whereby animal movements are controlled using the detailed information that we have on those animals. The case has been made powerfully that, certainly after the foot and mouth outbreak in the north of England, it was not just the movement of animals that created difficulties, but the fact that people did not know where those animals had been, how they had been kept and the way that biosecurity measures had been applied to them.
I accept that things must be very different in future, but we have to go with the grain of farming practice, as the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon said. There has been a lot of talk this evening and outside the House about movements and restrictions that simply do not go with the grain of farming practice and therefore will not work because people will not want to follow them, or because they will go out of business if they do follow them.
We must remember that the two inquiry reports that have been much mentioned in the debate said that the 20-day rule should apply until the cost-benefit analysis has been carried out. In response to a question that I asked during today's statement, the Secretary of State 356 made it clear that that cost-benefit analysis would include alternatives to the 20-day rule. I welcome that, and I hope that that will be clear.
What are the principles in applying any sort of movement control? First, we must prevent disease in the first place. Secondly, we must deal with the spread of disease if it were ever to occur. The main priority for preventing disease is, of course, stopping it coming into the country in the first place. We have heard some messages of doom and gloom and been told that we cannot stop disease or illegal imports, but the fact is that the Government have not been doing enough on illegal meat imports. Only now is there a realisation of the need to take co-ordinated action. That must be the main priority.
Of course if disease comes into the country, we must consider how to stop or at least limit its spread. Plainly, we must therefore consider not only the 20-day rule, but the whole question of biosecurity. That is the key. Good biosecurity being practised on all farms at all times will limit the spread of any disease, whatever it is. Some diseases are more virulent than others. The problem in the west Wales dairy industry at the moment is TB, not blue tongue or foot and mouth.
Any restriction, control or measure that we place on farming has to be proportionate to its ability to meet it practically and financially. The income of each upland farmer in Wales was about £4,200 last year, so they do not have much scope to invest in any system or to bear its costs.
The hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) is very keen to remind everyone of the massive subsidy—£10 a week—that every family pays to each farmer, but that money does not go into farmers' pockets. Their pockets were not stuffed full of those tenners in Llanrwst, and he knows it. The money goes into the wasteful, awful common agricultural policy. Farmers do not want to be part of that any more than we do, but that is the price that we pay for cheap food—the second or third cheapest food in the developed world.
The fact is that the consumer does not really pay the price of their food; they pay in a round about way. Not only do they pay when they go into the supermarket or shop and pay 40p, 37p, or whatever, for a pint of milk; they pay subsidy as well. So we in this country pay for our food twice if not three times over. If we want a better relationship between farmers and consumers and to make this aspect of the Bill work better, the price of biosecurity on food has to be included at the consumer end. It is not just the farmers who bear the weight; the consumer has to face the real cost of food production as well.
Has the hon. Gentleman seen the report by the Consumers Association stating that a basket of food was bought in the United Kingdom and in New Zealand and that it was discovered that the price in New Zealand was half the price here? Farmers in New Zealand have not had any subsidy for the past 16 years.
If there is so much waste in the CAP, food prices will decline, but I was making the point—the hon. Gentleman has to accept this—that the consumer 357 does not just pay for food when he or she goes into a supermarket; they pay through their taxes for the CAP as well, and reforming the CAP is the key.
The hon. Member for Newport. West (Paul Flynn) mentions New Zealand, but I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will know that in New Zealand the grass grows 12 months a year, so cattle can stay out all year and do not need to be fed inside. Of course that makes New Zealand products much cheaper.
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for mentioning that aspect of farming, which the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon also mentioned.
If we are to encourage farmers to go more directly to market, which is part of the answer to dealing with foot and mouth, by cutting away all the wasteful journey times, we have to ensure that farmers are able to market more directly by moving livestock. We cannot take livestock movements out of the market. Some of the dealers may be slightly less than above board, but they generally meet the requirements of the market.
The largest abattoir just outside my constituency—it is in that of my hon. Friend the Member for East Carmarthen and Dinefwr (Adam Price)—Oriel Jones in Llanybydder, meets the demands of the supermarkets. The input into that abattoir is more than the local market can bear, so dealers must feed that abattoir. That is part of a wider question, but it is wrong to place on farmers the whole pressure of biosecurity under the 20-day rule. My concern is that farmers may bear all that pressure, but we should consider the wider context of how to ensure that the whole of the farming industry is safe, clean and free from disease.
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that not only are farmers expected to bear the costs, but, given the implications of some of the comments made by Labour Members, they are to blame for the entire foot and mouth outbreak? It simply cannot be the case that the disease was imported by the farming community in the first place.
I certainly reject any suggestion that farming was to blame for the disease entering the country in the first place, but legitimate farming practices, approved by the Government and previous Governments for many years, may have exacerbated the disease. There is a lesson to be learned, but nevertheless they were legitimate practices.
I well remember the astonishment when the Government announced that X million journeys were made by animals during two or three weeks and everyone took a breath as they thought that that practice was illegal and that a scandal had been found. Did they not know that that happened all the time and that it was a natural part of farming practice? As the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon said, farmers in Wales have moved livestock around not just for years, decades or centuries, but for millennia. In Wales, the drovers' roads, some of which we still travel on to get to the House, follow the path taken from my constituency to London. Cattle, geese, pigs and sheep were moved around the country. That is nothing new, and it is a vital part of farming. As the hon. Member for Hexham (Mr. Atkinson) said, the environment and climate in Wales are not suitable for year-round farming.
I hope that the Minister will accept that some movement of animals is part of sustainable farming practice. If we want to ensure that artificial fertilisers, pesticides and feed are not used—and we must remember the feedstocks that are used in America, the other place where food is cheapest—we must support sustainable farming. An element of animal movement is part of that.
Animal movements take place in Uruguay, the Netherlands, France and Ireland, but the disease did not spread in those countries as it did here. Will the hon. Gentleman accept that excessive and unnecessary animal movements take place in this country, and that only the 20-day rule will eliminate them?
I hope that the hon. Gentleman will join me in asking for the reopening of local slaughterhouses. They have been going down like nine pins in my constituency. I agree with the central point, but in his comments this evening the hon. Gentleman has put the responsibility for the outbreak directly on farmers. The problem is much more complex. There is a whole industry, driven by the retail side, which affects what happens.
We are discussing a Bill about animal health, and there is an animal welfare aspect to the problems caused by the delay. Of necessity, upland farmers need to trade stored animals. Any delay could cause animal welfare problems because of the lack of food and shelter. That has a knock-on effect in terms of the availability of food for breeding stock.
I agree. My constituency was not directly affected by foot and mouth, but some areas were restricted. I had an awful case involving a farmer who could not move stock because of restrictions, even though the RSPCA was investigating what was going on.
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that he was far too kind to the hon. Member for Newport West, (Paul Flynn)? Although the movements of animals in this country may be rather longer than they would be in an ideal world, there could he no fewer movements if we returned to the system that the hon. Member for Newport describes. Movement is part of the normal way of dealing with animals. It is only the ignorance of people locked up in towns that causes them not to understand that.
I shall not reiterate the points that the right hon. Gentleman has made. There is a saying in Wales that we knock the gatepost for the gate to hear: I hope that the hon. Member for Newport West, heard what the right hon. Gentleman said.
I shall conclude by enumerating the basics that should underpin the debate. First, we need to prevent disease coming to the country in the first place. That is primarily a matter of dealing with illegal meat imports and production. There have been of cases of meat being produced illegally for the smokies trade in west Wales and London. That is a real concern of mine.
359 Secondly, if disease breaks out again, we must ensure that it does not spread. That is a matter of biosecurity in the farming industry, which must be constant, rather than a one-off response to disease. We must identify the animals that have been moved around, and where they have been moved to, which means that we must have a proper animal movement identification system. If disease is present, we must deal with the animals involved, and contiguous animals. We debated earlier whether the best way to do that was by culling or vaccination. I support movement control, but it can be achieved only in co-operation with the industry and farmers, and only if it does not destroy or undermine the livestock industry. After all, we do not want the countryside to be free of disease if that means that we have to import all our meat, do we?
With the leave of the House, I should like to respond to the debate.
Lords amendment No. 45 is important. It is inevitable that the House will want to concentrate on it, given the interest in the 20-day animal movement limit. The Government accept the main thrust of the amendment. We want to make some small technical changes, which I shall explain in a moment.
The hon. Members for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes), for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr. Williams), for Hexham (Mr. Atkinson), for Ceredigion (Mr. Thomas) and the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry), and my hon. Friends the Members for Stroud (Mr. Drew) and for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) all made fair points about the impact of animal movements on the industry. They accepted the need for movements, which the Government recognise, but all speakers conceded that some movements have to be stopped as one of a range of a disease control measures.
The question is where that stop should fall, which is why an independent assessment is being conducted. The House of Lords asked for time to consider the independent reports, so I am surprised that their lordships have ignored their recommendations. That is why I am asking the House to reject this amendment. It has been useful as a platform for debate, but it does not really add to the Bill. It is inappropriate, and we should wait for the proper assessment as we continue the debate with industry.
The Government do not disagree with the arguments advanced in the other place that biosecurity must apply to everyone in the livestock industry. It must include the Department's staff, contractors, hauliers and everyone who goes on to farms. However, we have two small differences of opinion when it comes to the amendment.
First, it is unnecessary to make specific provision that the Secretary of State must send final guidance on biosecurity to those persons and organisations listed in the amendment's compliance provisions, which are very specific. It is a standard requirement for the Department that written consultations are sent out to such persons or organisations as the Secretary of State considers to be representative. The provision is worded in broad terms in the Government's proposal, so that the Secretary of State is not unnecessarily restricted. For example, the 360 Secretary of State might want to seek the views of vets or scientists. They do not fall within the very strictly defined categories in proposed new subsection 6B(5).
Secondly, proposed new subsection 6B(1) deals with the distribution of guidance to all those listed in proposed new section 6A(3). It is significant, because it would mean that the exercise by the Government of functions under this legislation would be unlawful if the Government, for whatever reason, did not distribute guidance to all those listed, regardless of whether the guidance was relevant or applicable to them.
Clearly, it would not be acceptable for the Government to have their power to act removed in that way for failing to distribute guidance to everyone on the list. There is always someone who might claim that they did not receive the guidance. The list is so specific and narrowly defined that it would leave the Government open to all sorts of difficulties.
That is not to say that the Government are against distributing information and guidance. We are committed to openness and transparency, and to communicating relevant information about all policies and about the proportionate action that we would take to prevent the spread of animal disease.
That is why we have ensured that the requirement already in the Bill to publish the biosecurity guidance will ensure that it is available to all the people, organisations, and stakeholder representatives who need to know about it. We want to make sure that people get the information, but the amendment is unduly restrictive.
I hope that the House will accept the minor amendment that the Government propose.
With the leave of the House, I shall say a word about biosecurity. As the Minister said, we did not debate it at the start of the discussion of this group of amendments. However, it seems to be linked intrinsically with the 20-day rule, as I said earlier. In many ways, preventing animals from spreading foot and mouth has to go hand in hand with the dispersal of information among everyone who might have contact with livestock during a disease crisis.
That was the subject of consideration in the other place. The Lords was determined to ensure that the information was comprehensible, coherent, and distributed as widely as possible. If people are going to make lots of movements in and out of infected areas that requires them to be informed about risk as fully and well as possible. That is part of risk management, as the Minister acknowledged in his brief remarks. However, the Lords would like a specific list of organisations that the Secretary of State is obliged to contact on biosecurity measures. The Minister said that that is standard practice, that it is done all the time, and that he was sure that the Secretary of State would use her judgment. That is fine and good, but I think that the Lords are right in saying that distributing and publishing such information and sending out draft material needs to be specified clearly in the Bill. To that end, we support the Lords amendment.
§ The House divided: Ayes 283, Noes 178.
§ It being three and a half hours after the commencement of proceedings, Mr Deputy Speaker put the remaining Question required to be put at that hour, pursuant to Order [this day].
§ Amendments proposed to the Lords amendment No. 45: (a) and (b).
§ The House divided: Ayes 292, Noes 174.
Doran, Frank Khabra, Piara S.
§ Lords amendment No. 45, as amended, agreed to [Special Entry]. | 2019-04-25T16:14:45Z | https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/2002/nov/06/new-clause |
A method and system for identifying relevant messages in a conversation graph includes identifying a context message within the conversation graph. The context message is marked as relevant and additional messages are marked as relevant based on various criteria. A plurality of authors of messages marked as relevant is identified and a plurality of unmarked messages authored by the plurality of authors is marked as relevant. In addition, a plurality of parent messages of messages marked as relevant are identified and marked as relevant. A list comprising messages marked as relevant is then provided to a user. Multiple steps can be repeated until convergence after which the list can be provided to the user.
This application is a Continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/736,634 filed Jan. 8, 2013, and related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/770,955 filed Feb. 19, 2013, and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/020,447 filed Sep. 6, 2013, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The present disclosure relates generally to message presentation, and more particularly to conversation graph pruning.
Social networking services allow users to author and share messages with multiple users. For example, a first user can author and publish a message for other users to read. The messages can be any of a variety of lengths which may be limited by a specific messaging system or protocol. For example, a short messaging service protocol typically limits messages to 140 characters in length.
Users interested in viewing messages authored by a particular user can choose to follow the particular user. A first user can follow a second user by identifying the second user as a user the first user would like to follow. After the first user has indicated that they would like to follow the second user, the first user will be provided with messages authored by the second user. Users can choose to follow multiple users. Users can also respond to messages and thereby have conversations with one another. Both unidirectional (e.g., follower/followee) and bidirectional (e.g., friendship) relationships may exist, depending on the type of network.
A conversation consists of a root message, messages in reply to the root message, messages in reply to the messages in reply to the root message, etc. A conversation graph is a data structure which includes all messages in a conversation. Users can view an entire conversation based on messages included in the conversation graph. Messages in the conversation can be displayed to a user in a variety of ways. For example, all messages in a conversation can be displayed in a list ordered based on the time each message was sent. However, when a conversation comprises a large number of messages, the number of messages displayed can be very large and may overwhelm the user.
In one or more embodiments, a method for identifying relevant messages in a conversation graph includes identifying a context message within the conversation graph. The context message is marked as relevant and additional messages are marked as relevant based on various criteria. A plurality of authors of messages marked as relevant is identified. A plurality of unmarked messages authored by the plurality of authors is also marked as relevant. In addition, a plurality of parent messages of messages marked as relevant is identified and marked as relevant. A list comprising messages marked as relevant is then provided to a user.
In one or more embodiments, several of the steps described above are repeated until convergence and then the list is provided to a user.
Prolific authors can be identified and messages authored by prolific authors can be marked as relevant. Similarly, credible authors can be identified and messages authored by credible authors can be marked as relevant. Users mentioned in a message, but not identified as a sender, can be identified as relevant users. Messages authored by relevant users can be marked as relevant.
In one or more embodiments, a root message of the conversation graph is marked as relevant prior to the identification of the plurality of authors. In one or more embodiments, the context message is the root message of the conversation graph. In another embodiment, the context message is identified by a user via a user selection. A relevant conversation, in one or more embodiments, comprises marked messages from the conversation graph.
A system and computer readable medium for identifying relevant messages in a conversation graph are also described.
FIG. 1 depicts a diagram of a messaging platform in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 2 depicts a message table in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 3 depicts an account table in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 4 depicts a graphical representation of an example conversation graph in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of a method for identifying relevant messages in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
FIGS. 6A and 6B depict example user interfaces in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 7 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer for identifying relevant messages in a conversation graph, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
A messaging platform facilitates viewing of messages by users. Messages can be viewed in a variety of ways. For example, all messages associated with a particular account can be viewed by a user. Messages can also be viewed based on relationships between messages. In one or more embodiments, a user can view one or more messages included in a conversation graph. A conversation graph is a data structure which includes all messages in a conversation. In one or more embodiments, a conversation graph is a data structure comprising a root message and one or more messages in reply, directly or indirectly, to the root message. A root message is a message which is identified as being not in reply to any other message. A user can also view messages related to a particular message selected by a user, wherein the particular message selected is referred to as a context message. The messaging platform receives, stores, and delivers messages to and from users.
It should be noted that messages are associated with a particular account which may be associated with an individual user or an entity such as a business or service. For example, a news service may have an account which is modified by one or more users. In this example, the account is associated with the news service and not a particular user.
In one or more embodiments, various criteria and algorithms are used in order to identify relevant messages in a conversation graph. A subset of the messages in the conversation graph may be marked as relevant in accordance with methods described herein based on one or more context data items (e.g., a context message). For purposes of this disclosure, this subset of relevant messages may be referred to as a relevant conversation. Any portion of a relevant conversation may be returned in response to a request for relevant messages.
FIG. 1 depicts a diagram of a messaging platform 100 according to one embodiment. Messaging platform 100 includes a routing module 125, a graph fanoutmodule 130, a delivery module 135, conversation repository 148, message repository 140, connection graph repository 142, stream repository 144, account repository 146, conversation module 120, including a semantic analysis module 128, and a front end module 110 including an API module 112.
In one or more embodiments, routing module 125 includes functionality to receive one or more messages, assign a message identifier (referred to as a message ID) to each message, and store the message(s) and message ID(s) in message repository 140. In one embodiment, routing module 125 also includes functionality to determine an identification of a sender of each message and transmit the identification of the sender to graph fanoutmodule 130.
In one or more embodiments, graph fanoutmodule 130 includes functionality to receive an identification of the sender (i.e., a particular account via which a user is sending a message) of a message, retrieve user graph data (i.e., information pertaining to a user as described in further detail below) from connection graph repository 142, and/or determine which accounts should receive the message. User graph data, for example, can identify which accounts in the messaging platform are “following” the particular account, and are therefore subscribed to receive messages from the particular account. User graph data may include any type of unidirectional (e.g., follower, subscription, etc.) and/or bidirectional (e.g., friendship, etc.) relationships among accounts. Connection graph repository 142 stores user graph data and transmits information to graph fanoutmodule 130 including a list of accounts associated with (e.g., following, friends with, subscribed to, etc.) the particular account in response to a request from graph fanoutmodule 130.
In one or more embodiments, delivery module 135 includes functionality to receive the list of accounts from graph fanoutmodule 130 and/or the message identifier generated by routing module 125. In response to receipt of this information, delivery module 135 can insert the message identifier into stream data stored in stream repository 144. In one or more embodiments, stream repository 144 stores content (e.g., message identifiers) received from delivery module 135 and/or responds to requests for information received from, for example, front end module 110 or conversation module 120. Stream data stored in stream repository 144 can make up one or more streams associated with one or more accounts of the messaging platform 100. A stream may include a dynamic list of messages associated with one or more accounts and/or can reflect any arbitrary organization of messages that is advantageous for the user of an account.
In one or more embodiments, account repository 146 includes functionality to receive, store, and/or transmit data concerning accounts. For example, account repository 146 may be configured to store information related to accounts such as contact information, location information (e.g., an address), and etc. Account repository 146, as shown in FIG. 1, is in communication with front end module 110 and conversation module 120.
In one or more embodiments, conversation module 120 includes functionality to identify one or more relevant conversations based on a conversation graph. For example, conversation module 120 may be configured to perform the functions described herein in connection with FIG. 5 and/or to receive requests from a user via front end module 110. In one embodiment, relevant conversations determined by conversation module 120 are stored in conversation repository 148. Conversation repository 148 also includes functionally to transmit relevant conversations, and/or a list of messages from a relevant conversation, in response to requests from, for example, conversation module 120 or front end module 110 via conversation module 120. Semantic analysis module 128, in one or more embodiments, is included in conversation module 120. In other embodiments, semantic analysis module 128 may be a module separate from conversation module 120. Semantic analysis module 128 includes functionality to identify one or more topics associated with messages, accounts, and/or conversations as described in further detail below.
Front end module 110, in one or more embodiments, includes functionality to transmit and receive information from one or more clients (e.g., client 105). Front end module 110 includes functionality to serve message streams via interaction with various modules such as conversation module 120. In one embodiment, the functionality described in conjunction with front end module 110 is contained in API module 112. Front end module 110 is in communication with client 105 which, in one embodiment, is used an end point as described below.
An overview of the operation of messaging platform 100, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention, is as follows.
In one or more embodiments, client 105 includes functionality to compose one or more messages in response to user input. For example, a user associated with a particular account can author a message to be sent from any entry point (e.g., client 105). In general, the entry point can be based on the operation of any computing device, for example, a mobile phone, a personal computer (laptop, desktop, or server), or a specialized device having communication capability. The entry point can utilize any of a number of interfaces including a web-based client, a Short Messaging Service (SMS) interface, an instant messaging interface, an email-based interface, an API function-based interface, etc. The entry point may be configured to transmit the message through a communication network to messaging platform 100.
In one or more embodiments, routing module 125 receives the message and, in response, stores the message in message repository 140. The message is assigned an identifier referred to as a message ID which is stored along with the message in message repository 140. Routing module 125 may be configured to store an identification of a sender (e.g., an account ID associated with an individual or an account associated with a non-human entity such as a business or service) along with the message in message repository 140.
In one or more embodiments, the identification of the sender is passed to graph fanoutmodule 130 which, in response, retrieves user graph data from connection graph repository 142. User graph data contains information indicating which accounts are associated with (e.g., following) a particular account, and are therefore subscribed to receive messages or indications regarding messages sent by a user via the particular account. In one embodiment, the sender of the message does not specify recipients when posting the message to the messaging platform 100. Graph fanoutmodule 130 uses the user graph data to determine which accounts associated with the messaging platform 100 should receive the message. In one embodiment, delivery module 135 receives a list of accounts (from graph fanoutmodule 130) and the message identifier (generated by routing module 125).
In one or more embodiments, delivery module 135 inserts the message identifier into one or more message streams associated with each account identified in the list of accounts. The message streams are stored in stream repository 144. A message stream, in one or more embodiments, comprises messages associated with a particular account. For example, the home message stream of each account can include all messages posted by followed or friendedaccounts. In one or more embodiments, the frontend module 110 includes functionality to create one or more message streams in response to user input. For example, a user may select any number of accounts to be included in a given stream. The stream will then display only messages posted by the selected accounts. Message streams can reflect any organization of the messages that can be advantageous for a user of an account on messaging platform 100.
In one or more embodiments, front end module 110 uses storage modules 140, 142, 144 for serving messages to a user of an account on messaging platform 100. In one or more embodiments, stream repository 144 is accessed by front end module 110 to identify a particular message stream. Messages identified by a particular message stream can then be retrieved from message repository 140. Message streams can be constructed using information from connection graph repository 142 and stored in stream repository 144.
Similar to the entry point, a user can use any end point (e.g., client 105) to receive one or more messages. The end point can also be any computing device providing one or more of a number of interfaces. For example, when the user uses a web-based client to access their messages, front end module 110 can be used to serve one or more message streams to the client. Where the user uses a client that accesses messaging platform 100 through an API (application programming interface), API module 112 can be utilized to serve one or more message streams to the client for presentation to the user. Similarly, different forms of message delivery can be handled by different modules in front end module 110 (e.g., by additional modules not shown). The user can specify particular receipt preferences which are implemented by modules in front end module 110.
Messages, in one or more embodiments, are stored in message repository 140. FIG. 2 depicts an example of a message table 200 which includes multiple records (e.g., 212, 214, 216) containing message data fields 202-210 associated with a message identified by message ID 202. Author Account ID field 204 contains an identifier indicating an account associated with an author of the message identified by message ID 202. In one or more embodiments, each account is associated with a unique account ID. For example, a user named Adam Smith may select the identifier “@adam.” Other identifiers, such as alpha-numeric identifiers, can be selected as well. Message content 206 contains the content of a message identified by message ID 202 field. Typically, the content of a message consists of text. However, in one or more embodiments of the invention, message content can contain various media and/or may include one or more references to various media (e.g., a uniform resource locator (URL) of a video).
In one or more embodiments, relevant participant(s) account ID 208 field contains identifiers of one or more relevant accounts. In one embodiment, the relevant participant(s) account ID 208 excludes the authoring account and/or the parent account (i.e., the author of a message which the message is in reply to) if the message is a reply message. For example, message content 206 can contain text such as “@johnqpublic is correct!”. The character string “@johnqpublic” indicates that an account associated with the “@johnqpublic” identifier is mentioned in the content of the message. The mentioned account identifier (“@johnqpublic”) is inserted into relevant participant(s) 208 field. Identified relevant participants can then be used as a factor in determining which messages in a conversation graph to surface to one or more users (i.e., which messages to include in a relevant conversation).
In one or more embodiments, the conversation module of FIG. 1 includes functionality to identify relevant participants. Relevant participants may be identified based on a variety of different data. For example, relevant participants may be tagged by the user during composition of the message and may be stored as metadata associated with the message (i.e., not within the message content). In another example, relevant participants may be explicitly tagged within the content of the message, as in the example discussed above (e.g., “@johnqpublic is correct!”). Lastly, in yet another example, relevant participants are inferred based on text or data within the content of the message (e.g., facial recognition, display name matching, etc.) In other words, in one or more embodiments, a relevant participant can be identified based on a character string of text which is not explicitly tagged as an account identifier (e.g., not preceded by the “@” symbol). For example, a user may be identified by the user's real name. If the user's real name can be found in display name column 304 of FIG. 3 (described in further detail below), then that user's account ID can be inserted into relevant participant(s) Account ID 208 field of an appropriate record.
In one or more embodiments, in reply to field 210 identifies a parent message that a particular message is in reply to. For example, record 214 identifies message ID number 2 which is identified as being in reply to message ID number 1. The relationships among messages may be used to identify various messages for inclusion in a conversation graph. The reply relationships between two or more messages may be identified based on a variety of different data, in accordance with various embodiments. In one or more embodiments, the reply structure is identified based on metadata associated with each message which is received from a client used to compose the message. For example, a user may click on a “Reply” link displayed below a message displayed in the user's home stream. The client may then display a message composition box for drafting a reply message. The client may submit metadata including the reply relationship (i.e., a message ID of the parent message) with the reply message. Conversely, in another example, the reply relationship may be explicitly defined by the user within the message content. In this example, the reply structure may be identified by identifying one or more account IDs and/or message IDs mentioned within the message content. The designation between authors of parent messages and relevant participants, if any, may be made based on any number of syntactical rules. Thus, the message platform 100 may require that if a message begins with an account ID (e.g., “@john”), the message will be marked as being in reply to a latest message from the mentioned account ID. Thus, the reply to field 210 may be populated based on any means of identifying a reply structure of two or more messages. Lastly, it should be noted that while many of the examples depicted herein include a requirement that each message can only have one parent message, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in a system allowing multi-parent reply structures (i.e., a single message being in reply to two or more parent messages).
Connection graph data, in one or more embodiments, is stored in connection graph repository 142. Connection graph data, in one embodiment, reflects which accounts in messaging platform 100 are associated with (e.g., following, friends with, subscribed to, etc.) a particular account and are, therefore, subscribed to receive status messages from the particular account. Connection graph data can also reflect more sophisticated graph relationships between the accounts. FIG. 3 depicts account data table 300 which includes multiple records 310-324 containing user data 304-306 associated with an account identified by account ID 302. Account ID field 302 contains an identifier which uniquely identifies each account of the messaging platform 100. In one embodiment, the account ID is selected by a user. Although many users may choose to select an account ID that is a concatenation of the user's first and last name, or the name of a business or service, account ID can be an arbitrary alpha-numeric string. Display name 304 contains an identifier indicating a user's name. In one or more embodiments, display name 304 is a character string, typically chosen by a user and comprising the user's actual name. In other embodiments, display name 304 may be a business name, a pseudonym, and/or any other display name selected by a user of the account. Each display name 304 is associated with a particular account ID 302. In one or more embodiments, user names and account IDs are used to facilitate recognition of authors by readers and are used by messaging platform 100 to perform various functions.
In one or more embodiments, followed by field 306 contains identifiers indicating accounts following an account identified by account ID 302. In one or more embodiments, a user can choose to follow another account. A user following a particular account receives messages authored by a user associated with the particular account intended for public viewing. For example, if the user associated with the particular account enters a message for public viewing, all users following the particular account can view the message. In one or more embodiments, users following the particular account will receive a push notification (on their computing device) indicating that a user associated with the particular account has posted a message. In one or more embodiments, users following the particular account will receive a copy of the message the user of the particular account authored for public viewing. For example, FIG. 3 shows that account “@adam” is followed by“@keith”, “@brian”, “@carrie”, and “@david”. As such, “@keith”, “@brian”, “@carrie”, and “@david” are subscribed to receive messages authored by a user associated with the account “@adam”. In one or more embodiments, followed by field 306 is implemented as a bidirectional relationship field (e.g., friendship) and represents a mutual connection between accounts of the messaging platform.
Message repository 140 can be used to generate message streams comprising lists of messages for presentation to a user based on various criteria. For example, a message stream can contain a list of messages from accounts that a particular account is associated with (e.g., following, friends with, etc.).
Message stream data, in one or more embodiments, is stored in stream repository 144.
FIG. 4 is an example depiction of a conversation graph 499 comprising messages 400 through 416. A conversation graph is a data structure including messages of a conversation. In one or more embodiments, the conversation graph includes a root message (e.g., message 400 of FIG. 4) and one or more messages connected, either directly or indirectly, to the root message (e.g., messages 404-416 of FIG. 4). The relationships between the nodes of the conversation graph represent a reply structure of the conversation, wherein each child node is a reply message to at least one corresponding parent node, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. The author of a message is shown underlined in FIG. 4. For example, the author of message 400 is associated with the account “@adam” as identified by the underlining. Messages 400-416 correspond to message data stored in table 200 of FIG. 2. For example, record 212 of table 200 is identified in message ID field 202 as message “1” which corresponds to message 400 depicted in FIG. 4. Record 214 of table 200 is identified in message ID field 202 as message “2” which corresponds to message 402 in FIG. 4. Record 216 of table 200 is identified in message ID field 220 as message “3” which corresponds to message 404 in FIG. 4.
It should be noted that messages can be categorized into various types. For example, a message posted by a particular author without an indication that the message is directed to a particular account may be referred to, in one embodiment, as a broadcast message or simply a message. Broadcast messages are displayed to users with accounts associated with (e.g., following, friends with, etc.) the account of the broadcast message. A message in reply to another message is considered a reply message or, more simply, a reply. In one embodiment, the category of a message determines whether the message will be designated to be displayed to another account or included in other account's message streams.
A direct message (also referred to as a private message) is a message that explicitly identifies one or more accounts as recipients. For example, a message from a user associated with the account @keith that is explicitly directed (by the user authoring the message) to the account @carrie is considered a direct message from @keith to @carrie.
Although conversation graph 499 is depicted in FIG. 4 using a graphical format, the messages depicted in FIG. 4, in one or more embodiments, are stored in message repository 140 in any appropriate data structure. Message 400, in this example, is a root message (i.e., the parent of all messages shown in FIG. 4). Child message 402 is a reply message that is in reply to message 400 as identified by the line connecting message 402 to message 400. Child messages 404 and 406 are reply messages that are in reply to message 402, the relationships of which are shown by the lines connecting the messages. In this example, messages 402-416 are reply messages under root message 400.
Conversation graph 499, in one embodiment, is determined based on the reply structure of messages 400-416. The reply structure may be identified based on metadata associated with each message and/or reply information identified from within the message content, in accordance with various embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, metadata stored in the In Reply to field 210 of table 200 is used to generate a conversation graph. More specifically, the metadata maintains the reply relationships between multiple messages of a conversation. Thus, in this example, each message can be in reply to only one parent message, and only messages which are in the reply chain of the root message are included in the conversation graph. It should be noted that displaying messages solely from accounts having a predefined graph relationship with a user's account may render the conversation incomprehensible to the user.
FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart of a method for identifying relevant messages in a conversation graph. In one or more embodiments, some or all of the functionality for performing the method depicted in FIG. 5 resides in conversation module 120. While the various steps in this flowchart are presented and described sequentially, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that some or all of the steps may be executed in different order and some or all of the steps may be executed in parallel. Further, in one or more embodiments of the invention, one or more of the steps described below may be omitted, repeated, and/or performed in a different order. Accordingly, the specific arrangement of the steps shown in FIG. 5 should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.
At step 502, a context message is identified. A context message may be any one of the messages in a conversation graph. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the context message can be used to identify a context of a request for a relevant messages. Examples of a context message may include, but are not limited to, a message selected by a user, a message including a specified keyword or topic, a message returned in response to a search request, a message associated with an advertisement, and/or any other message included in at least one conversation graph. In one or more embodiments, the context message is identified based on a user selecting a message from a message stream presented via front end module 110. In other embodiments, the context message may be identified as a message including a specified keyword or topic, a message returned in response to a search request, and/or a message associated with an advertisement.
At step 504, the context message is marked as relevant. Marking a message as relevant, in one or more embodiments, may comprise adding a message ID of the message to a list of relevant messages. In one or more embodiments, the list of relevant messages is stored as part of a relevant conversation in conversation repository 148 (shown in FIG. 1). Additional messages may be marked as relevant based on one or more of the following criteria and/or algorithms.
In one or more embodiments, the conversation graph is truncated, prior to performing steps 506-518, to include only (1) the root message, (2) the context message, (3) all messages connecting the root message to the context message, and (4) all direct or indirect children of the context message. In this way, the conversation graph is modified to include only a single branch of messages connecting the root message to the context message, as well as any number of branches below the context message.
At step 506, a set of authors of messages marked as relevant is identified. It should be noted that some steps of flowchart 500 will be repeated as described below. As such, although step 506 indicates that a set of authors of messages marked as relevant is identified, the first execution of step 506 may result in only a single author being identified (i.e., the author of the context message). In the first execution of step 506, the author of the context message is identified as one of the set of authors of messages marked as relevant since the context message is marked as relevant.
At step 508, a plurality of unmarked messages authored by the set of authors is identified. For example, messages in the conversation graph authored by one of the set of authors from step 506 are identified. At step 510, the unmarked messages authored by the set of authors is marked as relevant.
At step 512, parent messages of messages marked as relevant are identified. A parent message of a particular message is a message to which the particular message is in reply. For example, if message 410 depicted in FIG. 4 is marked as relevant, message 404 would be identified as relevant as well since message 410 is depicted as being the child of message 404 indicating that message 410 is in reply to message 404 (i.e., message 404 is a parent message of message 410). At step 514, the parent messages are marked as relevant.
Optionally, at step 515, additional messages are marked as relevant based on various criteria and algorithms described below. In one or more embodiments, step 515 occurs after step 516 and, thus, is only performed one time. In other embodiments, step 515 is part of the iterated portion of the method and is performed multiple times.
At step 516, it is determined whether convergence has occurred. In one or more embodiments, convergence occurs when execution of steps 506-514 (or, alternatively, 506-515) result in no additional messages for a particular conversation being marked as relevant. Alternatively, in one or more embodiments, convergence is deemed to occur after a fixed number of iterations of steps 506-514 (or, alternatively, 506-515). If convergence has not occurred, the method proceeds to step 506. If convergence has occurred, then the method proceeds to step 518.
At step 518, a list comprising the messages marked (e.g., identified) as relevant is provided. In one or more embodiments, the list is presented to a user in a web page via front end module 110. At step 520, the method ends. For example, the list of relevant messages can be presented to a user in an in-line expansion of a message stream, in response to the user expanding or otherwise engaging with a context message (e.g., clicking on a “view conversation” hyperlink). Alternatively, in another example, in response to selecting an option to view the relevant messages, the user may be redirected from the message stream to a separate pane, page, or window which includes the relevant messages. Any user interface for displaying or expanding messages may be used, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
In one or more embodiments, one or more relevant conversations are determined each time a particular user request input is received and the response to the user request input is not saved. In another embodiment, relevant conversations determined by conversation module 120 are stored in conversation repository 148 for retrieval when messages from the same relevant conversation are requested by a user. For example, a relevant conversation determined by conversation module 120 can be stored in conversation repository 148 in any appropriate data structure.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, the list of relevant messages is sorted in chronological order of the time the relevant messages were posted to the messaging platform. The list may include an identifier designating the context message.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, the list of relevant messages is smaller than the relevant conversation. Thus, a predefined number of the relevant messages are returned in response to the request for relevant messages. A subset of an already calculated relevant conversation may be selected for inclusion in the list, or the process of selecting relevant messages (e.g., the process described in FIG. 5) may be terminated upon identifying the predefined number of relevant messages. In one or more embodiments, the relevant messages which are chronologically the closest to the context message are selected for inclusion in the list of relevant messages. Thus, for example, if 11 relevant messages are required for a request, the list of relevant messages can include 5 messages posted prior to the context message and 5 messages posted after the context message. In one or more embodiments, a first predefined number of messages can be defined for messages chronologically preceding the context message and a second predefined number of messages may be defined for messages chronologically succeeding the context message. Thus, for example, conversation module 120 can be configured to return a list of relevant messages including 3 preceding messages and 5 succeeding messages. Any combination of preceding and/or succeeding messages can be used, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
In one or more embodiments, the size of the list of relevant messages can be dependent on additional context data associated with a request for relevant messages. Examples of additional context data can include, but are not limited to, client information (i.e., information regarding a client which originated the request for the relevant conversation), client platform data (e.g., operating system, version, etc.), client view information (e.g., identification of the pane/page/view in which the relevant conversation will be displayed), and any other data relevant to the request for the relevant conversation. Thus, for example, conversation module 120 can be configured to return a smaller number of relevant messages (i.e., based on a smaller predefined number of messages for a request) for requests from a particular mobile client. Thus, it may be advantageous to increase or decrease the number of relevant messages based on one or more client restrictions or requirements (e.g., limited display area on mobile devices).
In one or more embodiments, conversation module 120 is configured to receive a request for additional relevant messages. Conversation module 120 then returns an additional list of relevant messages from the relevant conversation. In one or more embodiments, the entire relevant conversation is stored in conversation repository 148 and only a portion of the relevant conversation is returned depending on the given request. For example, a list of 10 relevant messages may be returned in response to a request from a mobile client. In this example, the relevant conversation is displayed to the user along with an option to expand the conversation upward or downward. Upon receiving a selection of the option to expand the conversation downward, the client submits a request for 5 additional relevant messages, and conversation module 120 identifies and returns the additional 5 relevant messages (i.e., either by identifying the messages in a cached relevant conversation or by performing the process of selecting additional messages from the conversation graph).
Various additional criteria can be used to identify relevant messages in a conversation graph as represented at step 515 in FIG. 5. The additional criteria described below may be used to mark additional messages in a conversation as relevant messages based on auxiliary considerations.
In one or more embodiments, relevant participants may be identified based on the current list of messages marked as relevant. Relevant participants may be identified, for example, based on a relevant participant(s) account ID field of a message table (e.g., relevant participant(s) account ID 208 of FIG. 2, discussed above). In this example, all messages from the newly identified relevant participants may be marked as relevant. In one or more embodiments of the invention, all accounts associated with (e.g., followed by, friends with, etc.) the requesting account (or another account associated with a request for relevant messages) are marked as relevant. Messages by the associated accounts are then marked as relevant messages. In other embodiments, only associated accounts with a minimum number of followers, credibility rating, or other attribute are marked as relevant.
In one or more embodiments, in order to prevent gaps in the relevant conversation, additional messages are identified. For example, in one or more embodiments of the invention, a shortest path may be identified between a particular marked message and a closest marked message in the conversation graph. In this example, all messages in the shortest path (up to a predefined maximum number of messages) are marked. In one or more embodiments of the invention, any message in the shortest path may be marked based on a predefined criteria or algorithm. For example, a message at a mid-point of the shortest path may be marked. In the shortest path, a predefined number of the most-favorited messages, most-rebroadcasted messages, messages from authors with the highest credibility, messages from the most-prolific authors, and/or messages identified using any combination of criteria may be marked, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. In one or more embodiments of the invention, a most relevant path between a marked message and a next closest marked message in the conversation graph are identified. A relevance score may be calculated for each node among one or more potential paths between the marked nodes. A path relevance score may be calculated based on the relevance scores of each node in the path. For example, the path relevance score may be calculated by aggregating the relevance scores of each node in the path and then multiplying the aggregate by a factor of the total number of nodes in the path. In this example, the factor will lower the path relevance score as the length of the potential path increases. Continuing the example, the potential path with the highest path relevance score is then selected and the nodes in the path are all marked. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the process of marking nodes may end after marking these additional nodes (i.e., no other nodes may be marked) or, conversely, additional iterations of the marking process may continue. Any other variation of calculating the node relevance scores and the path relevance scores may be used, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
In one or more embodiments, authors (i.e., users and/or accounts associated with users) that have authored more than a particular number of messages can be identified as prolific authors. Messages authored by prolific authors can be marked as relevant. In addition, messages authored by users having a credibility score above a threshold can be marked as relevant. A particular author's credibility score can be calculated algorithmically based on the particular author's relationships and/or interaction with other users. For example, if a particular user is followed by multiple high profile or prolific accounts, the particular user will typically have a high credibility score. A credibility score can be based on a qualitative indicator (i.e., low, medium, high) or a quantitative indicator, such as a value from 1 to 10.
Authors mentioned in relevant messages can be identified as relevant authors. For example a message including the character string “@johnqpublic is correct!” mentions the account “@johnqpublic”. In one or more embodiments, if the message is identified as relevant, the account “@johnqpublic” will be identified as a relevant author based on the account being mentioned in the relevant message. It should be noted that a user's name (e.g. “John Public”) may be used to identify an account mentioned in a message. For example, table 300 shown in FIG. 3 may be used to determine that user name “Keith Jones” in record 310 is associated with account ID “@Keith”.
A particular author may also be identified as a relevant author based on the particular author identified as being associated with (e.g., followed by, friends with, etc.) an author of a context message. For example, record 310 of FIG. 3 indicates that “@adam” is followed by “@keith”. In this example, “@adam” would be identified as a relevant author with respect to a context message authored by “@keith”.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, messages authored by one or more users associated with one or more accounts may be deemed relevant based on context-specific data. In other words, an account may be relevant with respect to one conversation and non-relevant with respect to another conversation, depending on the context-specific data and criteria used. Examples of context-specific data may include, but are not limited to, a topic of a message, one or more keywords (e.g., denoted by a hash tag) identified in a message (e.g., a root message or context message), a conversation topic of a conversation including a message, a keyword and/or topic of a search request, and/or any other context specific data associated with a request for relevant messages. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the conversation module 120 is configured to identify a topic associated with a message (e.g., a context message of a request for relevant messages). The conversation module 120 may be configured to submit the text of the message as an input to a semantic analysis module 128.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, semantic analysis module 128 includes functionality to identify one or more topics associated with messages, accounts, and/or conversations. Semantic analysis module 128 may analyze a message based on frequency of a word, density of a word, connotations of a word, semantic equivalents of a word, sentiments associated with a word, and/or any other criteria for categorizing an account, message, or conversation. In one or more embodiments of the invention, semantic analysis module 128 includes functionality to calculate a relevance score representing a relevance of a message, account, or conversation to a topic. Semantic analysis module 128 may then provide one or more relevance scores to the conversation module in response to a request. The conversation module 120 may utilize the one or more relevance scores to determine a relevance between accounts, messages, and/or conversations. For example, the conversation module 120 may identify a high relevance of a conversation to a predefined topic. In this example, the conversation module 120 may then identify one or more authors of messages in the conversation with high relevance scores to the same predefined topic. In other words, if a conversation has a high relevance score to the topic “basketball” the conversation module 120 may identify one or more professional basketball players with messages in the conversation graph (by virtue of the fact that a basketball player's account may have a high relevance score to the topic “basketball”). In this example, the conversation module 120 then marks one or more messages authored by these high relevance authors as relevant. In one or more embodiments of the invention, one or more predefined relevance threshold values may be used to determine if the relevance score is sufficient to designate the author as a high relevance author. Any amount of further relevance analysis may be performed (e.g., based on relevance of individual messages of the high relevance authors in the conversation graph) to further reduce the number of messages marked as relevant, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, the conversation module 120 includes functionality to use user graph data stored in connection graph repository 142 to determine degrees of separation between one or more accounts. Relevant authors in a conversation graph may be identified based on a predefined threshold of degrees of separation. For example, if a first account is an author of the context message and follows a second account, the second account replying to a message authored by a third account can result in the third account being identified as a relevant author. In this example, all messages in the conversation graph which are authored by relevant authors can be marked as relevant. Thus, in one or more embodiments, accounts within a predefined degrees of separation threshold (with respect to a user's account and/or an account of the context message) are marked as relevant accounts.
A message can be marked as relevant based on information related to an author of the message (i.e., the account used in authoring the message). In one or more embodiments, users can rate a particular user based on various factors such as quality of messages, popularity, etc. A rating can be assigned to the particular user based on this input. Messages from the particular user can then be marked as relevant based on the user's rating exceeding a predefined threshold rating.
In one or more embodiments, users can be verified using various criteria. For example, a particular user can be identified as a verified user in response to the user providing proof of identity. Messages by verified users can then be identified as relevant messages.
In one or more embodiments, a message can be identified as relevant with respect to a context message based on a higher than expected amount of engagement with the message (i.e., the engagement amount exceeding a predefined threshold). For example, a typical message may have one or two replies. In this example, if a message is determined to have greater than two replies, then the message can be marked as relevant based on this relatively higher than expected amount of engagement. In addition, messages may be reposted by other users or identified as being found interesting (e.g., by being “favorited”, saved, or otherwise engaged with, etc.). A message which has been reposted and/or identified as being found interesting may also be identified as relevant based on the number of reposts and/or identifications.
It should be noted that, in one or more embodiments, data pertaining to users (e.g., credibility, prolificacy, etc.) can be stored in connection graph repository 142. For example, a credibility field may be added to records 310-318 of table 300 shown in FIG. 3. Similarly, data pertaining to a message (number of replies to, number of times identified as interesting, etc.) can be stored in message repository 140. For example, a “number of replies to” field can be added to the records of table 200 shown in FIG. 2.
The following section describes various examples of the invention. The examples are included to aid in the understanding of the invention but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
FIG. 6A depicts example user interface 600 according to one embodiment in which messages are displayed to a user. The particular account for which the user interface is displaying messages is identified by account field 602. Icons depicted below account field 602 pertain to functions a user can select. Stream field 604 can be selected (e.g., touching a touch screen over the icon indicating stream field 604) in order to display a home stream of messages. Messages field 606 can be selected in order to display a particular group of messages posted by the account (602). Lists field 608 can be selected in order to select a message stream corresponding to a particular list of accounts selected by the user. Profile field 610 can be selected in order to open a user interface in which a user can modify account information and settings. Search field 612 can be selected in order to search messages based on various user selected criteria. New message icon 614 can be selected in order to author a new message.
In the example of FIG. 6A, the home stream is displayed by default. Messages 620, 622, and 630 are displayed in the home stream based on account 602 (“Keith”) following the accounts “@brian” and “@adam” as shown in table 300 of FIG. 3. Messages 650, 652, 654, 656, and 658 are also displayed in the home stream based on account 602 (“Keith”) additionally following the accounts “@bocci”, “@dylan”, “@debbie”, “@saveearth”, and “@news” (not shown in FIG. 3). The author of each message, in one embodiment, is identified by the author's avatar followed by the author's account ID. For example, message 620 depicts a generic avatar of the author followed by the author's account ID, in this case, “@adam”. Messages 620, 622, and 630 contain a view conversation link (e.g., view conversation link 632) which, in this example, is a hyperlink which indicates that relevant messages including the corresponding message can be viewed by selecting the hyperlink.
As depicted in FIG. 6A, message 620 is from account “@adam” and reads “I hate football”. Message 622 is from account “@brian”, is directed towards account “@adam”, and reads “How can you say that?” Message 630 is from account “@brian” and is directed to account “@carrie” and reads “I love you anyway.” In this example, other relevant messages which are part of the conversation are not displayed in the home stream because they are posted by accounts which are not followed by account 602. In addition, messages which do not pertain to the conversation are also displayed in the home stream (i.e., messages 650, 652, 654, 656, and 658).
Messages 620, 622, and 630 may appear to not make sense and may not provide a user reading the messages with a complete understanding of the interaction. Further, messages 650-658 can further confuse a reader since these messages are interspersed between messages 620, 622, and 630 and are not related to the conversation. Hyperlink 632 in message 622 indicates that there may be more messages in the conversation which are not included in the current stream, or are dispersed throughout the stream. In this example, messages 620, 622, and 630 of FIG. 6A are depicted as messages 400, 404, and 412 in conversation graph 499 of FIG. 4.
Continuing the example, the user selects hyperlink 632 in message 622 in order to view relevant messages. Based on the user's selection of hyperlink 632, message 622 is identified as the context message. Since message 622 corresponds to message 404 of FIG. 4, message 404 is marked as relevant based on its selection as the context message.
Continuing the example, a plurality of authors of messages marked as relevant are identified. In this example, the account “@brian” is identified as an author of a message (404) marked as relevant. A plurality of unmarked messages authored by the plurality of authors is then identified. In this example, message 412 is identified as an unmarked message authored by an author of a relevant message (i.e., the account “@brian” is the author of message 404) and is marked as relevant.
Continuing the example, a plurality of parent messages of messages marked as relevant is then identified. In this example, message 402 is identified as the parent of message 404, and message 408 is identified as the parent of message 412. Since messages 402 and 408 are identified as parent messages of messages marked as relevant, messages 402 and 408 are marked as relevant.
Continuing the example, based on the marking of messages 412, 408, and 402, it is determined that convergence has not occurred. In other words, since additional messages were marked as relevant in the last iteration of the method, convergence has not occurred. The process continues by identifying and marking unmarked messages by authors marked as relevant. In this example, no additional messages are identified from authors marked as relevant. Next, message 400 is identified as a parent message of a message marked as relevant (i.e., message 400 is the parent of message 402, which is marked as relevant) and is thus marked as relevant.
Continuing the example, it is again determined whether convergence has occurred. Since the last iteration produced a relevant message (400), convergence has not yet occurred and the process proceeds. In the final iteration, no additional messages are marked as relevant from relevant authors. Furthermore, no additional messages are marked as relevant based on being a parent message of a message marked as relevant. As such, it is then determined that convergence has occurred and a relevant conversation comprising messages marked as relevant is provided. In this example, the relevant conversation comprises messages 620, 621, 622, 626, and 630 of FIG. 6B which correspond to messages 400, 402, 404, 408, and 412 shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6B depicts example user interface 600 which displays a relevant conversation including messages 620, 621, 622, 626, and 630 in response to selection of hyperlink 632 in message 622 of FIG. 6A. The messages displayed in FIG. 6A are based on accounts “Keith” (i.e., account “@keith”) follows, while the messages displayed in FIG. 6B are messages included in the relevant conversation generated based on an embodiment of the method depicted in FIG. 5 (discussed above). As depicted in FIG. 6B, messages 620, 622, and 630 are augmented by the display of messages 621 and 626. Since messages determined to be part of the relevant conversation are depicted in FIG. 6B, the user associated with the account “@keith” can gain a better understanding of the exchange.
Systems, apparatus, and methods described herein may be implemented using digital circuitry, or using one or more computers using well-known computer processors, memory units, storage devices, computer software, and other components. Typically, a computer includes a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. A computer may also include, or be coupled to, one or more mass storage devices, such as one or more magnetic disks, internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, optical disks, etc.
Systems, apparatus, and methods described herein may be implemented using computers operating in a client-server relationship. Typically, in such a system, the client computers are located remotely from the server computer and interact via a network. The client-server relationship may be defined and controlled by computer programs running on the respective client and server computers.
Systems, apparatus, and methods described herein may be implemented within a network-based cloud computing system. In such a network-based cloud computing system, a server or another processor that is connected to a network communicates with one or more client computers via a network. A client computer may communicate with the server via a network browser application residing and operating on the client computer, for example. A client computer may store data on the server and access the data via the network. A client computer may transmit requests for data, or requests for online services, to the server via the network. The server may perform requested services and provide data to the client computer(s). The server may also transmit data adapted to cause a client computer to perform a specified function, e.g., to perform a calculation, to display specified data on a screen, etc. For example, the server may transmit a request adapted to cause a client computer to perform one or more of the method steps described herein, including one or more of the steps of FIG. 5. Certain steps of the methods described herein, including one or more of the steps of FIG. 5, may be performed by a server or by another processor in a network-based cloud-computing system. Certain steps of the methods described herein, including one or more of the steps of FIG. 5, may be performed by a client computer in a network-based cloud computing system. The steps of the methods described herein, including one or more of the steps of FIG. 5, may be performed by a server and/or by a client computer in a network-based cloud computing system, in any combination.
Systems, apparatus, and methods described herein may be implemented using a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a non-transitory machine-readable storage device, for execution by a programmable processor; and the method steps described herein, including one or more of the steps of FIG. 5, may be implemented using one or more computer programs that are executable by such a processor. A computer program is a set of computer program instructions that can be used, directly or indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.
A high-level block diagram of an example computer that may be used to implement systems, apparatus, and methods described herein is depicted in FIG. 7. Computer 702 includes a processor 704 operatively coupled to a data storage device 712 and a memory 710. Processor 704 controls the overall operation of computer 702 by executing computer program instructions that define such operations. The computer program instructions may be stored in data storage device 712, or other computer readable medium, and loaded into memory 710 when execution of the computer program instructions is desired. Thus, the method steps of FIG. 5 can be defined by the computer program instructions stored in memory 710 and/or data storage device 712 and controlled by processor 704 executing the computer program instructions. For example, the computer program instructions can be implemented as computer executable code programmed by one skilled in the art to perform the method steps of FIG. 5. Accordingly, by executing the computer program instructions, the processor 704 executes the method steps of FIG. 5. Computer 702 also includes one or more network interfaces 706 for communicating with other devices via a network. Computer 702 also includes one or more input/output devices 708 that enable user interaction with computer 702 (e.g., display, keyboard, mouse, speakers, buttons, etc.).
Processor 704 may include both general and special purpose microprocessors, and may be the sole processor or one of multiple processors of computer 702. Processor 704 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs), for example. Processor 704, data storage device 712, and/or memory 710 may include, be supplemented by, or incorporated in, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and/or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
Data storage device 712 and memory 710 each include a tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Data storage device 712, and memory 710, may each include high-speed random access memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR RAM), or other random access solid state memory devices, and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, semiconductor memory devices, such as erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc read-only memory (DVD-ROM) disks, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices.
Input/output devices 708 may include peripherals, such as a printer, scanner, display screen, etc. For example, input/output devices 708 may include a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor for displaying information to the user, a keyboard, and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide input to computer 702.
Any or all of the systems and apparatus discussed herein, including messaging platform 100, may be implemented using one or more computers such as computer 702.
One skilled in the art will recognize that an implementation of an actual computer or computer system may have other structures and may contain other components as well, and that FIG. 7 is a high level representation of some of the components of such a computer for illustrative purposes.
The foregoing Detailed Description is to be understood as being in every respect illustrative and exemplary, but not restrictive, and the scope of the inventive concept disclosed herein is not to be determined from the Detailed Description, but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws. It is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the inventive concept and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive concept. Those skilled in the art could implement various other feature combinations without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive concept.
displaying the conversation in response to a selection of the selectable link such that the plurality of messages relevant to the displayed message are displayed on the user interface.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of messages relevant to the displayed message is identified as relevant based on the at least one of the plurality of messages relevant to the displayed message being identified as a context message.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of messages relevant to the displayed message is identified as relevant based on an author of the at least one of the plurality of messages relevant to the displayed message being identified as a relevant author.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the relevant author is identified based on the author being a prolific author or a credible author.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the prolific author is an author that has authored more than a particular number of messages.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the credible author is an author that has an author credibility above a threshold.
7. The method of claim 2, wherein the context message is identified by one of a message selected by a user, a message including one of a specific keyword and a topic, a message returned in response to a search request, a message associated with an advertisement, and a message included in a particular conversation graph.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation includes a tree structure, the tree structure including a root message and a plurality of child messages in reply to the root message.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages relevant to the displayed message are displayed in an order based on a respective time at which each of the plurality of messages relevant to the displayed message was posted.
transmitting the conversation for display on the user interface of the computing device such that the plurality of messages identified as relevant to the message are displayed on the user interface of the computing device.
identifying each of the plurality of messages relevant to the message based on the message being identified as the context message.
identifying at least one of the plurality of messages relevant to the message as relevant based on an author of the message being the relevant author.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying the author as the relevant author is based on the author being a prolific author or a credible author.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the prolific author is an author that has authored more than a particular number of messages.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the credible author is an author that has an author credibility above a threshold.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the context message is identified by one of a message selected by a user, a message including one of a specific keyword and a topic, a message returned in response to a search request, a message associated with an advertisement, and a message included in a particular conversation graph.
17. The method of claim 10, wherein the conversation includes a tree structure, the tree structure including a root message and a plurality of child messages in reply to the root message.
18. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of messages identified as relevant to the message are configured to be displayed in an order based on a respective time at which each of the plurality of messages identified as relevant to the message was posted.
receiving a request for a conversation associated with the message in response to an indication that the selectable link has been selected; identifying a plurality of messages relevant to the message from the conversation; and transmitting the conversation for display on the user interface of the computing device such that the plurality of messages identified as relevant to the message are displayed on the user interface of the computing device.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the identifying the author as the relevant author is based on the author being a prolific author or a credible author.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein the prolific author is an author that has authored more than a particular number of messages.
24. The system of claim 22, wherein the credible author is an author that has an author credibility above a threshold.
25. The system of claim 20, wherein the context message is identified by one of a message selected by a user, a message including one of a specific keyword and a topic, a message returned in response to a search request, a message associated with an advertisement, and a message included in a particular conversation graph.
26. The system of claim 19, wherein the conversation includes a tree structure, the tree structure including a root message and a plurality of child messages in reply to the root message.
27. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of messages identified as relevant to the message are configured to be displayed in an order based on a respective time at which each of the plurality of messages identified as relevant to the message was posted.
28. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages relevant to the messages are a subset of messages included within the conversation.
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See-Think-Do is a marketing framework for understanding your prospect’s state of being. Because it is customer-centric and aligns well with the Iterative Marketing methodology, we refer to it often. People move in and out of different states as priorities change and they interact with different products and providers. This episode takes a deep dive into ‘Do’ and outlines the goals, content, targeting and measurement for the state. ‘Do’ state is the audience who has made a commitment to themselves or someone else to buy.
With the do audience, our goal is to ultimately close sales. So this is the easiest of the three states to measure effectiveness.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Iterative Marketing podcast. I am your host, Steve Robinson, and with me as always is the exuberant and somewhat gregarious Elizabeth Earin.
Elizabeth Earin: Hi, Steve. How are you today?
Steve Robinson: I am doing great. How are you?
Elizabeth Earin: I am good. A little bit of a head cold, so apologize to our listeners if you hear me sniffle.
Steve Robinson: Yeah, it is that time of year. I know in our family we have got the viruses swooping through as the kids go back to school.
Elizabeth Earin: Summer is over. How did that happen so fast?
Steve Robinson: I don’t know. It seems like a switch just flipped and the weather is definitely in the fall mode and — I don’t know. I’m mourning the loss of summer and also trying to avoid thinking about all of the summer projects that didn’t actually get done this summer.
Steve Robinson: Yeah, it’ll be nice to starting the family gatherings by Thanksgiving and everything coming up so it’s good, it’s good.
Elizabeth Earin: Today, we are talking about “Do” state. We have gone through the different journey states. We did a great high level overview and then we have sort of been doing these deep dives into them and so today we are going deep dive into “Do” state.
Steve Robinson: And so as we have done in the past episodes, we will go through a quick overview of the journey states. That said, if you haven’t listened to Episode 7, I think where we go through “See, Think and Do”. It’s a while back. We will link to in the show notes, but if you haven’t gone through the episode where we went through “See, Think and Do”, definitely take a moment to rewind and go and take a look at that and then it wouldn’t hurt if you had listened to the other two deep dives, the one on “See” and the one on “Think.” But if you haven’t, I think you’ll stay afloat just fine as we work through this episode.
Elizabeth Earin: So, once we go through sort of those – that higher level, we will take a look at what the specific goals are for our “Do” audience, the content that we use to target the “Do” audience and then how we actually target the “Do” audience and then we’ll wrap it up with one of our favorite topics and that’s measurement.
Steve Robinson: So let’s start with that high-level overview. When we talk about “See, Think, Do” we are talking about a framework that we use to map the customers’ journey and we took that framework from a really, really smart guy, Avinash Kaushik, who is at Google and we have adapted it slightly and tweaked just the tail end of that journey. So I am going to go through each of the states and I think it’s important to note that people bounce from state to state. This isn’t necessarily like a linear progression, although in a perfect world, we’d love it to be. The reality is that our customers actually bounce from state to state.
So we start with the “See” state. And the “See” state, this is a qualified prospect, somebody who could buy your product. They have the means. They have the need but they are not looking at your product at this particular moment. So they are perfectly satisfied with the one they have got or they just haven’t run across an actual need to purchase your product just yet. We go into a deep dive into the “See” state in Episode 23 if you want to take a moment to go in and listen to that.
“Think” state is where the prospect – now, not only are they qualified to purchase your product but something has put your product or service on their radar. So now they are considering. They are thinking about it but they have no commitment to themselves or to anybody else to actually follow through with a purchase on this product. They are just kind of thinking about it. There is an inkling there that they might need one in the future.
“Do” state is where we flipped and we are actually committed to buy. Now, that doesn’t mean that we have some impending consequence if we don’t buy. It just means that we have made a commitment to ourselves or to somebody else that we are going to follow through the purchase. It also doesn’t mean that that prospect is going to buy from you. There’s still an opportunity for them to buy from someone else. So for example, I could be in a position where I am in “Do” state about buying a new car if my lease is up on my current car. There’s an impending date-time timeframe that I am going to have to make a purchase. Otherwise, I am not going to have something to drive. This comes up in a variety of different ways. Usually it’s an emotional commitment we have made, that switch is flipped inside of us that we have decided that we are going to follow through on a purchase of a given product or service. We just aren’t sure exactly where we are going to buy it or which product it might be.
We have two more states that we’ll talk about in deep dives in the future and that is “Grow” and “Give” and this is after that prospect becomes a customer. At this point, we flip over into “Grow” where they have bought from you. They are loyal to you but they are not singing your praises to others necessarily. So at this point, you are trying to really nurture and grow that relationship and they are growing into you likewise, hence the term “Grow.” And then “Give” is where not only has that prospect — could become a customer of yours and a loyal customer of yours, but now they are singing your praises. They are out evangelizing your brand to others and they are writing reviews and they are sharing the word of the great work or product that you have.
Steve Robinson: And so again, your “Do” state, this is somebody who’s made somewhat of a commitment either to themselves and that’s usually in a B2C type scenario or possibly to somebody else which usually comes up in a B2B scenario where they have said part of my plan for the year is to purchase X or identify a vendor for Y, right? They have made that commitment to purchase. That doesn’t mean they are ready to purchase from you. It just means that they have made a commitment to purchase and so we have a number of goals as we as marketers try to influence that person’s purchase.
Elizabeth Earin: So the first thing that we want to do is we want to elicit an action or a commitment to purchase from them. We want to know that they are ready to make that purchase. Again, it may not be with us but they are at that state where they have decided that they are going to buy and we want to know that they are ready to buy.
Steve Robinson: We also want to make sure that we are a resource for them as they move through the buyers’ journey. So really at this point, it’s the end state of that buyers’ journey so we want to help them understand the — why they need to buy our product or help them with any last-minute comparisons between us and another vendor or another product. It’s really helping tie up that purchase decision in a nice little bow.
Elizabeth Earin: And we want to do all of this while being a resource, but not getting in the way of a salesperson if a salesperson is involved. And this is very important here because this is really where we see a lot of sort of the marketing and the sales process coming together. If a salesperson is involved in the process, we want to support them without actually getting in their way.
Steve Robinson: And then finally while somebody is in this “Do” state, if we can, we want to take an opportunity to support the brand and its key messages. I’ll talk about this later, but we all buy from those people that we know, like and trust, and so anything we can do to reinforce the brand, to make the prospect feel like they know us, feel like they like us, and feel like they trust us as they are wrapping up that sale, we want to continue that presence from a brand standpoint.
Elizabeth Earin: So why is all of this important?
Steve Robinson: Well, it’s important for a couple of different reasons and it depends a little bit on whether you are B2B or B2C or more importantly whether you have a salesperson involved or not. If you don’t have a salesperson involved, then part of the function of marketing at “Do” state is to get that customer to act because even though they have made a commitment to themselves or to somebody else to purchase, sometimes there’s no immediacy to that timeframe. Sometimes there is a no path for them to follow to complete that purchase. You want to lay that path out in front of them and make it as easy as possible for them to go down.
Elizabeth Earin: Another reason this is important is a “Do” state prospect is ready to make a final selection. They are ready to make a purchase and we want to make sure that that experience, as they are moving into those final steps of that purchasing path, aligns with the experiences they have had throughout the rest of their journey state. It needs to feel the same to them. If it doesn’t, if it feels off in any way, shape or form, they are going to step back and they are going to think twice about making that purchasing decision. So we really want to make sure that we have a consistent experience for them.
Steve Robinson: This is especially true in B2B or in instances when you have a salesperson, because oftentimes, marketing will just stop as soon as that deal is handed off to the salesperson and anything you have got going in your marketing automation system hits a dead stop because we don’t want to interfere with the salesperson. The reality is that that can create an incongruence in that person’s and that prospect’s experience with the brand. And if you can naturally continue the relationship from a brand level while you have a salesperson involved, it can create a much more congruent experience.
Elizabeth Earin: It’s funny. Actually, I was just talking to one of our clients about this this morning and they said, well, sales is handling it so we don’t have to do anything. And I am like, no, no, no. It’s very important that you are still involved because you have been talking to them for the past nine months and if you suddenly drop off, that’s not a good experience for them. And so this is just another reason why it’s very important to make sure that marketing and sales both have a seat at the table when you are talking about the journey states and the different collateral and messages that you are using to put out to your prospects.
Steve Robinson: And it comes back to a concept that I have talked about a lot in the past and that is that as human beings we make decisions with our emotions. And I know that that’s somewhat hard to stomach because we all think of ourselves as very rational human beings and we are not entirely like off on some emotional tangent all the time, but the reality is that the decision-making engine inside of us, while it can be informed biologic, ultimately is an emotional engine. And so as a marketer it’s very important to continue that brand messaging, that brand alignment that helps that person feel like they know, like and trust that brand as they complete that purchase, and so tying back to the brand values and continuing that messaging through the “Do” state is really an important move.
Elizabeth Earin: So let me ask you this, Steve: We get asked this question a lot as we are working with new clients who haven’t — aren’t necessarily familiar with the journey states. They love “Do” state. They love “Do” state because this is where we see the conversions and a lot of them want to focus or put a big bulk of their efforts in the “Do” state and maybe not as much effort or even ignore “See” and “Think.” Why do we not want to do that?
Steve Robinson: Oh! this is – you hit a hot button here, Elizabeth. You put a quarter in the machine now, so this is not good. But yeah, this is really a common message that we hear from our clients and prospects. This is something that we hear every day. It’s also something that I am reading a lot more of online and it really has me a bit disturbed. This comes back to that idea of again doing business with those that we know, like and trust, and so I like to tell a little story here. So imagine that you are selling your house, right? Or you are thinking of selling your house. You haven’t really actually decided to sell your house but you are thinking of selling your house and so there’s this realtor, friend of a friend that you know, that you hit up for some advice. Hey, do I upgrade my kitchen before I sell? What’s the best time of year to sell? And so you are pinging him with these questions here and there. He is giving you some great advice along the way and then let’s just say there’s a magic algorithm out there that’s able to predict when somebody is in market for a realtor and ready to list their house and that magic algorithm suddenly figures out that you are ready to list at the same time as you are actually ready to list your house and you have made all these preparations. The floodgates open. You start getting offer after offer from realtor after realtor to list your house. Who are you going to pick up the phone and call? It’s not going to be all these people that swooped in at the last minute, ready to help you as you go to list your house. It’s going to be the person that you have been relying on for that advice all along the way, the person that’s been with you on that entire customer journey. And the same thing is true when it comes to marketing. And so you’ll read out there all of these folks focused on things like performance marketing as kind of the buzzword right now, where everybody should have all of their eggs in this “Do” basket and it’s driven by this glut of data that’s now available that allows you to swoop in at the last minute and detect when somebody is in market for a given product or service. The reality is you will lose every single time to a competitor that’s been there along the way for every step of the journey, because your prospect has had an opportunity to develop an affinity for that competitors’ brand. They know that brand. They like that brand and they trust that brand and they are going to do business with that brand unless there’s a darn good reason not to right up until the end.
Elizabeth Earin: Well, and it also makes the assumption that you are in the right place at the right time. And while that may happen on occasion to build an entire business model off of being in the right place at the right time, it isn’t something that is actually going to probably come to light and be able to support you. So a combination of right place right time and helping to make that more likely by being there in “See” state and “Think” state as they are moving through the customer journey is the way that we make sure that we can get those sales.
Steve Robinson: And we see this a lot with clients and prospects that are very dependent on AdWords because AdWords is a great example of swooping in at the right place at the right time if you are bidding on high intent keywords where you are counting on catching those people that are ready to buy and are just trying to figure out where to buy from. That model works until it doesn’t and all you need is some brand to really establish that awareness and trust to be the place that people go. Think Amazon for example. How many times do you start shopping on Google now compared to before you knew about Amazon, right? It can really disrupt that model because you are counting on swooping in at the last minute when the person is ready to buy and not following them along for the journey. I think this is a great opportunity for us to take a quick break. When we come back, we’ll talk about the actual mechanics of the “Do” state. We will talk about what you need for “Do” state content and how to target it and then finally how to measure it. So let’s take a moment to help some people.
Elizabeth Earin: Before we continue, I’d like to take a quick moment to ask you Iterative Marketers a small but meaningful favor and ask that you give a few dollars to a charity that’s important to one of our own. This week’s charitable cause was sent in by Damon Schopen of Port Light Technology. Damon asks that you make a contribution to the Randy Schopen Give Someone A Chance Foundation which is dedicated to supporting charities, groups and organizations in Jefferson, Wisconsin and its surrounding communities. Learn more at randyschopenfoundation.org or visit the link in the show notes. If you would like to submit your costs for consideration for our next podcast, please visit iterativemarketing.net/podcast and click the “Share a Cause” button. We love sharing causes that are important to you.
Steve Robinson: And we are back. So, before the break, we talked about what “Do” state was, why it’s so important for marketing to have a presence in “Do” state even in organizations where that’s kind of a sales-driven focus and we went off on a little rant about marketers that seemed to think that “Do” is the only important place to be. Let’s refocus the conversation now and jump into what we need for good content to support the “Do” state.
Elizabeth Earin: Oftentimes, a “Do” state prospect has already made the emotional decision that they are ready to buy, and so this is the time, this is the right time to introduce features and benefits that will help them to rationalize this emotional decision that they have made.
Steve Robinson: So for example, say you are out shopping for a new pair of designer jeans and our prospect is out trying to shop for a new pair of designer jeans and they have put these jeans in their shopping cart and then they go away. They have obviously sent some signals that they are likely in a “Do” state. They have picked out the actual exact product that they want to buy. They just haven’t pulled the trigger and made the purchase. And so now if you as the marketer take the opportunity to retarget them, you can give them the messages that help them rationalize that decision if they are on the fence. So things like “These could be your forever jeans” or “Everyone needs at least one pair of phenomenal jeans” can help that person rationalize that decision and then come back and complete the purchase.
Elizabeth Earin: I am notorious for doing this. We have talked about this before and sometimes this “Do” state prospect needs a push or an incentive to move forward to make that final purchasing decision and so it’s at this point in the journey that you want to use different tactics that will help create a sense of urgency or need to act now. And coming back to the jeans example that you gave, maybe it’s an email that shows up a week later that is either advertising a temporary price discount or it’s a special offer, a coupon if you act within a certain timeframe.
Steve Robinson: Yeah. The key is creating that sense of urgency because…just because I have made a commitment to purchase something doesn’t mean I am necessarily going to buy this week, this month, or this year or that I might not forget that I am in “Do” state on that particular product or service. So putting an end date or a sense of urgency or an incentive to act now instead of later is really key as long as you do it naturally and not in a really sort of manipulative way because I think consumers have gotten smarter about that.
Elizabeth Earin: Our jean example is a great example for a B2C, but when we are talking B2B, it’s a little bit of a different type of market. It’s a different sort of purchasing. The decisions that you are making are a little bit different, and so in terms of a B2B, this is a great time to introduce a one-sheet that can help the prospect share the benefits, features and benefits with other people within their organization that may be involved in that purchasing decision and may need that extra little boost to get past that next hurdle.
Steve Robinson: Yeah. One of my favorite examples of this is actually from Content Marketing Institute. So if you have ever taken a look at their phenomenal event, Content Marketing World, you’ll notice that if you go to the site for Content Marketing World, under the FAQ, there is an item there that says “Justify Your Trip” and it is exactly for this purpose and it’s blatant. I mean its right in your face saying, “Hey, you need to convince others within your organization to pay for this, so here’s what you need to tell them.” And it really helps those that have made that decision to purchase, again which is a largely emotional decision, but you can’t rationalize an emotional decision to your boss or to other colleagues within the organization as to why you need to buy a particular product or service from a given vendor. So you have got a commitment to purchase. Now you need to explain why we are going to buy from so and so. Having the features and benefits laid out at this point is the right time, not earlier in the journey.
Elizabeth Earin: “Do” state also gives us – “Do” state content gives us a unique opportunity that we don’t have in the other journey states and that’s the opportunity to upsell or cross-sell. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?
Steve Robinson: Yeah. So sometimes you have somebody who’s made that commitment to buy. They are probably going to buy from you. Now you can take this opportunity to actually increase the size of that sale because anything you add on the top of that sale usually is some of the most profitable stuff you can put on there. So for example, we have a client in the software space who part of their marketing in the “Do” state is to promote additional modules of their software that can be bolted onto the base purchase, thereby driving up the individual order size or initial size of that sale. You can’t really do that any earlier in the sales process because they don’t have that commitment to buy until they have “Do” state.
Elizabeth Earin: So what do we need to have to make sure that we are creating effective “Do” state content?
Steve Robinson: I would think if you were to create a checklist or a punch list for “Do” state content, it really needs to accomplish three things. First, it needs to really lay a finely polished and clear path to purchase, right? No encumbrances at all. We want to make sure that there’s no friction in getting that person from wherever they are at down to making a commitment to purchase, if it’s not an immediate sale or if its e-commerce or an immediate sale getting them to actually buy, right?
Elizabeth Earin: And I think it’s important to note that we can’t force them down this, but all we can do is make this as streamlined of a process, as easy of a process for them so that they don’t have any roadblocks or hurdles that they now have to get over. Again, we can’t force them but we can make this as easy as possible on them to finish that purchase.
Steve Robinson: And while features and benefits are exactly the wrong thing to lead with during “See” and “Think,” now is the time to pull those out because now if you have done your job right in “See” and “Think,” your prospect already knows, likes and trusts your brand. They are ready to buy. They have made an emotional decision to buy but now they need to back that up with some logic, right? They need to feed that emotional decision-making machine with some logic and then they might need to justify their actions to others. And so now is the time to pull out the stops on the features and benefits and really explain to them why they need to be buying your product or your service. And then finally, you want to create a sense of urgency. So just because they have a commitment to buy doesn’t mean they are going to buy now. And if you can, in a non-sleazy manipulative way, pull out that sense of urgency and get them to commit today versus next week or next month, not only does it accelerate your revenue but it also makes sure that they don’t have time to be persuaded by another competitor to buy from them. And so if you can, lock them and convince them that now is the time.
Elizabeth Earin: So that’s sort of the three keys to creating effective “Do” state content. Once we have that content, how do we target them?
Steve Robinson: Here’s where your first-party data is key. And I know we talked about first-party data a fair amount on our deep dive into “Think,” but if you don’t have those signals that say that this person is ready to buy, it’s very hard to approach them at the right time with this “Do” state content because if you introduce too much of it too early in the process or while people are in other states, it’s going to turn them off. And so you need that first-party data, you need data from your website that says what content they are engaging in, making sure that you have content that is very commercial in nature that clearly indicates that, hey, I am ready to buy, I am looking at prices, I am looking at the features and benefits, I am digging in at competitive comparisons to understand if I need to buy this now from you, right? And so it’s that first-party data that really help you detect those signals of who’s in market and if they are ready to buy.
Elizabeth Earin: And we detect those signals by their response to offers that we have shown them in “Think” state, correct?
Steve Robinson: Right, right. Just like we talked about dangling some “Think” state stuff inside of your “See” audience, you are going to want to dangle some “Do” state stuff in front of your “Think” state audience because otherwise you have no way of knowing when they have jumped in to “Do.” Sometimes it might even make sense to dangle a little bit of “Do” state in front of your “See” state audience, keeping the bulk of your messaging appropriate for that journey state. But if your buyers’ journey often has people jumping right from “See” to “Do,” you can’t wait for them to go through “Think.” So it might make sense to dangle it there but if they are acting on an offer, an offer to purchase that’s a clear indication that they are likely in “Do” state and that’s when you want to again pull out the stops on your “Do” state content and really drive that urgency and give them those features and benefits.
Elizabeth Earin: I think this is a great place to add in that the sales team is another great resource here and it’s so important that your sales team is maintaining the journey state inside of your CRM and that the audiences are properly synced. The sales team is talking directly to these people. They are picking up the phone. They are interacting with them through email, in some cases social media as well and they know where they are within that buying journey, so their ability to update that information in CRM is invaluable and can help to correctly identify when someone is in “Do” state.
Steve Robinson: And this will play itself out in a variety of different ways. If you are pulling lists for direct mail, you are going to want to make sure that you are excluding those people that are in “Do” from your particularly “See” or “Think” state content because it will be incongruent with where they are in the journey state. Same thing is true of marketing automation. You are going to want to make sure that any segmentation things are updated in CRM as well as their journey states so that you can actually send some content to them while they are in “Do” state and have it aligned with their segment, their persona as well as where they are in the journey. And then we have been doing some great work on the paid media side in using CRM targeting and IP-based targeting to get the right message in front of the audience who is in “Do” state so that we can now get some of that features and benefits messaging out when it’s appropriate to where their journey is as indicated by the sales team.
Elizabeth Earin: Now getting back to the right place, right time sort of idea that we talked about earlier, pay-per-click like Google AdWords and Bing are channels that are suited for identifying those people who are ready to buy now. The key is that you want to make sure that you target high intent keywords along with your product or service. Do you want to talk a little bit about those high intent keywords?
Steve Robinson: Yeah. So if we come back to our designer jeans example, if you were an e-commerce site selling designer jeans, you would want to target keywords like buy true religion jeans online, right? Because now that keyword of buy and online clearly indicates that there’s an intent to actually make a purchase right now. They have already decided what they want to buy. Now they are trying to figure out where. The trap you don’t want to fall into is that if this is your only marketing, then you are entirely competing on price, right? Because I am simply going to buy it from the place I can get the best deal on it, not the place that I trust to deliver it on time or whatever other values might influence my decision to make me feel like I know, like and trust a brand and would rather spend my money there, even if I could buy it slightly cheaper somewhere else.
Elizabeth Earin: And then you touched on this a little bit, that we want to make sure where we are dangling some “Do” state content in front of our “Think” audience but just to reiterate that, if we don’t give them a path to buy them, they are not going to take it so we want to again make sure that that is a very clear and easy to move through easy-to-navigate path. We can’t force them down it but we can make it easy for them to make that purchase.
Steve Robinson: I think that kind of rounds out how to target this content. How do we measure it?
Elizabeth Earin: Measurement. This is such an important topic. And again, getting a little nerdy here. I love “Do” state because we actually get to measure the conversions, the actual sales that are happening and that’s ultimately what our goal is with “Do” state is that we want to close sales. And so when we are looking at the different journey states, “See” and “Think” and “Do,” this is really the easiest of the states to measure because we are able to measure those key performance indicators. Things like close rate, average sales size, time to close and then of course the one that every C-suite loves to see, attributable revenue.
Steve Robinson: I think it’s important to mention that it’s not just that attributable revenue metric though, that you want to be looking at because if you are doing your job as a marketer during “Do” state, you are going to be impacting other things. You are going to be impacting the deal size of the order size. You are going to be impacting the close rate or the time it takes to close because those are other key metrics that will help round out where you are having an impact in addition to just that revenue metric. So I know we have run very long with this particular episode but let’s sum things up here.
Elizabeth Earin: So your “Do” state is your audience who has made a commitment to themselves or someone else that they are ready to buy but keep in mind it may not necessarily be from you.
Steve Robinson: And the content that we create for our “Do” state really needs to do three things. One, they need to make that path to purchases clean, clear and obvious as possible, no friction, and make sure that you are giving them that path as many opportunities as possible. You want to justify your purchase rationally because the decision they made was emotional. Now we need to back it up with some logic and then we also want to create a sense of urgency so that we can accelerate revenue, make sure they don’t have time to buy from someone else.
Elizabeth Earin: Once we have that targeted content, there are a number of ways that we can target our “Do” state audience. We can use first-party data. Who’s interacting with our ready to buy content on our website. We can also target “Do” state using our CRM data, especially helpful if the sales team is diligent and getting that updated, very very important. And then also pay per click is a great way to reach “Do” state people who may not already be in your pipeline but are ready to buy.
Steve Robinson: When it comes to measurement, “Do” state is the easiest to quantify. It’s easiest to measure because it’s coming down to sales. It’s coming down to revenue.
Elizabeth Earin: And keep in mind that “Do” is not the end all. It requires support from the “See” and “Think” state to truly be effective. As Steve has mentioned before, we do business with brands we know, like and trust and “See” state content and “Think” state content and supporting our customers as they move through those states are how we help to build that relationship and become someone that they do know, like and trust.
Steve Robinson: Excellent. Well, let’s put a bow on this very long episode as we did a very deep dive into “Do.” I want to thank everyone for making a little bit of time or maybe a lot of time as it pertains this episode for us this week. If you haven’t already, please pop out to iTunes and give us a review, good, bad, or ugly. Helps other people discover our podcast and you want to share things that help you, right? So please pop out there and give us a review if you haven’t already. If you do, we’ll be sure to give you a shout out on a future podcast by the way. Until next week, onward and upward! | 2019-04-20T05:13:19Z | https://iterativemarketing.net/podcast-episode-31-a-deep-dive-into-do-state/ |
Tony Maceli is one of the top bass players in the NYC indie music scene. Some months ago, he started organizing a regular mega-show called Full Vinyl. Last night was the first one we were able to attend, so I don’t know whether we’ve missed one or two. I also don’t know whether the format is always the same (or going to be). This show was at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2.
Now I know. Last night was #4, so we missed two of them before hopping on the train. If we’re physically able, we’ll never miss another one. Last night’s show was simply fantastic, on every level.
It’s a touch ironic to say that. The theme was Yacht Rock. Not that the songs that fall under that heading aren’t awesome (they most definitely are, well nearly all of them are), but clearly, there’s a tongue-in-cheek phenomenon going on when kids (yes, the oldest musician on stage was a kid to us) select that music to highlight.
That said, whether they, or the large crowd at Rockwood were singing with any condescension, I certainly couldn’t tell. The party started instantly with Footloose, and never slowed down until the big finale. So many audience members were singing their hearts out to every song, so this wasn’t a trip down memory lane that left them in the dust.
An excursion before I dive into the show itself. At the last Full Vinyl show, Tony swore on stage, quite a bit.
Sometime after the show (days, weeks, I don’t remember exactly), we ran into Tony and got to chat for a while. He brought up the cursing and said that although he loves to curse, and does it all the time, even he felt that he was over-the-top at the show. We didn’t disagree.
We agreed. At last night’s show, both sides happily remembered the wager and rules. We gave our waitress a $20 bill in exchange for $20 singles. We started out with an empty glass. We ended up with a large bucket (the normal Rockwood tip jar).
Tony expanded it to include any performer on stage who was game to toss a buck in if they cursed. Martin Rivas cursed just for the heck of it, and immediately tossed $1 in.
Tony offered the audience the chance to participate if they wanted to toss money in to reward the lack of swearing. People did indeed come over to our table and toss money in! When an audience member at the table next to us cursed, she immediately felt self-conscious and reached into her purse and tossed $1 into the bucket. Cool!
Tony didn’t curse a single time during the show (proving that he can control it completely). Right before the finale, he came out with a number of singles in his hand. After letting out a few expletives, he tossed all of the singles in the bucket. Aside from the release, he clearly wanted to participate in the additional tips to the staff and this was the best way to accomplish that.
When the show was over, Lois presented Erin (who happened to be our waitress the entire evening) with the bucket on behalf of all of the performers and audience members who chose to participate in the challenge. I don’t know how much others chucked in, but I just counted six singles left from our $20, so at least 14 times, we (or more properly Lois) thought that the performers behaved well enough to be rewarded (even if the reward was going to someone else).
I judge the experiment a complete success. It was Tony’s idea and he deserves full credit.
Something that deeply annoys/affects us is the often constant talking (at volumes that are not to be believed!) that goes on in the audience, even by obvious fans and friends of the performers. Lois thought that it might be interesting (albeit perhaps impossible!) if we had a challenge whereby talkers were shamed into putting $1 in the jar every time someone pointed them out. Somehow I doubt we’ll pull that one off as smoothly as we did the cursing challenge, but I would love to see it happen.
Loosely following the format I established last time (ain’t precedent grand?), I’ll post the set list first, then the lead singers for each song, then the infinite (no hyperbole here!) band members immediately thereafter. Where someone was a singer and a band member, I’ll note that.
Tony decided to have fun with the set list, giving most people one or more nicknames for their first names. For most, he used their real last names, which made it a tad easier on me. Thankfully, I figured out who Michael McMinkoff was.
As with the first show, Tony Maceli kicked it off. I already told you that they shot out of the gate with a bang. Now you know who led the charge. In addition to playing a lot of bass, Tony played the trumpet on at least two numbers.
Zach also stepped out from behind the drums to sing some background vocals.
Misty Boyce sang wonderfully. Not quite the barn-burner that caused me to describe the aftermath of her song at the last show as “we were all reduced to a puddle”. Misty also played the keyboards on some songs.
Deena Goodman was exceptional. I’ve only seen Deena sing once before, at a Livestrong fundraiser, 2.5 years ago. I praised her mightily that night. She did a lot of charity work and then I heard she returned to get a graduate degree, so I wasn’t surprised not to see her performing. Perhaps she needs to rethink that!
Adam Minkoff was amazing (hence earning the only double-nickname, since Tony believes he’s very faithful to Michael McDonald). Adam also played bass and I even saw him wield an electric guitar.
Julia Haltigan continues to impress every time we see her (which will continue to be frequent if she keeps up this level of performing). That said, she’s playing tonight, but I’ll be typing away at this while she’s doing that.
Charlene Kaye did a great job, also playing lead electric guitar for her own number! In addition to singing lead on Go Your Own Way, Charlene also sang backup on a number of songs.
Emily Long was wonderful on her number. Like most of the other lead singers, she returned to sing on the finale.
Greg Mayo sang lead on Private Eyes. There was a delay in starting the song for a wardrobe change (calm down folks, this wasn’t a wardrobe malfunction). Greg left the stage while Tony explained that Greg needed to get a special jacket from the green room. Greg emerged wearing a leather jacket that was originally owned by Daryl Hall. I wrote about the jacket, and the song (Private Eyes) when Greg performed it at his last Greg Mayo Band show.
He was great then, and again last night, but it was really cool to see him perform it on lead guitar last night, whereas he was behind the piano at his last show. Of course, Greg also played electric and acoustic guitar (amazingly, as he always does) on many other numbers.
Casey Shea was once again wonderful. Once again (consecutive shows now), he descended into the audience to serenade a woman within inches of her face. This time, he sat down (last time he lay down on the table). It was the same woman though, Lois. So, to see whether she was his target, or just convenient, I’m going to have to have her sit in the balcony next time Casey sings. We’ll see if he climbs up there to sing to her. If so, I’ll know what the deal is.
Casey also sang backup on some other songs.
Brian Collazo (of Live Society) thrilled (as he always does) when he sang lead. He was also one of the primary backup singers on many songs, and he was oh-so-tasty on each and every one.
Patrick Firth sang wonderfully while playing the keyboards. He was also the primary keyboard player on most of the numbers (though he did relinquish it occasionally). The relinquishing was perhaps reluctant. On one number, he hung around and played the top of the double-decker keyboards while his replacement played the bottom.
Morgan Paige didn’t sing lead, but she joined Patrick to sing on Sailing. Since I didn’t notice her on stage for any other numbers, I’m mentioning her here.
Josh Dion ripped it up again, vocally and on the drums. How anyone can watch him perform and not be mesmerized is beyond me. Of course, I shouldn’t assume that there’s anyone who isn’t mesmerized, so my hypothesis might just be incorrect.
Martin Rivas sang his way into our hearts. In addition to singing lead, Martin was on stage as much (perhaps a bit more) than Brian Collazo was, singing with everyone else. He played some tambourine too (as did a few others that I failed to note above).
That leaves the big finale, where most of the singers took a turn at the mic. In a small-world twist, two posts ago I mentioned that The Vanity Belles performed Africa by Toto during their set (which was on the same stage, a few hours earlier). Their acoustic version was fantastic. To end the night with a stage full of people, supported by a top band, performing the same song, was an interesting contrast. Both versions were amazing, even though they were totally different.
On to the band. I’ll mention them in the order that they appear on the set list. If you pay attention, many of them played on multiple songs. I won’t repeat anyone who is mentioned above.
Dan Tirer on electric and acoustic guitar. I’ve only seen him once before, at the last Full Vinyl show. Must… see… more… of… him… He’s so good!
Matt Simons on saxophone and electronic keyboards. At the last show, Matt played only the keyboards. That’s great, but if you really want to add some awesome sauce to the mix, make sure you catch Matt on the sax, he’s incredible. One one number, he was the only brass. On another, he and Tony played together, with Tony whipping out his trumpet. More, please!
Andrea Longato on electric guitar. Holy smokes, what a nice surprise. I’ve only seen Andrea once before, when he played with Carley Tanchon in February. I was blown away that night and I’m happy to have gotten a taste again last night.
Matt Basile on electric bass. Another in a string of great NYC bass players who never disappoint.
Jamie Alegre on drums. Jamie always delivers. For me, that’s usually when he’s playing with Derek James. He was great at the last Full Vinyl show as well.
Steve Dawson on acoustic and electric guitar. I can’t say that I really made out his acoustic guitar (tough to hear it over all of the other instruments), but I can tell you that his spirit (demeanor) fit in perfectly. He was having a blast (like the rest of them were), as we all were too.
Rob Calder on electric bass. Excellent! My first time hearing Rob.
Spencer Cohen on drums. Spencer is fantastic, whether he’s on drums, percussion or cajon. Last night, it was the drums.
Scott Chasolen on electronic keyboards. He’s a great pianist, no further information required! I mentioned above that Patrick Firth hung around to play the keyboards with someone else. It was Scott.
Ben Zwerin on electric bass. Another stellar performance from Ben.
Tommy Diehl on drums. My first time, won’t be my last. He did a great job.
Rebecca Haviland on electronic keyboards and vocals. Rebecca backed Charlene Kaye on Go Your Own Way, singing (great) and playing the keys (also great).
Rob Jost on electric bass. Another winning performance.
Robert DiPietro on drums. Again (as with the last Full Vinyl), a superior effort on the drums.
Ryan Vaughn on percussion and drums. Ryan is always one of the most masterful percussionists. In addition to playing on a number of songs, he was joined on percussion by Josh Dion for the finale, complementing the already-mentioned drumming of Zach Jones. Ahhhhhh.
Oscar Bautista on electric and acoustic guitar. I had already gotten to enjoy a full set of Oscar earlier, when he played with The Vanity Belles. When they were setting up for Full Vinyl, I saw Oscar and Greg Mayo on stage at the same time, tuning and sound-checking their guitars. What a lineup of guitarists, independent of the others who I have already oohed and ahhed about.
Seth Faulk on drums. Man, it’s been way too long since we’ve seen Seth play. Over three months to be precise. It’s not our fault. He was on an extended tour across the country and just recently returned.
Chris Anderson on electric bass. As with Oscar, we enjoyed a full set of Chris’ play with The Vanity Belles earlier. You can never get enough Chris, so having more of him in the same evening was fine in my book!
Kenny Shaw on drums. Kenny wore sunglasses, so he might have been trying to hide from me. It’s been roughly two weeks since I’ve seen him play, which is an unusually long stretch for us to go without Kenny. Fantastic job on the drums!
Tom Welsch on electric bass. Tom was superb. It was my first time seeing him.
Paul Amorese on drums. Another tremendous performance!
I think that’s everyone. Someone will spank me (and I’ll gladly update this) if I missed anyone.
We got home around 2am. I have to say, I was still really energized and was not at all hoping the show would end. On the other hand, I went to bed at 2:45 and woke up at 7am (and have been up since), so the candle can’t be burned at both ends every night, no matter how much fun it is at the time.
I’m sure they blew away the large crowd there, but those fans only got to hear one song. We got a full set, with their regular (awesome) band, so we win.
I’ve written about the Belles a lot in the past three months, so rather than repeat all of that, if you’re new to them (or me), please read this post.
As with that show, everything clicked last night. Their voices were great, the band was great, their set selection was great.
One of the hallmarks of The Vanity Belles (TVB) show is getting baked goods by Jessi Rae Waltz. Given their hectic schedule the day before, she couldn’t pull off her usual magic. Not to worry.
Sitting one table over from us was none other than the star himself, Superman.
As is their custom, the Belles picked up their instruments for one song, Bottle. This time, Jessi introduced it and explained where the inspiration came from. Then they nailed it, with Jessi on the electronic keyboards and Carrie on acoustic guitar.
TVB recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign. Their new CD will be released in a few months. One of the reward levels was getting them to arrange and record a cover song of your choice. I think that included playing it at a show as well. The person who chose that reward picked Africa by Toto as the song. The Belles did a wonderful version, accompanied by two acoustic guitars.
Patrick Firth on double-decker electronic keyboards and background vocals. Patrick never disappoints (as you will see if you read two posts from now, as yet unwritten).
Oscar Bautista on electric and acoustic guitars. Oscar thrills at every show. Last night, when taking a lead, he gave a hand motion to the others to take it down a bit. They all complied immediately. He worked the guitar soulfully, building up to a crescendo as the rest of the band followed. One of the songs that he played acoustic guitar on was the Toto cover.
Zach Jones on drums and background vocals. Another of our favorites (have I mentioned how much I love this band?). TVB has so many driving songs and Zach keeps the action moving at just the right pace.
Chris Anderson on electric bass and vocals. It’s been 72 hours since we’d seen Chris perform (at a house concert in VA), so we were due. Thankfully, since he’s another that always delivers!
Cameron Mitchell on electric and acoustic guitars and vocals. Cameron plays rhythm guitar to Oscar’s lead (for the most part) and does it extremely well. He’s also co-written with the Belles. Typically, Cameron is on acoustic when Oscar is on electric and vice versa. Last night they mixed it up a bit. Cameron opened the show on electric (with Oscar also on electric) and Cameron joined Oscar on acoustic for the Toto cover.
Last year, we used to consistently be out of town for TVB shows. I’m glad to say we’re in a nice zone at the moment, catching them in a variety of configurations and venues. Keep it up ladies and we’ll keep coming out to see ya.
Bri Arden headlined a set at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 last night. We missed her last appearance at Stage 2, her EP Release show. I heard that it was absolutely incredible, and based on all of the times I’ve seen Bri, and having listened to her EP many times, I have no reason to doubt that.
It’s been 3.5 months since we last saw Bri perform. As I noted in that post, you never really know what to expect (lineup wise, hairstyle, guests, etc.). We were actually up in Westchester to catch two full sets (and an amazing meal!) at Watercolor Café earlier, and we dashed out after the second set, dropped some folks off and made it to Rockwood a few minutes late.
We were immediately bathed in Bri’s amazing voice, nice way to walk into a joint.
Bri had a full band, always a treat. The only change that seems somewhat permanent (or at least it’s been a while), is that Bri no longer employs a duo of female backup singers. The sets are great without them, but I’ll happily admit that they were a fantastic addition (the default ladies were Valerie Mize, now based in Nashville and Kate Ferber, though others have filled in as well).
Bri mixed it up. While most of the show was full band, Bri also played one song solo on the acoustic guitar. She performed another one solo at the grand piano.
Jason Wexler on grand piano and electronic keyboards. We see Jason supporting a number of our favorite artists, including Bri. He’s a superb keyboard player, and if I understood another musician friend correctly, a talented producer too.
Justin Goldner on electric bass and vocals. Like Jake, Justin always impresses. When there’s a full band, he’s the bass player. When Bri gets acoustic, he plays the guitar. In other words, he’s an integral part of Bri’s sound, including background vocals.
Oscar Bautista on electric guitar. Oscar is simply amazing, always, not just when supporting Bri. Unlike Jake and Justin, we’ve seen Oscar a number of times since, with his own Police tribute cover band and with The Vanity Belles. He’s awesome.
Ian Schaefer (Ian Carleton Schaefer) on trumpet. I don’t know if Ian was in the opening songs which we missed. He was called up for the final two numbers and was great. As I noted to him when we stood next to each other for the following set, he helped Bri close out the show with a bang. Leave ‘em hanging, wanting more, in no small part due to the energy that the trumpet brought to those closing numbers.
Jeremiah Birnbaum on acoustic guitar. Jeremiah has filled in on bass a couple of times for Bri. Last night he joined Ian on the final two numbers to play acoustic guitar. I can’t really say that I could make out the acoustic guitar, but I can say that I really like Jeremiah, especially when he fronts his own group, The Ramblers.
I mentioned one special guest above. There was another, who replaced Jason at the piano, but the rest of the band played as well.
Craig Wilson played the piano on Scars Do Fade, a number he co-wrote with Bri. It’s one of a few songs they’ve co-written, all of which have impressed me, so they should continue collaborating.
Anna Krantz joined for a number that they co-wrote very recently. Anna played the grand piano (gorgeously!) and sang harmony just a drop. Bri was spectacular on the song, with only the piano accompanying her (one of the three songs where the band got to rest).
Here’s the set list, but I’m reasonably sure that not every number toward the bottom was played. Specifically, The Best Is Yet to Come wasn’t, at least I don’t remember it. Scars Do Fade and Good in Goodbye were likely the last two numbers, among my favorites!
We got to say a quick hello and take some photos with Bri afterward. Thanks to some strong-arming by Sam Teichman, The Ghost was actually caught on film!
The Vanity Belles (Carrie Welling and Jessi Rae Waltz) finished up their month-long residency at Arlene’s Grocery with a bang! It was crowded (mobbed actually), it was rockin’, it was awesome. If you missed it, I feel sorry for you (seriously).
Not that this wasn’t completely fresh (it was), even though there was an 88.89% overlap in the set lists. The differences were large enough to make this a very different show than last week (including something as simple as completely varying the order of the set list!).
There was a different guest, the regular keyboard player was back, and the Belles themselves seemed to be feeding off of the frenzied crowd. Or, perhaps it was the $5 Country Cosmos (created especially by Arlene’s for this one night) that fueled them (and many others).
If you don’t understand the drink name above, the Belle’s self-titled genre is Cosmo-Country. So, take a Cosmopolitan (the drink), twist it a bit to be sassy like the Belles, and you have a Country Cosmo.
There was one song swap from last week’s set list (independent of the complete change in song order). Last night they played Till I’m Me. This is a very recent song which they wrote and recorded live in order to get it on their upcoming CD (after the real studio recording had already been wrapped up). Wow, awesome song. I’m very glad that I’ll have it when the CD comes out. Oops! When I Was With You was the new song, Till I’m Me was new for this set, but is already on last year’s EP.
The ladies each played an instrument on Bottle, as they did last week. Once again, they crushed the song.
Patrick Firth, the normal keyboard player for the Belles, was back in the saddle. He’s always great, whatever group he plays with. I was a few feet from the keyboards last night, so in addition to hearing Patrick’s fine play, I got to watch him work, close up.
When he relinquished the keyboards on Bottle, so that Jessi could take over, Patrick stood near the drums and played the tambourine.
Oscar Bautista on electric and acoustic guitars, and mandolin. Oscar is always superb on the guitar. Last week I described his long solo as having a jam band feel. Last night it may have started out that way, but it took on more of a rock god type lead, and Oscar obviously realized the crowd felt that way. He stepped out from the back and finished up the lead front and center stage. It was a huge crowd-pleaser.
On one number, Oscar played the mandolin. Considering I love the mandolin, and love Oscar’s play, this was a real treat for me.
Zach Jones on drums. If you’ve read this space recently, then you know I’ve been raving about Zach a lot lately (in fact, my most recent post was all about his band The Stone Lonesome). Of course his drumming was amazing last night (it always is). He even played the snare with his bare hands during one song, bringing out a bongo-like sound.
Chris Anderson on electric bass. As with Zach, I’ve been raving about Chris a lot recently. Unlike Zach, I’ve been raving about Chris for years (I only first heard Zach last July). Chris impresses every time, that is all.
Cameron Mitchell on acoustic and electric guitars. Just like last week, Cameron took on the rhythm guitar duties to complement Oscar’s lead and mandolin play. Once again, a wonderful job!
Brian Collazo (lead singer from Live Society) was the special guest last night. We could listen to Brian sing all night, every night. Amazingly (and achingly), it’s been five months since we’ve seen him sing, when he guested with the Belle’s Manager (I’ll get to him in a minute). It’s been eight months since we’ve seen a full Live Society show (also at Arlene’s), and we’ve been trying hard (with near misses along the way) to get to one.
Brian sang on No Regrets (amazingly) and on Recently (which Rebecca Haviland sang with the Belles last week). It only made us want to see Brian and Live Society all-the-more.
Patryk Larney has his own musical career (check him out, fall in love, and donate to his current Pledge Music campaign!). In addition to that, he manages the Belles. One of the 1,873 jobs that managing them entails, is being The Bucket Man at their shows. The Belles prepare treats for their audiences, and wrap them in The Vanity Belles goodie bags (genius, and delicious). He carried around a bucket filled the goodie bags last week and last night, handing them out to greedily awaiting fans.
Ben Morgan, last week’s keyboard player (filling in whenever Patrick Firth can’t make it), was in the audience enjoying himself as much as the rest of us were.
The Vanity Belles have a month-long residency at Arlene’s Grocery, every Monday at 8pm in February. We missed the first two and expected to miss last night as well. I was sick the last two weeks of January and we’ve been gone all of February. We cut our trip short by a few days, largely to make it to last night’s show. Glad we did!
Amazingly, last night was the first full set we’ve see of the Belles! I honestly believe that they peek at my travel calendar and purposely schedule their shows for when I have to be out of town. At least I finally fooled them by coming home earlier than expected. Take that Belles!
All of the above was in abundance last night. The ladies were in fine voice, the set selection very upbeat (many songs feeling closer to rock). They were complemented by an incredible band with special guest stars thrown in just in case you needed to amp up the excitement a bit.
On one of the more mellow (yet still very powerful) songs, Jessi played the keyboards and Carrie took up the acoustic guitar. Both played well and sang phenomenally.
After the show, we bought two copies of the 3-song EP they released last year (yes, they scheduled the EP Release Show for when we were out of town). All three songs are wonderful!
We also backed their recent Kickstarter early (they were successful) and are looking forward to the new full-length CD, which should be coming out in the not-too-distant future.
Ben Morgan on electronic keyboards. Ben is extremely talented on the keyboards. We’ve seen him support the Belles a number of times. He was excellent last night.
Oscar Bautista on electric and acoustic guitars. Oscar is always fantastic. In fact, the last show we saw, just over a month ago, was also part of month-long Arlene’s residency, a Police tribute band. We went solely to see Oscar. While he was great throughout last night’s set, during No Regrets, the ladies stepped aside and let Oscar take over the lead. The sound and feel was reminiscent of listening to a great jam band reel you in with a long guitar solo. Very well done!
Zach Jones on drums. Zach is one of our favorite drummers. It was a complete surprise to see him playing with the Belles last night. He was at the top of his game. So are the other regular drummers that the Belles use, so it’s clear they can attract the best talent when they come a callin’.
Chris Anderson on electric bass. Chis is an amazing bass player with tremendous versatility. Arlene’s is a very loud club, often most noticeable in the bass shaking the joint on every note. I have little issue with it when the bass player has the skill that Chris has. Last night, Chris shook me, in a good way!
Cameron Mitchell on electric and acoustic guitars. While Oscar took most of the leads, Cameron was playing rhythm for the most part, very well. He also seemed to be one of the leaders in terms of cueing the rest of the band.
Rebecca Haviland joined for three numbers, including the first one. Rebecca is one of our favorite singer/songwriters (she co-writes and performs with Chris Anderson). In her own band Rebecca plays electric guitar. The first time we ever saw her play an instrument though, it was the grand piano, just over a year ago. I think she’s great on the keyboards, and I can’t believe it’s taken this long to see her tickle the (fake) ivories again.
In addition to playing the keyboards, Rebecca sang background vocals on the closing number. The Belles don’t need any help in the vocal department, but if they’re going to invite a third voice into the mix, it would be hard to pick someone better suited to hold their own than Rebecca.
We didn’t know until yesterday afternoon that Rebecca would be joining them, so it was an extra special treat.
Sierra Noble played the fiddle on two numbers. Yesterday was Sierra’s 22nd birthday. I’m glad that she chose to celebrate it on stage, entertaining us, rather than in a more private way. I knew for a week that Sierra was joining and it was one of the reasons for cutting our trip short. I don’t think Sierra will be there next Monday, so last night would have a special flavor all its own.
We bumped into a number of friends that we haven’t seen in a month (always a big draw for going out). Hopefully, we made a new one too (I’m looking at you Jack!).
We’re going to do our best to make it out to Arlene’s next Monday at 8pm for the final show in the residency. Do yourself a favor and come out as well!
The Vanity Belles usually hand out goodies at each show (I only know that from Twitter, this being our first full set). Here’s a photo of the set list, with the front and back of the EP, and the goodie bag (front and back). Don’t miss next week’s treats!
I’m the optimal age to have been a major fan of The Police. I wasn’t, not because I didn’t care for their music, it’s just one of those things. I never owned any of their CDs and never saw them perform. Through osmosis, I am obviously familiar with a number of their hits, but even some of those I don’t instantly associate with any particular band, including The Police.
So, you might wonder why we went to Arlene’s Grocery last night for a 10pm set by a Police tribute band.
Oscar Bautista is a superb NYC-based guitar player. We’d pretty much go see him in whatever project he was involved in, at least once. That’s what got us to Arlene’s last night.
New York’s Finest (Police tribute) is three incredibly talented guys who do a great job of faithfully reproducing the sound of The Police, vocally and instrumentally.
Mark Rinzel sang lead and played the electric bass. Aside from looking an awful lot like Sting, Mark sounds like him (at least when singing The Police songs). He’s excellent on the bass and is a showman with wonderful stage presence.
Alan Camlet on drums and vocals (sorry, no good individual musical link). Alan was excellent on the drums, ripping it up for the entire set. He also sang harmony on nearly every number.
Oscar Bautista on electric guitar and vocals. Oscar was fantastic on the guitar (validating our reason for attending in the first place!). In addition to straight up leads, Oscar utilized a slide and some serious effects (including looping the slide with a fuzz effect creating an enormous sound). He sang less than Alan, but when he did, the three-part harmonies worked extremely well.
They have been playing a month-long residency at Arlene’s, with one show to go. If you want to verify any of the claims I made above, please get to Arlene’s next Tuesday, January 24th, at 10pm. If you are a fan of The Police, you’ll really thank me. If you’re not, but want to see three talented musicians execute an exceptional set, you’ll still thank me. Either way, win/win for you and me.
The three of them created a huge sound (as I bet The Police did live), making the energy in the room heart-pumping on every number. We were very glad we went, both for the music and for running into some of our favorite people, completely unexpected.
Last night we attended the early show at Joe’s Pub. Under normal circumstances, we would have run home after the show. These were not normal circumstances. Over at Rockwood Music Hall, timed perfectly for us, was Backscratch XVII. That would have been more than enough to get us to stay out for another few hours.
More poignantly, and most unfortunately, this was also billed as the last NYC-based Backscratch. Folks, that’s simply a tragedy (of reasonably large proportions). The concept of Backscratch was originated by Martin Rivas (and I think Craig Meyer). It will live on in London, run by Alex Berger, but unless I can find a way to blackmail Martin (or twist his arm really hard), it’s going to be very expensive to catch one of these shows in the future.
In addition to just wanting to catch any Backscratch show, the lineup for last night was particularly tasty. Every performer was particularly sharp (they understood the stakes), so it ended up being an extra-special night all around.
Quick recap of what a Backscratch is: 6-9 performers. Each does three numbers. One has to be a cover of one of the other performers. They get drawn randomly and no one knows in advance who is doing their song. For the other two numbers, deep tradition has the artist performing one of their originals plus a well-known cover. More recently, many artists perform two originals.
Stephanie White and the Philth Harmonic were up first. The Philth Harmonic is Robbie LaFalce (considering that Stephanie’s name appears separately and there are only two of them). Let’s start with Stephanie. We’ve seen her sing one song, at one of Sam Techman’s Leave a Lasting Mark benefit shows. She was extraordinary then, and again last night. The woman can sing, pure and simple.
We’ve seen Robbie LaFalce three times, all at Sam Teichman benefits. At the first, he drummed. The second, he played piano. The third, he drummed, played piano, and sang. Last night, he played the electric guitar on all three numbers. Beautiful play, subtly, but interestingly supporting Stephanie.
This was the first time that we saw them play together, as the Philth Harmonic.
Unlike most Backscratch performers, they chose to do their cover as the middle number (there are no hard-and-fast rules). They drew The Vanity Belles. I am not familiar enough with the VB version to tell you how much Stephanie morphed it, but I can tell you that Stephanie was exceptional in performing her version.
On one of the numbers, Robbie added a percussion loop and some looping of him clapping and playing guitar. It created a much bigger sound than the two of them would otherwise have.
Morgan Karr was up next. I had never seen him before. He kicked it off on the grand piano, playing beautifully, but really, showing off a great voice. For the next number, he came to center stage and just sang (he had accompaniment) without playing any instrument. Again, his voice really shone and I really liked his songs as well.
For his backscratch, he sang accompanied by only an upright bass. He drew Jay Stolar. Again, I wasn’t familiar with Jay’s song, but Morgan nailed his rendition of it, hitting some high notes spectacularly.
Justin Goldner on acoustic guitar. I’ve seen Justin a number of times, mostly playing bass for Bri Arden and Sam’s benefits. I also saw him play acoustic guitar for a very intimate performance of Bri’s. He blows me away on the bass, but hadn’t on the acoustic guitar that one time. Last night, supporting Morgan, he showed a lot more skill on the acoustic guitar.
Lorenzo Wolff on upright bass. Very good on the first two numbers. On the backscratch, he was the sole accompaniment (Justin sat that one out and Morgan sang). Hearing just a bass with a great vocalist really highlights how good (or not) the bass player is. Lorenzo is really good!
Abby Ahmad was up next. Another first for me. Great voice, very interesting guitar play. I really liked her songs as well. In other words, someone I intend to go see doing a full set soon (she’s playing Rockwood on Thursday at 11pm, but that might be too late for me that night).
For her backscratch, she drew Morgan Karr. Another winner (both the song and her rendition).
Adam Minkoff on electric bass and floor tom. On Abby’s first number, Adam took the floor tom from the drum kit and brought it up on stage. He and the drummer (up next) played together, mostly on the rims first (in unison) and then separately, creating an extraordinary jungle rhythm for Abby to sing to.
For the next two numbers, Adam switched to his more usual electric bass, and of course, was his usual excellent self.
Sean Dixon on drums (again, no good link for him). This was my second time seeing Sean, and again he was excellent. In addition to playing the drum kit (minus the floor tom which Adam swiped, he also played the djembe on one number, beautifully. In fact, he put the djembe where the floor tom would have been. Not sure where else he could have placed it otherwise.
Jay Stolar was up next. We’ve never seen Jay do his own stuff, but have seen him sing a song here and there (as a guest, and at a benefit concert). He has a superb voice which was in full effect last night and played the acoustic guitar. I really enjoyed his two songs.
He drew Derek James for his backscratch. He chose Mama Said (it helps that I’m Derek James’ biggest fan, self-declared, so that I at least know which song Jay was covering). He played it so much slower than Derek does, but it totally worked. I’ll still take Derek’s version, but huge Kudos to Jay for creative arrangement and execution!
Jason Wexler accompanied Jay Stolar on his two numbers, sitting out the backscratch. Jason was superb on the grand piano. It started off in a funny manner. Jay began by picking on one or two notes, repeatedly, in a slow rhythmic manner, alone, no singing and no piano accompaniment. After a minute, Jay turned to Jason and said “Feel free to join in any time!”.
Jason laughed and immediately launched into a fantastic series of piano leads. Satisfied, Jay started singing.
Derek James was up next. This was the first time I’ve seen Derek solo. I loved both of his numbers, which he dedicated to Terry. He kicked it off with What’s That Sound from his first CD, Stray. In a small-world story, I didn’t have that CD (though I’ve seen Derek perform the song a number of times), but Lois had secretly arranged with Derek in advance to purchase the CD last night, so I have it now!
I was totally satisfied with Derek’s solo performance, but I admit that with the full band, there’s a swagger that was missing last night.
Derek drew Stephanie and the Philth Harmonic for his backscratch and did a beautiful job. Another example of me not knowing the original, so I can’t compare the versions.
The final act to close down the NYC-based backscratches (unless I have my way with Martin!) were The Vanity Belles. I’ve mentioned how much I love them a number of times, even though the first time I’ve ever seen them perform live, as themselves, was just this past Wednesday at a benefit show.
They were stripped down last night, the two Belles, Carrie Welling and Jessi Rae Waltz, accompanied by the amazing Oscar Bautista on acoustic guitar (they typically have a full band).
They opened with a brand new song that so blew me away I can’t find the words to describe it. I happened to be standing next to their manager, Patryk Larney, and I couldn’t contain myself after the song. I turned to him and said: “Holy cow, that was absolutely extraordinary!”.
He said that he agreed, and they just finished it and rushed to get it on the new CD (of which I am a very proud Kickstarter contributor). I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to know that I will soon own this song.
Their next song had Jessi move to the grand piano. It too was absolutely breathtaking.
They finished with their backscratch, drawing Abby Ahmad. Another mind-blowing performance, and I really loved the song too (credit for that to Abby, obviously, though I have no idea how her original version sounds).
Folks, if The Vanity Belles don’t make it, the world is very broken.
They closed the show by awarding Martin Rivas with an actual backscratcher, dated and signed by everyone who appeared last night. A very nice gesture indeed!
Here a pic of Alex Berger, currently the only Backscratch Master, with Jay Stolar. Alex has a show in 3 hours at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2, so hurry up and get over there!
Last week I scanned the Rockwood Music Hall website for this week’s shows. There was a show listed for last night simply labeled: “A Holiday Benefit”. The performers were a mixture of our favorite who’s who, plus a couple of groups we have wanted to see for a while, but scheduling has gotten in the way.
I snagged two tickets and excitedly waited for the week to pass. It turns out that this was the fifth (and unfortunately last) installment of this particular annual Holiday Benefit. It is organized by Benjamin Wagner (with some others who helped co-found it). The money raised is for 826NYC. Great cause, great people involved in raising the money and great musicians all around.
Bottom line: my expectations were very high. I was blown away beyond those expectations on two levels: most of the people we know brought their A+ games and we discovered some people that became instant favorites!
There were 16 acts (individuals and groups), some accompanied by a house band. Each act performed two numbers. The entire atmosphere at Rockwood was that of a party filled with loved ones. In fact, some of the musicians noted (on Twitter, and probably elsewhere) that it was more like an Office Party for them, given how many musicians were performing and in the audience. We were thrilled to participate in said party.
In addition to the ticket price going to the charity, this was also an official CD Release Party. Physical CDs were on sale for $10. $20 got you the physical CD of A Holiday Benefit #5 plus downloads of the previous four albums. Of course we did that. We kicked in more money later to purchase CDs by some of the performers, signed, with the proceeds going to 826NYC as well.
At the end, the encore involved inviting all of the performers back on stage together to sing one last song. It was hard to count accurately, as people kept jumping on stage (even some who didn’t perform earlier), but I’m 99% sure that at one point there were at least 26 people on stage at the same time. If that’s correct, that’s a new record for a show I’ve attended (sorry Sam Teichman, you have your work cut out for you now!).
There’s no way to review a show like this without spending an entire day writing (something I don’t have the time to do today, nor the inclination). In fact, it’s sort of beside the point. What I’ll do instead is similar to what I did for the Haiti Benefit nearly two years ago. I’ll list the acts in the order they appeared, and mention who supported them. When first mentioning a support person, I might say a few extra words.
Mary Bragg (#1). Mary was new to us. Great voice. On her second number she also played acoustic guitar. She was accompanied by two very talented people, who I think played only with her. I’ll list them next.
Mike Cassedy on electronic keyboards. Excellent. Mary gave him a couple of leads and he was great.
Jimmy Sullivan on electric bass (no good individual link). He too was excellent. He made the electric bass sound exactly like a very jazzy upright on one of the numbers. He was smooth.
Casey Shea (#2) on electric guitar and vocals. Casey was wonderful. In addition to singing and playing well, he was very funny. He had two female backup singers, each of which was a lead performer later in the show, so I’ll save their names for their proper spots.
Casey brought up Sean White to read a poem to end one of his songs. It continued the comic nature of an otherwise horrifyingly sad song (my house burned down on Christmas).
Paula Valstein (#3). We’ve seen Paula once before, at the Haiti Benefit. She played solo at the electronic keyboards. Great voice, excellent piano play. Definitely someone we need to check out more (one of our friends has been telling that to me for a while). Paula was also one of Casey Shea’s backup singers.
Astoria Boulevard (#4). Wow! I can’t believe I never heard them (or of them) before. Three guys who sing heavenly three-part harmony. They’re funny and natural on stage as well. They opened the first number a cappella and knocked me back a few steps with how awesome they were.
Guitar, ukulele, harmonica and kazoos were played too. They were supported by the default house band (the next two people listed).
Ryan Vaughn on drums. Ryan was fantastic playing with roughly half of the acts last night. Ryan also joined for Mary Bragg’s second number, so I should have listed him earlier.
Tony Maceli on electric bass. Tony was his usual excellent self whenever he was on stage, which was a bit less than Ryan, but still the primary bass player for the evening.
Dave Pittenger (#5). We’ve never seen him, but I’ve heard of him many times. Mostly because he’s producing Live Society’s new CD (or at least I think it’s him). Dave invited two special guests up, Bess Rogers and Chris Kuffner to kick off his first number. Dave and Bess flubbed Baby It’s Cold Outside a bit, but turned it into a very good natured thing.
Chris played the electric guitar in an understated but fascinating manner. When they had to restart, he signaled to Ryan and Tony to join in, filling out the sound.
Dave then performed a second number accompanying himself on the electric guitar (with Ryan and Tony playing).
Misty Boyce (#6). Misty kicked off her numbers on the guitar (I didn’t know she played the guitar), with the second number on the keyboards. Her voice is fantastic. In addition to playing the keyboards really well accompanying herself, she also played them with a couple of other acts, super tasty every time. I’ve been wanting to see her perform her own set for a while and this only increased that desire. She was the second backup singer supporting Casey Shea.
Nick Africano (#7). We hadn’t seen Nick before. (That’s a total lie, Nick played with Misty during her first number, so we saw him before he took center stage!). He played the guitar beautifully (subtle slide leads). When he took over, Misty played the keyboards and she called up Bess Rogers, Paula Valstein and Charlene Kaye to sing backup. Very nicely done. We will be on the lookout for Nick in the future.
Greg Mayo Band (#8). OK, it was technically the Greg Mayo Band, without the brass section. They also weren’t wearing suits, so I’m not sure how official this appearance was. That said, they were incredible, so I have no complaints! They had a guest vocalist and percussionist join them, but since each was a headliner as well, I’ll mention them later.
Paul Maddison on electric guitar and vocals. Wonderful.
Rebecca Haviland on vocals. Spectacular.
Kenny Shaw on drums. Excellent.
Chris Anderson on electric bass and vocals. Superb.
The Vanity Belles (#9). We’ve seen them sing backup with other groups. We’ve seen them perform on TV twice. Unbelievably, this was the first time we saw them perform as The Vanity Belles, live. We’re proud supporters of the ladies through their recent (successful) Kickstarter, so this was one of the extra special reasons why I wanted to attend. Of course, they were fantastic. Whew!
Patrick Firth played electronic keyboards for them. Joining him to round out the band were: Greg Mayo on guitar and Chris Anderson on electric bass. The drummer was already on stage before with the Greg Mayo band (as the guest percussionist) but I still haven’t mentioned his name (soon, don’t panic!).
Oscar Bautista played electric guitar as part of The Vanity Belles band. He is always great, so I wanted him to have a paragraph for himself. Another reason to give Oscar his own section? He broke out the mandolin last night, one of my favorite instruments. Sweet!
Next up was another group I’ve wanted to see for a long time.
The Stone Lonesome (#10). This is duo of Zach Jones (finally got to mention him) and Emily Long. We’ve seen Zach drum many times (including earlier last night, and he was the guest percussionist with the Greg Mayo Band as well). He’s an awesome drummer. I also knew that he sings well, and that was proven when he was front-and-center with Emily last night. What I didn’t know was that he also plays the guitar. Emily sings really well too and the two of them sound great together.
Brian Killeen supported them on electric bass, a perennial favorite of ours. He was joined by Ryan Vaughn on drums and Greg Mayo on electric guitar. Zach let Greg take a number of fantastic leads. The entire night was amazing, but I would have left happy just for the guitar solos that Greg took during The Stone Lonesome songs!
Martin Rivas (#11). Martin had previously sung as a guest with the Greg Mayo Band, wonderfully. He now took center stage and wowed everyone with two of his own songs (one a Christmas number, the other off of his new CD, due out in May, 2012). He was supported (incredibly) by Patrick Firth, Greg Mayo, Chris Kuffner, Zach Jones and Brian Killeen.
A few items were raffled off during the evening. One of them was a jar of Martin Rivas’ world-famous spaghetti sauce (or is it more properly referred to as tomato sauce?!?). Anyway, we won it (see the proof here and again in a couple of the photos at the very bottom!). Can’t wait to savor it!
Chrissi Poland (#12). We’ve only seen Chrissi singing backup with others. We knew she had an extraordinary voice but I have to say that I still didn’t understand the full effect of it until last night. Another wow. We won’t be attending, but if you want to catch her headlining a show, with Martin Rivas opening, head to Highline Ballroom this Sunday night (Dec 18th, 2011). You won’t be disappointed!
On her first number, she played guitar and was accompanied by Patrick Firth, Greg Mayo, Rebecca Haviland, Martin Rivas, Ryan Vaughn and Brian Killeen.
She then put the guitar down and blew everyone away accompanied by the same band, minus the backup singers (Rebecca and Martin). Her voice and stage presence had us eating out of her hand.
Caleb Hawley (#13). Caleb is one of my favorites and I’m always disappointed when I can’t make it to one of his shows (which happens more frequently than I care to admit, including the night before!). At least I got a taste last night to hold me over until his next full show.
Caleb was supported by Patrick Firth, Ryan Vaughn, Zach Jones and Brian Killeen. There was dancing in the audience (not atypical of any Caleb performance), but I won’t post the pictures, since those people didn’t sign any waivers.
Benjamin Wagner (#14). Benjamin was our host throughout the show, introducing each act as they were coming on stage. Now it was his turn to shine and shine he did. He has a wonderful voice and he wielded it for our delight. He was joined by a stellar band. I’ll mention all but two of them, since they were the next two headliners and hadn’t yet made an appearance.
Misty Boyce on keyboards, Chrissi Poland singing backup, Ryan Vaughn and Tony Maceli. All, great!
For his second number, additional backup singers joined: Mary Bragg, Bess Rogers, Paula Valstein and Martin Rivas.
In true showman style, Benjamin left the stage and prostrated himself right in front of us!
Bryan Dunn (#15). Bryan also played guitar on Benjamin’s set. Bryan is wonderful all around. When Benjamin introduced him, he said “Bryan is normally a rocker, but he’s going to bring you down a bit with his first number.” Ha! I hope no one fell for that. It might have started out sounding like a ballad, but Bryan had everyone hopping in no time.
Both his numbers were fantastic (and no, I wasn’t the least bit surprised!).
He was supported (wonderfully) by Misty Boyce, Ryan Vaughn and Tony Maceli. He also had another guitar player and vocalist, but since he was the next headliner, I’ll save his name for the very next line.
Chris Abad (#16). Another wow for me. He played guitar for Benjamin and Bryan Dunn and sang harmony with Bryan. His guitar play was awesome. It looked like he was playing one of Greg Mayo’s two electric guitars, so for a minute, I thought that perhaps Greg just has magical guitars and anyone could make them sound this good. I checked after the show, and the guitars are just look-a-likes, so apparently Chris is just really that good.
He also sang at center stage when Bryan was done, and did a great job. He was supported by Misty Boyce, Bryan Dunn, Ryan Vaughn and Tony Maceli. If I heard correctly, Chris also produced at least one of Bryan’s CDs, perhaps the upcoming one as well. Talented guy, no doubt!
For his second number, he was joined by a slew of backup singers: Mary Bragg, Bess Rogers, Paula Valstein, Charlene Kaye, Chris Kuffner and Benjamin Wagner.
One of the only performers who didn’t hop on stage was Kenny Shaw. When Martin tried to get him to come up, Kenny seemed to motion to Martin to come down instead. Martin took it as an invitation to have Kenny hold him in his arms. Kenny obliged!
We shared the evening a number of friends. In one of the photos you can even see our hard-won jar of sauce (I went with the cautious “sauce” with no modifier there).
Patrick Firth debuted as a headliner at Rockwood Music Hall last night. Those of us who see Patrick play sideman in a number of bands have been eagerly awaiting this night. That said, I had no idea what to expect. In the other bands, Patrick plays keyboards (piano and electronic) and sings background/harmony. I’ve heard him sing covers, so I know he has a good voice.
In May, we learned that Patrick was working on a CD of original songs. Since then, we’ve seen him perform one of those songs, Boomerang, two different times. Each time Patrick played acoustic guitar (backed by a full band).
I could never have guessed what I would end up seeing at the actual show. First, let me say a few words about Patrick and the songs themselves, then describe the surprise.
I enjoyed Boomerang the two times I heard it (now three) but if the entire CD was made up of similar songs, I don’t think it would excite me. Even though I still like the song, let me say definitively that every other song I heard last night was dramatically better (apologies to fans of Boomerang).
I already knew how good he is on the keyboards, but he also impressed on the guitar, in particular when he finger-picked an entire song.
I will own this CD (whenever it comes out), and it will get many plays.
I assumed (incorrectly), that each of those people would rotate on/off for different songs. Why? Because two are top guitarists and two are top drummers. Rockwood 1 is small, so my assumption seemed natural.
Bzzzt! All of them were on stage for every song. Two of the best guitarists and two of the best drummers, supported by one of the best bass players. All of them supporting one of the better keyboard players (who happens to handle the acoustic guitar well). Wow!
Here’s what made it more special than simply listing out their instruments. Typically, when an album is produced, many sounds can be achieved that are hard to reproduce in a live show. Overdubs are the most obvious reason, but having a top session musician come in to lay down a very specific sound is another.
When you can have those top session musicians, in duplicate, you can create many of those textured sounds live. They did exactly that last night (including having a few pre-recorded sound effects playing on Patrick’s Macbook Pro as well). Patrick spent half of the show at the keyboards and the other on the acoustic guitar.
Greg Mayo on electric guitar, keyboards (grand piano and electronic) and vocals. This music calls for subtle (dare I even say supple) guitar play. On at least two songs, when Patrick was on acoustic guitar, Greg took over the keyboard duties. Greg sang the most harmony with Patrick as well (beautifully). Of course Greg was great on the guitar and keyboards.
Patrick mentioned that Greg has been engineering the new CD in his studio, causing them to spend hours on end together. No wonder Greg knows the lyrics so well.
Oscar Bautista on electric guitar. Oscar is an amazing guitarist. Having him play with Greg is something I never expected to see. I’ll admit to having had a fantasy of seeing them play some Allman Brothers (or Lynyrd Skynyrd) together. This wasn’t that, but it was equally interesting in a different way.
Oscar used the slide to create very ethereal sounds while Greg played subtle leads. At other times, Greg played more of an organ sound while Oscar played some lead. When Greg was at the keyboards, we still had a top lead guitarist, etc. The point is they were able to produce all manner of guitar sounds, just like I’m sure we’ll hear on the actual CD.
Brian Killeen on electric bass and vocals. Brian always does a great job on the bass, last night included. He sang harmony with the others.
Zach Jones on drums and vocals. I always rave about Zach’s drumming, as recently as the night before when he supported Robbie Gil. Last night was even more special. When Zach sang, it was typically the third or fourth voice, making for some big sounding vocals. First, I have to mention another person, so I can write about them as a unit.
Ryan Vaughn (mentioned in the tweet above) also played drums and percussion. He had a slightly reduced kit (no kick drum). That Rockwood was able to fit 1.5 drum kits in the tiny space to the right of the stage was incredible.
I love drums. A number of my all-time favorite rock bands have multiple drummers (notably: The Allman Brother Band and The Grateful Dead). If the drummers are great, you simply can’t have too many of them. They won’t step on each other or drown anyone else out. They will create sounds that a single drummer would have trouble producing. The Allman Brothers have three full-time drummers/percussionists, and nearly always have a fourth guest drummer join for a song or two.
Zach and Ryan are great drummers and were absolutely perfect together last night. I can’t stress enough how amazing that is. They are not in this band full time, therefore rehearsing and touring non-stop playing this material. We know from the tweet that they rehearsed together at least once. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that was the only time.
Yet, they were so tight, on every note. It was one drummer with four arms/hands.
One last word about the music. No two songs sounded alike. When the originals were over, the sound guy signaled to Patrick that he had time for one more.
Patrick will never be able to debut again, but he won’t have to. He doesn’t need a do over. | 2019-04-21T16:56:43Z | https://www.opticality.com/blog/tag/oscar-bautista/ |
NIEM is rapidly becoming the most important XML exchange standard for the U.S. government and its information partners. This article provides an overview of the process of defining a NIEM information exchange (IEPD). It then takes you through the steps required to create the IEPD. A simple case study is used to illustrate the process.
How do you use NIEM?
The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) is a U.S. government-sponsored initiative to facilitate information sharing among public and private sector organizations. Its initial focus was on law enforcement, public safety, and emergency management, but it is continuously being expanded into other domains. New XML initiatives within the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, along with other sectors of the U.S. government, use NIEM as a common base data model and methodology to promote interoperability of data and software, reduce design and development time for information exchange applications, and allow the reuse of intellectual capital and skills across multiple projects.
The NIEM XML data model provides building blocks for common objects. A building block may be at a very granular level, such as "person name" or "birth date," or a much more complex component, such as "arrest" or "court case." However, the NIEM model itself doesn't define complete information exchange messages such as "Arrest Report" or "Suspicious Activity Report." It does not designate any specific message types or root elements of XML documents.
The first task in any information exchange project is to gather and analyze your requirements. NIEM does not require any particular method of defining requirements, so this article doesn't describe this process. In fact, this article assumes that before you sit down to actually create your IEPD, you have an idea of the data elements you want to exchange and the type of messages you want to structure them into.
This article will work through a simple example from start to finish, with the result being a complete IEPD. The example case study will be to implement a simple theft report that covers registered vehicles. Hypothetically, local law enforcement would use the theft report to inform interested parties, such as the Division of Motor Vehicles or the City Bicycle Registration Bureau, of thefts of motor vehicles and bicycles. During my requirements gathering phase, I have gathered general information on the data that needs to be shared and determined that only one type of message is required: the theft report. In reality, an IEPD often consists of multiple related message types.
Because a main goal of NIEM is data interoperability, it makes sense to consider reusing an existing IEPD before creating a new one from scratch. NIEM provides a Shared IEPDs site that allows you to search for existing IEPDs submitted by other organizations.
Map your exchange to the NIEM data model.
Create a subset of the NIEM model for use in your exchange.
Create exchange and extension schemas to describe your custom components.
Assemble an IEPD with all of the appropriate artifacts.
This article describes these five steps, each in a separate section. Even if you choose to reuse an existing IEPD, this article might still be a useful guide to help you to understand the content and structure of the IEPDs you are using.
Before you create a model for your exchange, it is useful to understand how the NIEM data model is structured. NIEM defines concepts—such as types, properties, and associations—that are probably familiar to you from other data modeling paradigms.
Types represent things, both tangible and intangible. Some of the most fundamental types in the NIEM model are PersonType, ActivityType, ItemType, LocationType, and OrganizationType. There are also thousands more, with varying degrees of granularity. Types might be known as classes or entities in other modeling paradigms.
Properties are attributes of types. They can themselves have complex types. For example, PersonName is a property of PersonType, but it is also has a type PersonNameType that has its own structure containing PersonGivenName, PersonSurName, and so on.
Types can be derived from other types and inherit their properties, which is analogous to generalizations in an object-oriented model. For example, ItemType is a generic type that has many types derived from it, including VehicleType, JewelryType and RealEstateType.
Associations are relationships between two types. You might have an association between an Incident and a Person, or a Person and a Location. Associations in NIEM are separate from the types they relate.
Roles represent temporary affiliations that a type might have in a particular context. For example, in a theft incident, a person might play the role of either Victim, Subject, or Witness.
Augmentations are bundles of properties that you can reuse and share. These are more commonly used in the NIEM domain models than in your IEPDs.
Metadata is information about the content of a message, such as when the information was gathered and how reliable it is. NIEM makes special provisions in its model for relating data to metadata.
The NIEM model is implemented entirely as a set of W3C XML Schema documents. Annotations and references within the XML schemas are used to indicate whether something is a type, an association, and so on. Fortunately, you do not have to read the XML schema documents themselves to navigate the model; NIEM provides tools to search and navigate the model in a more graphical fashion.
In general, NIEM types are implemented as XML Schema complex types, and properties are elements contained within those types. Example 1 shows how an activity is represented by an ActivityType complex type, with properties such as ActivityIdentification and ActivityCategoryText implemented as child elements.
NIEM uses XML Schema extensions for type derivation. Example 2 shows how a more specific kind of activity—the AssessmentType complex type—is derived from ActivityType.
Associations are special kinds of complex types that contain references to the types they associate. Example 3 shows how an association between a person and an activity—ActivityPersonAssociationType—is implemented. All association types are extensions (directly or indirectly) of the NIEM core AssociationType.
NIEM does not require that you use any particular methodology or diagram types to model your XML exchange or even that you model it at all. However, modeling is an important step in IEPD design. The modeling process fleshes out the requirements, and the final result provides documentation that is helpful for both business and technical users. The model also serves as useful input into the subsequent steps in the IEPD creation process.
A good option is UML—in particular, UML class diagrams—because UML concepts map easily onto NIEM model concepts. Of course, you can create other UML diagrams, such as use case diagrams and sequence diagrams, to document your exchange. This article focuses on the class diagram, because that is most crucial to the IEPD development process.
If you use UML, there is an advantage to using an XMI-enabled UML tool, such as IBM Rational Modeler or ArgoUML. This is because you can use the XMI to automatically generate a mapping spreadsheet, which you can use in the next step. For this article, I used ArgoUML, an open source UML editor.
It is best to create a first draft of your model independently without trying to fit it into the NIEM model. You want to get the model right for your business needs without being unduly influenced by the NIEM way of doing things. Later in the IEPD process, it not uncommon to make small alterations to the model to better harmonize it with NIEM (in cases where it makes sense). However, there will always be differences between your model and the NIEM model.
This article isn't long enough to provide a complete introduction to UML modeling, so it focuses on the NIEM-specific pointers. As you might expect, NIEM types are represented by classes in a class diagram. Properties are represented by attributes of the class.
In my example case study, I determine that I have several classes that need to be exchanged—for example Theft, MotorVehicle, Bicycle, Victim, Witness, and TheftLocation. These types are depicted in Figure 1, along with their properties.
When specifying the data types of the properties, it is useful to use XML Schema primitive data types, because the properties will eventually be represented in an XML schema and it will be easier to determine whether the existing NIEM model fits yours if you use a common set of data types. The most commonly used XML Schema data types are listed in Table 1.
Some properties have an enumerated list of valid values, also known as a code list. Code list values can be described in the UML model in comments or documented elsewhere in the system documentation. In my example, to keep the model clean, I simply list these properties as having a data type code. I will record the valid values in the mapping spreadsheet created in the next step of the IEPD process.
The NIEM model uses generalizations, and when appropriate, you should use them in your model, too. In the case study, MotorVehicle and Bicycle are both specific kinds of property that might be stolen. So, I decide to add a more generic Property class and derive MotorVehicle and Bicycle from that. This allows me to define the common properties such as SerialNumber only once, and will also simplify associations by allowing the Property class to be the associated with Theft class.
Victim and Witness appear to follow the same rule. After all, they are both just more specific kinds of people. However, a person's state of being a witness or a victim is temporary, so it is better represented as a role. In fact, in this case, the same person could be both a victim and a witness in a particular theft. In that case, you would only want to represent one person with two different roles. I show that in my model by adding a separate Person class and creating associations to the Victim and Witness classes. I label the associations "Role Of Person" to indicate that they are related via a role rather than a normal association.
Figure 2 shows the model after I have added my generalizations and roles.
UML has three ways of representing relationships: aggregation, composition, and association.
Aggregation and composition relationships generally represent "has a" relationships, where one class is subordinate to another. In the example case study, a Person "has a" PersonName. The PersonName class is not useful without a person to relate it to. Aggregations and compositions are treated the same way in NIEM. In the eventual XML structure, the subordinate class will be contained in the other class. For example, there will be a Person element that contains a PersonName element.
In contrast, associations are between two classes that can stand on their own. In the example case study, a Theft and a TheftLocation are two separate things; one can exist without the other. To represent these in your model, you can use generic UML associations, or, if there are additional properties relating to the association itself, add separate association classes to the model. Either way, in the NIEM XML structure, the classes will each be represented as distinct elements with a separate association element that contains references to the elements that it is relating—in this case, Theft and a TheftLocation.
In the example case study, I use composition to represent the Person/PersonName relationship, and simple UML associations to relate the rest of the classes to each other. Figure 3 shows the model after I have added relationships.
Every XML message must have a single root. Generally, in an XML exchange, there is a single focal point or purpose for the message. In my case, it is the theft report itself. I add a class for TheftReport to my model, along with a property TheftReportDate. I create an aggregation relationship between TheftReport and Theft, indicating that the Theft Report consists of a set of thefts.
The complete UML model is shown in Figure 4. This model is not yet perfect, nor does it have to be. It is common to make iterative changes to the model throughout the IEPD development process. For example, it might be useful to modify the structure or names to better fit the NIEM model, where appropriate.
This section described at a high level the steps involved in creating a NIEM IEPD and delved into detail on the first step: creating the model. The result is a working draft of a UML model that you can use to continue IEPD development. Using NIEM-targeted concepts like roles and XML Schema data types during the modeling process makes the rest of the IEPD development process easier.
It provides a detailed, human-readable definition of your exchange model with places for comments and extra documentation.
It makes explicit which parts of the model reuse NIEM components and which are custom to the IEPD.
It serves as a convenient checklist when you make a subset of the NIEM model.
Some NIEM implementers add more columns to the CMT to represent the details of extending NIEM. The next section of this article will look further into extending NIEM.
Your first step is to record your UML model in the first five columns of the CMT. Based on our UML class diagram, Table 2 shows the TheftLocation class in CMT format. Descriptions are omitted from the table to save space, but a completed example CMT is available from the Artifacts page.
In the Data type column, XML Schema simple type names are used. In the case of code lists, a code list name is specified, and the valid values are documented in another tab of the spreadsheet. Cardinality shows the minimum and maximum number of occurrences, where * represents an unbounded number.
Each association should have a row in the CMT, along with rows for references to the types involved in the association. Table 3 shows a CMT representation of the Theft/TheftLocation association.
Role types should be shown with references from the role to the type that is playing the role. The Witness role type shown in Table 4 contains a reference to Person, labelled RoleOfPerson.
The next task in mapping your exchange is to determine where your model overlaps with NIEM and record those elements in the CMT. You want to reuse NIEM as much as possible to maximize interoperability with other NIEM applications. An IEPD is not NIEM-conformant if it adds new components when semantically equivalent components already exist in the NIEM model. That said, you should not force data into NIEM if it really doesn't fit. This article will explain later how to add new components to the model.
NIEM Wayfarer allows you to search for NIEM components and traverse through the model with one page per component.
Schema Central has similar capabilities to NIEM Wayfarer but works with a variety of XML vocabularies, not just NIEM.
The NIEM Schema Subset Generation Tool (SSGT) lets you search and navigate the NIEM model in a slightly more graphical fashion. It has the added capability of generating a NIEM subset once you find the components of interest.
Use one of these tools to look for all the components in your CMT that might already exist in NIEM. As an example, when you search for the term "Vehicle" in Schema Central, you see the search results page in Figure 5.
When you click on nc:Vehicle, the page shown in Figure 6 is displayed. It shows some general characteristics of the element, followed by a complete listing of its possible children.
All of the NIEM components have a namespace prefix. nc refers to NIEM Core, the namespace where the most fundamental types reside. There is also a namespace for each of the domains (e.g. "j" for Justice.) Feel free to use NIEM components from any domain as long as they are semantically equivalent to your model. You don't have to be implementing an immigration-related exchange to use an element from the immigration domain.
It is often easier to start by looking for the highest-level types/classes (in the example case, Theft, Property, Location, and so on) first, and then finding the appropriate properties.
Don't forget to search for synonyms. If you don't find "License Plate", look for "Registration".
If you can't find your specific component, look for a more general one. Some of the most general types in NIEM are Person, Organization, Location, Activity, and Item. For example, if you don't find Theft Location, you can look for Location more generally and use nc:Location. If there is not a specific type for "Theft", consider using the more generic nc:Activity.
Don't just search names. If you expand your scope to search descriptions and enumerations, it might lead you to the appropriate type.
Finding components in the NIEM model might seem daunting at first, but it gets easier as you become more familiar with the general naming and structural patterns of the NIEM model.
When you find an equivalent NIEM component, record it in the CMT in the XPath column. Generally, simple XPath expressions are used—element and/or attribute names are separated by slashes (/). Type names do not need to be included in the XPath. Use namespace prefixes such as nc:, because element names are not necessarily unique across namespaces.
Table 5 shows the XPath mappings for TheftLocation.
You should include enough steps in the XPath to uniquely identify it. For example, don't just put nc:StreetFullText in the row for Address. Sometimes, multiple paths can lead to an element in NIEM, and the entire path is needed for precision.
In the example, the CountyCode property, which is a state-specific county code, is not found in NIEM, so it will require an extension. Therefore, the Ext? column is set to Y, and the XPath is left blank for now. The next section of this article will walk through the process of filling in the XPaths for extensions.
A complete mapping of the Theft Report example model to NIEM is available from the Artifacts page.
When you have decided which components of NIEM you want to use in your exchange, you create a subset of the NIEM model that takes the form of a set of XML Schema documents. Because the full NIEM model is so large and loosely constrained, a NIEM subset is necessary to validate your exchange more precisely. The NIEM subset restricts the elements and attributes allowed, the number of times they can occur, and—in some cases—their allowed values. Creating a NIEM subset also speeds up validation of XML messages, because the schemas are much smaller.
You create NIEM subsets using the NIEM SSGT. The initial page of the SSGT in Figure 7 has two panes. The right pane is where you search and navigate the model, and the left pane shows your subset as you add components to it.
Based on your CMT, you perform searches to find components to add to your subset. Using the SSGT, you can choose to search either properties (element or attribute names), types, associations, or other components. Because you have the names of the element in your CMT, it makes sense to search properties. Sample search results are in Figure 8.
You might wonder why mapping and subsetting are two separate steps when you can perform the tasks in the same tool (the SSGT). It is certainly possible to perform the mapping and subsetting at the same time using the SSGT. However, many NIEM practitioners find it easier to do the mapping with NIEM Wayfarer or Schema Central, which shows the actual (flattened) structure of the types more clearly. The SSGT requires more knowledge of NIEM (and more clicking) to navigate, so going to the SSGT prepared with a CMT that lists exactly what you want from NIEM makes subsetting more efficient.
When the NIEM component of interest is displayed, click Add to add it to your subset. It then appears in the left pane under NIEM Schema Subset as shown in Figure 9.
When you add a property, its type automatically goes with it. For example, if you add nc:PersonName, nc:PersonNameType is automatically added to the subset, as well. The components you explicitly selected appear in the left pane in bold, with a check box next to them, while the dependent components are not in bold.
The SSGT does not add the child properties of a type by default. For example, if you add nc:PersonName, it does not include the properties nc:PersonGivenName and nc:PersonSurName. These you must add to the subset separately. When you add them, you must do so in the context of nc:PersonName, so that the parent-child relationship between, for example, nc:PersonName and nc:PersonGivenName is maintained. To do this, expand the nc:PersonName tree in the SSGT search results and click Add next to nc:PersonGivenName, as in Figure 10.
If instead you separately searched for PersonGivenName and added it from the search results, the element would be added but not as a child of nc:PersonName.
Figure 10 also shows that when you add a property of a type, you can specify the cardinality. Clicking the right down arrow on the Add button brings up a drop-down menu that shows possible cardinalities. The default is 0 to infinity.
If a property is included by inheritance, it is not displayed in the SSGT hierarchy by default. For example, expanding nc:Vehicle in the SSGT search results does not automatically show the nc:ItemDescriptionText that is mapped to the Property Description property. To see these inherited properties, click show inheritance (next to nc:VehicleType) and expand the type that contains the property of interest—in this case, nc:ItemType, as in Figure 11.
The NIEM model commonly uses XML Schema abstract elements and substitution groups. For example, there are several ways to represent the color of an item. NIEM has an abstract element—nc:ItemColor—that cannot appear anywhere in an XML instance. Instead, it must be substituted by one of several elements, such as nc:VehicleColorPrimaryCode or nc:ItemColorDescriptionText. In XML Schema terminology, nc:VehicleColorPrimaryCode and nc:ItemColorDescriptionText are said to be members of a substitution group whose head is nc:ItemColor.
The abstract elements add some complexity to the creation of a subset, because you are required to add the substitutable elements in your subset, not just the abstract element. The SSGT marks all abstract elements with the word "abstract" and allows you to expand them to see the substitutable elements, as in Figure 12.
Most date-related types also contain an abstract element nc:DateRepresentation that is substitutable by nc:Date, nc:DateTime, and so on. It is an easy mistake to simply add a date-related property, such as nc:ActivityDate, without expanding it to click on nc:DateRepresentation and then nc:Date to allow for the appropriate child elements.
When you have created your subset, you can modify it using the left pane of the SSGT. You can choose to delete any component by selecting the check box next to it, and then clicking Delete. You can also delete allowed code list values by expanding the appropriate simple types in the left pane. By default, all code list values from a simple type are included in the subset.
You can also choose to change the cardinalities by clicking Edit Cardinality at the top of the left pane. Doing so gives you another opportunity to decide how many of a particular property are allowed in a parent type.
Your NIEM subset does not have to be perfect at this point. NIEM subsetting is often an iterative process. You can save and modify your subset as needed during the final stages of IEPD development.
To generate your subset, click Generate Documents in the upper right corner of the page. Doing so brings up a window similar to Figure 13 that shows some generation options. Select Save Subset Schema to a file, and choose the location in which to save it.
Doing so creates a .zip file called Subset.zip with a niem subfolder that contains the NIEM subset. It has a schema document for every namespace from which you chose elements in the SSGT plus a few standard schemas that come with all subsets.
Only the types you chose are included in the schema documents, and those types only contain the chosen properties. For example, although the nc:PersonNameType has seven possible children in the entire NIEM model and they all have cardinalities 0..*, your subset schema will contain only what is in Example 4.
The subset also contains an XML document called wantlist.xml which lists all of the components you added to your subset along with their cardinalities. The wantlist is useful if you need to make changes later: You can re-upload the wantlist to the SSGT, modify the subset, and regenerate. Example 5 shows part of the wantlist.
This section showed how to map a UML exchange model to NIEM using a Component Mapping Template (CMT). It then described the process of creating a NIEM subset using the NIEM Schema Subset Generation Tool (SSGT). The next section will cover the rows of the CMT that were not filled in yet: the extensions. It will explain the different approaches to extending NIEM and take you through the process of creating Exchange and Extension schemas.
NIEM is large—over 6000 elements—but it most likely does not contain everything you want to include in an XML exchange. It is not intended to cover every possible scenario but rather the most common information building blocks. In most IEPDs you create, you will need to write an extension schema that adds types and properties that are unique to your exchange. NIEM provides detailed guidelines for how to extend the model in a way that maximizes interoperability among NIEM IEPDs.
The NIEM model also does not define specific message types or structures for assembling all of the objects in an exchange. It is up to the creator of the IEPD to write an exchange schema to declare the root element and the basic structure of the messages.
Earlier in this article I created a UML model of my exchange and mapped as much of it as I could to NIEM. Figure 14 shows a revised UML model, where the areas in red indicate properties and types that I was unable to map to the base NIEM model.
NIEM extension and exchange schemas (as well as the generated subset schemas) are written in XML Schema. This article shows examples of NIEM-conformant schemas but does not provide a complete explanation of the XML Schema language. If you are a newcomer to schemas, I recommend the XML Schema Primer.
In addition to the constraints imposed by XML Schema, NIEM adds its own rules that are documented in the NIEM Naming and Design Rules (NDR) 1.3 document. These rules cover, among other things, naming and documentation standards for NIEM components, the kinds of XML Schema constructs that are allowed and disallowed, and approved ways to use and extend NIEM. To be NIEM conformant, the schemas in an IEPD must follow the NDR rules.
Each schema document must have its own target namespace. For my example IEPD, I choose to use http://datypic.com/theftreport/extension/1.0 (with the prefix trext:) as the namespace for the extension schema, and http://datypic.com/theftreport/exchange/1.0 (with the prefix tr:) for the exchange schema.
It is common practice to use a folder structure that reflects the namespace names. Inside the Theft Report IEPD, I will create folders called extension and exchange, and within each one a subfolder named 1.0 in which I place the respective schema documents.
The beginning of a typical NIEM schema document—in this case, the extension schema for the Theft Report example—is in Example 6.
A NIEM schema document must contain an xsd:annotation element that has a description (in xsd:documentation) and an indicator that it is NIEM conformant (in xsd:appinfo).
As with any schema, it declares and imports all of the namespaces that it needs to reference directly. It is also required to import the appinfo schema on the last line of Example 6, which declares the elements used inside the xsd:appinfo element.
Complete extension and exchange schema documents that include all of the listings in this article are available from the Artifacts page.
Depending on the complexity of your IEPD, you might have one extension schema or many. Some IEPD developers choose to break extension schemas into multiple documents by subject area to allow them to reuse the schemas more granularly in various exchanges. Others choose to put components that might be versioned more frequently—for example, code lists—into a separate schema document.
For the Theft Report example, because it is simple, I choose to create one extension schema. After the beginning of the schema in Example 6, I need to define types and declare elements for my custom components. There are several ways of extending NIEM, and I use a different method for each of my customizations.
Perhaps the easiest way to extend NIEM is through the use of substitution groups which allow you to declare your own element and specify that it is substitutable for a NIEM element. This means that it can appear anywhere the NIEM element is allowed. You can use this method when there is a semantically equivalent element in the NIEM model, but it does not quite meet your needs. For example, in my model, I have a CountyCode property that is semantically equivalent to the NIEM abstract element nc:LocationCounty that appears inside an address. There are already two elements in the substitution group that are part of the NIEM core model, but they don't meet my needs: nc:LocationCountyCode uses a different code list, and nc:LocationCountyName is intended for a spelled-out name rather than a code. Instead, I declare a new element, trext:LocationCountyCode, that uses my own code list.
Example 7 shows the element declaration for trext:LocationCountyCode. To indicate that it is substitutable for nc:LocationCounty, I use a substitutionGroup attribute.
Example 7 also shows the two type definitions that support the trext:LocationCountyCode element. First, a simple type is defined that has xsd:enumeration elements for each of the code values. Then, a complex type is defined based on the simple type. The complex type adds universal attributes like s:id that are allowed on all NIEM objects, through a reference to s:SimpleObjectAttributeGroup.
Another method of NIEM extension is to create a whole new type. In my model, Bicycle doesn't have an equivalent at all in the NIEM model, so I need to create a new element and a new corresponding complex type. Whenever you add a new type, you should consider whether it is a specialization of an existing NIEM type—for example, nc:ActivityType, nc:PersonType, or nc:ItemType. For Bicycle, I decide that it should be based on nc:ConveyanceType, because it represents a means of transportation, which is appropriate for a bicycle. Also, nc:ConveyanceType already has most of the properties I need, such as serial number and description.
As with the previous method of extension, I have to define both a new element, trext:Bicycle, and a type, trext:BicycleType. Example 8 shows these definitions.
The type definition for trext:BicycleType indicates that it extends nc:ConveyanceType. Note that if you are creating a type that is truly new—that is, not based on any concept already in NIEM—you must base your type on s:ComplexObjectType, which is the root of all complex types in NIEM.
In trext:BicycleType, I reference a trext:BicycleRegisteredIndicator element that I have to declare separately. All elements, attributes and types in NIEM schemas are global, uniquely named, top-level components. Example 9 shows the declaration of the trext:BicycleRegisteredIndicator element.
Unlike trext:LocationCountyCode, which had its own code list type, trext:BicycleRegisteredIndicator has a type that corresponds to one of the XML Schema built-in types, boolean. However, instead of giving it the built-in type xsd:boolean, I use niem-xsd:boolean. This complex type, defined in the "proxy" schema xsd.xsd, specifies that the element contains an xsd:boolean value but also allows the universal NIEM attributes like s:id.
Another extension situation is where you have a complex type that is semantically equivalent to a NIEM type but you need to alter or add to it in some way. In my model, the MotorVehicle class is equivalent to the NIEM nc:VehicleType but it needs an extra property, VehicleCategoryCode. When doing the mapping, I looked at nc:ItemCategoryText as a possible mapping candidate but decided that it was too general. In fact, the VehicleCategoryCode property represents a classification of vehicles used for tax purposes, so I decide to call the element trext:VehicleTaxClassCode.
The required XML Schema definitions are similar to the Bicycle extension. Example 10 shows how I declare a new element—trext:Vehicle—and a new complex type—trext:VehicleType—that extends nc:VehicleType.
Sometimes, you are happy with the NIEM types, but you want to use names that are more specific or relevant to your exchange. In my model, I decided that the Theft class corresponded to the NIEM nc:ActivityType. However, I'm not completely satisfied with calling my element nc:Activity, because it is too general and not descriptive enough. In this case, I choose to declare a new element, named trext:Theft, but give it the existing type nc:ActivityType rather than define a new type. Example 11 shows the element declaration.
Exchange schemas contain definitions that are unique to a message type or group of message types. This generally includes only the root element and its type and possibly some structural elements that form the basic framework of the message. Typically, an exchange schema is IEPD specific, while an extension schema might be shared across several IEPDs.
You are not required to have separate exchange and extension schemas; you can put all of your extensions in the same schema document. You can also have multiple exchange schemas in order to represent different message types or groups of different message types.
Exchange schemas follow all of the same rules described previously for extension schemas. For example, they must have their own target namespace and must have annotations.
In the Theft Report example, the exchange schema will contain the tr:TheftReport element, because that is the root, and its type. It will contain a TheftReportDate, which is shown in the model. But more importantly, the tr:TheftReport element will be what brings together all of the objects and associations defined in the exchange. The element and type for TheftReport are in Example 12.
Note that the object and association elements are all siblings of each other. This is typical of a NIEM message, where associations between objects are separate components that reference the related objects through s:ref attributes.
A snippet of a message that shows the association between a theft and its location is in Example 13. The objects, trext:Theft and nc:Location, are siblings, and each has an s:id attribute giving it a unique identifier. The association, j:ActivityLocationAssociation, is another sibling that links the two objects using child elements with s:ref attributes.
Another option for expressing relationships among objects is containment, where one object is the parent of another object. For example, it is hypothetically possible to create a brand new TheftType that contains within it a person and a location or a reference to a person or a location. However, this is not the recommended approach to using NIEM. Separating associations makes the delineation of objects clearer, reduces problems with recursion, and is more adapted to many-to-many relationships.
A name has an object term and a property term, and, if it is a simple element, a representation term. For example, in the name BicycleRegisteredIndicator, Bicycle is the object term, Registered is the property term, and Indicator is the representation term. It can also have optional qualifier terms.
There is a specific set of approved representation terms, among which are Indicator, Code, Date, Text, Value, and Quantity.
All names use camel case (uppercasing the first letter of each word) rather than separator characters.
Attribute names start with a lowercase letter, while element and type names start with an uppercase letter.
All types have the word Type at the end of their name.
There are also rules that govern the documentation of NIEM components. All schemas, elements, attributes, types, and enumerations must have definitions, and they must start with one of an approved set of beginning phrases, such as "A name of", or "A relationship".
This is just a sampling of the rules; you can find a complete listing of the NIEM rules in the NDR.
As you build your extension and exchange schemas, you might need additional components from NIEM that you did not include in your subset. For example, trext:BicycleRegisteredIndicator is of type niem-xsd:boolean, a type that was not in my original subset.
Fortunately, it is easy to modify your subset using the Schema Subset Generation Tool (SSGT). From the main page of the SSGT, click Options in the upper right corner. This will bring up a page shown in Figure 15.
In the section called Load Wantlist, fill in (or browse for) your wantlist.xml file name, and then click Load Want List. Doing so brings up your subset in the left pane. You can then click Search and use the right pane to search and add components to your NIEM subset. When you are done, regenerate the subset.
When working with extensions, you sometimes want to use the SSGT to look for types rather than properties. To find niem-xsd:boolean I can't use the default search on properties, because that only finds element and attribute names, not type names. To specifically look for types, choose Type from the Search for a drop-down menu on the search page of the SSGT.
Be sure to document your extensions in the Component Mapping Template (CMT) that was described earlier in this article. At a minimum, you should fill in the XPath expressions for your extension elements. Table 6 shows the extensions I filled in for the MotorVehicle and Bicycle classes.
Some NIEM practitioners create more formal CMTs that have separate columns indicating the kind of extension, the base types and elements, and the level of semantic alignment. For my CMT, I chose to take a looser approach to defining the dependencies by including this information in a Comments column. The final Theft Report CMT is available from the Artifacts page.
In this section, I described the process of extending NIEM. I explained the role of extension and exchange schemas, and showed the various methods of adding new elements and types based on NIEM components. The majority of the work in creating a NIEM IEPD is now complete. The next section describes the last and final step, assembling the final IEPD.
An IEPD is a collection of documents describing a NIEM exchange. It typically includes schemas, samples, documentation of various kinds, and rendering instructions. It also includes several NIEM-specific artifacts that are required in a NIEM-conformant exchange, such as a metadata document and a catalog file.
Create more documentation-related artifacts to further explain the exchange.
Assemble my IEPD in a NIEM-conformant way, which involves using the NIEM "Work with IEPDs" tool to upload my artifacts and generate additional documentation files.
Validate my IEPD for completeness and NIEM conformance using the NIEM Conformance Validation Tool.
Publish my IEPD so that it can be discovered by other users.
The documentation artifacts I have developed so far for the Theft Report IEPD are a UML model and a CMT. I need to add master documentation that describes in general terms the purpose and structure of the exchange. I also add a change log, which is essentially empty, because this is the first version of the exchange. See the Artifacts page for a complete IEPD that contains these documents.
Sample XML documents are an important part of an IEPD. It's difficult to conceptualize XML documents based solely on a schema, particularly if you're talking about a complex set of interrelated schema documents. Using samples makes it clear which element is the root element in any given document type and provides examples of typical data for each element.
Include at least one sample for each different root element in the exchange schema. If you use a document type for multiple purposes, you should provide a sample for each purpose. It's helpful to create one sample that contains every possible element in order to test the schemas and any software written to process the documents. For a complex exchange, it may also be useful to create a typical sample that contains what is likely to be included in any given document.
Many XML editors generate sample documents for you, but those documents generally contain meaningless data and don't have correctly related ID and IDREF values used in the associations. You should edit any generated samples to make them more typical and meaningful. I also recommend validating your samples using multiple processors because of differences in the way various processors handle schema location hints.
For the Theft Report IEPD, I only have one possible root element (tr:TheftReport). Example 14 shows the beginning of one complete sample that I created. It has at least one of each element type allowed in the exchange and has representative values for the data.
Rendering instructions are another useful tool to help users and implementers of the IEPD conceptualize the exchange. It's difficult to look at a complex XML document and understand its content—particularly in a typical NIEM document, which has a lot of structural elements and associations that connect different parts of a document. Some users get caught up in the complexity of the structure and the names of elements rather than focusing on the actual content.
If you write rendering instructions that turn the XML data into human-readable HTML, you can alleviate this problem. Associated objects can be rejoined and displayed together on the page, extraneous structure can be ignored, and cryptic code list values can be turned into their readable equivalents.
Rendering of XML documents is typically done with an XSLT stylesheet. I generally recommend sticking to XSLT version 1.0 for simple HTML rendering, because that version is supported in major browsers. Providing an XSLT stylesheet in the same directory as the samples allows users to double-click a sample (or open it in an XML editor) and see the rendered HTML version. The processing instruction (starting with <?xml-stylesheet) on the first line of Example 14 indicates which XSLT stylesheet to use.
For the Theft Report IEPD, I created a fairly simple XSLT 1.0 stylesheet (included in the IEPD downloadable from the Artifacts page) that presents the Theft Report in a user-friendly way, as in Figure 16. The XSLT joins each theft with its associated location, vehicle, victim, and witness to present the data logically.
NIEM provides a Work with IEPDs Tool for gathering your IEPD artifacts and assembling the complete package. Although it is possible to assemble an IEPD by hand, using the tool is generally easier, because it allows you to automatically generate two NIEM-specific artifacts that are required for NIEM conformance: the metadata document and the catalog file, which serves as a table of contents. It also results in an IEPD that has a more consistent file structure.
To use the tool, choose Create/Upload IEPD from the menu on the left side of the page. Doing so takes you to the page in Figure 17.
After you click Begin, you will be asked whether you have an existing IEPD zip file that you want to upload. If you already have a zipped set of IEPD artifacts, you can click yes and upload the zip file. When working with the tool for the Theft Report example, I clicked no to upload each file individually.
When you click no, the tool displays the page in Figure 18. This page allows you to specify a root directory name. For the Theft Report, I choose TheftReport as the root directory. Also on this page, to add individual artifacts to the IEPD, click the Add Artifact link.
You add the extension and exchange schemas, wantlist, subset, sample document, rendering instructions, CMT, UML model, change log, and master documentation using this page. Note that you should zip the subset schemas into one file; when the tool regenerates the IEPD, it will be unzipped.
For each artifact you add, you choose a type. Doing so is important, because it affects the way the catalog file is generated and the default directories used for the components. You can also choose a directory path on this page. For consistency, click use recommended path for each artifact, and the tool fills in the path. The only change I made to the recommended path was to include a 1.0 subdirectory for the exchange and extensions schemas, because I wanted the directory structure to mirror the namespace name. I also added a description for each artifact. Figure 19 shows the results.
When you are done adding artifacts, click Next to go to the Enter Metadata page in Figure 20. Here, you provide metadata about the IEPD, such as name, description, version, organization, and point of contact. The tool uses this information to generate an XML document called metadata.xml that is included with the IEPD.
One thing that is slightly confusing about this page is that the fields required for NIEM conformance are not all marked with yellow asterisks. Later, when you validate your IEPD, you will be informed if you missed any required metadata. In general, it's best to fill in as many as are relevant. When you're done with the metadata, click Next to go to the summary page in Figure 21.
From here, you can click Validate IEPD to determine whether your IEPD contains all the necessary metadata. When it is validated, click Upload IEPD to save the IEPD in your profile so that you can retrieve it under My IEPDs later. Note that uploading your IEPD does not automatically make it visible to other users of the Web site.
Finally, to actually generate the IEPD, click Download from the IEPD Successfully Uploaded page. You can download, modify, or delete any of your IEPDs at any time by clicking My IEPDs from the menu on the left side of the tool pages.
Looking at the generated IEPD, you can see a copy of all of the artifacts that you uploaded plus two new generated files. The metadata.xml document, in Example 15, provides a standardized cross-IEPD format for information about the exchange.
The catalog.html file is an XHTML document that serves as a table of contents of the artifacts in the IEPD. It is shown in its rendered human-readable form in Figure 22. The catalog is also machine-readable, thanks to rddl:purpose attributes embedded in the XHTML.
Once you create an IEPD, you can test it for conformance using the NIEM Conformance Validation Tool. This process ensures that all required artifacts are present in the IEPD. It also tests the schemas against some of the rules for NIEM-conformant schemas defined in the NIEM Naming and Design Rules (NDR) document.
From the Conformance Validation Tool main page, click Begin to bring up the page shown in Figure 23. It prompts you to upload a file, which will be your entire IEPD as a zip file. The tool uses the catalog file to determine the location and type of all artifacts. After you click through the page that asks you to verify the purpose of your artifacts, a new section of this page, called My Validations, appears with a conformance report for your IEPD.
Summary is the basic statistical information shown in Figure 24.
NDR - All Rules provides a list of all the rules in the NDR and, for those that can be automatically checked, whether the schemas in the IEPD passed. For each rule that cannot be checked automatically, a drop-down list allows you to indicate that you checked it manually.
NDR - Schemas is a summary of all of the schema documents and whether they are NIEM conformant.
NDR - Rules Auto Failed is a list of each instance of an NDR rule violation.
IEPD - Metadata is a list of all of the metadata fields, signaling an error if they are required but absent.
IEPD - Catalog is a list of all of the artifact types, signaling an error if they are required but absent.
A complete copy of the conformance report for the Theft Report IEPD is available from the Artifacts page.
IEPDs are meant to be shared. Although NIEM helps interoperability by providing common definitions and techniques, XML documents from two IEPDs that use different subsets of NIEM are not interchangeable. Therefore, reuse of IEPDs is critical to achieving interoperability.
For others to use your IEPD, it has to be available publicly for others to discover. Two major Web sites provide directories of existing IEPDs, and submitting your IEPD to these sites is easy.
First, you can list your IEPD on the NIEM Web site itself to make it available under the Search function of the Work with IEPDs tool. To do this within the Work with IEPDs tool, bring up your IEPD summary page. Click the Edit link in the top right, then click Edit Visibility/Sharing to bring up the Edit Artifact Visibility page in Figure 25.
From here, select Shared to make the IEPD visible. You can also hide individual artifacts (by clearing the check box beside them) even if the IEPD itself is visible. This allows users to be aware of the IEPD even if individual artifacts are classified. Click Update Visibility when you are done.
The second place to submit your IEPD is to the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) IEPD Clearinghouse. To do this, visit the clearinghouse Web site, and click Submit IEPD Information to get a form on which you can upload your IEPD.
Now that you understand the process of developing a NIEM IEPD, consider again whether this is a task you should undertake. At the beginning of this article, I suggested that you consider reusing an existing IEPD before you create your own from scratch. Not only will you improve your interoperability with other applications, but you will also save yourself a lot of work.
However, it is sometimes difficult to find an IEPD that meets all of your requirements. In these cases, a good solution is Logical Entity Exchange Specification (LEXS). LEXS is a NIEM IEPD framework that balances the competing goals of interoperability and flexibility by separating documents into a digest and a structured payload. The digest, which contains the most commonly used NIEM components, has a fixed structure and is interoperable across all LEXS-based IEPDs. The structured payload allows individual LEXS-based IEPDs to extend and customize the LEXS base model. LEXS also provides solutions for handling message exchange, search, subscriptions, attachments, and rendering.
Throughout this article, you have seen how to create a NIEM IEPD, including all steps in the process: modeling an exchange, creating an appropriate NIEM subset for the model, writing your own extensions of NIEM, and assembling all the artifacts into an IEPD. Following these guidelines for a NIEM-conformant exchange will help you to capitalize on the promise of NIEM: to facilitate information sharing among public and private sector organizations.
Priscilla Walmsley serves as Managing Director and Senior Consultant at Datypic. She specializes in XML technologies, architecture and implementation. She has implemented NIEM exchanges for the U.S. Departments of Justice, Defense, and Health and Human Services.
She is the author of Definitive XML Schema (Prentice Hall, 2012), and XQuery (O'Reilly Media, 2007). In addition, she co-authored Web Service Contract Design and Versioning for SOA (Prentice Hall, 2008).
A prior version of this article was first published by IBM developerWorks. Its current version number is 2.0 and it was last updated on April 30, 2014. | 2019-04-22T06:15:05Z | http://datypic.com/services/niem/theftreport/niem-article1.html |
(2) deny some who may need access to involuntary treatment from receiving it.
1. Media exploitation of 'mentally ill killer on rampage' stories is creating public fear. The public wants the authorities to make the problem of violence by people with NBD go away. Likewise, the public is becoming mad and feeling helpless at seeing so many homeless mentally ill wandering the streets and 'ruining' (sic) neighborhoods.
2. The other impetus for change continues to come from a well-funded 'mental health bar' (lawyers who specialize in mental health from a civil liberties perspective).
These lawyers (many associated the the federally funded Protection and Advocacy Program, Bazelon Law Center, Civil Liberties Union, etc.) believe that they have an obligation to protect the civil liberties of an individual , even at the expense of the individuals health.
Hence, the "expressed" wishes of a consumer (regardless of whether they have the ability to express their true wishes) are paramount. Since the mental health bar's agenda, is a narrow civil liberties agenda, these organizations often engage in legal pyrotechnics and intellectual gymnastics to accomplish their aims, often at the expense of individuals with NBD.
1. Time and money: NAMI groups are underfunded and can not afford to hire the technical skills (lawyers, lobbiests, community organizers) necessary to effect change. Hence we tend to rely on volunteers who may or may not have the time or expertise.
2. Desire to deny violence: Many NAMI members believe that it is in our best interest to deny that individuals with even the most severe NBDs are more prone to violence than others. They believe this is stigmatizing and talking about it will prevent communities from welcoming housing and services for people with NBD. Since the issue of violence is often at the core of involuntary treatment decisions, the failure to address violence stymies progress.
3. Fear of engaging in 'controversial' issues: There has been no written consensus around involuntary treatment and most boards have not to tried to rectify this. Just the use of the words "involuntary treatment" carries so much emotional baggage that rational discussion is often impossible.
2. Get educated about laws in your state and how they (don't) work in the real world.
3. Get educated about the current status of research particularly as it involves lack of insight, violence, treatment efficacy, health care costs and involuntary treatment.
4. Develop a policy for your board based on the above.
5. Educate the membership/public about the policy and attempt to get other organizations to buy in.
After you have done all this, you will be in a position to change the laws.
Before attempting to change the laws in your state you must get a good education on the history of involuntary treatment laws. There have been many court cases and laws passed which provide the framework within which you must operate. I can not emphasize this enough. Without this background on what has gone before, and how we got where we are, you will be out-gunned by those trying to prevent you from making changes.
The single most important book you should read is Madness in the Streets: How Psychiatry and the Law Abandoned the Mentally Ill by Rael Jean Isaac and Virginia Armat (Free Press). It's available in paperback and through NAMI. This is a must-read that explains the issue of involuntary treatment from a legal/political/social perspective. What follows is an extremely basic introduction to some of the concepts you should know about. The state has "police" and "parens patriae" powers Involuntarily committing someone involves taking away freedom. Hence, it is not a decision that can or should be made lightly.
Our laws provide two reasons to justify taking away someone's rights. The first is to protect the citizenry from harm and the second is to protect the individual from harming himself. Protecting the citizenry is often called an exercise of the state's "police powers". Protecting an individual from harming him/herself is often called an exercise of the state's "parens patriae" powers. Almost all state laws involving commitment, evolve from these basis. When someone is actively trying to shoot someone, there is no doubt that the state can detain that person to protect society. When someone is trying to shoot their own self, there is also no doubt that the state can detain the person.** But when the act is less overt, it is often a gray area. The question often comes down to 'how do you define dangerousness?'.
The mental health bar continuely argues that someone must be 'imminently' and/or 'provably' dangerous before the state can exercise its powers and remove the person's freedom. For example, the Civil Liberties Union once brought in an expert witness to testify that just because a homeless mentally ill psychotic woman was eating feces, that it would not kill her and therefore she was not in imminent danger of being a danger to herself. Others may argue that an individual should only have to exhibit a condition which will predictably lead to dangerousness before they can be confined. That way they can be helped before they become dangerous, rather than after. This offers greater protection to both society and the individual.
There have been numerous court cases which have addressed this issue. (ex. Lessard vs. Schmidt, etc) But I would caution the careful advocate from placing blind faith in these previous decisions. First of all, all court decisions can be overturned. For example, at one time, 'separate but equal' was a concept endorsed by the Supreme Court. But it was overturned. Secondly, many decisions are routinely misinterpreted by the mental health bar to mean what they would like them to mean. For example, as a result of the Supreme Courts Donaldson decision, many civil libertarians argue that you cannot commit someone unless they are 'dangerous'. But Paul Stavos, Esq., of the NYS Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled argues, "In its (Donaldson) decision, the Supreme Court specifically spoke of someone who could 'live safely in freedom'. The justices weren't thinking of malnourished individuals lost in delusions lying on park benches in their own waste. I believe a well-crafted 'need for treatment' standard would be judged constitutional by this Supreme Court". Unfortunately, the state rarely exercises its ability to commit individuals with NBD under parens patriae standards. These standards are most often used by the state to prevent children from abuse and to provide care for the developmentally disabled. The problem here is that our laws have not kept pace with the current status of research proving NBD is real (see below).
Many feel a return to the use of the state's parens patriae powers to help those who while they may not be dangerous, certainly need help, would be beneficial. Individuals have a right to the least restrictive treatment, not the most beneficial treatment Once a decision is made to remove someone's civil rights, as a result of Supreme Court cases like Dixon vs. Weinberger, the person must be treated in the 'least restrictive environment'. Some think this is good, others argue that perhaps the individual should be in 'the most beneficial setting', rather than the 'least restrictive setting' (assuming they are not the same thing); or that there should be some balance between the two. In addition, the concept of least restrictive setting would seem to argue for a greater use of outpatient commitment (this is a court order which allows someone to live in the community provided they follow a court ordered treatment plan such as staying on meds or off drugs.).
Unfortunately, very few states make use of involuntary outpatient commitment. Instead, they rely on the more restrictive (and often abusive) inpatient setting. Commitment does not equal treatment If an individual meets the criteria for commitment, they will be committed to the 'least restrictive environment.' But that does not mean they will automatically be treated. As a result of decisions like Rivers vs. Katz; Rogers vs. Okin; Rennie vs. Klien; In the Matter of Richard Roe, etc., in many states individuals receive one court or administrative hearing on whether or not they are 'dangerous' and should be involuntarily hospitalized and, in cases where they resist treatment, a second hearing on whether or not they should be involuntarily treated. These hearings often occur weeks apart resulting in the ludicrous, cruel, expensive, and dangerous proposition of having someone hospitalized but not allowed to be given treatment.
The reason for this is that there are two different criteria used. You can remove someone's civil rights (commit) them if they are dangerous. But even someone who is dangerous, is still assumed to 'have capacity (or competence)" to make their own treatment decisions. Hence, one can be acting dangerously, yet still retain capacity. In that case the individual would be committed but have a right to refuse treatment and a second court hearing would be needed on whether or not they retain capacity. If they have capacity, they can not be treated over objection. It is important to note that not everyone who 'lacks capacity' will be automatically treated. Nor should they. For example, if they don't respond to medicines or treatment it makes no sense to treat them. A decision that someone lacks 'capacity' only gives someone else the right to make the treatment decision for them. It does not mandate that they give treatment. This fact is sometimes purposefully ignored. When considering all this please remember that a consumer may have the ability to 'voice' a decision, yet not have the capacity to logically come to the decision they are giving voice to. Again, please read Madness in the Streets, for a more complete and useful understanding of the laws.
2. Examine the laws in your state or province and their real-world application.
After you have a general understanding of the issues, and before attempting to change the laws in your state it is important that you get a good handle on what the laws in your state say and how they are or are not enforced. In addition there are two kinds of laws in each state. "Codified Law" is law that came about because the legislative body passed the law. It was a specific act of the legislature. "Case Law" comes about as a result of judicial decisions. In other words, in interpreting Codified Laws, judges often create legal precedents that are as binding as laws. You have to know not only what is written in the law, but what has been decided by the courts. You also have to know what policies your health care establishment have adopted in interpreting these laws. You do not have to be a lawyer to do this. You only need to be resourceful. It is not easy to find out what the laws are in your state.
1. Ask all your elected representatives in your state capital (Assembly and senate) for a copy of the relevant laws. The more people you ask, the more different bits of information you will be sent.
2. Ask your local Protection and Advocacy Organization and Civil Liberties Union if they can provide you with a copy of the law and any materials they have on it. Try to talk to someone at these organizations to see how they feel the law is or isn't working.
3. Ask your hospital administrator for a copy of their policies on involuntary treatment. Very often, hospitals have written policies which were written in reaction to laws and court decisions. This info will show you how your hospital is applying the decision on a person to person level. Find out how they feel the procedure has worked.
4. Ask your state Department of Mental Health for a copy of all laws and policies they have on involuntary treatment. Again: ask them how they feel the law is working.
5. Ask your local American Psychiatric Association if they have a resident expert on these issues who you can talk to.
6. Ask your local American Bar Association if they have a subcommittee or expert on these issues who you can talk to.
7. Talk to members of your AMI who have been involved in a personal level with this issue and find out what their experiences have been. This is very important. My research has shown that in many areas, what the laws say, and what is actually done, are not always the same. The fact is, not many lawyers, doctors, or judges are expert in this area, and often application of the laws is inconsistent with the content of the laws. Not only must you know what the laws say, you must know how they are enforced.
9. Start a clipping file of newspaper articles you come across about these issues. Keep notes of everyone you speak to. When it comes time to enact the legislation, there will most likely be hearings on it, and you may need to contact some of these people to see if they will be willing to testify. When you receive a copy of the law, make sure it is up-to-date. Many states publish laws when the laws are enacted. But if the law is updated, the updates are published in annual updates. If you are getting a copy of a law out of a code book it is important to look at the updates to make sure you have the most current information.
Schizophrenia is a real disease and can be accurately diagnosed.
Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions.
As a group, untreated persons with NBD who have these symptoms are more violent than general population.
Some individuals lack insight into their illness and/or capacity to make treatment decisions.
Some individuals don't comply with treatment. Therefore, we should help these individuals before they become danger to self or others.
The best work on insight has been done by Dr. Xavier Amador (NYS Psychiatric Institute, Schizophrenia Research Unit, 722 West 166th St. NY NY 10032 (212-960-2352)).
The best work on violence has been done by Dr. John Monahan.
The best work on compliance and the cost of noncompliance was done by Dr. Peter Weiden (St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, Psychiatry Tower 8, 428 West 59th St. NY NY 10019. Ph: 212-523-6681).
The best work on competency was done by Dr. Thomas Grisso (508-856- 3625) and Dr. Paul Applebaum.
The best work on how good community services can cut down on the need for involuntary treatment has been done by Dr. Ron Diamond (University of Wisconsin Department of Psychiatry and Medical Director, Mental Health Center of Dane County 625 W. Washington Ave, Madison, Wisconsin 53703 ( 608-263-6100).
The best single book incorporating much of this information is the new edition of Surviving Schizophrenia, by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey. Understanding the research is not easy because when different researchers and individuals talk 'mental' illness they are talking about different populations with different illnesses and severities. For example, only 1% of Americans have schizophrenia, but 5% of Americans are 'seriously mentally ill', and the Mental Health Association and American Psychiatric Association talk about '1 in every 5' Americans developing a mental illness. The mental health bar, consumers, and some monomyopic 'stigma busters' like to use the larger numbers when quoting incidents of violence because this makes the percentage who are violent, ill, not working, in jail, in hospitals, etc. seem lower than it would otherwise be*** . However, NAMI is an organization of the most seriously ill (otherwise we wouldn't join) and it is dishonest to use numbers that reflect 'total mental illness' in order to water down less than flattering realities. For purposes of this paper, I will focus on schizophrenia.
You will come across people who will argue that 'mental' illness is not an illness, but an alternative lifestyle freely chosen. A mere "label" that society uses to discriminate against those who are different. These people are often easy to identify because they usually associate themselves with the disproved theories and writings of Thomas Szasz, Peter Breggin, and/or Ron Hubbard (Scientology). If 'mental' illness is not a real disease, they argue there can be no real treatment: voluntary or otherwise.
While it is clearly true that the APA and Mental Health Association may be willing to classify some anti-social or undesirable activity as being a 'mental' illness, and that like with every other disorder, some people are misdiagnosed--it is established beyond a reasonable doubt that schizophrenia, manic-depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and many other disorders are in fact neurobiological disorders (NBD). Clearly those who would deny this have not kept up with modern science. "In summary, based on studies of gross pathology, microscopic pathology, neurochemistry, cerebral blood flow, and metabolism, as well as electrical, neurological, and neuropsychological measures, schizophrenia has been clearly established to be a brain disease just as surely as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease are established as real brain diseases.
The dichotomy used in the past, whereby schizophrenia was classified as a "functional" disorder as distinct from an organic disorder is now known to be inaccurate; schizophrenia has impeccable credentials for admission to the organic category...)" -Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, Surviving Schizophrenia "... The United States Government's Congressional Office of Technological Assessment (OTA) found the following evidence that biological factors are involved in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, OCD, and panic disorder: * Medications cuppress symptoms associated with disorders, * Specific mental disorders can often be typified by distinguishable clinical features, such as age of onset, symptoms, and course. *These disorders may have associated "physical " symptoms. such as altered sleep patterns in depression. * Known physical agents and drugs can produce some symptoms of mental disorders, demonstrating that biological factors can in fact be causative. * Genetic studies show that the disorders are influenced by inheritance. *Other areas of research provide evidence about correlated biological factors and suggest testable hypothesis as to causation." -The Biology of Mental Disorders: New Developments in Neuroscience. US Congress Office of Technology Assessment. Neurobiological disorders can be accurately diagnosed: "Contrary to persistent myth, mental illnesses are both real and definable" -Dept. of Health and Human Services Health Care Reform For American with Severe Mental Illnesses: Report of the National Advisory Mental Council Schizophrenia is a real, diagnosible illness. And certain symptoms of the illness may cause some people to become violent.
II. Symptoms may include hallucinations and delusions and these may make someone violent.
Individuals react to their environment as they perceive it. For example, if you think you are being hit, you may run or hit back. Individuals with schizophrenia may have hallucinations and delusions. In fact, these are often integral to accurate diagnosis. And when someone has a false belief, they may act on it. That may be why some individuals with schizophrenia become violent: they are reacting to delusions and hallucinations which are part of the illness. "Individuals with schizophrenia experience delusions and hallucinations.
Delusions are beliefs that that are clearly implausible but that are compelling and central to individuals life experience. Persons with this disorder may be suspicious or paranoid in nature. For example, a patient may believe that he or she is an historical figure or that someone has placed a transmitter in his or her brain.... Hallucinations are perceptions without an objective basis. They most commonly take the form of voices or, less frequently, visions, bodily sensations, tastes or smell. ...The voices tend to be highly personal and may direct the patient to do some act, sometime commanding self mutilation or other violent behavior." -The Biology of Mental Disorders: New Developments in Neuroscience. US Congress Office of Technology Assessment.
Hallucinations and delusions--which are an inherent component of the illness can cause people to act violently. III. Individuals with NBD, as a group, are more violent than general population One of the main reasons to change involuntary treatment laws is to prevent individuals with NBD from becoming violent and ending up killing themselves, killing someone else, or winding up in jail for some violent offense. "Proving" that people with NBD have a greater propensity towards violence than the rest of the population may bring you into conflict with so-called stigma busters who believe it is stigmatizing to acknowledge this. It may also bring you into conflict with minor consumer organizations who (by assuming 20% of the population is 'mentally ill" or alternatively, denying anyone is mentally ill), erroneously believe that individuals with NBD are not more prone to violence. In other words, in your advocacy efforts, people are going to see 'data' to suggest that individuals with NBD are no more violent than others. I encourage you to read those carefully to see 1)What population they are referring to; 2) Were they published in a legitimate peer reviewed publication; 3) Were they authored by someone affiliated with an organization that has a pre-determined point they want to make; and 4) How long ago was the study completed.
Report of the National Advisory Mental Council show that the efficacy of treatments is fairly high: Treatment efficacy chart from Office of Technological Assessment showing the long- term successs rate and short term success rates for schizophrenia, depression, manic depression, etc.
If someone does not even know they are ill, they won't take their medicine since there is nothing to cure. Lack of insight is a common symptom of schizophrenia: "The results indicated that poor insight is a prevalent feature of schizophrenia. A variety of self awareness deficits are more severe and pervasive in patients with schizophrenia than in patients with schizoaffective or major depressive disorders with or without psychosis and are associated with poorer psychosocial functioning. Conclusion: The results suggest that severe self-awareness deficits are a prevalent feature of schizophrenia, perhaps stemming from the neuropsychological dysfunctional associated with the disorder, and are more common in schizophrenia than in other disorders." Awareness of Illness in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective and Mood Disorders by Dr Xavier Amador, etc., in Archive of General Psychiatry, October 1994.
Even if an individual knows they are ill, they may still lack the capacity to make a treatment decision that is in their own best interest. They may not understand the treatment being proposed or it's likely courses and outcomes. Between 23 and 52% of individuals with schizophrenia lack decisions making capabilities. "Summary of main findings: First, on the measures of understanding, appreciation, and reasoning, as a group, patients with mental illness more often manifested deficits in performance than did medically ill patients and their non-ill control groups.
Indeed, when the most highly impaired subgroups were identified on each measure, they were composed almost entirely of patients with mental illness....(A)mong patients with schizophrenia, the minority with poorer performance on the measures of understanding and reasoning tended to manifest greater severity of psychiatric symptoms, especially those of thought disturbance...These results are in keeping with both theory and empirical findings regarding cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. ...For any given measure (understanding, appreciation, and reasoning) approximately 25% of the schizophrenic group scored in the 'impaired' range compared to 5%-7% of Angina patients and 2% of community controls. When all measures are combined, 52% of patients with schizophrenia showed impairment on at least one measure. Clinical implications: ..the results suggest that a diagnosis of schizophrenia should increase ones attention to the possibility of deficiencies in abilities related to legal competence." -Thomas Grisso and Paul Appelbaum, The MacArthur Treatment Competence Study (III):Abilities of patients to consent to psychiatric and medical treatments. Law and Human Behavior, Vol. 19, No 2. 1995.
As a result of lack of insight into the fact they are ill, or the lack of capacity to make a treatment decision, many individuals with NBD fail to follow the treatment plans that can prevent them from becoming violent. "Approximately 7% of patients hospitalized for mental illness refuse treatment. " Hoge, et al. Archives of General Psychiatry 1990 There is a big difference between those who take medicines and those who don't "The monthly relapse rates are estimated to be 3.5% a month for patients on maintenance neuroleptics and 11% a month after patient-initiated medication discontinuation.
Post discharge noncompliance rates in the community settings are estimated to be 7.% a month." -Cost of Relapse in Schizophrenia Peter Weiden and Mark Olfson Bulletin. Schizophrenia (In press) This non-compliance diverts resources from other areas "An estimated 257,446 multiple-episode (greater than or equal to 2 hospitalizations) patients were discharged from short stay (less than or equal to 90 days) inpatient units in the U.S. during 1986.
We can say from this information, that schizophrenia is a genuine biological disease of the brain. That one of the symptoms of the disorder is a lack of insight. Another symptom can be an inability to make rational decisions. As a result of this lack of insight, and other issues, many individuals do not follow their treatment plans. Lack of compliance with treatment plans is one of the contributing factors to violence. Therefore it should be societies obligation to incorporate these scientific findings in current legislation.
4. Develop a policy that makes the laws reflect science.
In some states, you may want to focus on making it harder to involuntarily treat someone, while in others you may decide that the criteria are too stringent. Quality of services may be one of the determining factors in this. Now that you understand the history of the laws, how they work in your state, and the current status of relevant research, you are ready to develop a policy for your own state.
1. Does your state have a law (or should it have a law) that allows for someone to be involuntarily committed for a limited period of time (ex. 72 hours) for evaluation? What is the criteria by which someone can be detained. What is the 'burden of proof' the officer must bear when making a decision? Is this law being misused to lock people up? Are people detained under this law in a psychiatric facility or jail facility? Are non-violent detainees protected from others? Are detainees given access to a lawyer? Are their families notified? What is the criteria for making a decision to detain? Who makes the decision? What happens to them during that 72 hours?
2. Is a court review or independent administrative review held before someone can be involuntary committed or treated? Is the person who is performing the review knowledgeable about NBD? Are they free of political influence? Is the decision to commit or treat over objections periodically reviewed? How often? By who? With what information?
3. How are the courts interpreting dangerousness? Broadly? Narrowly? Consistently throughout the state? Consistently judge to judge? Should the definition of dangerousness be expanded? Contracted?
4. Is dangerousness defined to include "Grave Disability". (This would allow the treatment, of a person with NBD who is "substantially unable, except for reasons of indigence, to provide for any of the person's basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, health or safety causing a substantial deterioration of the person's ability to function on on the person's own").
5. Is dangerousness defined to include "substantial deterioration"? (This would potentially include for commitment, someone who "as a result an NBD, is likely to cause harm to himself or others or to suffer substantial mental or physical deterioration if he is not given inpatient or outpatient treatment.")? Is the presence of absence of these standards good or bad?
6. Are commitments allowed under parens patriae standards? Is there a "lack of capacity" standard which would allow the treatment of someone "who as a result of the mental disorder is unable to fully understand and to make an informed decision regarding his need for treatment or care and supervision."? Is the presence of absence of these standards good or bad?
7. If someone is committed will they automatically be treated, or will they be allowed to refuse treatment? Do you need one hearing for commitment and one for treatment? If so, do they both take place at the same time or is the treatment hearing delayed? How often is the treatment hearing reviewed? Do consumers have input into their treatment? Does the treatment decision take into account what has or has not worked in the past? As a result of the Rivers v. Katz individuals in New York State who have been involuntarily committed to a hospital because they are a 'danger to self or others' or 'in need of treatment' have the right to refuse treatment. If they exercise that right a judicial review is required to determine whether they have the capacity to reject treatment. The hearing usually doesn't occur for an extended period for many reasons including the fact that administrative remedies must be exhausted first. The cost of keeping these individuals in the hospital, while they are refusing treatment and presumably dangerous, is approximately $10,500 per person. Because these individuals are "danger to self or others' and are not being treated, they are also a danger to others in the hospital. In addition, and most important to us, the delay in treating these individuals causes them needless suffering.
8. Is past history allowed to be considered when making an involuntary commitment or treatment determination? Is the family allowed to present this evidence? The doctor? The consumer? Are the records available to the court?
9. Is the judge or administrative review board allowed to order 'outpatient commitment'? For how long? Is the decision periodically reviewed? Will community providers accept individuals under outpatient commitment orders? Following is evidence that oupatient treatment (the least expensive and restrictive form of treatment) does work: "In July 1983 Arizona's commitment statutes were revised to allow the courts to order involuntary outpatient treatment for the mentally ill. Using retrospective data from medical and court records, patients at a county hospital in Tucson for whom involuntary commitment was sought before outpatient commitment was available were compared with similar groups of patients after outpatient commitment was instituted.
" Involuntary Outpatient Commitment in Arizona: A retrospective study .Dr. Robert A. Van Putten, etc. "This study is the first to evaluate outpatient commitment (OPC) with a six month follow-up and to compare its effects with those of release and involuntary (inpatient) hospitalization. The data indicate that OPC is successful. When respondents show up and begin treatment, OPC works in terms of keeping patients in treatment and on medication, increasing compliance, permitting residence outside an institution and social interaction outside the home, and maintaining patients in the community with few dangerous episodes."
The North Carolina Experience with Involuntary Commitment: A Critical Appraisal. Virginia Aldige Hiday, etc. "...Summary and Conclusions...For the previously long-term institutionalized patient, a court order for outpatient treatment, with its coercive component, can be crucial to medication maintenance in the community until insight is achieved. For the rapid recidivist, such an order can procure the compliance with medication necessary to stay out of the hospital. And, for the outpatient, a court order can obviate the need for hospitalization altogether"
As you can see, the scientific evidence is clear. Oupatient treatment is a way to get help to its citizens who suffer from an NBD. I have only seen one, widely criticized study suggesting involuntary outpatient commitment doesn't work. It was done by the civil libertarian Mental Health Policy Resource Center. It claimed to have analyzed all the scientifically sound studies pointing to the efficacy of involuntary outpatient commitment, and to have found a statistical Achilles Heel in every single one of them, that peer review didn't turn up. They then proceeded to 'adjust' the peer-reviewed data and thereby "prove" that none of these studies shows involuntary outpatient commitment works. Most reputable researchers dismissed this MHPRC study as a political, not scientific document.
10. What "burden of proof" does an officer have to meet to pick someone up or a judge have to meet to order commitment and/or treatment? Preponderance of evidence? Beyond a reasonable doubt? Information and belief? Probable cause? Is this adequate?
11. Do the public defenders, judges, and police departments have a good working knowledge of NBD and the laws surrounding it? If the law changes, how will these groups and the public be educated about it? These are some of the questions you should be asking. They will help you determine what area of the law to try to reform. In the Advocate, is a proposal which NAMI will be voting on. You can modify it for your own state needs regardless of the outcome of the NAMI vote.
Write a policy, circulate it widely, get feedback, then bring it to your board for approval. Remember: your policy does not have to be consistent with the law or even the current interpretation of the constitution. The policy should be changes you want to make. Very often the mental health bar will argue against changes because "the laws the law". In other words, they fall back on the mess they created as a reason to maintain the status quo. Don't be fooled.
After your chapter or state organization has a policy, you will want to see if you can get others to help you turn the policy into law. If your policy calls for less use of the law, you may want to associate yourself with consumer organizations, Protection and Advocacy Organizations, the civil liberties union, disability advocates and probably, mental health commissioners, provider organizations, and liberal politicians.
If your policy calls for making it easier to treat someone over objections, you may want to associate yourself with community block associations, police, attorney generals, real-estate interests, jail officials, anti-crime politicians, the APA, some consumer councils, even NIMBY groups. All these organizations have an interest in changing the laws, albeit for different reasons than yours. But as long as they are willing to buy into your policy, it is OK to work with these groups which historically have different interests than NAMI.
You will also have to find a sympathetic lawyer and/or politician to help you draft the actual legislation. Rarely will the legislation have to start from scratch, rather it will modify some existing legislation. Because you have a copy of the legislation, you may even find that you are able to draft it yourself. But you will still need people in the legislature willing to introduce it on your behalf. Exploit the media Unfortunately, the media continues to exploit the misadventures of individuals with NBD, via sensationalistic headlines. So when an individual with NBD becomes involved in an act of violence, it is safe to say that the media is going to play that story over and over.
Use these incidents to lobby for more (voluntary) treatment facilities and for a change in the law to protect the small minority that becomes violent when denied involuntary treatment. Historically 'stigma-busters' have written to the media denying that individuals with NBD are violent and admonishing the media for saying otherwise. I believe it is much more useful to exploit these events to make the points you want to make. Newspapers allocate a certain number of inches to each story. TV and radio allot a certain number of minutes to each story. Rather than allowing them to put whatever they want in the space, you want to use up the space or time, by having them tell your story.
When a "mentally ill killer goes on rampage" in your community, you can use that as an opportunity to tell the AMI story and get increased attention to your efforts to reform the laws. Almost all incidents of violence by people with NBD are the result of individuals who need, but were not receiving treatment. The fact is that there is an increased incidence of violence among individuals with NBD who are not treated. But there is no increased incidence of violence among people who are treated. So the key is to get them treatment. When you hear a news report about an act of violence by someone with NBD, immediately call the local reporter on every TV station and newspaper.
1. Individuals with NBD are no more violent than the population when treated.
3. Tell the reporter, for that small percentage of individuals who may not accept treatment even if offered, it may be necessary to change involuntary treatment laws. Remember: Your reporter may not know that 'mental' illness is a physical illness.
For more information on how to capitalize on media interest read How to handle the media when a "Psychotic Killer Goes on Rampage" by D. J. Jaffe. For more info about this presentation and/or to have the author present it to other groups, contact: D.J. Jaffe, c/o AMI/FAMI, 432 Park Avenue South, NY NY 10016. (212) 684-FAMI. Notes * In this paper, we will use the term "involuntary treatment". However, many have suggested replacing the term with 'substitute judgement'. What involuntary treatment involves is the substituting of one person's (medically disoriented) thinking with the thinking of someone who is more capable of making rational decisions.
The substitute judgement nomenclature seems to describe the process more accurately and perhaps advocates should move to greater use of it. ** Recent decisions concerning assisted suicide for the elderly or chronically hopelessly disabled may start to bring this into question. It would be difficult to outlaw suicide while allowing assisted suicide. *** An example of manipulating violence data came when I presented this report at the NAMI Annual Conference in Washington in July 1995. One of the presenters was attempting to show the low violence rate by people with schizophrenia. He collected statistics from individuals discharged from three different hospitals. The figures were obviously understated since they excluded individuals with schizophrenia in jails, those who couldn't get into the hospital, those who killed themselves, and those in long-term institutional care. | 2019-04-18T11:25:13Z | http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/involtreatment.html |
NOTE: The following piece, slightly edited, appeared earlier this month in Connecticut River Valley publications and outlets in CT, MA, and VT. The original version is below.
With a salmon hatchery program no longer clouding issues, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and directors from MA, VT, NH and CT have a singular opportunity to redeem the Connecticut River restoration. They’re currently making choices for restoring migratory fish north to Bellows Falls, VT, begun under the 45 year-old New England Cooperative Fisheries Compact. The decisions stem from the 1965 Anadromous Fish Conservation Act. They’ll seal this ecosystem’s fate at four federally-licensed dams and the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station until 2058.
Sadly, in 1980 their predecessors abandoned two miles of the Connecticut to the power company operating at Turners Falls and Northfield Mountain. By allowing privatization of the river at mile 120, they killed chances of passage success for millions of American shad barred from spawning at Greenfield, Gill and Northfield, MA, right to the foot of Bellows Falls at Walpole, NH at mile 172. Unwittingly, they also continued the decimation of the ancient spawning grounds of the river’s last, 300, viable federally-endangered shortnose sturgeon.
Instead of mandating river flows and a direct route upstream to a lift at the dam, they acquiesced to diverting migrants into a power canal. That Rube Goldberg–a three-trick knot of currents and ladders, proved an utter failure to the hundreds of thousands of shad moving upstream annually through elevators at Holyoke Dam. There, via a lift built in 1955, 380,000 American shad streamed north in 1980. It’s the East Coast’s most successful fish passage; it by-passes the city’s canals.
Half or more of those shad swam upstream; but foundered in the treacherous Turners Falls complex. At the dam, just as today, some depleted their energies by treading water for weeks—washed back and forth by a power company’s deluge-and-trickle releases, finding no elevator or upstream entrance. Many eventually turned back, only to be tempted by spill from their power canal. Fish unlucky enough to ascend the ladder there found a desperate compromise. Over 90% wouldn’t exit alive. Just as today, alien habitat and extreme turbulence overwhelmed them. Only 1-in-100 emerged upstream. For the rest, a turnaround spelled almost certain death in turbines. Others lingered for weeks in an alien canal environment, until they expired. Just as today.
This year over 490,000 shad passed Holyoke. Half or more attempted to pass Turners Falls. Just 26,000, or 1-in-10, swam beyond the dam–a percentage consistently reached in the 1980s. This is described as “success†by US Geological Survey Conte Lab scientists, Dr. Alex Haro and Dr. Ted Castro-Santos, after fourteen seasons of canal study. In work garnering annual power company subsidies, they’ve attempted to model that canal is a viable migration path.
Citizens upstream of the 1798 Turners Falls Dam need not accept the dead shad runs and severed ocean-ecosystem of the last 214 years at a dam operated to cull price-spikes from the electricity “spot market.†An 1872 US Supreme Court decision against owners of Holyoke Dam mandates passage of the public’s fish. Nor do citizens from Old Saybrook, CT to Bellows Falls have to accept endangered sturgeon, a lethal canal, and a dead river at mile 120. After 32 years of fatal attraction at Turners Falls, its time to stop steering fish into a canal death trap. Holyoke proves that’s possible.
This article first appeared in the Pioneer Valley News, www.pioneervalleynews.com, on November 9, 2011. Hard copies of the free Pioneer Valley News are available at many locations from Holyoke, MA through Brattleboro and Bellows Falls, VT.
TURNERS FALLS, MA. “Didymo is not going to drive our decisions,†said Dr. Caleb Slater, Anadromous Fish Project Leader for the MA Div. of Fish & Wildlife and Tech Committee Chair of the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (CRASC) at a hastily convened CRASC meeting September 23, 2011. Their 44 year-old federal/state salmon restoration program was in crisis, having again produced just nine-dozen returning fish on the year.  Now, their main hybrid salmon hatchery had been reduced to rubble by rampaging White River waters from Tropical Storm Irene. But moving out the surviving salmon at the White River National Fish Hatchery (WRNFH) in Bethel, VT, posed a big problem: it could potentially increase the spread of river-bottom smothering “didymo†throughout the Connecticut River basin.
CRASC and its US Fish and Wildlife Service partners were scrambling at the Conte Anadromous Fish Lab, trying to figure out how best to lobby federal representatives to get $10 – $14 million in “emergency Congressional funding†to “completely rebuild†USFWS’s White River hatchery. They’d even brought back Jay McMenemy, recently retired from VT Fish & Game, and CRASC’s Tech Committee, and seated him at the members table. CRASC’s Steve Gephard of Connecticut’s DEP was worried officials might not be willing to again resuscitate this facility to produce its main product: 5 million salmon fry released to the Connecticut River each spring, “You guys have to do that lobbying,†said William Archambault, USFWS Region 5 Deputy Assistant Regional Director of Fisheries. A week prior his boss, USFWS Region 5 Director Wendy Weber sent a letter to Washington outlining the giant funding request.
But first, WRNFH would have to be completely “de-populated,†then “disinfected,†according to Archambault. There were also other significant risks involved in doling-out it’s surviving fish beyond spreading didymo–a bottom-smothering algae known as Rock Snot that New England states have been working hard to contain.  Nonetheless Archambault was encouraging CRASC members from VT, CT, MA and NH to quickly find a way to parse-out the 900 surviving “broodstock†salmon left at the hatchery to a handful of federal and state hatcheries–and also to find places to release remaining excess “stock†into lakes and basin streams. Caleb Slater remarked on how stocking spawned-out hatchery salmon to Bay State ponds “gets a real PR boost†from anglers. Once the $ millions in emergency public funds were in hand, CRASC and USFWS could start all over.
“As a Service we’re uncomfortable with the risks,†Archambault said as disclaimer, “It (the decision to accept potentially tainted fish) will have to be done on a state-by-state basis. We can’t be 100% sure that didymo won’t be taken out of the facility.â€Â Spawning the survivors at White River was out of the question. Those salmon had been newly-exposed by the dace, white suckers and other fish–living and dead, which had mixed into the crippled facility when Irene sent them upstream infected waters where didymo had been found in the White River four years prior. “Our focus is on rebuilding, not spawning right now,†said Archambault.
Alternatively, they’d have to again destroy all surviving hatchery fish and eggs—an extreme procedure that had been employed twice recently at White River facility.
But fall breeding season was arriving. Full hatchery production—“stripping†salmon females of eggs and mixing in the milt of surviving sea-run males (who’d be injected with stimulating hormones a week prior), could not wait long. They could delay injections a week or two, tricking the hybrids. But then staff would have to get down to fish production—mixing the genetic fish fluids by hand, careful that computer-matched genes of certain fish were mingled into the correct plastic eggs tubs; then placing fertilized hybrid eggs on industrial racks to be washed over by an endless stream of water.
But there was another big catch: the ever-present and growing risk of centralized hatcheries spreading emerging fish diseases.  Before any surviving WRNFH salmon could be moved they’d have to be tested; quarantined for 28 days. Hatchery salmon can spread a variety of plagues deadly to river systems and new fish populations—including angler-beloved native brook trout and still-wild salmon populations clinging to survival in rivers up north. All WRNFH fish would have to be quickly screened for Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA), Furunculosis, and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN)–a disease discovered infecting salmon downstream in 2007 at the Cronin National Salmon Station in Sunderland, MA.
From there, federal biologists had ferried that deadly virus 140 miles north to the Vermont’s WRNFH–through the salmon eggs Cronin Station sent them for winter incubation. Both WRNFH and Cronin Station were subsequently depopulated; chemically disinfected. Personnel at Cronin had to kill all 121 “sea-run†salmon on-station that fall.  It was the public’s seasonal return on 40 years and over a $ half-billion spent on hybrid efforts to create a substitute fish for a strain extinct here since 1809.  Ten dozen fish were the Connecticut’s entire salmon “run†back from the ocean in 2007; when their program began in 1967 they’d predicted 37,000 salmon annually. WRNFH staff also incinerated all 718,000 salmon eggs it had begun nursing for the following year’s stocking.  Of the millions of fry delivered into Connecticut River tributaries the next season–by school kids, trout groups and fisheries technicians, not a single baby salmon would come directly from a fish that had arrived back from the ocean. All fry stocked into the ecosystem from Cronin and White River that spring were at least two industrial generations removed from anything that natural.
Following that 2007 disaster over $500,000 in emergency-funded “bio-security†upgrades had to be put in place at the USFWS’s Cronin Station in Sunderand, MA. A similar mix of costly hardware and complex chemical protocols were installed at WRNFH.
But just months after the IPN debacle of 2008, disaster again struck WRNFH. Upstream in the same White River waters the hatchery used to nurture its eggs, didymo was discovered choking the bottom. WRNFH now risked spreading this algal plaque through the Connecticut River basin via hatchery salmon. They could no longer use the very river water they were expecting their hybrid salmon to be restored to. No water, equals no hatchery. Again, CRASC and USFWS put out an SOS for emergency public funds for White River —and, again, millions in public funding was procured to design, dig and computerize a segregated system of wells and piping to water their fish, eggs, and fry.
In 2010 yet another disaster befell WRNF. A sampling of young salmon groups being raised from eggs for CT River stocking programs revealed that 60% of those hatchery fish were developing cataracts, crippling their ability to feed. Again, thousands had to be destroyed. No publicly-disclosed disasters were known to befall WRNFH or Cronin National Salmon Station in 2010, yet White River infrastructure consumed $723,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) cash for “upgradesâ€â€”the bulk of it funneled to corporations far from New England. Over $590,000 in contracts for electrical upgrades and new “chillers†went to two firms: one in Missouri and the other Washington State.
THIS DAY, just four years after the IPN outbreak; just three years after the didymo crisis and new well fields, one year after cataracts—and a year after a yet another WRNFH Recover Act cash infusion, the USFWS, CRASC and the White River National Fish Hatchery are going to the mattress to save their foundered hatchery at all costs. Didymo, and the millions of dollars spent to protect against its spread throughout the Connecticut River watershed, are being downplayed as just the price of doing business.
The plan coming out of this emergency CRASC meeting at Conte Lab, is to disease-test the White River salmon ASAP; then quickly get them dispersed and “bred†at other sites including Sunderland’s Cronin National Salmon Station. In another unprecedented move, they would then transport, hatch, and feed several million salmon fry until spring at hatcheries in river basins across New England: North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery in the Ten Mile River basin in North Attleboro, MA, the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery in the Housatonic basin in New Marlboro, MA, Cronin National Salmon Station in the Connecticut basin in Sunderland, MA, the formerly-mothballed Whittemore Salmon Station on the Farmington at Barkhamsted, CT, and Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery in the Otter Creek/Lake Champlain drainage basin in North Chittendon, VT. Come spring, those baby hybrid salmon fry would get re-dispersed again—stocked-out by trout groups, school children, and fish and wildlife staff to a vast network of Connecticut River tributaries.
It was desperate, seat-of-the-pants, industrial fish science policy-in-the-making by the USFWS and CRASC’s various state fish and wildlife officials. And it was fraught with opportunity for miscalculations, mistakes and dire consequences for the web of linked ecosystems they are charged with protecting. As with all bureaucracies, USFWS’s Bill Archambault quietly mentioned a Plan B to procure public funds if Congress balked at this latest hatchery cash pitch. WRNFH had recently done a bit of branching out into work other than just salmon production for the Connecticut. They were now hatching “Klondikes,†lake trout for stocking in Lake Michigan. It might be possible to “use Great Lakes money†to resurrect White River, Archambault said.
Author’s addendum: Upon finishing this writing as the Nov/Dec. issue of Pioneer Valley News was set to go to press, no official notice had been made of when that postponed CRASC meeting would reconvene. Yesterday (10/25/11), I learned it will likely take place November 10, 2011, but that was still unofficial. What, if any, of these decisions have been implemented in the interim five weeks is unknown at this time. More about CRASC plans, changes and decisions may be revealed at that next meeting. However, when I recently noted the Public’s Right-to-Know, and asked for specifics and notes from backroom negotiations between USFWS’s John Warner and FirstLight Power/GDF-Suez to divert more migratory fish out of the Connecticut River and into the treacherous Turners Falls power canal, Warner refused to give a direct answer. His colleague at that CRASC meeting, USFWS Region 5 Deputy Assistant Director of Fisheries Bill Archambault, then pointedly stepped in and referred me to the Freedom of Information Act. CRASC is a Congressionally-authorized public entity that tends to share little upfront information with the public (costs, budgets, open-meeting dates, disease threats, etc.) beyond what is self-promoting for their salmon program.
This story comes directly from an emergency CRASC Technical Committee meeting. There should be no mistake that these decisions–and the gambles being advocated with the Connecticut River ecosystem, were being promoted by key federal and state decision makers at CRASC and USFWS. Dr. Caleb Slater is Anadromous Fish Project Leader for the MA Div. of Fish & Wildlife; Dr. Steve Gephard is Supervisor of Inland Fisheries for CT DEP, CRASC’s Genetics Subcommittee Chair, liaison to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and former international representative to NASCO (North Atlantic Salmon Commission); Wendy Weber is Region 5 US Fish & Wildlife Service Regional Director, William Archambault is USFWS Region 5 Deputy Assistant Regional Director of Fisheries; John Warner of the USFWS’s New England Field Office is CRASC’s Fish Passage Subcommittee Chair; Jay McMenemy (retired, but somehow again seated at that CRASC table) of VT Fish & Wildlife was CRASC’s Salmon Studies Subcommittee Chair, and a key long-time promoter of the Atlantic Salmon Egg Rearing Program (ASERP) in VT’s schools.  Matthew Carpenter, CRASCs lone voice of question and potential dissent that day, attended the meeting via speaker phone. He is Anadromous Fish Program Coordinator for New Hampshire Fish & Game.
What is clear is that this program and its insular decision-making process represent an ongoing danger to the Connecticut River ecosystem. As long as the public remains unaware of the costs and consequences of continuing to spend tens of millions of dollars on a coldwater fish strain that went extinct on the southern-most edge of its historical footprint over 200 years ago, the USFWS and CRASC will continue to dump 6 million factory fry into the Connecticut River system each spring. In turn, we’ll continue to see a return of 10 dozen or so fish from the sea, ad infinitum, if our representatives continue funding a program with hybrid salmon at its core.
Conservatively calculating that the basic salmon restoration effort—in a year without new disease or disaster, costs taxpayers a minimum of $10 million annually (salaries aside)–the cost for the 91 “wild†sea-run salmon returning from the Atlantic this year was $110,000 per fish. Add to that any number of “bad†years with an emerging disease or disaster–pitch in say another $14 million from public coffers, and the price of one returned hybrid salmon goes to $264,000.  Each of these then must be ferried right back to the hatchery for next year’s production.
In recent OpEds from Holyoke, MA to Bellows Falls and Montpelier, VT, I’ve taken the position that the Connecticut River desperately needs a well-funded restoration program. But it should be an ecosystem restoration program, not one based on a failed 19th century idea that substitutes fish hatcheries for functioning river systems, and prioritizes an extinct species ahead of a still-living pyramid that includes native alewives, American shad, blueback herring, endangered shortnose sturgeon, sea lamprey and American eels. With less than half the $14 million USFWS and CRASC hope will rescue their program you could build a state-of-the-art ecosystem laboratory. It would an excellent fit for the Five College area—where advances in upstream ecosystem restoration remain stalled behind Turners Falls dam, as they have since its construction in 1798.
With such a facility in place, you could easily attract endowment funding—and start producing independent science. CRASC, and Conte Lab’s state and federal scientists and studies are now regularly contracted with, and supported by, money from power companies operating on the Connecticut—companies concerned with maximizing profit.  Corporations have little interest seeing independent science come to light that would quantify for the public their true impacts on New England’s River.
At minimum, it’s high time to stop the losses the Connecticut River ecosystem is sustaining from propping up a dangerously failed hatchery program. Invest in keeping the Connecticut’s remaining half-dozen, naturally-breeding migratory species alive and moving upstream.
Karl Meyer, Greenfield, MA, October 26, 2011.
Or simply type in the link below.
The Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission, aka CRASC, meets tomorrow, November 10, at 10 a.m. at the USGS Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish Lab in Turners Falls. Though the meetings are not publicly announced, this is the federal/state public entity responsible for protecting migratory fish and the Connecticut River ecosystem–fisheries officials responsible for protecting runs of blueback herring, American shad, and the Connecticut’s only spawning population of federally-endangered shortnose sturgeon.
The public can attend these meetings, and should be made aware of them. To attend tomorrow, take the 11th Street Bridge across the Turners Falls Power Canal, go left at the first stop sign, and follow down along the widened power canal until you see Conte Lab on the right. Parking is right there.
The following OpEd appeared in MA and VT publications, including at: www.gazettenet.com; www.recorder.com , www.rutlandherald.com; www.timesargus.com; www.commonsnews.org; and The Montague Reporter, www.montaguema.net .  My apologies go to USFWS Region 5 Director Wendy Weber for incorrectly spelling her name and noting her as “Acting†Director in the original.  They are here-in corrected.
Ms. Weber formally replied to my piece in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on Friday, October 29th . I appreciate her thoughtful response, and welcome the prospect that an evaluation of the 44 year old salmon-creation effort might lead to real USFWS policy change here on the Connecticut. A true restoration effort desperately needs to focus on the living migratory species still diverted into the debased habitats at the Turners Falls power canal. The Connecticut River itself remains all but dead as a river system for the two miles immediately below Turners Falls dam.
I stick by my characterization that this group of ranking federal/state fisheries officials were indeed ready to “play fast and loose†with the Connecticut’s ecosystem as they left their Sept. 23rd emergency CRASC Tech Committee meeting. The “ask‖noted at that meeting, was indeed stated as $14 million in “emergency†Congressional funding.  I put together my OpEd, to denote the dangers of spreading didymo, and get the issue into the public record. Days later an emergency dispatch went out cancelling the scheduled Sept. 29, 2011 meeting of the full CRASC, where the proposed emergency fish-dispersing measures would have presumably been adopted. That meeting has been rescheduled for November 10, 20011, 10:00 a.m., at the federal Conte Anadromous Fish Lab in Turners Falls. CRASC is a public entity, thus the public may attend.
I would love to see USFWS hold an open public forum on the future of the Connecticut River migratory fisheries restoration program. I would be happy be a part of such a panel. My original OpEd is below.
Wendy Weber, Region 5 Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Hadley, MA, and Deputy Assistant Regional Director of Fisheries Bill Archambault, want a boatload of pork for the failed Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission’s (CRASC’s) salmon program. Now! Through an Act of Congress they are seeking $10 – $14 million in emergency funding to rebuild the White River National Fish Hatchery (WRNFH) in Bethel, VT, wiped out by Tropical Storm Irene in August. Webber sent out a letter requesting the Congressional funds in mid-September. The primary product of WRNFH is salmon eggs—six million annually for our river’s longest running failure, the 44 year attempt to recreate an extinct salmon strain here: 107 fish returned this season. What will Senators Kerry, Brown, Leahy and Sanders do with this request in a time of paper-thin budgets and collapsing native herring and shad runs?
Last year, the WRNFH got $723,000 in federal stimulus funds for a makeover–over $420,000 went to a refrigeration manufacturer in Missouri for an egg-chiller. Ironically, a $100,000 egg chiller has sat useless at the Cronin National Salmon Station in Sunderland, MA for years. Upon delivery, it simply never worked. Four years ago White River spent millions in taxpayer dollars to build a well system to supply its hatchery salmon—upstream the White River had become infected with the invasive, bottom-smothering algae didymo, which could be transported via eggs and fry they disperse to tributaries and sent to school programs. They want to start again.
Meanwhile, state/federal CRASC Commissioners seem willing to play fast and loose with the potentially-disastrous dispersal of didymo to CT River tributaries through hatchery fry. Right now they are devising a rush plan to parcel out the surviving 900 “broodstock†hatchery salmon at White River to hatcheries in MA, VT, and CT—though they admit they can’t be “one hundred percent certain didymo won’t be taken out of the (White River) facility.† They’d jeopardize an ecosystem for their program.
All this was revealed at an emergency CRASC Tech Committee meeting on September 23, 2011. This capital-intensive, million dollar system of four federal and two state hatcheries, floats a small number of well-benefitted government jobs, while ignoring native migrant fish and the lessons of a river ecosystem. It’s a PR machine reaching into public schools, assisted via a few hundred, spawned-out hatchery salmon dumped into lakes and streams to mollify anglers duped into believing it will work.
With $14 million you could do a lot of good for the Connecticut. With just a fraction of that money, independent scientists could conduct investigations and get real answers about why millions of migratory American shad have remained blocked from getting upstream to Vermont and New Hampshire on the main stem Connecticut at Turners Falls for decades, abandoned to a treacherous power canal literally behind the federal Conte Fish Lab. A tiny share of those dollars could begin getting real answers to why a flood of 630,000 blueback herring passing Holyoke dam in 1985 collapsed like the September Red Sox to a “run†of 138 fish here in 2011.
Less than half of $14 million could easily build an independent, Five College-based river ecology lab that would advance our understanding of native fish, the food web, and the mix of seasonal life cycles critical to sustaining a healthy ecosystem. MA is the crossroads of the Connecticut—where migratory fish have remained blocked from VT and NH waters since 1798. Once built, a sustaining endowment could surely be found for such a facility. New England’s River would finally have a think tank worthy of its critical importance.
Today, just a few hundred thousand could easily get an answer to the simple question that’s left New Englanders in the dark for generations: Why hundreds of millions of dollars spent on an extinct, cold water fish is never going to sustain anything but pork production for the 44 year old Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission–on a warming river in the era of climate change.
In 1967, New Englanders from Enfield, CT to Walpole, NH, and Bellows Falls, VT were promised great fishing and a bounty of seafood by the New England Cooperative Fisheries Restoration Program, today’s CRASC. The chief objective of this federal/state amalgam: “provide the public with high quality sport fishing opportunities in a highly urbanized area as well as to provide for the long term needs of the population for seafood.â€Â  Runs of a million American shad, commercially harvestable blueback herring returns—and a hypothetical run of fishable (though centuries extinct) salmon were promised. Instead, we’re left with an endless conveyor of salmon pork, no seafood–and damned poor fishing.
It’s time to stop this recklessness and waste on the Connecticut–time for accountability from the USFWS. Jettison the Age-of-Aquarius salmon scheme; refocus the program on still-living native runs. A new name, the “Connecticut River Migratory Fisheries Commission†would help; all new commissioners and an ecosystem focus would be a real start.
The year 2010 echoed the worst of times for New England’s Great River. Last January 7th, radioactive tritium was found leaking at Entergy’s aging Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, right to the river’s edge. The plume continues. As of December 15th, still-rising tritium levels at wells next to the river registered 495,000 picocuries per liter–25-times the EPA safe drinking water standard. Yet on November 18th, Entergy halted the groundwater extraction that slowed the radionuclide flow to the river.
May 3, 2010, witnessed Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage’s massive failure in what should have been routine maintenance. They had not removed the sediments from their huge reservoir since 1990. In this disaster giant turbines and the mile-long tunnel to the river were cemented shut by slumped, hardening sediment. Owner FirstLight/GDF Suez began quietly shoveling the stuff into the river. Daily, for 3 months, the equivalent of 40 – 50 dump truck loads of sediment poured in—up to 45,000 cubic square yards by its own estimate.
EPA counsel Michael Wagner says that on June 23rd a boater’s tip noting “a very visible plume of turbid water coming from the area of the Northfield Mountain facility†arrived at its Office of Ecosystem Protection. EPA’s initial inspection wasn’t until July 15th–with a “cease and desist†order not coming until August 4th for Clean Water Act violations “in the navigable waters of the United States.â€Â Only 1/3 of the pollution was retrieved; 30,000 cubic square yards were simply flushed away–an oxygen- and-light-robbing assault on the fish, amphibians and myriad invertebrates that are the life of a river. FirstLight was not fined.
For seven months, silt-choked Northfield produced not a watt of electricity; yet there was no hint of an energy shortage. It begs the question: how critical, and of what value to the public are these power plants–as they abuse the letter and spirit of federal licenses and environmental laws in profiting from the public’s river? In the 1950s the Connecticut was famously dubbed “the most beautifully landscaped sewer in America.â€Â Industry used it as a latrine; agencies and officials ignored it. The 50s seem to be creeping back.
A further example: a decade back, the already-dismal annual fish passage success for hundreds of thousands of American shad reaching Turners Falls began to hover around 1%–as close to a 1950’s dead-at-the-dam-run as you get. That began in 1999, when electricity deregulation came to the 7 miles of river comprising the Northfield Mountain/Turners Falls hydro-complex, and Northfield ramped-up its up-and-down manipulation of flows and river levels to profit from short-term energy price spikes. The rapid fluctuations are experienced acutely at Turners Falls, as the shad attempt to pass upstream.
Last May, without foresight or pointed experimentation from the $12 million federal Conte Fish Lab in Turners, or the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (CRASC)–the 40 year old state/federal fisheries partnership charged with protecting migratory shad, Northfield inadvertently created its own science experiment by shutting down for 29 weeks. Some 16,768 shad–the most since 1995, passed Turners dam–an 800% –1,000% increase over the decade’s annual averages.
Those counts, made by Greenfield Community College with FirstLight funding, are suspect and likely low. Counting equipment crashed on 17 different days at the dam’s “spillway ladder‖the one shad negotiate most effectively. It’s accessed only when rare, ample flows are released at the dam to the river’s natural bed. Shad will then by-pass a treacherous ladder two miles south at the canal, and swim directly upriver to the dam. Shad surged there following a May 27th deluge. Sadly, 7 more days of data was lost when “gatehouse†counting equipment failed. Turners “daily†fish counts were AWOL for nearly a month. Yet even with broken data the impacts of Northfield-Turners flows–long-ignored in lieu of Conte and CRASC’s failed $500-million salmon restoration (51 fish this year), come into stark relief.
It’s 2011, not 1950. Yet the year’s best river science arose from a giant mistake—and some of its best protection resulted from a citizen picking up a phone. It’s time for an all-new fisheries commission–and for Northfield-Turners hydro owners to build the fish lift the public’s been owed there for over a decade. Vermont Yankee’s record speaks for itself: it’s time to shut down.
Greenfield, MA writer and author Karl Meyer writes frequently about the Connecticut River. He followed the shad run by bicycle from Long Island Sound to Bellows Falls, VT, last spring. | 2019-04-18T14:36:56Z | https://www.karlmeyerwriting.com/blog/category/salmon-hatchery/ |
AF 2018 NPL A LLC is a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware, which we refer to as the “Company.” The Company is offering to sell up to $50,000,000.00 of Series A Preferred Stock to the public. You can read a complete description of these securities in the “Securities Being Offered” section starting on page 20.
We are selling these securities directly to the public at the website, www.AutomationFinance.com. We are not using a placement agent or a broker and we are not paying commissions to anyone. All of the money we raise goes directly to the Company. The price of the Series A Preferred Stock is $10.00 per share and the minimum initial investment is $5,000.00.
This Offering will begin as soon as our Offering Statement is “qualified” by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and will end upon the earlier of (1) the date we have sold $50,000,000 of Series A Preferred Stock, (2) the second anniversary of the date our Offering Statement is qualified by the SEC, or (3) the date the Company terminates this Offering.
The purchase of these securities involves a high degree of risk. Before investing, you should read this whole Offering Circular, including the “Risks of Investing” section starting on page 2.
THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS JUDGEMENT UPON THE MERITS OF OR GIVE ITS APPROVAL TO ANY SECURITIES OFFERED OR THE TERM OF THE OFFERING. NOR DOES IT PASS JUDGEMENT UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY OFFERING CIRCULAR OR OTHER SELLING LITERATURE. THESE SECURITIES ARE OFFERED PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION WITH THE COMMISSION; HOWEVER, THE COMMISSION HAS NOT MADE AN INDEPENDENT DETERMINATION THAT THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREUNDER ARE EXEMPT FROM REGISTRATION.
GENERALLY, NO SALE MAY BE MADE TO YOU IN THIS OFFERING IF THE AGGREGATE PURCHASE PRICE YOU PAY IS MORE THAN 10% OF THE GREATER OF YOUR ANNUAL INCOME OR NET WORTH. DIFFERENT RULES APPLY TO ACCREDITED INVESTORS AND NON-NATURAL PERSONS. BEFORE MAKING ANY REPRESENTATION THAT YOUR INVESTMENT DOES NOT EXCEED APPLICABLE THRESHOLDS, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REVIEW RULE 251(d)(2)(i)(C) OF REGULATION A. FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ON INVESTING, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REFER TO WWW.INVESTOR.GOV. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE THE “Limits on How Much Non-Accredited Investors Can Invest” SECTION STARTING ON PAGE 23.
NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS OFFERING CIRCULAR. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER THIS OFFERING MEETS YOUR INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND RISK TOLERANCE LEVEL. NO FEDERAL OR STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED, DISAPPROVED, ENDORSED, OR RECOMMENDED THIS OFFERING. NO INDEPENDENT PERSON HAS CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY OR TRUTHFULNESS OF THIS DISCLOSURE, NOR WHETHER IT IS COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS ILLEGAL.
THESE SECURITIES ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFERABILITY AND RESALE AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED OR RESOLD EXCEPT AS PERMITTED UNDER THE ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS, PURSUANT TO REGISTRATION OR EXEMPTION THEREFROM. YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO BEAR THE FINANCIAL RISKS OF THIS INVESTMENT FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD OF TIME.
1) The borrower refinances the loan and stays in the house.
2) We accept a discounted lump sum in full settlement of the loan and the borrower stays in the house.
3) We modify the terms of the loan and the borrower stays in the house.
4) The borrower cannot afford to stay in the house, or doesn’t want to. In that case, we take ownership of the house (typically through foreclosure) and sell it.
5) From time to time, we sell Mortgages to other investors.
● The price we paid for the Mortgages in the first place, plus all our expenses (e.g., operating costs and legal fees).
● First, to the Series A Stockholders until they have earned a compounded annual return of 10.0% on the unreturned balance of their investment.
● Second, to the Series A Stockholders until they have received a return of all of their invested capital.
● Third, after the Series A Stockholders have received their 10% annual return and all their invested capital, any remaining available cash will be distributed to the Company’s Common Stockholders.
NOTE: There is no guaranty that we will earn enough profit to distribute any return to any class of Investor, or even to return their capital.
The Company will try to return to Investors all of their capital no later than the fifth anniversary of the purchase date, assuming there is sufficient cash flow. However, Investors might receive their capital sooner, later, or not at all.
Buying Series A Preferred Stock is speculative and involves significant risk, including the risk that you could lose some or all of your money. This section describes some of the most significant factors that make the investment risky. The order in which these factors are discussed is not intended to suggest that some factors are more significant than others. All investments carry some level of risk. Even cash has an associated risk; inflation over time will reduce the purchasing power of that cash. There are no safe investments and there are no safe stores of wealth.
Our Auditor Has Raised Questions About Our Ability to Survive As A Going Concern: In the audited financial statements attached to this Offering Circular, our auditor has noted that the Company has not yet commenced planned principal operations and has not generated revenues or profits since inception, and that these factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a “going concern.” As further noted by our auditor, the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern in the next twelve months is dependent upon its ability to obtain capital financing from investors sufficient to meet current and future obligations, and to deploy that capital effectively to produce profits. No assurance can be given that the Company will be successful in these efforts.
Speculative Nature Of Real Estate And Distressed Debt Investing: Real estate and distressed debt is notoriously speculative and unpredictable. Many, very experienced, well-informed professional investors, banks, insurance companies and others lost money when the real estate, stock and debt markets declined in 2007-8. When the markets are healthy, as they were from 2003 through 2006, it appears that they would be healthy forever. The reality is that markets are highly cyclical and unpredictable. History has shown that the real estate and debt markets can collapse without warning and that can result in devastating losses. The assets purchased by the Company will be backed by real estate. If the real estate market or the economy declines, the Company might not be able to pay the return you expect or even repay your investment.
No Guaranty of Distributions: When you buy a certificate of deposit from a bank, the federal government (through the FDIC) guarantees (subject to certain limits) you will get your money back. Buying Series A Preferred Stock in the Company is very different. The ability of the Company to make the distributions you expect, and ultimately to repay your investment, depends on a number of factors. Some of these factors are beyond our control. There is no guarantee that you will receive any distributions.
● We could be incorrect in our valuation of the real estate that secures the mortgage. For example, if we paid $80,000 for a mortgage, believing that the value of the underlying real estate is $100,000 but the actual value is only $70,000 we could incur a substantial loss. Our assessment of the value of the underlying real estate could be incorrect for any number of reasons, including unknown and unanticipated environmental hazards.
● A borrower could tie us up in legal proceedings for a lengthy period of time, as we try to foreclose on the underlying real estate.
● A borrower could file for bankruptcy protection, causing further delay, cost, and complication. In some cases the courts can reduce the balance secured by a mortgage or can strip the security entirely.
● We may be hampered by local foreclosure, consumer protection and licensing laws, or changes in those laws that we or our legal team had not taken into account. These laws could hamper our ability to foreclose on the underlying real estate.
● We could make errors in due diligence prior to purchasing a mortgage or learn after purchase that the original lender or prior mortgage holder had failed to comply with legal or technical requirements in the mortgage documents, making it more difficult or even impossible for us to collect on the mortgage and/or foreclose on the property.
● The borrower might have lied on the original mortgage application about important information, including the ownership of the underlying real estate or the existence of prior liens.
● If the underlying real estate securing a mortgage is encumbered by other liens with a higher priority, it could reduce or even eliminate the value of the mortgage.
● The person who sold the mortgage to the Company might have lied about or hidden important information.
● A borrower could make claims against the Company based on a theory of “lender liability” or otherwise.
Pricing of Assets: The success of the Company, and its ability to make distributions to Investors, depends on our ability to calculate the value of mortgages that are in default. Although the Company and its advisors rely on various objective criteria, ultimately the value of these assets is as much an art as a science, and there is no guaranty that the Company and its advisors will be successful in accurately calculating the value of the assets.
Our Business Is Heavily Regulated: Our business is subject to extensive licensing requirements, consumer protection laws, foreclosure laws, and regulatory oversight by federal, state and local governmental authorities. If we fail to operate our business in compliance with the law, our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, leading to (among other things) (i) loss of our right to invest in residential mortgages, (ii) government investigations and enforcement actions against us, (iii) fines, penalties and judgments against us, (iv) civil lawsuits, including class actions, (v) criminal liability, and (vi) breaches of covenants and representations under our servicing agreements, debt agreements, or other agreements.
Licensing Requirements: Many states impose certain licensing requirements on investors who buy and sell mortgage loans secured by 1-4 family residential properties. The Company has engaged regulatory counsel to ensure that it complies with all applicable laws and regulations, but has not yet decided on or implemented a compliant structure. Complying with all applicable laws and regulations could be expensive and burdensome. On the other hand, if the Company does not comply, we could face fines, lawsuits, investigations, fines, penalties – even the termination of our business.
We Rely Extensively on Third Parties: After the Company buys a loan, we rely on third parties to service the loan, to work out an acceptable arrangement with the homeowner (if possible), to foreclose on the real estate (if necessary), and to handle every other aspect of the Company’s business. These third parties provide services to the Company pursuant to written agreements which could, under some circumstances, be terminated, and through employees that the Company does not control directly. A disruption of any of these third party relationships could damage the Company.
Risks Relating To Technology: We depend on the effective implementation and operation of our technology systems. Technology failures, defects or inadequacies, development delays, installation difficulties or security breaches could hurt our operations and increase our costs. Disruptions, failures, defects or inadequacies in our technology, delays in the development of, or installation difficulties with, our technology, or security breaches to our technology could delay or disrupt our ability to provide services to our customers and result in significant financial and reputational harm.
Risks Relating To Personally Identifiable Information: We will collect, process, store, use and disclose personal information of borrowers, including names, addresses, social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and credit history information. Such information is subject to various federal, state and other laws regarding data privacy and protection, which are always changing. We might be required to expend significant time, money and other resources towards compliance with such laws, and we may be subject to orders, fines, penalties or other adverse consequences from governmental authorities, as well as lawsuits from consumers, if we fail to comply with them, not to mention the possible damage to our reputation (e.g., Target).
The Company Does Not Have A Credit Rating from Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s: Credit rating agencies, notably Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, assign credit ratings to debt issuers, which are intended to help Investors gauge the ability of the issuer to repay the mortgage. The Company has not been rated by Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s and, as a result, Investors have no objective measure by which to judge the creditworthiness of the Company.
Incomplete Due Diligence: We perform “due diligence” on the mortgages we purchase, meaning we review the available information about the assets and the underlying collateral. As a practical matter, however, it is simply impossible to review all of the information about a given mortgage or any asset and there is no assurance that all of the information we have reviewed is accurate. For example, sometimes important information is hidden or unavailable, or a third party might have an incentive to conceal information or provide inaccurate information, and we cannot verify all of the information we receive independently. It is also possible that we have reached inaccurate conclusions concerning the information we have reviewed.
Reliance on Management: You will not have a right to vote or otherwise participate in managing the Company, except on very limited matters. Instead, the Investment Manager will make all investment and trading decisions and the Managing Member of the Company will make all other business decisions. As a result, the success of the Company – and its ability to make payments with respect to your Series A Preferred Stock – will depend almost exclusively on the skills of the principals of our Investment Manager and Managing Member, Messrs. Paul Birkett and Abbas Jessa. If the principals resigned, became ill, or died, the Company and its Investors could suffer.
Competition: Many companies and individuals compete to invest in the same kinds of mortgages the Company seeks to buy. Our competitors may have a lower cost of capital, better access to leverage, or other advantages compared to the Company. The more competition there is, the more the Company may be required to pay for mortgages and the more risk the Company may be required to assume to obtain a given return (yield) on its investments.
Risks Associated with Leverage: The Company might borrow money from banks or other lenders to purchase mortgages or other assets. Borrowing money to purchase assets is sometimes referred to as “leverage.” While using leverage can increase the total return on the Company’s equity, it also increases risk because the amount borrowed has to be repaid in accordance with a schedule. For example, the Company might have to sell assets at a time when values are low simply to make scheduled interest payments to a lender.
The Company is a Startup Business: Although the principals of the Managing Member have been engaged in the real estate and distressed mortgage debt industries for years, the Company itself is a new business with a new and unproven business model, i.e., investing in non-performing loans using capital raised on the Internet. Like any new business, the Company faces challenges on a number of fronts, including attracting and retaining qualified employees (of its Managing Member), designing and implementing new business systems, technology systems, marketing, and capital formation. If the Company failed in any of these or other key areas, the whole business could fail.
Competing Objectives: The Company has financial objectives – generating current income and capital appreciation – but it also has non-financial objectives. The Company does not try to extract the maximum possible financial value from every loan. Our objective is to find an affordable payment for every borrower. We do not seek the maximum possible payment. Experience has taught us that stretched borrowers are inconsistent payers. Our choice to find affordable payments for our borrowers could hamper the Company’s ability to make distributions to Investors.
● The Operating Agreement significantly curtails your right to bring legal claims against management. For example, it eliminates any fiduciary obligations that would otherwise be owed by the Managing Member. However, the waiver of fiduciary obligations does not apply to claims arising under the Federal securities laws.
● The Operating Agreement limits your right to obtain information about the Company and to inspect its books and records.
● You have no right to remove the Managing Member, even if you think the Managing Member is doing a bad job.
● The Managing Member is allowed to amend the Operating Agreement in certain respects without your consent.
● The Operating Agreement restricts your right to sell or otherwise transfer your interest.
● The Operating Agreement provides that all disputes will be conducted in Wilmington, Delaware.
● The Operating Agreement provides for a waiver of jury trials. However, that rule does not apply to claims arising under the Federal securities laws.
Limitations on Rights in Investment Management Agreement: The Company’s investments are managed by Automation Capital Management, LLC, an affiliate of the Managing Member, which we refer to as the “Investment Manager,” pursuant an agreement captioned “Investment Advisory and Management Services Agreement” and dated November 1, 2018, which we refer to as the “Investment Management Agreement.” The Investment Management Agreement limits the right of the Company or an Investor to bring legal claims against the Investment Manager. For example, the fact that the Investment Manager overpaid for a mortgage or a pool of mortgages would not, in itself, give the Company or an Investor the right to sue.
● Any claims arising from your purchase of Series A Preferred Stock or the Investment Agreement must be brought in the state or federal courts located in Wilmington, Delaware, which might not be convenient to you.
● You would not be entitled to recover any lost profits or special, consequential, or punitive damages. However, that limitation does not apply to claims arising under the Federal securities laws.
● You would not be entitled to a jury trial. However, that rule does not apply to claims arising under the Federal securities laws.
Forum Selection Provision: Our Operating Agreement and Investment Agreement each provide that any dispute arising from such agreement (including, but not limited to, any dispute arising from the purchase of Series A Preferred Stock pursuant to the Investment Agreement) will be handled solely in the state or federal courts located in Delaware. We included this provision primarily because (i) the Company is organized under Delaware law, (ii) Delaware courts have developed significant expertise and experience in corporate and commercial law matters and investment-related disputes (which typically involve very complex legal questions), particularly with respect to alternative entities (such as LLCs), and have developed a reputation for resolving disputes in these areas in an efficient manner, and (iii) Delaware has a large and well-developed body of case law in the areas of corporate and alternative entities law and investment-related disputes, providing predictability and stability for the Company and its Investors. This provision could be unfavorable to an Investor to the extent a court in a different jurisdiction would be more likely to find in favor of an Investor, or be more geographically convenient to an Investor. It is possible that a judge would find this provision unenforceable and allow an Investor to file a lawsuit in a different jurisdiction.
● Your interests might be better served if the principals of our Managing Member devoted their full attention to maximizing the value of just the mortgages and other assets purchased by the Company. Instead, they will also be managing other businesses and business interests simultaneously.
● Members of the Managing Member have business interests wholly unrelated to the Company and its affiliates, all of which require a commitment of time.
● Our compensation is based in part on the amount of capital we raise and number of loans we buy. To some extent, we have a financial incentive to raise as much money as possible, even if we cannot deploy the capital effectively, which could lead us to buy mortgages with lower potential and/or to overpay for loans.
● We might buy mortgages from our affiliates. Although we will always seek to establish a fair, arm’s-length price for mortgages, our interests as a seller conflict with your interests as a buyer.
● The lawyer who prepared the Operating Agreement, the Investment Agreement, and this Offering Circular represents us, not you. You must hire your own lawyer (at your own expense) if you want your interests to be represented.
Management Fees: The fees payable to our Managing Member will reduce, perhaps significantly, the amount of cash the Company has available to make distributions to Investors.
Uninsured Losses: We intend to maintain insurance policies that provide coverage within limits that are sufficient, in our Managing Member’s judgment, to protect us from legal claims and other liabilities arising from the conduct of our businesses. There can be no assurance that adequate insurance coverage will be available to the Company, that losses incurred by the Company will not exceed the limits of our available insurance coverage, or that coverage will be provided on terms that will not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operating results.
● There will be no established market for your Series A Preferred Stock, meaning you could struggle to find a buyer.
● By its terms, the Series A Preferred Stock may not be transferred without the Company’s consent. The Company also has a right of first refusal to purchase any shares of Series A Preferred Stock proposed to transferred.
● Although you have the right to ask us to purchase your Series A Preferred Stock, or consent to the sale of your Series A Preferred Stock to a third party, there is no guaranty that we will be able to do so.
Taking all of that into account, you should prepare for the possible need to hold your Series A Preferred Stock indefinitely.
Early Payment: The Company expects to pay back your capital by the fifth anniversary of the contribution of capital. Therefore, you should not expect to receive a return for the entire five-year period.
Tax Cost: Some of the Company’s income will be in the form of interest or short-term capital gain, rather than long-term capital gain.
Our Track Record Does not Guaranty Future Performance: The section captioned “Past Performance: Our Track Record So Far,” starting on page 18, illustrates the performance of certain affiliates of the Company, engaged in the same or similar business in which the Company plans to engage. However, there is no guaranty that the Company will do as well as its affiliates have done. The economy as a whole and the real estate market in particular have been very favorable to date; as surely as night follows day, economic conditions will change and we might not be able to adapt.
Risk of Failure to Comply with Securities Laws: The current Offering by the Company relies on an exemption under Regulation A of the SEC code. We have relied on the advice of securities lawyers and believe we qualify for the exemption. If we did not qualify, we could be liable to penalties imposed by the federal government and state regulators, as well as to lawsuits from investors.
Investors Can’t See Our Actual Investments Before Investing: As of the date of this Offering Circular, the Company doesn’t own any mortgages or other real estate assets. As a result, Investors cannot see or evaluate our assets before making an investment decision. Instead, investors are asked to invest first, then trust that their money will be invested wisely.
The Company Stands On Its Own: The Company will either succeed or fail on its own account. Although certain affiliates of the Company have been successful, there is no guaranty that the Company will be successful. Further, neither the Managing Member, the Investment Manager, nor any other person or entity has committed to provide financial assistance to the Company should such assistance become necessary.
Regulation As An Investment Company: If the Company were treated as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, we would be required to comply with a number of special rules and regulations and incur significant cost in doing so, which would impair our ability to make payments with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock. If we failed to comply with these special rules and regulations, we could be prohibited from operating our business and become subject to civil and criminal liability, and any contracts we were a party to might be unenforceable. We intend to conduct our business so that we are not treated as an investment company. See the “Investment Company Act Limitations” section starting on page 26. However, we might not be successful.
Asset-Backed Securities: The securities laws include two definitions of the term “asset-backed security.” If the Series A Preferred Stock were treated as “asset-backed securities” within the meaning of the first of these definitions, we would not be allowed to sell them in this Offering. If the Series A Preferred Stock were treated as “asset-backed securities” within the meaning of the second of these definitions, the Company would be subject to substantial and onerous reporting obligations. For the reasons described in the “Asset-Backed Securities” section starting on page 27, we do not believe that the Series A Preferred Stock constitute asset-backed securities under either definition. If the Securities and Exchange Commission or another regulatory body were to conclude otherwise, however, we might be unable to complete the Offering, or we might be subject to onerous reporting obligations.
Breaches of Security: It is possible that our systems could be “hacked,” leading to the theft or disclosure of confidential information you have provided to us. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched, we and our vendors may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate defensive measures.
AF 2018 NPL A LLC, which we refer to as the “Company,” is a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware. The Company pursues a single goal: to generate income for its owners and Investors in an ethical and socially-responsible manner.
The Company was formed to invest in (buy) primarily non-performing mortgages, meaning mortgages that are secured by a mortgage on a private residence (i.e., somebody’s home) for which payments on the mortgage are not being made by the borrower (the mortgagee). We refer to these as “Mortgages”.
The Mortgages we intend to buy were often originated or previously owned by financial institutions that are now defunct or in financial difficulty, like Countrywide Financial, Lehman Brothers, Associates Financial Services and a variety of banks and insurance companies.
● Smaller balance first lien mortgages and lower-value assets with unpaid principal balances in the range of $100,000 or less.
● Second-lien mortgages which can be purchased at a greater discount than first lien mortgages.
The originator of the loan (usually a bank or mortgage company) is generally unable or unwilling to modify the original terms of the loan. Instead, the originator sells the non-performing loans to a third party – a company like ours. After we buy a Mortgage, a third-party mortgage servicing company we have retained contacts the borrower on our behalf. We try to achieve a quick resolution that is acceptable both to the borrower and to us.
● Outcome #1 - Refinance: The borrower is able to refinance the Mortgage through another lender, and we accept the refinanced amount (which is lower than the face value of the Mortgage but still more than we paid for it) as payment in full, which allows the borrower to stay in the house.
● Outcome #2 – Short Settlement: Even without refinancing, the borrower is able to pay us a lump sum that we accept as payment in full, which allows the borrower to stay in the house.
● Outcome #3 - Modification: We and the borrower agree to modify the terms of the Mortgage, i.e., the principal amount and/or the interest rate and loan duration. Once the borrower has begun to make regular payments under the new terms, we may sell the Mortgage to a third party, again allowing the borrower to stay in the house.
● Outcome #4 – Foreclosure or Deed In Lieu of Foreclosure: If the borrower cannot afford to stay in their house or doesn’t want to, we will take ownership and either sell the house or rent it. In some cases, the borrower will transfer the deed to us voluntarily in exchange for (i) an incentive payment, and (ii) being released from personal liability for the Mortgage. Sometimes however, we are required to take legal action (i.e., to foreclose or repossess).
● Outcome #5 – Sale of Loan: If some cases we will sell the Mortgage outright, hopefully (but not always) for more than we paid for it.
6) Any payments we receive from the borrower along the way.
We will make a profit if the sum of these revenues exceeds the price we paid for the Mortgages in the first place, after subtracting all our expenses (e.g., management and legal fees).
The Company is managed by Automation Holdings, LLC, which we refer to as the “Managing Member.” The Managing Member has exclusive control over all aspects of the Company’s business. Other members of the Company, including Investors who purchase Series A Preferred Stock in the Offering, have no right to participate in the management of the Company.
The Managing Member has delegated responsibility and authority for making investment and trading decisions to Automation Capital Management LLC, which we refer to as the “Investment Manager,” pursuant to an Investment Advisory and Management Services Agreement dated November 1, 2018 which we refer to as the “Investment Management Agreement.” A copy of the Investment Management Agreement is attached as Exhibit 1A-6A. The Investment Manager is currently exempt from registration as an investment advisor with both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the State of New York.
The Managing Member will charge certain fees to the Company, as described in “Compensation of Management” starting on page 43.
The Investment Manager believes the Company can buy distressed residential mortgages at significant discounts to their unpaid principal balances and, more importantly, to the value of the underlying houses. Many depository institutions and other holders of sub-performing or non-performing mortgages in the United States continue to be under financial duress and may be motivated to sell these mortgages at attractive prices. In addition, government-related agencies acting as receivers, such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, have acquired and are expected to continue to acquire significant portfolios of troubled mortgages from failed depository institutions. Many sellers look to sell the smallest, most distressed mortgages in their portfolios to companies like ours, that are willing to take on the work required to reach a resolution with the borrower.
The size of the non-performing and sub-performing residential mortgage market has grown considerably in the last few years, and the Investment Manager believes that it will continue to grow. Based upon research concerning those markets, including the public statements and/or reports issued by leading lenders, servicers, and data aggregators and analysts, the Investment Manager believes that close to $100 billion of residential mortgage mortgages are troubled or at significant risk of default.
The principals of our Investment Manager have significant experience with lower-dollar-value distressed mortgages, generally on residential properties worth less than $100,000. Our Investment Manager’s principals believe they are one of only a few national, institutional-quality buyers for these lower-dollar-value assets. Consequently, we seek to acquire assets that are too small and too distressed to be a high priority for larger banks, hedge funds, or other large buyers.
The Company intends to invest primarily in U.S. single-family residential mortgages, secured by one-to-four-family assets. On occasion, if the Investment Manager believes it would be a good idea based on market conditions, the Company might also acquire (i) direct interests in real estate, (ii) mortgages secured by more than four family assets, and/or (iii) and commercial mortgages. Despite these occasional purchases, the Company expects that mortgage mortgages secured by one-to-four-family assets will comprise no less than 95% of its total portfolio, although the Investment Manager is not bound by that figure.
Bidding on mortgages and mortgage portfolios (groups of mortgages) is both an art and a science.
Based on that information, which is rarely complete, we and other potential buyers make an initial bid. If we win the initial bid, we order at least two more documents: a title report and a broker’s price opinion.
If the title report is acceptable and the broker’s price opinion is in the right range, we conduct a thorough due diligence review, including considerations such as: (i) whether the borrower is still the owner of the property, (ii) whether the mortgage is still on title, (iii) whether the property is occupied or vacant, (iv) the amount of delinquent taxes and other liens; and (v) the bankruptcy history of the borrower, if any.
We may adjust our original bid up or down based on these and other factors. Sometimes we will retract our initial bid altogether.
Revised bids are then submitted to the seller. The seller may counter with a higher price or drop some mortgages from the sale if the seller judges the bid to be too low. If we are able to reach terms with the seller, we proceed to a binding contract and closing.
Collecting payments on loans is referred to as loan “servicing.” The Company itself will not service the loans that it acquires. Instead, it will engage Land Home Financial Services, Inc., a national loan servicer (“Land Home”) to service the loans, pursuant to a Special Loan Servicing Agreement (the “Servicing Agreement”). A copy of the Servicing Agreement is attached as Exhibit 1A-6B.
● Due Diligence Specialists: Due Diligence Specialists run potential mortgage purchases through a rigorous screening process. Among other things, they seek to determine (i) an accurate value for the underlying asset, (ii) the outstanding mortgage amount, (iii) the owner of the asset, (iv) the amount of outstanding taxes on the underlying real estate (if any), (v) any encumbrances on the underlying real estate and (vi) the bankruptcy history of the borrower.
● Document Specialists: A Document Specialist verifies that all collateral needed to validate ownership and existence of the mortgage and property are obtained, imaged, recorded, and stored appropriately. This includes verification on newly purchased assets and the necessary creation of assignments, allonges, and lost document affidavits, as needed.
● Asset Managers: The Asset Manager guides the borrower through mortgage modification, repayment plans, deed-in-lieu, and other resolution options. Asset Management is a hybrid role that blends borrower counseling, mortgage servicing, and property management/preservation to meet dual goals of (i) keeping the borrower in their home and (ii) providing attractive returns to investors.
● Litigation Coordinators or Legal Associates: Litigation Coordinators and Legal Associates manage the Company’s relationship with its attorney-vendor network, represent the Company at hearings and mediations, and handle all servicing-related activity that is required from the attorneys while assets are litigated, including bankruptcy activity, foreclosure complaints, evictions, quiet title actions, and tax sale reviews and challenges.
The Company itself will have no employees. All of these roles will filled by employees of the Managing Member or a third-party mortgage loan servicer.
The Company might borrow money to buy Mortgages or other assets, which is referred to as “leverage.” The Company will also incur liabilities in the nature of trade debt in the ordinary course of its business. Where we borrow money to buy Mortgages, the amount of the borrowing typically does not exceed 50% of the price of the Mortgages.
● Availability of Reasonably Price Mortgages: For the Company to succeed, it must be able to purchase distressed loans at reasonable prices. The volume of these mortgages skyrocketed during the recession of 2008-9, as borrowers were unable to make payments and financial institutions were forced to liquidate their portfolios. As the economy improves the number of distressed mortgages could dwindle, making it more difficult for us to purchase Mortgages at reasonable prices.
● Competition to Purchase Mortgages: More and more individuals and companies have entered the market for distressed mortgage loans. The more competition there is, the more difficult it could become for us to purchase Mortgages at reasonable prices.
● Availability of Credit to Borrowers: One way we liquidate the Mortgages in our portfolio is when the Mortgages are refinanced by a lender and the Mortgage we hold is paid off, in whole or in part. If credit markets tighten, as they did in 2008-9, borrowers might not be able to refinance Mortgages, or not as easily.
● Housing Market: Another way we liquidate the Mortgages in our portfolio is to take ownership of the asset securing a mortgage and sell it. If housing prices fall, our profits fall along with them.
● Interest Rates: Our business is very sensitive to changes in interest rates. If interest rates fall, the value of the Mortgages in our portfolio increases. If interest rates rise, the value of the Mortgages in our portfolio decreases. Today, interest rates in general, and Mortgage interest rates in particular, are lower than the historic average, suggesting that interest rates are more likely to go up than go down.
● Changes in Laws: Current law allows us to conduct our business in the manner described in this section. However, the residential housing market in general and the residential mortgage market in particular are highly regulated by both the federal government and by state governments. It is possible that laws or regulations could be changed in a way adverse to our business.
● Performance of Internal Systems: We continue to improve our internal systems and to adopt new systems, including our pricing and settlement models. We rely heavily on these systems and expect we will be required to continually update, improve, and replace them in the future.
● Ability to Attract Qualified Employees: Like any financial businesses, we rely on data to drive our decisions. With that said, this is very much a “people business.” Not only do we need human eyes to review and sense-check the pricing models, but the real key to our success lies in our ability to quickly and proficiently interact with borrowers.
Any internal systems are the intellectual property of the Managing Member and any such employees are employees of the Managing Member, not the Company.
The Company’s offices are located at 228 Park Avenue South #67157, New York, NY 10003. The Investment Manager’s address is the same, as is the address of the Managing Member.
The Company has no employees. The Managing Member currently employs eight people on a full-time basis. The Managing Member’s total payroll during its most recent fiscal year was approximately $1,000,000.00.
A number of states regulate entities that invest in residential mortgages. The Company has engaged regulatory counsel to ensure that it complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
● They all involve raising money from investors.
● They all involve conducting the same business as the business in which the Company will be engaged.
● The business of the Company will be conducted by the same personnel, using the same facilities and technology, as the businesses conducted by the Programs.
● Each of the Programs also has investment objectives that are identical to the investment objectives of the Company.
Because of these similarities, investors who are considering purchasing Series A Preferred Stock from the Company might find it useful to review information about the Programs. Of course, prospective investors should bear in mind that prior performance does not guarantee future results. The fact that a prior Program has been successful (or unsuccessful) does not mean the Company will experience the same results in the future.
There have been no major adverse business developments or conditions experienced by any Program that would be material to purchasers of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock.
● Has, or has had, 300 or more security holders.
The following table summarizes the three Programs through December 20, 2018. All figures are presented on a federal income tax basis.
* The Total Return So Far is calculated for the entire Program, not for any particular security issued by the Program, and is equal to (i) the sum of (A) the total net cash flow received from the loans in the Program since the date of acquisition (i.e., all payments received plus the proceeds from the sale of loans, less expenses), plus (B) the current estimated fair market value of the unsold loans that remain in the Program, by (ii) the total original purchase price of the loans in the Program.
** The Value of Assets Remaining is primarily the value assigned to the remaining assets as of the time they were purchased, in some cases written down (but not up). As described earlier, the Investment Manager uses a proprietary pricing tool to evaluate mortgage purchases. The proprietary pricing tool takes into account factors that include, but are not limited to, the estimated value of the real estate securing each mortgage and the history of mortgage payments. The Investment Manager reevaluates the value of its assets only as needed – for example, when it sells a Mortgage. Reevaluations are not performed on a regular basis.
The operating results for the Programs since inception are set forth on Exhibit 1A-15.1.
We are offering to the public up to $50,000,000 of our Series A Preferred Stock. The price of the Series A Preferred Stock is $10.00 per share.
Owners of the Series A Preferred Stock – that is, Investors – will have no right to vote or otherwise participate in the management of the Company. Instead, the Company is managed by the Managing Member exclusively. However, the Managing Member may not change the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock in a manner that would be adverse to Investors without the consent of holders of a majority of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock.
We intend to make distributions every calendar quarter. The order of distributions will be governed by the Company’s Operating Agreement as well as the Authorizing Resolution establishing the Series A Preferred Stock.
● First, under section 3.1.1 of the Authorizing Resolution, we will distribute enough to pay Investors an annual return of 10% on their invested capital.
● Second, under section 3.1.2 of the Authorizing Resolution, we will return to Investors all of their invested capital.
● Third, under section 3.1.3 of the Authorizing Resolution, after Investors have received their 10% annual return and all their invested capital, we will keep any remaining profit for ourselves.
The Operating Agreement is attached as Exhibit 1A-2B. The Authorizing Resolution is attached as Exhibit 1A-2C.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no guaranty that we will have enough money to pay Investors a 10% return, or even to return their capital.
Under the Authorizing Resolution, the Managing Member must try to return all of the money invested by each Series A Stockholder no later than the fifth (5th) anniversary following the investment. If the Company doesn’t have enough money, Series A Stockholders might receive a return of their investment later than five years, or not at all. If the Company is profitable, as we expect it to be, it is likely that investors will receive a return of their investment sooner than five years.
To decide how much to distribute during any calendar quarter, we start with our revenues, which include the proceeds of sale and refinancing transactions as well as payments we receive from borrowers with respect to their mortgage mortgages. We then subtract our actual expenses, which include management fees, bank fees, appraisal costs, insurance, commissions, marketing costs, taxes, and legal and accounting fees. Finally, depending on the circumstances at the time, we decide how much should be held in reserve against future contingencies. The amount we distribute is therefore our revenue, minus our expenses, minus the reserve amount.
In some situations, we might be required by law to withhold taxes and/or other amounts from distributions made to Investors. The amount we withhold will still be treated as part of the distribution. For example, if we distribute $100 to you and are required to withhold $10 in taxes, for our purposes you will be treated as having received a distribution of $100 even though you received a check for only $90.
We can only distribute as much money as we have. There is no guaranty that we will have enough money, after paying expenses, to distribute enough to pay a 10% annual return to Investors or even to return all of the invested capital.
No Investor may sell, transfer, or encumber (place a lien on) its Series A Preferred Stock unless (i) the Managing Member, in its sole and absolute discretion, approves the transfer; or (ii) in the case of an Investor that is a natural person, such Investor dies or a court finds that he or she is legally incompetent, in which case the Series A Preferred Stock shall be transferred automatically to the heirs or personal representative of the Investor.
Before the Managing Member consents to a transfer of Series A Preferred Stock, it may impose reasonable conditions, including but not limited to written assurance that (i) the transfer is not required to be registered under the Securities Act of 1933; (ii) the transferor or the transferee will reimburse the Company for expenses incurred in connection with the transfer; and (iii) the transfer will not cause the termination of the Company as a partnership under section 708 of the Internal Revenue Code or cause the Company to be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” under section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code.
● The Managing Member determines, in its good faith discretion, that such sale would be in the best interest of the Company.
The purchase price would be the capital account associated with the shares.
At any time after purchasing Series A Preferred Stock, an Investor may request that the Company purchase all or a portion of the Investor’s Series A Preferred Stock. Upon receipt of such a request, the Managing Member must use commercially reasonable efforts to arrange for the purchase, although there is no guaranty that the necessary funds will be available. If the Company is not able to purchase the Series A Preferred Stock, the Investor may either rescind or maintain the request.
In seeking to accommodate a request from an Investor, the Company is not required to (i) borrow money or dispose of assets; or (ii) take any other action the Managing Member believes would be averse to the interests of the Company or its other Members.
During any given calendar year, the Company shall (i) not be obligated to purchase of shares of Series A Preferred Stock representing more than 25% of the total number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock owned by a Series A Stockholder, and (ii) not purchase shares of Series A Preferred Stock representing more than 25% of the total number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.
If all or a portion of an Investor’s Series A Preferred Stock is purchased pursuant to the Investor’s request, the Investor’s rate of return could be reduced below 10%. Specifically, if the purchase occurs within six months following the date the Investor acquired its Series A Preferred Stock, then the return will be reduced from 10% to 8%, while if the purchase occurs more than six months but less than 12 months following the date the Investor acquired its Series A Preferred Stock, then the return will be reduced from 10% to 9%.
If more than one Investor asks the Managing Member to purchase or arrange for the purchase of Series A Preferred Stock, the Managing Member will consider the requests in the order received.
As long as you’re at least 18 years old, you can invest in this Offering. But if you’re not an “accredited” investor, the amount you can invest is limited by law.
● A director, executive officer, or general partner of the company selling the securities, or any director, executive officer, or general partner of a general partner of that issuer.
● 10% of your net worth.
These limits are imposed by law, not by us.
When you go to our website, www.AutomationFinance.com, we will ask whether you’re an accredited investor. If you aren’t, then we’ll ask about your annual income and net worth.
The Offering will begin as soon as our registration statement is “qualified” by the Securities and Exchange Commission. It will end upon the earlier of (1) the date we have sold $50,000,000 of Series A Preferred Stock (i.e., all the securities we are offering), (2) the date two years after it begins, or (3) the date we decide to end it.
Only the Company is selling securities in this Offering. None of our existing Members is selling any securities.
There is no “minimum” in this offering. Although we are trying to raise as much as $50,000,000, we will accept and deploy all the money we raise, no matter how little. If we raise less money, it just means we will buy fewer Mortgages and other assets.
We are not using an underwriter or broker to sell the Series A Preferred Stock. Instead, we are selling Series A Preferred Stock only through our website, located at www.AutomationFinance.com, which we refer to as the “Site.” If you are reading this Offering Circular, you probably visited the Site and clicked through.
We are not paying commissions to anybody for selling the Series A Preferred Stock.
We reserve the right to reject any subscription in whole or in part for any reason. If we reject your subscription, we will return all your money without interest or deduction.
After the Offering has been “qualified” by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we intend to advertise the Offering using the Site and through other means, including public advertisements and audio-visual materials, in each case only as we authorize. Although these materials will not contain information that conflicts with the information in this Offering Circular and will be prepared with a view to presenting a balanced discussion of risk and reward with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock, our advertising materials will not give a complete understanding of this Offering, the Company, or the Series A Preferred Stock and are not to be considered part of this Offering Circular. The Offering is made only by means of this Offering Circular and prospective Investors must read and rely on the information provided in this Offering Circular in connection with their decision to invest in the Series A Preferred Stock.
For instructions how to invest, see the “How To Invest” section, starting immediately below.
We will also ask you to sign our Investment Agreement, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 1A-4.
You will pay for your Series A Preferred Stock using one of the options described on the Site.
The information you submit, including your signed Investment Agreement, is called your “subscription.” We will review your subscription and decide whether to accept it. We have the right to accept or reject subscriptions in our sole discretion, for any reason or for no reason.
When you invest, your money will be held in an escrow account with a third party until we review your subscription and decide whether to accept it. When and if we have confirmed that your subscription is complete and decide to accept your subscription, we will release your money from the escrow account to the Company at a time we select. If we decide not to accept your subscription, we will return your money to you.
Once we have accepted your subscription, we will notify you by email and the investment process will be complete. We will also notify you by email if we do not accept your subscription, although we might not explain why.
We will not issue you a paper certificate representing your Series A Preferred Stock.
Anyone can buy Series A Preferred Stock. We do not intend to limits investment to people with a certain income level or net worth, subject to the limitations described herein.
NOTE: Those are estimates only. Actual results are likely to be different.
We are not paying commissions to underwriters, brokers, or anybody else for selling or distributing the Series A Preferred Stock. Because we are not paying any commissions, more of your money can go to work for you. In some cases, retirement custodians, investment advisers, and other intermediaries will offer to invest on behalf of their clients. In such cases, the custodian, adviser or intermediary will be paid a fee from their client’s invested funds. In such cases, the client (rather than the Company) is paying those fees.
A company that is treated as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 is subject to stringent and onerous regulation, like a mutual fund. Being an investment company isn’t illegal, but is very expensive. If the Company were treated as an investment company it would be very bad for our business.
All of the Company’s assets will consist of Mortgages and other interests in real estate. As a result, and as discussed in detail below, we believe the Company will not be treated as an investment company because of the exemption under section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, which provides that an entity “primarily engaged” in the business of “purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate” will not be treated as an investment company.
2) At least an additional 25% of its assets consist of “real estate-type interests” (subject to proportionate reduction if greater than 55% of the issuer’s assets are Qualifying Interests).
The SEC has also taken the position that fee interests in real estate, and mortgage that are “fully secured by real property” constitute Qualifying Interests.
5) The Investment Manager shall take such other steps to ensure that the Company is not treated as an investment company.
If the Company satisfies these five requirements, then it will also satisfy section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, and will not be treated as an investment company. The Investment Manager will carefully monitor the Company’s assets for these purposes.
The Series A Preferred Stock is being offered pursuant to Regulation A implemented by the SEC. Under 17 CFR §230.261(c), a security that is an “asset-backed security” may not be offered under Regulation A. For these purposes, the term “asset-backed security” has the same meaning as in Item 1101(c) of SEC Regulation AB.
In the opinion of the Company, the Series A Preferred Stock does not satisfy the definition of “asset-backed security” set forth in Item 1101(c) of SEC Regulation AB. Among other things, the Company will invest almost exclusively in non-performing mortgages, and under Item 1101(c)(iii), a security is not an “asset-backed security” if there are any non-performing assets.
As a result, the Company believes that Series A Preferred Stock may be offered and sold under Regulation A in this Offering.
● A security that the SEC, by rule, determines to be an asset-backed security.
There are three reasons why we believe the Series A Preferred Stock should not be treated as “asset-backed securities” within the meaning of section 3(a)(79) of the Exchange Act.
First, the Series A Preferred Stock is not “collateralized” in any way.
Second, payments to the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock do not “depend primarily on cash flow from the asset.” All of the purchased Mortgages are, by definition, non-performing and therefore generating very little cash flow, if any. The Company estimates that less than 10% of its total revenue reflects normal monthly payments made with respect to the purchased mortgages. Instead, the Company’s revenue, and the cash flow to holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, consists mainly of (i) the proceeds of sales of real estate acquired through cooperative resolutions (i.e., deeds in lieu of foreclosure) or through foreclosure; (ii) proceeds from reselling purchased mortgages which have been modified; and (iii) payments made in settlement of purchased mortgages. The Company does not passively collect cash flow, but actively manages a portfolio, turning non-performing mortgages into cash.
Third, we believe the Series A Preferred Stock is not the kind of securities that Congress or the SEC had in mind when section 3(a)(79) of the Exchange Act was enacted.
Asset-backed securities (ABS) are created by buying and bundling mortgages – such as residential mortgages, commercial mortgages or student mortgages – and creating securities backed by those assets, which are then sold to investors. Often, a bundle of mortgages is divided into separate securities with different levels of risk and returns. Payments on the mortgages are distributed to the holders of the lower-risk, lower-interest securities first, and then to the holders of the higher-risk securities.
In a basic securitization structure, an entity, often a financial institution and commonly known as a “sponsor,” originates or otherwise acquires a pool of financial assets, such as mortgage mortgages, either directly or through an affiliate. It then sells the financial assets, again either directly or through an affiliate, to a specially created investment vehicle that issues securities “backed” or supported by those financial assets, which securities are “asset-backed securities.” Payment on the asset-backed securities depends primarily on the cash flows generated by the assets in the underlying pool and other rights designed to assure timely payment, such as liquidity facilities, guarantees or other features generally known as credit enhancements. The structure of asset-backed securities is intended, among other things, to insulate ABS investors from the corporate credit risk of the sponsor that originated or acquired the financial assets [. . . .] Because the issuing entity is designed to be a passive entity, one or more “servicers,” often affiliated with the sponsor, are generally necessary to collect payments from obligors of the pool assets, carry out the other important functions involved in administering the assets and to calculate and pay the amounts net of fees due to the investors that hold the asset-backed securities to the trustee, which actually makes the payments to investors.
See https://www.sec.gov/spotlight/dodd-frank/assetbackedsecurities.shtml; and SEC Release Nos. 33-8518; 34-50905; File No. S7-21-04 (Effective March 8, 2005), available at: http://www.sec.gov/rules/final/33-8518.htm.
● There are no “tranches” of Series A Preferred Stock.
● The returns of the Series A Preferred Stock are not tied to the returns of the Company’s assets.
● The Company’s assets will consist primarily of non-performing mortgages.
● There are no mechanisms designed to assure timely payment, such as liquidity facilities, guarantees or other credit enhancements.
● The structure of the Company does not involve creating a bankruptcy-remote entity like a trust.
● The issuing entity, the Company, is not a passive participant.
For all of these reasons, the Company believes that the Series A Preferred Stock should not be treated as “asset-backed securities” under section 3(a)(79) of the Exchange Act and, accordingly, that the Company will not be subject to the onerous reporting obligations that would otherwise apply.
The Company is governed by an agreement captioned “Limited Liability Company Agreement” dated October 16, 2018, which we refer to as the “Operating Agreement.” The following summarizes some of the key provisions of the Operating Agreement. This summary is qualified in its entirety by the Operating Agreement itself, which is included as Exhibit 1A-2B.
The Company was formed on July 13, 2018 pursuant to the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act. As of the date of this Offering Circular, the Managing Member is the only owner of the Company.
The Operating Agreement creates two “classes” of Stock in the Company, “Common Stock” and “Preferred Stock.” The Preferred Stock may be divided into various “series” established by the Managing Member from time to time.
The Series A Preferred Stock was created by a resolution adopted by the Managing Member on November 1, 2018, which we refer to as the “Authorizing Resolution.” A copy of the Authorizing Resolution is attached as Exhibit 1A-2C.
The Managing Member will own all of the Common Stock. The Series A Preferred Stock will be owned by Investors who purchase the Series A Preferred Stock in the Offering. The Managing Member and its affiliates might also acquire Series A Preferred Stock, on the same terms as other Investors.
The Managing Member has complete discretion over all aspects of the business conducted by the Company. For example, the Managing Member may (i) admit new members to the Company; (ii) enter into contracts of any kind; (iii) borrow money; (iv) determine the timing and amount of distributions to Members; (v) determine the information to be provided to the Members; (vi) grant liens and other encumbrances on the assets of the Company; (vii) negotiate with borrowers; (viii) sell or otherwise dispose of assets; and (ix) dissolve the Company. Investors who purchase Series A Preferred Stock will not have any right to vote on any issue, or to remove the Managing Member.
The Operating Agreement also requires the Company to indemnify (reimburse) the Managing Member, the Investment Manager, and certain other parties from losses, liabilities, and expenses they incur in performing their duties. For example, if a third party sues the Managing Member on a matter related to the Company’s business, the Company would be required to indemnify the Managing Member for any losses or expenses it incurs in connection with the lawsuit, including attorneys’ fees. However, this indemnification is not available where a court or other juridical or governmental body determines that the Managing Member or other person is not entitled to be exculpated under the standard described in the preceding paragraph.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no exculpation or indemnification is permitted to the extent such exculpation or indemnification would be inconsistent with the requirements of federal or state securities laws or other applicable law.
The detailed rules for exculpation and indemnification are set forth in section 6 of the Operating Agreement.
Once an Investor pays for his, her, or its Series A Preferred Stock, the Investor will not be required to make any further contributions to the Company. However, if an Investor has wrongfully received a distribution, then he, she, or it might have to pay it back.
No Investor will be personally liable for any of the debts or obligations of the Company.
Distributions will be made as described in “Securities Being Offered – Distributions,” on page 20.
No Series A Stockholder may transfer Series A Preferred Stock without the consent of the Managing Member, except in the case of a natural person who dies or becomes incompetent, and whose Series A Preferred Stock is transferred by operation of law. The Managing Member may impose conditions before allowing a transfer.
Any Series A Stockholder may ask the Company to purchase the Series A Preferred Stock owned by the Series A Stockholder. For more information, see “Securities Being Offered – Limited Right of Liquidity” on page 22.
The Managing Member may require an Investor to withdraw from the Company, in effect kicking the Investor out of the deal. See “Secuirties Being Offered – Mandatory Withdrawals” on page 22.
The death or disability of an Investor who is a natural person will not cause such person to withdraw as a Stockholder of the Company or require the Company to repurchase his or her shares. The Investor (or his or her successors) will continue to own the Series A Preferred Stock.
If the Managing Member wants to sell the business conducted by the Company, it may affect the transaction as a sale of the assets owned by the Company or as a sale of all the Stock of the Company. In the latter case, Investors will be required to sell their Series A Preferred Stock as directed by the Managing Member, receiving the same amount they would have received had the transaction been structured as a sale of assets.
Each quarter (every three months), the Company will provide, via email, a tailored statement of performance for the Company overall and for each Investor’s interest class. Each year, the Company will provide Stockholders with (i) a statement showing in reasonable detail the computation of the amount distributed to the Stockholders; (ii) a balance sheet of the Company; (iii) a statement of the income and expenses of the Company; and (iv) information for Stockholders to prepare their tax returns. The balance sheet and statement of income and expenses do not have to be audited, at least for purposes of the Operating Agreement.
● Any transactions between the Company and the Managing Member or its affiliates, including the Investment Manager.
In each case, the detailed statement will describe the services performed and the amount of compensation paid.
By law, the Company also will be required to provide Investors with additional information, including annual audited financial statements, annual reports filed on SEC Form 1-K, semiannual reports filed on SEC Form 1-SA, special financial reports filed on SEC Form 1-K, and current reports on SEC Form 1-U. If Series A Preferred Stock are held “of record” by fewer than 300 persons, these reporting obligations could be terminated.
A Member’s right to see additional information or inspect the books and records of the Company is limited by the Operating Agreement.
All documents, including all tax-related documents, will be transmitted by the Company to Investors via electronic delivery.
● For other purposes the Managing Member deems advisable.
However, the Managing Member may not adopt any amendment that would reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Series A Stockholders, without the consent of Series A Stockholders owning a majority of the Series A Preferred Stock.
The following summarizes some of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of acquiring Series A Preferred Stock of the Company. This summary is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service (“Regulations”), and administrative rulings and court decisions, all as they exist today. The tax laws, and therefore the federal income tax consequences of acquiring Series A Preferred Stock, could change in the future.
This is only a summary, applicable to a generic Investor. Your personal situation could differ. We encourage you to consult with your own tax advisor before investing.
The Company will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.
If the Company were treated as a corporation and not as a partnership for federal income tax consequences, any operating profit or gain on sale of assets would generally be subject to two levels of federal income taxation. By making the Company less profitable, this could reduce the economic return to Investors.
As a partnership, the Company will not itself be subject to federal income taxes. Instead, each Investor will be required to report on his personal federal income tax return his distributive share of income, gains, losses, deductions and credits for the taxable year, whether or not actual distributions of cash or other property are made to him. Each Investor’s distributive share of such items will be determined in accordance with the Operating Agreement.
The Company is not expected to generate significant losses for federal income tax purposes. If it does generate losses, each Investor may deduct his allocable share subject to the basis limitations of Code section 704(d), the “at risk” rules of Code section 465, and the “passive activity loss” rules of Code section 469. Unused losses generally may be carried forward indefinitely. The use of tax losses generated by the Company against other income may not provide a material benefit to Investors who do not have other taxable income passive from passive activities.
Code section 704(d) limits an Investor’s loss to its tax “basis” in its Series A Preferred Stock. An Investor’s tax basis will initially equal its capital contribution (i.e., the purchase price for its Series A Preferred Stock). Thereafter, its basis generally will be increased by further capital contributions made by the Investor, its allocable share of the taxable and tax-exempt income of the Company, and its share of certain liabilities of the Company. Its basis generally will be decreased by the amount of any distributions it receives, its allocable share of the losses and deductions of the Company, and any decrease in its share of liabilities.
○ The owner’s share of 2.5% of the cost of certain depreciable assets of the partnership.
The Company will not pay wages or own depreciable assets. Consequently, Investors should not expect a deduction against the income of the Company.
In the case of certain taxpayers, Code section 465 limits the deductibility of losses from certain activities to the amount the taxpayer has “at risk” in the activities. An Investor subject to these rules will not be permitted to deduct its allocable share of the losses of the Company to the extent the losses exceed the amount it is considered to have at risk. If an Investor’s at risk amount should fall below zero, it would generally be required to “recapture” such amount by reporting additional income.
An Investor generally will be considered at risk to the extent of its cash contribution (i.e., the purchase price for his Series A Preferred Stock), its basis in other contributed property, and its personal liability for repayments of borrowed amounts. Its amount at risk will generally be increased by further contributions and its allocable share of the income of the Company, and decreased by distributions it receives and its allocable share of the losses of the Company. With respect to amounts borrowed for investment in the Company, an Investor will not be considered to be at risk even if it is personally liable for repayment if the borrowing was from a person who has certain interests in the Company other than an interest as a creditor. In all events, an Investor will not be treated as at risk to the extent its investment is protected against loss through guarantees, stop loss agreements, or other similar arrangements.
In the case of certain taxpayers, Code section 469 generally provides for a disallowance of any loss attributable to “passive activities” to the extent the aggregate losses from all such passive activities exceed the aggregate income of the taxpayer from such passive activities. Losses that are disallowed under these rules for a given tax year may be carried forward to future years to be offset against passive activity income in such future years. Furthermore, upon the disposition of a taxpayer’s entire interest in any passive activity, if all gain or loss realized on such disposition is recognized, and such disposition is not to a related party, any loss from such activity which was not previously allowed as a deduction and any loss from the activity for the current year is allowable as a deduction in such year, first against income or gain from the passive activity for the taxable year of disposition, including any gain recognized on the disposition, next against net income or gain for the taxable year from all passive activities, and, finally, against any other income or gain.
The Company will be treated as a passive activity to Investors. Hence, Investors generally will not be permitted to deduct their losses from the Company except to the extent they have income from other passive activities. Similarly, tax credits arising from passive activity will be available only to offset tax from passive activity. However, all such losses, to the extent previously disallowed, will generally be deductible in the year an Investor disposes of his entire interest in the Company in a taxable transaction.
An Investor who is an individual may deduct only $3,000 of net capital losses every year (that is, capital losses that exceed capital gains). Net capital losses in excess of $3,000 per year may generally be carried forward indefinitely.
Interest that is characterized as “investment interest” generally may be deducted only against investment income. Investment interests would include, for example, interest paid by an Investor on a mortgage that was incurred to purchase Series A Preferred Stock and interest paid by the Company to finance investments, while investment income would include dividends and interest but would not generally include long term capital gain. Thus, it is possible that an Investor would not be entitled to deduct all of its investment interest. Any investment interest that could not be deducted may generally be carried forward indefinitely.
If the Company borrows money or otherwise incurs indebtedness, the amount of the liability will be allocated among all of the owners of the Company (including Investors) in the manner prescribed by the Regulations. In general (but not for purposes of the “at risk” rules) each owner will be treated as having contributed cash to the Company equal to its allocable share of all such liabilities. Conversely, when an owner’s share of the Company’s liabilities is decreased (for example, if the Company repays mortgages or an owner disposes of Series A Preferred Stock) then such owner will be treated as having received a distribution of cash equal to the amount of such decrease.
The profits and losses of the Company will be allocated among all of the owners of the Company (including the Investors) by the Managing Member pursuant to the rules set forth in the Operating Agreement. In general, the Managing Member will seek to allocate such profits and losses in a manner that corresponds with the distributions each owner is entitled to receive, i.e., so that tax allocations follow cash distributions. Such allocations will be respected by the IRS if they have “substantial economic effect” within the meaning of Code section 704(b). If they do not, the IRS could re-allocate items of income and loss among the owners.
In general, the sale of Series A Preferred Stock by an Investor will be treated as a sale of a capital asset. The amount of gain from such a sale will generally be equal to the difference between the selling price and the Investor’s basis. Such gain will generally be eligible for favorable long-term capital gain treatment if the Series A Preferred Stock were held for at least 12 months. However, to the extent any of the sale proceeds are attributable to substantially appreciated inventory items or unrealized receivables, as defined in Code section 751, the Investor will recognize ordinary income.
If, as a result of a sale of Series A Preferred Stock, an Investor’s share of the liabilities of the Company is reduced, such Investor could recognize a tax liability greater than the amount of cash received in the sale.
Code section 6050K requires any Investor who transfers Series A Preferred Stock at a time when the Company has unrealized receivables or substantially appreciated inventory items to report such transfer to the Company. If so notified, the Company must report the identity of the transferor and transferee to the IRS, together with such other information described in the Regulations. Failure by an Investor to report a transfer covered by this provision may result in penalties.
A gift of Series A Preferred Stock will be taxable if the donor-owner’s share of the Company debt is greater than the donor-owner’s adjusted basis in the gifted interest. The gift could also give rise to federal gift tax liability. If the gift is made as a charitable contribution, the donor-owner is likely to realize gain greater than would be realized with respect to a non-charitable gift, since in general the owner will not be able to offset the entire amount of its adjusted basis in the donated Series A Preferred Stock against the amount considered to be realized as a result of the gift (i.e., the debt of the Company).
Transfer of Series A Preferred Stock by reason of death would not in general be a taxable event, although it is possible that the IRS would treat such a transfer as taxable where the decedent-owner’s share of debt exceeds the pre-death basis of its interest. The decedent-owner’s transferee will take a basis in the Series A Preferred Stock equal to the stock’s fair market value at death (or, in certain circumstances, on the date six (6) months after death), increased by the transferee’s share of debt. For this purpose, the fair market value will not include the decedent’s share of taxable income to the extent attributable to the pre-death portion of the taxable year.
Upon the receipt of any distribution of cash or other property, including a distribution in liquidation of the Company, an Investor generally will recognize income only to the extent that the amount of cash and marketable securities it receives exceed the basis of its Series A Preferred Stock. Any such gain generally will be considered as gain from the sale of its Series A Preferred Stock.
The Code imposes an alternative minimum tax on individuals and corporations. Certain items of the Company’s income and loss may be required to be taken into account in determining the alternative minimum tax liability of Investors.
The Company will report its income and losses using the calendar year. In general, each Investor will report his share of Company’s income and losses for the taxable year of such owner that includes December 31st, i.e., the calendar year for individuals and other owners using the calendar year.
The Company may, but is not required to, make an election under Code section 754 on the sale of Series A Preferred Stock or the death of an Investor. The result of such an election is to increase or decrease the tax basis of the assets of the Company for purposes of allocations made to the buyer or beneficiary which would, in turn, affect depreciation deductions and gain or loss on sale, among other items.
A church, charity, pension fund, or other entity that is otherwise exempt from federal income tax must nevertheless pay tax on “unrelated business taxable income.” In general, interest and gains from the sale of property (other than inventory) are not treated as unrelated business taxable income. However, interest and gains from property that was acquired in whole or in part with the proceeds of indebtedness may be treated as unrelated business taxable income. Because the Company might borrow money to buy Mortgages or other assets, some of the income of the Company could be subject to tax in the hands of tax-exempt entities.
The Company will furnish each Investor with the information needed to be included in its federal income tax returns. Each Investor is personally responsible for preparing and filing all personal tax returns that may be required as a result of its purchase of Series A Preferred Stock. The tax returns of the Company will be prepared by accountants selected by the Company.
If the tax returns of the Company are audited, it is possible that substantial legal and accounting fees will have to be paid to substantiate our position and such fees would reduce the cash otherwise distributable to Investors. Such an audit may also result in adjustments to our tax returns, which adjustments, in turn, would require an adjustment to each Investor’s personal tax returns. An audit of our tax returns may also result in an audit of non-Company items on each Investor’s personal tax returns, which in turn could result in adjustments to such items. The Company is not obligated to contest adjustments proposed by the IRS.
Each Investor must either report Company items on its tax return consistent with the treatment on the information return of the Company or file a statement with its tax return identifying and explaining the inconsistency. Otherwise the IRS may treat such inconsistency as a computational error and re-compute and assess the tax without the usual procedural protections applicable to federal income tax deficiency proceedings.
The Managing Member will appoint a person to act as the “company representative” as provided in Code section 6223(a). Such person will generally control all proceedings with the IRS.
The Code imposes interest and a variety of potential penalties on underpayments of tax.
The foregoing discussion addresses only selected issues involving federal income taxes, and does not address the impact of other taxes on an investment in the Company, including federal estate, gift, or generation-skipping taxes, or state and local income or inheritance taxes. Prospective Investors should consult their own tax advisors with respect to such matters.
The Company was created on July 13, 2018. The Company has not conducted any business and therefore has no operating results.
The Company is seeking to raise up to $50,000,000 of capital in this Offering by selling Series A Preferred Stock to Investors.
To provide more “liquidity” – meaning cash – we might borrow money from banks or other lenders, secured by the Mortgages and other property owned by the Company. Typically, we are able to borrow approximately 75.0% of the purchase price of Mortgages, although our Investment Manager does not intend to typically exceed 50.0% of the price of the Mortgages.
The Company does not currently have any capital commitments. We expect to deploy most of the capital we raise in the Offering in buying mortgages, as described in the “Use of Proceeds” section on page 25. Should we need more capital for any reason, we could either sell more Series A Preferred Stock or sell other classes of securities. In selling Series A Preferred Stock or other securities, we might be constrained by the securities laws. For example, we are not allowed to sell more than $50,000,000.00 of securities using Regulation A during any period of 12 months.
Having raised capital in the Offering, the Company will operate in the manner described in the “Our Company and Business” section starting on page 10.
Whether we raise $50,000,000 in the Offering or some amount less, we believe the proceeds of the Offering will satisfy our cash requirements. If we raise less than $50,000,000, we will simply buy fewer Mortgages. Although we might decide to raise more capital, we know of no reason why we would need to.
* The Company itself has no employees. The positions and hours described in this chart relate to employees of the Managing Member.
Mr. Birkett and Mr. Jessa each owns 50% of Automation Holdings, LLC, our Managing Member, which in turn owns all of the limited liability company interests of Automation Capital Management LLC, our Investment Adviso. Mr. Birkett and Mr. Jessa thereby control all aspects of the business of the Company.
Automation Holdings, LLC is also the Managing Member of Long Term Capital Partnership, LLC, Long Term Capital Partnership, II LLC, Long Term Capital Partnership III, LLC, People First Fund LLC, and Panatte LLC. Those entities, and the Managing Member on its own behalf, have been engaged in the same business as the Company, i.e., buying distressed mortgages and trying to work out amicable resolutions with borrowers. However, they will not acquire any additional loans after this Offering is qualified by the SEC.
Raised in Dublin Ireland, Paul founded, built and sold one of Ireland’s first mobile phone retail chains while still at college. After college, he move to the UK and joined Procter & Gamble’s graduate trainee program.
In 1996, he joined PepsiCo and spent 18 years in a variety of marketing, sales and general management positions across Europe, Asia and North America – rising to Vice President for PepsiCo’s $3Bn hydration and non-carbonated beverage portfolios. In this role he managed the national marketing of the global Aquafina, SoBe, Propel, Sierra Mist, and Mug Root Beer trademarks before assuming the role of Vice President and General Manager for PepsiCo’s New York market unit.
Disappointed by the low returns on his retirement investments, Paul began to accumulate a portfolio of single family rental-assets. The purchase of a distressed rental property in 2013 ultimately became a mortgage purchase and provided his first insight into the non-performing mortgage business.
Since launching Automation Finance in 2015, the company and its affiliates have purchased and liquidated approximately 1500 mortgages with a par value of approximately $100 million.
Abbas Jessa joined Automation Finance in 2015 from PricewaterhouseCoopers. After qualifying as a CPA specializing in audit and tax, he worked in PwC’s advisory division on clients like Goldman Sachs, Barclay’s Bank and JP Morgan. He was also nominated by PwC for the Forbes Magazine “30-under-30”. Abbas is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business including Finance & Accounting.
Nathan Zhang joined in July 2017 from distressed debt investment fund Credigy Solutions Inc – a $5bn debt investor. At Credigy, he served as an analyst for non-performing loan (NPL) purchases and served on the FP&A team. At Automation Finance, he will manage FP&A and accounting functions.
Michael Zimmerman, Esq. is an experienced consumer finance attorney who joined Automation Finance in July 2017. He has spent his career representing financial institutions in mortgage-related litigation and regulatory matters at large national and international law firms as well as in the in-house department of a global Swiss bank. He will oversee our legal recoveries and manage local attorney partners in each state.
Within the last five years, no Executive Officer or Significant Employee has been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, any criminal matter, including traffic violations or any other offense.
Within the last five years, no Executive Officer or Significant Employee, no partnership of which an Executive Officer or Significant Employee was a general partner, and no corporation or other business association of which an Executive Officer or Significant Employee was an executive officer, has been a debtor in bankruptcy or any similar proceedings.
The Company itself does not have any employees or payroll. We are managed by our Managing Member, Automation Holdings, LLC, and our Investment Manager, Automation Capital Management, LLC.
● From its ownership interest in the Company.
The Managing Member will pay the compensation of the Investment Manager.
The Managing Member will receive a management fee equal to 0.1667% of the total capital accounts of all of the Company’s Stockholders as of the last day of each calendar month, or approximately 2% of the capital accounts per year.
The amount of the management fee will therefore depend on how much capital is raised in the Offering and how quickly the capital is returned.
The Managing Member will receive an administration fee equal to $60 per month for each Mortgage that is still on the Company’s books.
The amount of the administration fee will therefore depend on how many loans the Company purchases and how long they are held on the Company’s books.
The Managing Member will receive an accounting fee equal to $5 per month for each Mortgage that is still on the Company’s books.
The amount of the accounting fee will therefore depend on how many loans the Company purchases and how long they are held on the Company’s books.
The Managing Member will receive a fee to oversee foreclosure and bankruptcy actions on behalf of the Company. The fee will equal $500 for each bankruptcy filing and foreclosure action, plus an additional $250 for foreclosures actions in the State of New York.
The amount of the legal oversight fee will therefore depend on how many Mortgages become affected by either foreclosure or bankruptcy actions.
The Managing Member will receive a fee equal to $100 per Mortgage to cure deficiencies in the Mortgage documentation.
The amount of the collateral cure fee will therefore depend on how many Mortgages are incomplete or deficient and require the Managing Member to search for or create supporting documentation.
The Company will engage the services of outside law firm to handle foreclosure and other proceedings, when necessary. These law firms will be compensated at rates established by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Federal mortgage financing corporations. The Managing Member may receive referral fees from these law firms, as permitted by law. The referral fees paid to the Managing Member will not increase the legal fees paid by the Company.
The amount of referral fees the Managing Member receives under this arrangement will therefore depend on the volume of referrals.
The amount of these transaction fees will depend the number and size of the transactions the Company enters into.
Under an arrangement with the Company’s third-party loan servicer, the Managing Member may perform certain services that would be otherwise be performed by personnel of the servicer (none requiring the Managing Member to be licensed), in which event the Managing Member will be entitled to receive some or all of the compensation paid to the servicer by the Company. This arrangement between the Managing Member and the third-party loan servicer will not increase the total cost to the Company.
The amount of the fees the Managing Member receives under this arrangement will therefore depend on the volume of loans and the services the Managing Member provides.
● The amount of expenses the Company incurs.
Under the Operating Agreement, the Managing Member has full control over all aspects of the business of the Company. Investors will not be entitled to vote on any matter involving the Company.
Owns 50% of the equity of Managing Member. Might acquire Shares of Series A Preferred Stock, along with other Investors. Managing Member of both the Managing Member and the Investment Advisor.
Owns 50% of the equity of Managing Member. Might acquire Shares of Series A Preferred Stock, along with other Investor.
Messrs. Birkett and Jessa together own all of the limited liability company interests of Automation Holdings, LLC, our Managing Member, which in turn owns all of the limited liability company interests of Automation Capital Management, LLC, our Investment Manager.
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of AF 2018 NPL A LLC (the “Company”) as of July 13, 2018 and the related notes to the financial statement.
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of this financial statement in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statement that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial statement based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statement is free from material misstatements.
An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statement, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statement in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statement. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statement referred to above presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of AF 2018 NPL A LLC as of July 13, 2018, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
The accompanying financial statement has been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As described in Note 3 to the financial statement, the Company has not yet commenced planned principal operations and has not generated revenues or profits since inception. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 3. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Our opinion is not modified with respect to this matter.
which are an integral part of these financial statements.
AF 2018 NPL A LLC (the “Company”) is a limited liability company organized July 13, 2018 under the laws of Delaware. The Company was formed to invest in residential housing debt instruments.
As of July 13, 2018, the Company has not commenced planned principal operations nor generated revenue. The Company’s activities since inception have consisted of formation activities and preparations to raise capital. Once the Company commences its planned principal operations, it will incur significant additional expenses. The Company is dependent upon additional capital resources for the commencement of its planned principal operations and is subject to significant risks and uncertainties; including failing to secure funding to operationalize the Company’s planned operations or failing to profitably operate the business.
The accounting and reporting policies of the Company conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).
The preparation of the balance sheet in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the balance sheet and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The Company considers all highly liquid securities with an original maturity of less than three months to be cash equivalents. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents in bank deposit accounts, at times, may exceed federally insured limits.
The Company complies with the requirements of FASB ASC 340-10-S99-1 with regards to offering costs. Prior to the completion of an offering, offering costs are capitalized. The deferred offering costs are charged to members’ equity upon the completion of an offering or to expense if the offering is not completed.
Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 1 primarily consists of financial instruments whose value is based on quoted market prices such as exchange-traded instruments and listed equities.
Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly (e.g., quoted prices of similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active).
Level 3 - Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. Financial instruments are considered Level 3 when their fair values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flows or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable.
The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheets approximate their fair value.
The Company records stock issuances at the effective date. If the subscription is not funded upon issuance, the Company records a stock subscription receivable as an asset on a balance sheet. When stock subscription receivables are not received prior to the issuance of financial statements at a reporting date in satisfaction of the requirements under FASB ASC 505-10-45-2, the stock subscription receivable is reclassified as a contra account to members’ equity (deficit) on the balance sheet.
(4) collection is reasonably assured. No revenue has been earned or recognized as of July 13, 2018.
In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 720, organizational costs, including accounting fees, legal fees, and costs of incorporation, are expensed as incurred.
The Company is a limited liability company. Accordingly, under the Internal Revenue Code, all taxable income or loss flows through to its members. Therefore, no provision for income tax has been recorded in the statements. Income from the Company is reported and taxed to the members on their individual tax returns. The Company complies with FASB ASC 740 for accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in a company’s financial statements, which prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. FASB ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. Based on the Company’s evaluation, it has been concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions requiring recognition in the Company’s financial statements. The Company believes that its income tax positions would be sustained on audit and does not anticipate any adjustments that would result in a material change to its financial position.
Net earnings or loss per unit is computed by dividing net income or loss by the weighted-average number of units outstanding during the period, excluding units subject to redemption or forfeiture. The Company presents basic and diluted net earnings or loss per unit. Diluted net earnings or loss per unit reflect the actual weighted average of units issued and outstanding during the period, adjusted for potentially dilutive securities outstanding. Potentially dilutive items are excluded from the computation of the diluted net earnings or loss per unit if their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. As no potentially dilutive items exist and no membership units are outstanding as of July 13, 2018 (inception), the Company has not presented basic net loss per unit or diluted net loss per unit.
The accompanying balance sheet has been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The Company is a business that has not commenced planned principal operations, plans to incur significant costs in pursuit of its capital financing plans, and has not generated any revenues as of July 13, 2018. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern in the next twelve months is dependent upon its ability to obtain capital financing from investors sufficient to meet current and future obligations and deploy such capital to produce profitable operating results. No assurance can be given that the Company will be successful in these efforts.
These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time. The balance sheet does not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
The Company authorized 1,000,000 shares of common stock (no par value) and 5,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock (no par value). Common stockholders have 1 vote per share while preferred stockholders do not have voting rights. Distributions of the Company’s capital are to be made first on the Series A Preferred Stock’s preferred returns (10% compounded annual return on the unreturned balance of their investment), then in returning capital contributions on the Series A Preferred Stock, and finally to common stockholders. Holders of Series A Preferred Stock can request redemption subject to the Company’s approval, which reduces the preferred return rates to 8% or 9% dependent upon the holding period prior to redemption. In the event of a liquidation of the Company, holders of Series A Preferred Stock receive a priority distribution of any available unpaid preferred returns and/or unreturned capital. However, holders of Series A Preferred Stock are guaranteed neither a preferred return nor a return of any capital contribution.
The Company is managed by a managing member, Automation Holdings, LLC, and the Company’s investment manager is Automation Capital Management, LLC, both related parties. Fees payable to managing member and investment manager are described in Note 5.
As of July 13, 2018 (inception), no shares were issued or outstanding and no capital has been contributed to the Company.
The debts, obligations, and liabilities of the Company, whether arising in contract, tort, or otherwise, are solely the debts, obligations, and liabilities of the Company, and no member of the Company is obligated personally for any such debt, obligation, or liability.
As discussed in Note 4, the managing member will charge the Company a management fee equal to 0.1667% per month of the total capital accounts of all of the Company’s stockholders as of the last day of each calendar month, or approximately 2% of the capital accounts per year. In addition, the managing member will assess a fee of $60.00 monthly per mortgage. The investment manager will be compensated $10,000, which will be paid by the managing member.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (Topic 606). This ASU supersedes the previous revenue recognition requirements in ASC Topic 605—Revenue Recognition and most industry-specific guidance throughout the ASC. The core principle within this ASU is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, which deferred the effective date for ASU 2014-09 by one year to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, while providing the option to early adopt for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. Transition methods under ASU 2014-09 must be through either (i) retrospective application to each prior reporting period presented, or (ii) retrospective application with a cumulative effect adjustment at the date of initial application. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of this new standard on our financial reporting and disclosures, including but not limited to a review of accounting policies, internal controls and processes. We expect to complete our evaluation in the second half of 2017 and intend to adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2018.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases” (Topic 842). This ASU requires a lessee to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability under most operating leases in its balance sheet. The ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of this new standard on our financial reporting and disclosures.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards could have a material effect on the accompanying balance sheet. As new accounting pronouncements are issued, the Company will adopt those that are applicable under the circumstances.
Management has evaluated all subsequent events through November 1, 2018, the date the financial statements were available to be issued. There are no additional material events requiring disclosure or adjustment to the financial statements.
Code The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (i.e., the Federal tax code).
Common Stock Limited liability company interests of the Company designated as such in the Operating Agreement.
Company AF 2018 NPL A LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is offering to sell Series A Preferred Stock in this Offering.
Investment Management Agreement The Investment Advisory and Management Services Agreement dated November 1, 2018 between the Company and the Investment Manager.
Investment Manager Automation Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.
Investor Anyone who purchases Series A Preferred Stock in the Offering.
Land Home Land Home Financial Services, Inc., the entity the Company will engage to service loans.
Mortgages Mortgage loans purchased by the Company.
Managing Member Automation Holdings, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company.
Offering The offering of Series A Preferred Stock to the public pursuant to this Offering Circular.
Offering Circular The Offering Circular you are reading right now, which includes information about the Company and the Offering.
Program An offering conducted by a Managing Member affiliate that involved raising money from investors and investing in distressed mortgages, like the Company.
Regulations Regulations issued under the Code by the Internal Revenue Service.
Series A Stockholder Any person who holds the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock.
Series A Preferred Stock Limited liability company interests of the Company designated as such in the Operating Agreement, which are being offered to the public in the Offering.
The Special Loan Servicing Agreement between the Company and Land Home.
Site The Internet site located at www.AutomationFinance.com.
Exhibit 1A-6B Servicing Agreement with Land Home.
Exhibit 1A-11 Consent of Independent Auditor.
* Previously filed with the Offering Circular dated February 11, 2019, and incorporated by reference.
Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation A, the issuer certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 1-A and has duly caused this offering statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on March 6, 2019. | 2019-04-25T02:18:28Z | https://disclosurequest-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/Archives/edgar/data/1756950/000121390019003635/f1a2019a1_af2018nplallc.htm |
maintaining high standards of fire safety practice does not have to be expensive or time consuming, Coltraco strive to provide easy and long lasting solutions that are suitable to varying budgets. There is a call to respond to regulations with a rigorous attitude, to go above and beyond, to provide security of life and infrastructure. Installations must be maintained so that they can provide the protection that they are intended for. Fire can cause crippling financial, physical and reputational damage to happen to crew, vessel and cargo. 2017 Coltraco developed a quick, easy and safer solution to weighing the ships’ fire suppression system: Portalevel® MAX Marine + Portasteele® Calculator.
The Portalevel® MAX Marine is designed primarily for maritime applications where either third party service companies or the vessels’ crew themselves, inspect large fire suppression systems of up to 600 cylinders. Innovative methods of inspecting leaking cylinders with ultrasonics, enables identification in under 30 seconds using Portalevel® MAX Marine with one person, instead of the traditional 15 minutes, with two people labouriously shutting down the system, dismantling the cylinders and weighing them. Using ultrasonic technology - to pinpoint the liquid level of suppressant agent in the cylinders of the extinguishing system - testing is quicker and easier. The ease of operation in comparison to weighing, increases the ability of more regular and frequent checks, improving fire safety management onboard. Portalevel® MAX enables its users to go above and beyond minimal regulations compliance, thus becoming industry leaders. Combined with the Portasteele® Calculator, the weight can be found in just 30 seconds more. It is an advanced calculator application, that converts the liquid level height of C02, NOVEC™ 1230 or FM-200® liquefied gaseous extinguishant agent readings taken on the Portalevel® into the agent weight/mass. There is no other similar alternative to weighing available on the market. Furthermore, the Portasteele® can convert an expected agent weight back to the required liquid level allowing users to anticipate where the level should be. This method also enables recording and downloading of the data, adding value to servicing reports and improving the safety management system for a auditable data trail.
The implementation of regulations through SafeshipÒ technologies ensure that the gaseous extinguishing systems are functional in the event of a fire. The ease of operation in comparison to weighing, increases the ability of more regular and frequent checks, improving fire safety management onboard. Coltraco’s innovative method of inspecting leaking cylinders with ultrasonics, enables identification in under 60 seconds using Portalevel® MAX Marine and Portasteele® Calculator with one person, instead of the traditional 15 minutes, with two people laboriously weighing. In real terms, it is commonly unfeasible to test a complete system in the minimal hours that a ship is in port, thereby resulting in random checks or only a minimum number of cylinders really being checked. This creates risk in the event of fire in case the fire systems do not have the design concentration required to extinguish it. Manual weighing is not only laborious, but also hazardous to the crew conducting the servicing. New technology allows ship owners and crews implement both the spirit and letter of the regulation and thus know that their vessel is protected in the event of a fire.
Are pressurised liquefied gases or non-liquefied gases that are pressurised on actuation. CO2 is permanently under 720 psi or 49 bar of pressure ie nearly 50 times atmospheric pressure (by comparison a cup of water at sea level exists at 1 bar or 14.5 psi). Its state changes under increased temperatures to one that is neither a liquid nor a gas. Gases under pressure are often effectively considered by the industry as single and passive cylinder columns of solid material from the perspective of their monitoring following installation. Whereas being under pressure and constantly changing under temperature they should be considered as active and dynamic systems requiring constant monitoring .these are not passive systems therefore; they are dynamic ones, and all dynamic systems under pressure need constant monitoring. Coltraco aims to be the lead technical authority in the monitoring of liquefied and non-liquefied clean agents during the life of the gaseous extinguishing system once it has been installed and commissioned.
Ultrasound is merely sound beyond our audible range. Dolphins and whales can communicate at sea over long ranges as sound travels more efficiently through liquids than air. We use this principle to identify that difference in a cylinder containing liquefied agent. Consider ones ears as” the receiver” and ones mouth as the “transmitter”. Sound will arrive at ones ears at different times. The reason though that we hear a unitary sound is that our brain processes it to one. This is what we do by processing the returning ultrasound. In the air bats navigate by airborne ultrasound. We can apply the same principle in room integrity. We are at the heart of the Royal Navy’s efforts to maintain watertight integrity by the use of it in their submarines and warships and are now in service with others like the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard using this Naval technology that we pioneered and developed and continue to refine today. We can do the same for room integrity monitoring in the fire industry.
The fire industry though still approaches the installation of a dynamic and pressurised fixed gaseous extinguishing system as if it needs no integration into a BMS other than to alert as to its actuation. Nor does it think it needs constant monitoring lest it reveals the underlying engineering risk of them. Can this be because good engineering is left unrewarded in the fire industry ? Or might it be that the fire industry is more concerned to negate customer awareness of its need lest it reveals that pressurised systems do discharge and leak ? These are needless concerns. All good engineering demands the monitoring of dynamic structures and a highly pressurised cylinder is a dynamic structure. It is designed to protect a critical infrastructure or asset. Without constant monitoring a risk is generated in the very environment for which it is designed to reduce risk. The risk is not only to the asset, but to the people who work in the asset and their ability to enable business continuity in the high value asset under risk. We aim to be the lead technical authority in the constant monitoring of gaseous extinguishing systems during the life of the system once it is installed and commissioned.
This is essential under ISO 14520 where gaseous extinguishing systems have to be designed in relation to the discharging agent hold-time (if the room cannot hold the agent because of leaks the agent will disperse and not extinguish the fire) and discharging agent peak pressure (if the pressure is too high for partition walls or suspended ceilings they will be blown apart or damaged and possibly destroying the room integrity). At the design stage of a fire extinguishing system rooms are tested for room integrity by positively pressurising a room and detecting escaping pressure to verify that the room itself into which the gaseous extinguishant discharges on actuation can both hold the agent after its discharge and hold its pressure on actuation. The fire system is then installed and commissioned. But over the next 10 years no further tests are made on room integrity and the cylinders merely hydrostatically tested to ensure they can cope with their design pressure limits. How can one be sure therefore that on actuation the room will hold the discharged agent to extinguish the fire and its partitions and ceilings are capable of withstanding the pressure of the agent on discharge? A building is like a ship at sea. It turns and bends as any structure does. It ages and leak sites develop. Coltraco is generating capability that will allow for the constant monitoring of room integrity. We aim to be the lead technical authority in the constant monitoring of room integrity during the life of the gaseous extinguishing system once it is installed and commissioned.
“Safety First” should not simply be a tag line in mining.
In the event of downtime or shutdown to fire, there could be catastrophic effects to high value assets, such as critical mining infrastructure. The risk far exceeds the risk of choosing minimal compliance, instead of advanced real-time monitoring systems. The cost or damage to reputational integrity as a result of this downtime far exceeds the cost of integrating a real-time monitoring system.
In terms of fire extinguishing systems there exist 2 broad categories: sprinkler systems and liquefied gaseous systems such a clean agents, FM-200®, Novec™1230, CO2. The former can suffer leakage but the latter can cause greater damage given its physical pressures. Regulations require that the extinguishing agent stored in cylinders must be checked annually. The traditional method requires turning off the system, dismantling, and weighing each cylinder. Thorough testing can take hours and several qualified, trained personnel.
These issues risk the integrity of mining operations, because in the event of fire, there may be insufficient agent to extinguish it. For such safety critical operations, these systems should be permanently monitored. Yet they remain unsupervised and unmonitored 364 days a year until their annual certification check.
Safety is becoming recognised as an area which must no longer be overlooked. The industry is beginning to opt for more regular inspections and even continuous 365 day monitoring. The ability to monitor autonomously, with remote diagnostics and remote relay which can provide an alarm to the Fire Safety Officer or Facilities Manager, provides confidence in the integrity of the system. Minimising the risk of fire in the long run can improve business continuity, save downtime and also the potential costly pay-out which fire damage entails.
One company who researched the market to find an easier, accurate and more efficient method for inspecting their fire system is a copper mining project in Zambia. This well established, growing mining company annually produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of copper worldwide. Their Head of Instrumentation discovered an innovative method: Portalevel® ultrasonic technology. Portalevel® makes servicing quicker and requires just one person to identify the liquid level of agent inside the cylinders. There is no need to turn off or dismantle the system. By testing in situ, the integrity of the system is maintained and there is no increased risk to people or facility by shutting down the system for the duration of maintenance checks.
We are committed to “Safety First”: going above and beyond regulatory compliance, whilst minimising time and cost. Science and R&D are at our core. Our Safesite™ and Safeship™ technologies deliver solutions to critical infrastructure at sea and on land. As the world changes, so must our industry integrate technology, to provide a bulwark against minimal, even flagrant, disregard of standards, by creating standards which all can understand and apply. The “white heat” of technology shines as a beacon of hope to our industry and customers: to engage in better monitoring as an integrated and essential element to their business activity.
The assumptions in the installation and maintenance of gaseous extinguishing systems is that they are highly pressurised but risk leaking and discharging. ISO 14520-1:2015 aim to identify their leak identification at an interval of at least every 6 months. Traditional methods of weighing are laborious and dangerous, taking 15 minutes and two people to weigh a cylinder. To combat this, Coltraco Ultrasonics developed the Portalevel® MAX, an 8th generation ultrasonic level indicator, for identifying the contents of CO2, FM200, NOVEC 1230, FE-13, FE-25 & FE-36, Halon and a variety of similar liquid gaseous fire suppression agents, in just 30 seconds. However these liquid level readings were not weight measurements which is required and does not take into account the effects of temperature.
No! People expect, and rightfully so, that in the event of a fire the extinguishing systems would be in full working order to do just that – extinguish. Given that the gaseous systems are designed specifically to the individual need of that room, building etc., then a leak site in the room could mean that the comparted area will not withhold the fire.
The likelihood of the gaseous system effectively extinguishing the fire gets lower and lower as the protected area becomes larger than the size that the extinguishing system was designed for. This is not a game of chance. The lives of people depend upon it. Enough is enough. The technology exists right now to support Door Fan Testing: by providing a holistic and thorough integrity test of critical infrastructure.
The regulations demand that compartmentation is upheld for the safety of the individuals, who entrust their lives into its integrity. Approved document B, Fire Safety, Volume 2, Buildings other than dwelling house states that: 8.0 Every compartment wall should form a complete barrier to fire between the compartments they separate. 8.35 – any stairway or other shaft passing directly from one compartment to another should be enclosed in a protected shaft so as to delay or prevent the spread of fire between compartments. However, despite regulations‘ best effort to promote the implementation of compartmentation and room integrity, the last review of the Building Regulations Approved Document B was made in 2006 (12 years ago) and its next review was not due to be completed until 2022 (which would then be a gap of 17 years), meaning that the attention that is deserved is often disregarded.
Here are some extracts from the regulations which are not widely known or understood and thus can lead to areas of minimal compliance or even non-compliance due to a lack of education about fire systems and their connection to compartmentation. This article argues for a more holistic approach to fire safety. The author suggests the need for a resident mathematician to assist the industry.
Ultrasonic room integrity testers provide interpretation of the fire resistance of the desired locations, labelling them either airtight or giving an indication of the overall leakage of the room. The advantages of being able to accurately detect the exact leak locations and size are self-evident when considered alongside the resistance to collapse and transfer of excessive heat. In a case where there is too much leakage in a room, the ultrasonic room integrity tester* is an unrivalled ideal for the rapid and accurate identification of these sites, so that they can be sealed. It is lightweight, fast and easy to use, allowing leak site detection to increase its operational efficiency and speed to a degree that has never been seen thus far in the Fire Industry.
*Disclaimer: These statements are based on the Coltraco Ultrasonics brand of ultrasonic room integrity tester: Portascanner® 520. This paper does not claim any knowledge of any other ultrasonic room integrity tester brand nor could find any other brands available on the market at this stage.
How can smart technology allow you to reach the Safeship®?
Monitoring your gaseous installations at sea? Choose the Portamarine®.
The Portamarine® has been specifically designed to meet the needs of the shipping industry and has proven a capable and reliable unit over many years. In use with many thousand Vessel and Marine service stations worldwide, it is specifically designed for safely, quickly and accurately inspecting marine CO2 fire suppression systems. It allows vessel owners to comply with IMO SOLAS requirements which specify the need to have the means onboard to allow crew to safely inspect the fire systems. The Portamarine® has been specifically designed for testing multi-banked CO2 Cylinder Fire Suppression System Cylinders, stored in 2, 3 or 4 rows deep, to make the process as quick as possible to complete. It can also operate on the vast majority of other fire system agents including FM200™, NOVEC 1230™, Halon (for Defence applications) and all other clean agent systems.
Coltraco Limited has produced this liquid gas level indicator specifically to meet the corresponding needs of Marine Industry. The equipment is accurate to +/-1.5mm and proves a significantly safer and quicker solution when compared to weighing as a means of identifying cylinder content.
These are offers and accessories available with this ultrasonic level sensor upon demand. Give it a look!
Through the constant evolution and refinement of our offering, the Portalevel Mini was created to offer customers an even more compact, versatile unit to further enhance the ease with which fire system can be tested. Offering totally hands free operation with the unit hanging around the operators’ neck, both hands are free to work with the trusted reliability offered by the 7th Generation. Here, few features are quickly enlisted which are provided with this portable ultrasonic level indicator.
The Portalevel® MINI is the 7th generation unit of its kind. It is based on the Portamarine ® design with the key modification for hands-free use. Ideal for testing in difficult to access areas where hands free use is beneficial to enable the operator to move around the area more easily. The Portalevel® range is used for identifying the content of critical fire suppression cylinders. A wide variety of fire suppressant agents can be monitored including: CO2, Dupont™, FM-200™, NOVEC™1230, old Halons such as 1301 and 1211, FE-13™, FE-25™, FE-36™ and HFC-225 & 227. The 7th generation model is tailored to suit those operators who want a small, compact unit for easy testing. It is more accurate (to 1.5mm+/-), quicker and safer than weighing cylinders.
Durable: The unit is housed in a solid plastic enclosure ideally suited to protecting the internal electronics, even if the unit is lightly dropped or slightly roughly handled.
SPA Feature: This liquid level indicator has this feature, which is used to increase the power output of the unit and increase the sensitivity of the unit when registering the return signal.
Permascanner® Dynamic is our semi-fixed ultrasonic watertight integrity test indicating system for the dynamic testing of Hatch Covers, Holds, bulkheads, cable transits and watertight doors and compartments at sea. Derived from its sister product the Portascanner®, Permascanner® Dynamic is designed to quickly identify leak sites in their extent and precise location, whilst at sea.
Permascanner® Dynamic allows a pattern of readings to be recorded against varying sea states, enabling a true picture of the seal integrity to be recorded over time. It efficiently helps you for hatch covers integrity, multiple cable transit areas testing and watertight doors continuously over varying sea-state states. The ultrasonic hatch cover testing system will enables Marine Superintendants, Barge Supervisors or OIMs to embody its highly accurate readings into an enhanced on board safety procedure.
Here are the quick list of benefits you can enjoy with hatch cover maintenance and watertight integrity testing system manufactured by Coltraco with lowest price and high quality.
Magnetically Mounted Base means no fuss in setup as generator can be easily attached to the hold.
What is the Portalevel® Standard?
The Portalevel® Standard is a popular ultrasonic liquid indicator unit for core land based fire protection applications worldwide.
Whilst the original monitoring device was complex to use, its accuracy was unparalleled, able to read cylinders to within 1/8th of an inch or +/- 1.5 mm.
The ultrasonic liquid level indicator, is produced for land based fire protection applications.
FM 200™, CO2, H2O, NOVEC™ 1230, Halons such as FE-13™, HFC-225 & 2271, FE-36™, FE-25™, 1301 and 1211 are some of the verifiable agents.
Coltraco has numerous certifications for the following product such as CE, Classification Society Approved- RINA and ISO 19011 Registered.
The operating temperature for the following device is -20°C to +70°C or 68°F to 158°F) and Relative Humidity is -5 % - 95 %.
TX / RX Dry Sensor come 14 mm in diameter head and contains magnetized sensor applicator and is connected by BNC connectors to 1 m length co ax – cable.
It comes with the power supply of 4 x AA 1.5 V batteries, which can function for 10 hours.
Coltraco offers 3 years warranty for the main unit and 1 year for the sensor. Moreover, there can be exceptions available and customer support is always available for the users.
For more information, leave your question at Coltraco Online Support.
Permascanner® Dynamic is our semi-fixed ultrasonic watertight integrity test indicating system for the dynamic testing of hatch covers, holds, bulkheads, cable transits and watertight doors and compartments at sea. Derived from its sister product the Portascanner®, Permascanner™ Dynamic is designed to quickly identify leak sites in their extent and precise location, whilst at sea. It was found that a comprehensive, autonomous continuous monitoring system for the watertight integrity of a ship’s cargo hatches, weathertight doors and other seals is possible to be developed. One that is capable of automatically detecting emerging leak sites, alerting officers and crew of the location and severity of the leak site and logging all data for future review. The developments in continuous monitoring technology being undertaken by Coltraco Ultrasonics will drive the industry towards ensuring that watertight integrity is never left to chance.
Portascanner® Watertight is ideal for cable transit areas watertight testing whereas considered appropriate for scuttles, shell doors, hatch – covers, doors, flanges and steering gear hatches are the few others. Manufactured within modern terms, it qualifies to cope up with inspection of leak sites of critical sealing.
It has the capacity to read the audio via head – band electrodynamics headphones and numerical readings through 1 to 31775 through the integrated LCD screen display.
As far as the microphone of this device is concerned, it has a rod measured to be 310 mm*25 mm as length*diameter (2). Moreover, it is comprised of three parts, which are manufactured to be screwed up together and possess a connection by bnC connectors to 1m length co-ax cable.
Portascanner® receiver come with the installed frequency response to 20 – 18000 habitable zone, impedance if 32 Ohms (+/-) 5% Sensitivity – 105 dB SPL at 1 Kilohertz and Adaptor Plug of 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm type.
As far as the display of this device is concerned, this watertight compartment doors testing device comes with a membrane control operating system and LCD backlit Display which measures to be 55*28 mm.
Generator is integrated with 2*PP3 9V which means it makes a span of 10 hours functioning without recharge whereas Receiver Unit comes with 1*PP3 9V battery that also makes the same time span.
It comes with following dimensions mentioned below whereas other than this, it is manufactured with 0.1 Watt / 100 dB unidirectional speakers and mounting method or permanent magnet.
This product operates within -20°C to +70°C (68°F to 158°F) flawlessly.
What is the Portagauge® 4?
The Portagauge® 4 is an analytical thickness gauge from Coltraco. Offering unparalleled accuracy, this uses triple echo technology, which allows operators to inspect the underlying metal thickness, independent of any surface coatings such as paint. For applications where true metal readings and a higher degree of accuracy is required, the Portagauge® 4 is the ideal solution with a variety of sensor options available, this range of portable ultrasonic thickness gauge of units can easily be adapted to a variety of different roles and requirements.
Measures the true metal thickness, excluding coating and paint thickness.
This device is recommended for Bridges, pilings storage tanks, lighting columns, ship hulls, bulk heads, pipe work, steel/stainless steel, cast iron, Aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, quartz, glass, PVC, polyethylene, grey cast iron amongst others. With the integration of ultrasonic gas leak detector, the efficiency of the entire system can be increased.
LCD Display giving user information Single crystal soft faced probe protected by a membrane Easy calibration with menu driven buttons Echo strength indicator.
No zeroing required as all sensors use a single crystal which means that no specific alignment is required when measuring on curved or rounded surfaces User friendly with soft- molded rubber surround which is also comfortable to hold and provides extra protection.
Portalevel® is an ultrasonic liquid level indicator. Today, Coltraco Ltd has successfully released 8 generation of this ultrasonic level indicator.
Coltraco Ultrasonics have a wide range of products in their range: Portamarine®, Portascanner®, Permalevel®, Portaguage®, Portasonic®, Portamonitor®, Portasteele®, Permascanner® and Portacare®.
Liquid Level Indicator comes with packing under Coltraco Ltd, which contains entire accessories that can increase the efficiency of this measuring product. Other optional accessories are also provided upon request in order to enhance the efficiency. Due to the strict and rigorous quality check and careful hand built, the assurance is available for quality and high standard services to the customers.
The ultrasonic leak detector is a simple solution with few limitations and is easy to learn how to operate. Just one person can complete testing by giving a thorough corrosion evaluation over a short period of time.
It is considered the most mathematically accurate unit of its type locating a 1mm leak site via visual and audible readings and identifying its extent with a definitive numerical result. Furthermore, it can test for faults and leaks in 10-50mm diameter pipe, 1mm up to 12m range and 1mm+ at longer range.
The evaluation of multiple different areas along the pipe is possible with ultrasonic inspection. This increases the reliability in the pipeline analysis thereby giving a better picture of problematic areas in the system.
With the recent difficulties that the shipping industry is facing, Coltraco Ultrasonics understand the need for practical, labour saving and cost-efficient solutions to safety issues. However, maintaining high standards of fire safety practice does not have to be expensive or time consuming, Coltraco strive to provide easy and long lasting solutions that are suitable to varying budgets. There is a call to respond to regulations with a rigorous attitude, to go above and beyond, to provide security of life and infrastructure. Installations must be maintained so that they can provide the protection that they are intended for. Fire can cause crippling financial, physical and reputational damage to happen to crew, vessel and cargo. 2017 Coltraco developed a quick, easy and safer solution to weighing the ships’ fire suppression system: Portalevel® MAX Marine + Portasteele® Calculator.
This ultrasonic level indicator allows users to measure stacked rows of cylinders common practice on vessels and offshore installations.
Here, we have enlisted technical specs available with this liquid level indicator – Portalevel Max Marine. Give it a look!
Connected by BNC connectors to 1m-length co-ax cable.
Do your machinery bear the test of time?
The Portasteele Calculator is a type of stand alone unit, which is based on a 7’’ hand-held tablet. The application converts the liquid level obtained with any Portalevel™ unit into the exact fill-weight of agent inside the cylinder.
The Portasteele™ Calculator calculates the fill weight of a fire suppression cylinder. It does this using the fill level determined by our Portalevel® unit, or inversely using the required fill level for a certain weight of suppression agent. The Portasteele® Calculator is sold as a stand-alone unit on a 7’’ hand-held tablet to be used in conjunction with our Portalevel range. This Continuous gas weight monitoring system is capable of converting the liquid level obtained with any Portalevel™ unit, into the exact fill-weight of agent inside the cylinder. It therefore replaces the use of manual calculations and formulas.
Why buy from Coltraco Limited?
Let us share few glimpse of our story with you, which majorly focuses on commitment and dedication. Since 1987,Coltraco Ultrasonics has been to safety designing and manufacturing ultrasonic instrumentation for safety and servicing.
The Portasteele® Calculator which is fire suppression cylinder fill weight calculator comes in a ready-to-go-package complete with all items required to carry out liquid level indication with recording capability. The package directly by Coltraco Limited contains main unit, carrying case, sensor set, cables, accessories and instruction manual.
Our Portalevel® Max is part of our range of products and systems which are all designed to offer alternative methods to traditional means of testing, for example fire suppression systems, watertight integrity, flow testing and more. We believe in dedication to being a Safeship™ and Safesite™ company, encouraging safety for safety’s sake.
For further information, contact customer service.
The Portascanner 520 is an ultrasonic room integrity tester, which complements door fan-testing device. Here are some of the features for complying with regulations for clean agent fire suppressing systems, give it a look!
Before installing clean agent fire suppressing systems the integrity of the building structure commonly undergoes “Door Fan Testing:. This test determines the Peak Pressure and Agent hold time necessary for ensuring the effectiveness of these fire suppression systems. As required by NFPA 2001 and ISO 14520 standards, it is best to calculate the overall leakage of any room.
Locating exact leak sites as an ultrasonic leak detector is currently done by a “puffer test” with smoke. However, such current methods do no provide precise, accurate results on leak location or size.
Today, the industry can benefit from using the Portascanner Integrity Test Indicator along the door fan testing for a complete and comprehensive regulatory room test. Ideal for precise leak detection, Portascanner 520 is an exceptionally accurate up to 0.06mm and fast method to find leaks. It is the first of its kind, intuitive to use, non-invasive and consequently, is of immediate use to the fire industry.
Here are some of the features you can avail with this fire suppression system developed with the help of ultrasonic liquid level sensor.
Coltraco Ultrasonics is a world leading British designer and manufacturer of ultrasonic fire safety instrumentation.
Protect your people, assets & infrastructure from fire by monitoring your 1. fire suppression systems 2. compartmentation and 3. condition monitoring.
Liquefied pressurised gaseous extinguishing systems by our flagship UL and ABS approved Portalevel® MAX range of products and our unique fixed monitoring system, Permalevel®.
We are committed to our Safesite® mission: safety for safety's sake; aiming to supply equipment to help our customers reduce risk to life, business and facilities.
This is the box, which contains the entire ingredients and accessories properly check and enclosed in tight packaging. It is maintained hard to assure the safety of all the accessories placed within.
An IP65 enclosure unit which weighs just 500 grams is known as the main unit of 7th generation of Portalevel® Standard – ultrasonic liquid level indicator. It is integrated with LCD numeric display, 4 touch button controls and LED Bar Graph.
This is a standard dry sensor which is available with the entire series of Portalevel® units. This applicator is manufactured out of metal, which is connected to the unit with the help of BNC connector and 1-meter ax cable.
Enclosed in a bottle, this gel agent is significant to allow the increment in the contact surface of the dry sensor. These sensors designed by Coltraco are manufactured in a way to efficiently work with tap water as well.
The receiver of this ultrasonic leak detector uses ultrasonic technology to convert the 40KHz pulses sent by the generator into three easily comprehensible readings: audible, bar graph and numerical which enables the operator to understand if the seal is wholly watertight or to what extent a leak exists.
The generator is an ultrasonic generator with three transducers. This will produce a strong signal in one direction i.e. directly from the transducer, which fills the compartment being tested with ultrasound pulses e.g. providing sufficient coverage to fill the hold when the hatch-covers are closed. The generator is permanently fitted with a powerful magnet which allows it to be attached to the vessel structure where required. A magnet cover is provided when the magnet is not in use.
The risks of accidental discharge or leakage is recognised within the regulations. BS EN ISO 14520 -1:2015(E) reasonably assumes that the execution of its provisions is entrusted to people qualified and experienced in the specification, design, installation, commissioning, testing, approval, inspection, operation and maintenance of systems and equipment, and who can be expected to exercise a duty of care to avoid unnecessary release of extinguishant. The assumptions in the installation, commissioning and maintenance of gaseous extinguishing systems is that they are highly pressurised but risk leaking and discharging. The regulations that sensibly underpin this assumption aim to identify their leak identification at an interval of every 6 months. Cylinders accidentally discharge. CO2 can cause fatalities if it does. 1% of pressure gauges fail and 25% of valves too. Essentially, it is known in regulations that the gaseous systems leak and need to be maintained. Given that the gaseous systems are designed specifically to the individual need of that room, building e.t.c, then a 5% loss of agent may mean that they would not fully extinguish the fire. What if there are also leak sites in the room? The likelihood of the gaseous system effectively extinguishing the fire gets lower and lower.
What features does Coltraco integrate in Portalevel Intrinsically Safe?
Some customers operate in specific environment where the presence of potentially dangerous gases can be experienced. Examples of this can include Oil and Gas Drilling, Petrochemical Refining and Processing, Fuel Storage, Chemical Manufacturing and many similar environments. To cater for such customers who need to inspect fire systems in such environments we have developed the ATEX Approved this Portalevel device specified to Zone 1 environments.
One of the key challenges facing businesses worldwide is balancing business continuity with maintenance costs and downtime.
Losses from fires in buildings protected with sprinklers are estimated to be 1/10 of those in unprotected buildings. For life safety, new residential blocks over 30m high must be fitted with sprinklers to meet Approved Document B standards. There are a number of issues to be considered in regard to maintenance such as corrosion, flow rate and obstructions that may adversely affect the effectiveness of a fire sprinkler system. Nozzle blockages are a serious safety risk because they have serious impact on the functionality of the system which thus increases the risk of an uncontrollable fire. The HSE have reported that no matter what material the pipework is constructed in, the impact will still occur. The NFPA highlighted in their 2013 report that damaged fire sprinkler systems due to a lack of maintenance is a major problem as their effectiveness is compromised.
Coltraco Ultrasonics Ltd, a UK based OEM of ultrasonic monitoring equipment, have launched the Portasonic®: a non-invasive ultrasonic tool that provides accurate flow measurement from outside of the sprinkler pipe, with no pressure drop and no contamination.
Some customers operate in specific environment where the presence of potential chances of checking the non-invasive flow meter. Examples of this can include Oil and Gas Drilling, Petrochemical Refining and processing, Fuel Storage, Chemical manufacturing and many similar environments. To cater for such customers who need to inspect fire systems in such environments, we have developed the non-invasive flow meter.
Here, we have enlisted technical specs available with this ultrasonic flow meter. Give it a look!
Backlit LCD 4 line×16 character, English menu.
Protect your vessel with the Portascanner® Watertight?
The Portascanner® Watertight is a watertight integrity testing device. It has two main components – a generator and receiver. The ultrasound generator emits a specific frequency of ultrasound (40,000 Hz). It is magnetic so can be attached onto a wide range of surfaces within sealed areas. The receiver then picks up the signal and converts it into a result indicating W/T integrity.
The receiver is tuned to detect a specific frequency of ultrasound.
The receiver comes with a sensor rod, which allows a user to scan the entirety of a seal at close range.
The receiver has both a visual and audio output which gives off better results for Hatch cover maintenance and watertight integrity testing.
The visual output is shown on the LCD screen of the receiving unit. It is read mathematically and in decibels.
There is a numerical representation, which can be changed into a decibel (dB) reading, allowing seals to be tested to certification society standards.
There is also a bar graph representation of the strength of the ultrasonic signal, which is being detected.
The audio signal is delivered via headphones, which plug into the receiver unit (standard 3.5 mm jack).
The receiver uses a process called heterodyning to change the ultrasound signal received into an audio signal, which the user can hear.
The generator is placed on one side of a sealed compartment and turned on.
The user stands on the other side of the compartment and uses the sensor rod to scan the seal.
The receiver displays the strength of detected signal on the screen and the user can also hear it through the headphones.
The receiver uses ultrasonic technology to convert the 40KHz pulses sent by the generator into three easily comprehensible readings: audible, bar graph and numerical which enables the operator to understand if the seal is wholly watertight or to what extent a leak exists.
What is the Permalevel® Multiplex?
Permalevel® Multiplex is the first system worldwide that is capable of monitoring the liquid level of critical fire suppression cylinder systems on a constant basis. It gives a facility total visibility on the real-time status of all their critical fire systems.
Coltraco are raising awareness that annual certification checks on a fire system cannot cater for the need to monitor its contents for the rest of the year. The Permalevel Multiplex is designed to ensure that fire suppression systems with integrated alarm system and ultrasonic level indicator are always fully operational and that no accidental discharge has occurred, which could affect the effectiveness of the overall fire protection system in the event that it is required for use.
Remotely monitor the ongoing status of your facilities' fire suppression systems by installing Permalevel Multiplex and using our flexible web- based cylinder monitoring software that uses intuitive management tools; giving confidence and control to safety managers around the world.
This fire extinguishing system protect yourself against claims raised in the event of fire by showing your facilities have been protected and well maintained. The data output is audit controlled which thereby acts as evidence if called upon by insurance companies.
Real-time automated alerts and exception reporting are relayed to the person in charge of the safety of the facility directly by email or to their handheld device by SMS, without the need for the individual to be present at the facilities.
Aforementioned, sinking and fire are the two main causes of vessel loss; mitigating these risks is our mission.
A lack of proper servicing of seals can lead to deterioration which endangers the lives of the crew, cargo and vessel. For example, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that gaps in safety management contributed to the sinking of the El Faro. One of the significant issues was “poor watertight integrity which allowed seawater into the ship” stating that this accident may have been avoided if “crew had more information about the status of the hatches”. The tragedy of El Faro exemplifies why it is crucial for the watertight integrity of vessels to be regularly and easily tested by the crew. The importance of continually maintaining seal integrity must take a more prominent position in ship maintenance scheduling.
The IMO SOLAS Fire Safety Systems (FSS) code states clearly that the crew must have the means on-board to test its CO2 in-between the annual maintenance interval. The amount of CO2 designed into the system normally exceeds the design concentration calculated to extinguish the worst event by 20%. Gaseous Systems are highly pressurised at 49Bar or 720 psi and can leak as they exist in a dynamic state. Anecdotal evidence suggests that 20% of cylinders aboard ships are partially empty or empty. To ensure the CO2 system contains the correct amount of CO2 to deliver the design concentration that will be needed to extinguish the fire event if it occurs, ships need to test their CO2 systems for contents in-between the annual certification checks by marine servicing companies.
What does the Portalevel® Mini offer to customers?
Through the constant evolution and refinement of our offering, the Portalevel Mini was created to offer customers an even more compact, versatile unit to further enhance the ease with which fire systems can be tested. Offering totally hands free operation with the unit hanging around the operators’ neck, both hands are free to work with the trusted reliability offered by the 7th Generation.
The Portalevel® MAX INDUSTRIAL is the latest generational of the Portalevel® line and is designed to provide enhanced Speed, Operation and Performance, especially for high intensity testing requirements. The unit is also the first UL Approved Ultrasonic Level Indicator we have ever produced and builds further on our history of over 30 years manufacturing this equipment.
A manufacturer of high-end components for Aerospace and other high-end engineering. The Wolver-hampton facility runs 24/7 and 365 days a year and is the size of around 2-3 football pitches. The facility is concerned mainly in manufacturing high-end actuators that are installed on a range of civil and defense systems.
A Coltraco Engineer visited the site to conduct technology suitability trials. Our technology in this ultrasonic liquid level indicator was found to be effective in accurately and quickly identifying the liquid level within the ammonia cylinders.
It was recommended that a standard un- altered Portalevel® MAX INDUSTRIAL would be a suitable solution.
of the need to monitor the contents within Ammonia Cylinders. The customer uses ammonia in a nitrating process in which ammonia is applied to a heated metal infusing the metal with Nitrogen. This can have beneficial properties such as making the metal harder/tougher/higher melting temperatures etc. Presently, weighing techniques are used to ensure a cylinder has enough contents for a run. This has been shown to be ineffective and incur waste; a non-invasive method would be quicker, reduce waste and save money.
The trial and implementation suggested that we could develop a fixed monitoring system for this agent to non-invasively constantly monitor their cylinder contents. This also stimulated interest in developing an Ammonia Portasteele® program to allow you for calculating fire suppression agent weight.
For further information, please contact Coltraco Customer Care.
The Portalevel® is an world leading ultrasonic liquid level indicator. Today, Coltraco Ltd has successfully released 8 generations of this ultrasonic level indicator.
As far as the other series are concerned, Coltraco Ltd has other products, which are best for monitoring fire extinguishers in diverse qualification. These contain Portamarine®, Portascanner®, Permalevel®, Portaguage®, Portasonic®, Portamonitor®, Portasteele®, Permascanner® and Portacare®.
Other optional accessories are also provided for the Portalevel. Due to the strict and rigorous quality check and careful hand built, the assurance is available for quality and high standard services to the customers.
The Portascanner 520 is an ultrasonic room integrity tester , which means it is a complement door fan-testing device. Here are some of the features for complying with regulations for clean agent fire suppressing systems, give it a look!
The most accurate unit of its type locating a leak site via visual/ audible readings and identifying its extent with a definitive numerical result is the most important this device comes with. It can test leaks as small as 0.06mm. Compared to the rival puffer test technology, which is a purely visual inspection.
It is a simple system that is both easy to learn and operate. Testing can be completed quickly by one person and can also be done without disrupting the building occupants, unlike smoke puffer tests which involve evacuating a building or room.
What are the modern features integrated in ultrasonic hatch cover tester by Coltraco?
Permascanner® Dynamic allows a pattern of readings to be recorded against varying sea states, enabling a true picture of the seal integrity to be recorded over time. It efficiently helps you for hatch covers integrity, multiple cable transit areas testing and watertight doors continuously over varying sea-state states. The ultrasonic hatch cover testing system will enables Marine Superintendents, Barge Supervisors or OIMs to embody its highly accurate readings into an enhanced on board safety procedure. We are committed to developing continuous monitoring solutions especially for hatch cover maintenance. This will enable the hatch-covers to be tested whilst on voyage at sea to see how the vessel is responding to the dynamic sea states. We have given below a visual representation of this hatch cover maintenance and watertight integrity testing system. Give it a look!
Extended Hi-Life Generator Additional standard generators can be used when testing large holds and the Extended Hi-Life Permascanner™ Generators can provide up to 10 daysʼ continuous testing whilst at sea.
Since 1989, Coltraco Ultrasonics have been designing and manufacturing ultrasonic instrumentation such as liquid level indicator and systems for safety and servicing. In 2012 we partnered with a fellow well respected UK OEM of thickness gauges to design our current models.
Our Portascanner™ is carefully hand built and undergoes rigorous quality testing to ensure it meets the high standards expected by our customers, and to provide them with long-term reliability.
We are dedicated to being a Safeship™ and Safesite™ company, encouraging safety for safety’s sake. Our Portascanner™ is part of our range of 14 products and systems which are all designed to offer alternative methods to traditional means of testing, for example fire suppression systems, watertight integrity, flow testing and more.
We are committed to designing and manufacturing the most mathematically accurate products and systems globally, supported by the highest standards of technical support and customer care.
Coltraco Ultrasonics have provided a smart solution for quick and easy assurance of compartmentation and leak detection. The proprietary device known as the Portascanner® 520 ultrasonic leak detector uses ultrasonic technology to not only pinpoint precise leak locations, but to determine their leak apertures as small as 0.06mm with a tolerance of +/-0.02mm, and is by far the most mathematically proven accurate device for this function.
The Portapipe® and is manufactured to detect faults, leaks to 1mm and thinning in pipework, suitable up to 22mm, diameter pipe up to 12mm range. The versatility of this ultrasonic pipework integrity test indicator includes fault testing for wet and dry sprinkler systems for meeting BS EN 12845 standards for system maintenance. This product is regarded to be a great alternative to chalk and hose testing.
It is portable, can be conveniently carried and managed.
It is simple to operate, highly intuitive operation and enable regular testing.
It comes without training costs and offers free-of-charge online, telephone and email training support through- life.
The system allows repetitive testing on problem areas, thereby giving the most accurate information to the user.
A clean method of testing that does not violate any environmental codes.
The Portapipe® is suitable for use on any material pipeline.
How can Coltraco Ultrasonics increase your fire safety? | 2019-04-19T11:08:02Z | https://www.coltraco.com/news/blog?start=360 |
Welcome to gradescope.com, the website and online service of Gradescope, Inc. (“Gradescope,” “we,” or “us”). This page explains the terms by which you may use our online and/or mobile services, web site, and software provided on or in connection with all of Gradescope’s online tools and services to improve instructor effectiveness and student learning outcomes (collectively the “Service”).
In the event that Gradescope and any School (as defined below) have entered into a separate agreement for the Services, such agreement shall govern to the extent that any terms directly conflict with the provisions of these Terms.
We have provided headings and summaries in each section for your convenience; however, the summaries are not meant to limit the Terms and shall not affect or limit in any way the meaning or interpretation of the Terms.
Summary: In order to use the Service, you need to be able to form a binding contract, be over 13, and create an account. You are responsible for and warrant authority over all of your user activity. Your use cannot disrupt or interfere with the Service.
You may use the Service only if you can form a binding contract with Gradescope, and only in compliance with these Terms and all applicable local, state, national, and international laws, rules and regulations. Any use or access to the Service by anyone under 13 is strictly prohibited and in violation of these Terms.
Subject to the terms and conditions of these Terms, you are hereby granted a non-exclusive, limited, non-transferable, freely revocable license to use the Service for your personal, noncommercial use only and as permitted by the features of the Service. Gradescope reserves all rights not expressly granted herein in the Service and the Gradescope Content (as defined below). Gradescope may terminate this license at any time for any reason or no reason.
Your Gradescope account gives you access to the services and functionality that we may establish and maintain from time to time and in our sole discretion. We may maintain different types of accounts for different types of Users.
You may never use another User’s account without permission. When creating your account, you must provide accurate and complete information, and you must keep this information up to date. You are solely responsible for the activity that occurs on your account, and you must keep your account password secure. We encourage you to use “strong” passwords (passwords that use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols) with your account, and enforce a minumum length. You must notify Gradescope immediately of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your account by emailing security@gradescope.com. Gradescope will not be liable for any losses caused by any unauthorized use of your account.
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Except for your User Content, the Service and all materials therein or transferred thereby, including, without limitation, software, images, text, graphics, illustrations, logos, patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, photographs, audio, videos, music, and User Content belonging to other Users (the “Gradescope Content”), and all Intellectual Property Rights related thereto, are the exclusive property of Gradescope and its licensors (including other Users who post User Content to the Service). Except as explicitly provided herein, nothing in these Terms shall be deemed to create a license in or under any such Intellectual Property Rights, and you agree not to sell, license, rent, modify, distribute, copy, reproduce, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, adapt, edit or create derivative works from any Gradescope Content. Use of the Gradescope Content for any purpose not expressly permitted by these Terms is strictly prohibited.
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You may request that Gradescope delete Student Data in Gradescope’s possession at any time by providing such a request in writing, which request Gradescope shall then comply with in a commercially reasonable time. Gradescope is not required to delete data derived from Student Data, including de-identified, aggregated or anonymized Student Data.
By submitting Student Data to Gradescope, you consent to allow Gradescope to transfer Student Data to a new provider in the event that Gradescope sells, divests or transfers the business or a portion of the business, provided that the new provider has agreed to data privacy standards no less stringent than those set forth in these Terms. We may also transfer personal information – under the same conditions – in the course of mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies, dissolutions, reorganizations, liquidations, similar transactions or proceedings involving all or a portion of our business.
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Gradescope uses commercially reasonable physical, managerial, and technical safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of your personal information and implement your privacy settings. However, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized third parties will never be able to defeat our security measures or use your personal information for improper purposes. You acknowledge that you provide your personal information at your own risk.
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Certain aspects of the Service may be provided for a fee or other charge. Schools may elect to pay the fees or charges of other Users (such as Teachers). If you elect to use paid aspects of the Service, you agree to the pricing and payment terms, as we may update them from time to time. You also agree to be bound by the specific terms included in any order form, statement of work, or the like (if applicable) to which you indicate your acceptance (for instance, by signing the document, via online click-through acceptance, or by making related payments to Gradescope). Gradescope may add new services for additional fees and charges, or amend fees and charges for existing services, at any time in its sole discretion. Any change to our pricing or payment terms shall become effective in the billing cycle following notice of such change to you as provided in this Agreement.
You may use mobile data in connection with Gradescope’s mobile software applications and/or sign up to receive certain Gradescope notifications or information via text messaging. You may incur additional charges from your wireless provider for these services. You agree that you are solely responsible for any such charges.
Summary: Our Services may be offered via mobile apps, for which we’ll need to give you a license. You can’t do things like resell or reverse engineere our apps. This agreement is between you and us, not Apple (even if you got the app from Apple).
You acknowledge that Gradescope may from time to time issue upgraded versions of the Mobile Software, and may automatically electronically upgrade the version of the Mobile Software that you are using on your mobile device. You consent to such automatic upgrading on your mobile device, and agree that the terms and conditions of these Terms will apply to all such upgrades. Any third-party code that may be incorporated in the Mobile Software is covered by the applicable open source or third-party license EULA, if any, authorizing use of such code. The foregoing license grant is not a sale of the Mobile Software or any copy thereof, and Gradescope or its third-party partners or suppliers retain all right, title, and interest in the Mobile Software (and any copy thereof). Any attempt by you to transfer any of the rights, duties or obligations hereunder, except as expressly provided for in these Terms, is void. Gradescope reserves all rights not expressly granted under these Terms. If the Mobile Software is being acquired on behalf of the United States Government, then the following provision applies. The Mobile Software will be deemed to be “commercial computer software” and “commercial computer software documentation,” respectively, pursuant to DFAR Section 227.7202 and FAR Section 12.212, as applicable. Any use, reproduction, release, performance, display or disclosure of the Service and any acGradescopeing documentation by the U.S. Government will be governed solely by these Terms of Service and is prohibited except to the extent expressly permitted by these Terms of Service. The Mobile Software originates in the United States, and is subject to United States export laws and regulations. The Mobile Software may not be exported or re-exported to certain countries or those persons or entities prohibited from receiving exports from the United States. In addition, the Mobile Software may be subject to the import and export laws of other countries. You agree to comply with all United States and foreign laws related to use of the Mobile Software and the Gradescope Service.
claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation; and all such claims are governed solely by these Terms and any law applicable to Gradescope as provider of the software.
You acknowledge that, in the event of any third-party claim that the iTunes-Sourced Software or your possession and use of that iTunes-Sourced Software infringes that third party’s intellectual property rights, Gradescope, not Apple, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any such intellectual property infringement claim to the extent required by these Terms. You and Gradescope acknowledge and agree that Apple, and Apple’s subsidiaries, are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms as relates to your license of the iTunes-Sourced Software, and that, upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms as relates to your license of the iTunes-Sourced Software against you as a third-party beneficiary thereof.
Summary: If content hosted on our Service or website infringes your copyright, please alert us in accordance with the DMCA.
Since we respect artist and content owner rights, it is Gradescope’s policy to respond to alleged infringement notices that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (“DMCA”).
Please note that this procedure is exclusively for notifying Gradescope and its affiliates that your copyrighted material has been infringed. The preceding requirements are intended to comply with Gradescope’s rights and obligations under the DMCA, including 17 U.S.C. §512(c), but do not constitute legal advice. It may be advisable to contact an attorney regarding your rights and obligations under the DMCA and other applicable laws.
In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, Gradescope has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances, Users who are deemed to be repeat infringers. Gradescope may also at its sole discretion limit access to the Service and/or terminate the accounts of any Users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.
Summary: The Service may contain links to third-party websites (such as Facebook or Twitter). We are not responsible for the content of those sites, nor can we control them.
Summary: If you violate these Terms or otherwise misuse the Service and we suffer any losses or suits, you will have to defend us and cover our losses.
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Gradescope and its subsidiaries, agents, licensors, managers, and other affiliated companies, and their employees, contractors, agents, officers and directors, from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees) arising from: (i) your use of and access to the Service, including any data or content transmitted or received by you; (ii) your violation of any term of these Terms, including without limitation your breach of any of the representations and warranties above; (iii) your violation of any third-party right, including without limitation any right of privacy or Intellectual Property Rights; (iv) your violation of any applicable law, rule or regulation; (v) User Content or any content that is submitted via your account including without limitation misleading, false, or inaccurate information; (vi) your willful misconduct; or (vii) any other party’s access and use of the Service with your unique username, password or other appropriate security code.
Summary: The service is provided AS IS and we make no warranties with respect to the Service.
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM GRADESCOPE OR THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, GRADESCOPE, ITS SUBSIDIARIES, ITS AFFILIATES, AND ITS LICENSORS DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE CONTENT IS ACCURATE, RELIABLE OR CORRECT; THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME OR LOCATION, UNINTERRUPTED OR SECURE; THAT ANY DEFECTS OR ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE SERVICE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. ANY CONTENT DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICE IS DOWNLOADED AT YOUR OWN RISK AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR MOBILE DEVICE OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM SUCH DOWNLOAD OR YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.
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This is my Wall-E project that I am currently working on it is 150mm x 150mm x 160 high, it uses a pair of Mattracks http://www.litefootatv.com/html/litefoot_in_the_news.htm for motive power and two robosapienV2 hip motors. It will be controlled by a BS2P40 stamp CPU and will have the following functions described below.
I build robots quite prolific but my let down is programing "hopeless but learning" I have a friend at http://www.robocommunity.com (http://www.robocommunity.com/) who is programing it for me, From this I hope to learn how this program is put together and eventually program myself. We are in the progress of designing the H-bridge for the motors using the L298 chip, The head is finished apart from his adorable eyebrows which http://www.musclewires.com/shapememoryalloys.shtml wire or Muscle flex and pan/tilt has been run.
The main reason for building this project was to see if I could use parts from my stock of components that I have lying around my basement and electronics room, The only thing so far that I have had to buy is the Mattracks , uOLED screen and L298 H-bridge ic. Which GWJax is sending me. I was inspired to build this project after seeing a Pixar demo video and thought WOW what a neat bot to build.
I have been in R/C scale and other unorthodox aircraft for over 30yrs and modeling is my passion, so this comes in handy when creating something like Wall-E. I hope you like how it is coming along. I would also like to add that GWJax has been an inspiration to me on the programming side.The main construction of Wall-E is 5mm lite ply, sides,front,back and top, with 2mm balsa cladding on the sides with some 1.5mm ply to form the raised panels. Rivets were made using PVA glue watered down 40% and applied to the required area's with a sharp pointed rod, One dip will give you 3 rivets. The arms were constructed out of 1.5mm ply and balsa, and uses 4 of my Technics air rams back to back, The fingers were modded Technics angle beams covered in 1mm ply for the sides and balsa top and bottom.
The base is constructed out of 5mm Acrylic sheet as this is good for boring holes to mount your fittings. the head H'mmm a real challenge here, I had to draw it out first to get the pear shaped eye right then work from there. The main eye tube was a pair of alloy pill containers which worked out to be the right size for the head. The Blue LEDs x 6, 3 in each eye are mounted on a 5mm acrylic disc and inserted in the tube about 2/3rds down, then another Acrylic disc in front with the ping sonar in each eye.The ping sonar is from TX and RX had to be removed from the board [tricky (http://www.parallax.com/) and an extension lead screened (http://www.instructables.com/id/Wall-E-Robot/screened) run from the board to the Tx and RX in each eye. I was not sure at the time if this would alter the characteristics of the range, but after testing this was unfounded.
The eyes light up at present using a circuit which has a CDS cell and when you switch the lights of the eyes come on, GWJax may code this to work also with some other functions on Wall-E.Wall-E was finished with off the shelf spraykote enamel cans, grey primer, followed by antirust primer, then layered with yellow, rivets applied, then sliver over the rivet area, followed by an airbrushed rust over the rivets. The whole body was then rubbed with scotchbrite pads until the rust and some silver was showing through, then airbrushed with a mix of satin varnish and grey primer to give Wall-E that weathered effect.The head was done in a similar way but with different colors. Phew, I think that's it guys. Check out my web site.
9. airbrush Wall-E to look authentic as possible.
This is what I am basing my Wall-E from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baI3NTfTNLg Wall-e's first head movments, crap servos, need to change them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79jfrUYDv0M Different servos, head movment a lot better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM0EwTtUZQQ LED eyes now in place.
That is amazing! The movie isn't even out yet and you already have one made. Nice work, I look forward to more videos.
I got you entered in our contest!
WOW, You didn't waste any time on getting this moving! I can't believe how far this project is already. Are you in animatronics already or something similar? I think this movie will do very well. It's not even out yet and it's captured the hearts of many. Nice work!
Hey, Thanks guys, very much appreciated. I am not in animatronics [love to be though] I'm just a cabinate maker. I have over 200 pics to date and posted about 1/3 on Robocommunity another forum I am on, I have to complete Wall-E on Robocommunity first and do an article as this is the forum I started it on, but will post equal pics here as I go. Just trying to navigate around this site as it is quite different to robocommunity site.
It's really nice to be here. Thanks.
Hey, Thanks guys, very much appreciated. I am not in animatronics [love to be though] I'm just a cabinate maker.
Mattracks with modded bearings and shafts.
Acrylic base and motors mounted.
4mm ply box and drawings in background.
Front section added, the sq hole is for a uOLED screen.
Side panels added to give detail, also arms.
Front/side angle, notice the led bar graph to the right of the uOLED opening.
Front door and grippers, this door will come down and up via a pot sensing system to the stamp.
Rear rams [static] Technics LEGO.
Detail of side paneling, PVA glue watered down 40% and applied by a needle.
Holy cow! That detail is AMAZING!
Hooooold the phone! What are those Mattracks??? Where did they come from? They look like they belong in the catalog for more bot builders to use!
No doubt. I'd be all over those.
for sure!!! Where on earth did you find some small enough for hobby sized robots??
I was browsing on the Parallax forums and i heard some people (person) got the mattracks by calling radioshack and doing a special request... but it was over a month ago so im not so sure.
Yep, you can get them from Radio shack [Above link by droid works] And they sell them separately, I just received another 3 sets as well as the one's for my Wall-E.
"The Mattracks are available with the wheel. Your local RadioShack store can order them for you. Catalog numbers are Left/ RSU 12458907 $11.69 & Right/RSU 12458923 $11.69."
The neck section was made from balsa wood and 1.5mm ply, It is hollow with a divider down the center to accommodate pan/tilt servo wires and head LED wires.
After grey priming the balsa and ply, a coat of rust brown was applied, then water down PVA glue about 40% with water and apply with a sharp object to recreate rivets. Wait until this dries and you will notice that the center of the rivet collapses in the center creating a life like rivet.
Completed rivets, when this dries it will be clear. You then layer up the paint, next will be silver.
I have already shown this shot but this is the effect after the silver paint was applied.
Next apply yellow, lightly as we are trying to get a dirty effect here, After paint has dried very carefully ues a scotch brite pad and scuff the area's that would get the most wear, such as the rivets and edges of the panels.
Next is the fabrication of the hands and arms, I have a huge collection of LEGO Technics and had to sacrifice some Technics parts for Wall-E, like gluing the rams back to back, also the hands had to be hacked [not shown in this pic].
Ply 1.5mm box's made to fit around the rams.
Ply and balsa fingers now applied to the Technics parts.
Parts after airbrushing rust color.
Arm section masked up for white.
A light coat of white over the black.
Black and white before applying whit over both.
Wall-E's eyes are made out of two alloy pill containers that were just the right size, then 4 1.5mm ply discs were made and slipped over the alloy cans and the covered in 1mm balsa.
Almost finished head, some rear appendages added.
A third darker grey color has now been added for weathering and matt black in the eye cavities.
A forth color yellow added for the weathering and scuffed back with a scotch brite pad.
Neck now weathered and head temporarily added.
Checking the servo position for the neck.
What are you using for the drive? How did you link the drive to the MattTracks? I have four pair of MattTracks I could potentially use for robots, plus a still working Hummer R/C truck.
Robotguy: The mattracks have a hex insert on the inside and I used a piece of 3/8 hex nylon rod which fitted into the hex on the mattracks, that was then terminated to a 45 degree bevel gear with the same hex insert. I sanded the bevel gear flat on one side and this was then cynoed to a flat plate on the RSv2 hip motor.
First firing up of the LED eyes, without the ping sensors in place.
Circuit in the back ground.
Components for the LED eyes.
Built circuit and schematics, CDS cell on top of Wall-E's head.
All components ready for assembly.
Wall-E looking a bit bemused at having no arms!!.
This is my J2R board that I am using as a temporarily fill in until I fit my BS2P40 stamp.
Testing my J2R board on my mini logic designer board.
I have over 200 detailed photo's of Wall-E to date and what I have posted here is just a few, I will be doing an article on Robocommunity forum as this is where I started this project and I am oblidged to finish this project there first before I post here. If you would like me to do a detailed article here let me know and I will do so when the article is published on R/C.
Robotguy: The mattracks have a hex insert on the inside and I used a piece of 3/8 hex nylon rod which fitted into the hex on the mattracks, that was then terminated to a 45 degree bevel gear with the same hex insert.
What beautiful craftsmanship! I can't wait to see it all in action, especially with the OLED showing the "solar charge level" haha. I found that detail so cute. Great job!
Yes, we are FINALLY getting a skin on these forums!! We're totally stoked here at TR central and I hope all you will like it:) I should have all this finished by later this week or early next week. Once that is all finished, then I'll get this tutorial thing up and running in the TRC. If any of you want to discuss this though, please start another thread.
Hey 4mem8 Just thought I would pop in also along with you! Nice layout sofar.
I see you are showing your eye light schematics in this thread or are you use mine? It really does not matter because they both work the same just diffrent components.
Good to see you here GW, And good spotting on the circuit, You are correct they both work the same, but I did use your circuit in this particular Wall-E but I did not have a pic of that circuit so posted mine.
Alex: I would love to do a tutorial on Wall-E, But before I can do that I will post On Robocommunity first as I started this project there first and I feel oblidged to do so, But any new pics that are posted on R/C will also be posted here as well. When Wall-E is finished and an article is published on R/C I will also publish here as well if that is ok.
4mem8, you used the one with the 1K pullups on the LED's with my circuirt is that correct? If you would like I can post the circuit for everyone so they may choose which one to use if you would like.
GW, That would be cool, Both options would be great.
Cool GW, Thanks for posting that second LED circuit.
No problem 4mem8, just let me know if I can help out on any thing else, also about the circuit I have a 220 ohm resistor pack installed and running the LEDs at 3.666 v I think 4mem8 used a 1K res pack but this is all related to what your LEDs can handle so fell free to change the resistor pack guys..
Just an update to Wall-E, GWJax is almost finished the programing of Wall-E, Some slight problems in getting the uOLED updated with the latest software as when I bought the product I failed to acquire the lead needed to download the software, Doh, so not quite sure if GWJax has made one or not. He also informs me that The memory in the BS2P40 is about 99% full, So this project with all it's servos and sensors is proving to be tight in the memory department.So I am looking forward to getting all the parts back and installing them into Wall-E and taking more pics and video.Thanks GW for all your effort in the coding of Wall-E.
Well guys it's been a while since I posted some up to date Wall-E pics, so here they are. Enjoy.
More dust in my eye.
I had it a minute ago!
M'mmm this is a hard surface!.
Opps I had it a minute ago!!
I'm in absolute awe, this is AMAZING craftsmanship.
I wish I had your skills Mike, haha. Can't wait to see video of this.
Hello Tyberius, Thanks for the comments, Still waiting to put all the electronics in Wall-E and connect a few more item in him, by the end of the month we should be getting a bit closer to this goal. GWJax is doing an amazing job of the coding for Wall-E.
I have to say I really like this robot of yours! Now I want to go see the movie! :veryhappy::veryhappy: Disney should be paying you for the great advertising. :happy: I am very much looking forward to seeing videos!
Adrenalynn: This is the first time I have entered a competition where the prizes are awesome, But having said that I am up against some very very talented People here and their creations, Some of them are just outstanding and I feel priveledged and honored to be able to enter Wall-E for this competition. Your comments are also very encouraging for my future robot entries.
Robotguy: Hopefully video's will follow the completion of the electronics and coding which GWJax is doing an awesome job off. I am pleased you like the project Robotguy. It has been a very interesting project from scratch to build. My specialty is scale modeling and hardware, so this helps with this sort of project.
Sincere, I assure you. I've seen what Disney did at the 'Faire. I've seen their promo stuff up close. I think you could show them a thing or two (and maybe learn from them at the same time. Those Imagineers are pretty bright folk. ;)). Seriously, this looks to be a fantastic implementation - and I can't believe how you can actually finish something so... REAL ... before even seeing the movie!
Here are a few more pics to tease you all, He He.
Hope these are not mine!!
If nobody wants them i will take them.
M'mmm power socket, Don't touch.
Adrenalynn: Once again thank you for you comments, really nice to know ppl appreciate the hard work that has gone into this project.
That is definitely the best wall-e replica robot i've ever seen. Remarkable craftsmanship.
Wingzero01w: Thanks for your comment, Really appreciated. I think everyone is looking forward to Wall-E being mobile,It's in the pipeline and should be operational in June.
Here are a few shots of Wall-E's eye lit up.
I can see again! Is that what you look like 4mem8!!
Nice to see where your going.
M'mmm I need to be plugged in.
Hey guys I have had to make an alteration to the lower neck of Wall-E to get it to travel correctly, also had to lower the fulcrum and spigot pin , this will help stop the over shoot of the servo due to the weight of the head [although not heavy] it is enough to make the neck servo overshoot the center position.I have also allowed for return springs if needed to help the servo.
New ply extension and alloy section.
Brass 4mm spigot pin and housing blocks with brass 4mm inserts.
Spigot shaft blocks and notice I have had to lower the pin in the neck.
Servo clevis, this will now be a push/pull scenario. Holes for tension springs below if needed.
ready for fixing inside Wall-E's body.
1 x emic text to speech board.
4 servos in box 1 in head.
2 x RSV2 hip motor and gear box's.
1 x 7.2v 3000ma battery.
1 x front door linkage,maybe a vr pot.
I hate to tell you but you have one more board to install in there. It's the voice changer board with a skpeaker.
Damn, I hate it when you miss something, Thanks GW u just made my day again, he he now to re organise it again.
Right now the software is in bits and pieces as test rutines. Its a lot of codding also so maybe this is better, than to post a completeded version which would be hard to follow. The software is written in Pbasic using the BS2 Ver2.5 setting and will change to the BS2p settings. If you would like to see some of the coding I will place it here unless 4mem8 would like it in a diffrent thread.
It should be ok here in it's partial state, But if it was the full mccoy then it should go in the downloads library.
OK here is a test routine for Wall-E's L298N Hbridge circuit. on my platform stunt dummy it moved quite fast. But this routine has no PWM commands to slow down the motors just logic on and logic off.
enjoy. I'll pop in from time to to and add more so I don't over welm everyone. But if you have any questions please let me know.
GOSUB Wall_E_HBStop ' opps turn off the motors!
Here's another test rotine for the tilt and pan routine. This routine alows you to modify the speed of the servos so you don't have that fast movement and shifting which puts alot of torque on the servos. The test routine I'll show you will have the ping sensors installed and it will determine which why Wall-E should turn. so heres the test routine for the head random tilt and pan that 4mem8 showed you a video of already so I won't add a you-tube video here.
That should keep some ppl interested in Wall-E until the final code gets released, Thanks GWJax for posting that.
Are you planning speed control, rather than just switching, in the final release?
I believe that is correct Adrenalynn, GW is best suited to answer this question, but I do believe that this will be implemented in Wall-E's final release.
Nice explanation GW, I knew you would sort it out. I can see you cannot wait to put that code in your U-Command Wall-E, He he. I bet your fingers can't keep up with your brain.
Thanks for that clarification, GW! Sounds great!
Adrenalynn: Yes GWJax is a really neat person, I have got to know him very well and his passion for robotics is incredible. Also his knowledge of coding is great and I could have not produced Wall-E without his help in this area. That's why I love forum communities.
Thank you 4mem8 for your kind words!, I do love robotics as you nailed that one. And yes the code will be placed in the U-control, but right now I'm hacking into the interaction Wall-E for my new platform, so I can expand the code with some assy code in testind some random roaming in assy lang. This will be fun, I may place it in the PIC16F84 and just refer to it withe the BSp40 to save on memory as always it a vital source. If you all would like to see more code just let me know.
Wall-E is going to be fun when this code is finished, And I for one can't wait to see him roaming around and doing his thing, Of course video's will be posted when this happends. The extra time here in the coding that GW is doing will pay off big time. Just hope I can cram all the electronics into him.
Alex: M'mmm, Maybe the code that GW has posted already needs to go in the download section, What do you think? Do you want to take it over to the download section Alex?.
I just went over to check daily engadget news and noticed your robot was featured. Congratulations on getting it to work!
So first CrabFu gets YouTubed To Death, and then you get Engadgeted. Oh, and RobotGrrrl gets featured by dVice, the gadget blog for the SciFi Channel.
I'm starting to get an inferiority complex around here. I need to build something big!
Congrats, 4mem, as I've said before - WELL DESERVED!
Adrenalynn: wingzero01w: Tyberius:Hey this is great news, I did not know until I read your post here, Well I don't know what to say, I guess that it's great. I will have to head on over and have a look. Thanks.
I'm not sure what access you have to viewcounts in your instructables post, but I'm very curious to see how much it jumps after that Endgadget and HacknMod post (http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/06/diy-wall-e-bot-sweeps-our-heart-up-into-his-cute-little-storage/)!
It seems to be quite popular Alex 3,161 in 1day of being there.
Well over 4000 views, and "featured" now. :) Grats!
Wall-E is a star before he is a star!
Now if you can only keep the pavarotzi away.
OOOPS, Andrenalynn, Crabfu: Many thanks for your support here, we really appreciate it and so does Wall-E.I will watch out for those goons though Adrenalynn, my plans are in action.
I'm sure by now it's on many other blogs, enjoy the ride!!!! woohoo!!!
Gee's, it dos'nt take long does it to get around, Nice. Wait till it's fully operational!!
Hey pladoh, feel free to PM or email me to say hi, but no need to say sup to me in this thread! A lot of people read the thread for info about the project, don't take up space with useless comments.... lol :) so sup, and try to post only relevant to the thread stuff here please, this isn't even my project! Sorry 4mem8!
Anyway yeah, once the big geek sites get a hold of something, it's free for all, and hits go off the charts! Again congrats, sure is well deserved!
Thank you Crabfu, Pleased that was cleared up.
Alex: Thank you, much appreciated, We can't wait to get him totally finished and a video of him strutting his thing.
ok, here are todays efforts with the H-Bridge circuit, 5v LDO reg, Terminator blocks and data pins.
This is for Wall-E's drive motors.
Most of the components to be installed.
IC sockets for Opto isolators 4N33.
L298 motor driver at top.
Another data block will be added so I have 32 outputs for the BS2P40 Stamp.
Right bottom, showing 8 IN5818 Scotty fast recovery diodes.
This is it so far more to come. Thanks GW for sending the L298 and diodes.
Quite true Adrenalynn and a valid point, But I do like to roll my own and build them, The size is about 70mm x 70mm I will still have room inside Wall-E for this board, BUT if I get into trouble I will consider a smaller version. Thanks for your interest.
Thanks for the info Adrenalynn your views and idea's are always welcome.
And that's about it Adrenalynn, A nearly complete home made parts robot, But I still value your input and advice for parts that can be used in this project.
No worries! I think that's a great goal. My own 'bots are constructed primarily of "junk" from the garage. My new biggie, though, is getting real money dumped into him.
I look on with interest as to how your bot comes along.
Great news Adrenalynn, What was your big work project??. great that you now have time to play he he.
Certification of a new communications device, and a very large database project. Beyond that I can't detail too much today.
Did some more on my H-bridge tonight, installed a 5v LDO reg and 4 4n35 opto isolaters hope to complete this board over the weekend.
Thanks GW, I will do my best for the weekend, but you know if it can go wrong it will. I am usually pretty careful with my final circuits, But i have had mishaps before, so fingers crossed eh.
Ok here are some of the latest pics of Wall-E's H-Bridge, Almost finished.
Header pins, for stamp in front, another 14 to put in. At the back are 5v+ rails, Behind main header are the - rails, and behind them are the data and LED status pins. The LDO 5v reg is for the BS2P40 and any other device that needs a 5v rail. The motor out A and B are shown at the front left and right inner blocks and the outer are the &.2v in. Heat sink yet to to fitted to the L298.
Underside showing the main motor + and - wires.
Cool new WALL-E toys (http://astore.amazon.com/drowor-20/105-7725543-2919631?node=5&page=8).
There coming thick and fast now.
Great work,cant wait to see the finished bot!
Thanks nanomole39. Coding is still in progress by GWJax.
Just a small update to my Wall-E robot, He now has a name. Never got around to putting it on his front door.
A small update, as GW has stated, I had no Wall-E name on the front door, so here it is in all it's glory, he he. Just for you GW.
Now I know who I am, WALL-E, Thanks 4mem8.
He looks alot better now, Good job 4mem8! be sure to update Tom with Robot mag of the picture..
Your robot looks so cute! Good job, you really captured the wall*e picture, he's filled with emotion!
Thanks Sam, Appreciated. It will be good to get back to him and add the finishing touches, Some more detail around the top below the neck has yet to be done, Plus coding.
Hint hint about the code hea 4mem, lol I know wall-e will have his brain shortly, working had on the u-commmand plateform still.
He he, I know that, and it wasn't a hint, or it wasn't supposed to be. I know you to well not to make a hint he he.
Wall-E is so inquisitive, He is seen here looking at my robotic arm from Trossen Robotics, he thinks that this arm is on his turf.
Thanks to Trossen Robotics for this robotic arm, It will be put to good use.
What's this doing here in my space.
The next three shots are of Wall-E being converted to R/C operation for The opening of Wall-E movie here in Nelson on the 28th September.
I have some really good news about Wall-E, I went to my local cinema today and talked to my good friend Mark Christian [ Director of our local cinema ] about doing a promo when Wall-E comes out on the 28th September here in NZ. He thought it was a brilliant idea, , so the timing was great. So we will get the local Nelson evening mail involved. I thought to get Wall-E going I will put my R/C saber tooth 5 amp motor controller in and link it up to my R/C TX and RX to get him mobile for the event until GWJax finishes the coding for Wall-E, and If I have time Pan/tilt and door and arms all by remote.I showed Mark the two First place wins for Wall-E and he though that was outstanding to get two first placings, so it fits the theme quite well guys. He also could not get over the fact I went in tonight [Friday] And suggested this. So Wall-e is getting famous. he he.
Disassembled, looking at putting a sabre tooth in, 25amp shown, but will put a 5 amp in.
Where's my body gone? Sabre tooth now fitted, 1024pcm receiver in front.
Close up of controller,receiver and fuse. This is a temporary solution for motive power until GWJax has finished the coding.More to come.
I agree Adrenalynn, You can pose him anywhere and it looks like he is alive. A fun robot to say the least.
Thanks for your kind comments robot maker, I try to be neat in what I do as this helps later if you have any problems for debugging and any other problems that might crop up.
Ouch. My head just exploded. I hate it when that happens.
Awesome, thanks! Can we go for that 7-of-9-meets-T3 sorta look?
Adrenalynn: What are you and GWJax referring to!!
Just pm'd you.about this one.
Update to the R/C conversion.
Alloy for the battery compartment.
Battery in place, This 3000ma battery supplies the motors and receiver. And work well, but the RSV2 gearbox motors are to slow for this Wall-E but man the torque, climbs over anything you put in front of it. I will look at this later after the promo. At least it is mobile. Now to get the pan/tilt working and eyes to light up via R/C.
Thanks for the update on the code GW for other members, Sam, Thank you for your comment, I am currently converting Wall-E for a promo at our local cinema when Wall-E opens on the 28th Sept. So as soon as I get Wall-E's other parts working I will do a video. This of course will be taken out when the final code is ready to make him Autonomous.
Great job and congrats 4mem8 on the Wall-E. I checked with Mattracks and the only system I could find was the ones 13" wide, they also had ones for a remote controle truck for Radio Shack (2 small). What are the measurements of your tracks and what are the stock numbers so I can get them also. Thanks fro the help.
>> ones for a remote controle truck for Radio Shack (2 small).
They are of the Hummer, I will try to find the part no: for you Tymtraveler, I have to hunt them out on the Parallax forum where i posted a while back. I will look into it tonight, Have to go to work soon.
From Page 2 of this thread.
Thank you Adrenalynn, Don't know what I'd do without you. I forgot that I posted it here.
:) You're welcome. I pride myself on having a memory slightly better than the average bear.
This section is for the arms, First we need a servo disc.
Modified servo discs, Sanded on the good face and the spigot cut and sanded to make a flat disc, Also center hole has been bored out to allow the screw to be removed for the first servo disc.
Single servo disc in place, we need another two modified discs glued on top of each other.
Three discs glued on top of each other to form the thickness we need to protrude through the wall for the arm. Also note the wooden bearers to glue back the servo the the internal wall where Wall-E's arm is.
A hole had to be cut in the wall for the servo disc, This was done with a dremel and sanding drum.
Both arm servos with the three plates glued, This was carefully glued with cyno.
Ready to be glued in place on Wall-E's body.
Servo discs protruding through the side for arm to locate to.
Arm servo fitted to side.
Tilt servo and it's mounting brackets.
Tilt servo mounted, and tilt arm to the right.
Components for the tilt arm, approx 2:1 bell crank to get the servo to move the tilt head full swing. spring is for the return load or the tilt forward as the head is heavier in the direction.
Tie rod from servo to the bell crank and return spring.
Alloy bracket and ball link, this will be fitted to the tilt arm.
Ball link and return spring now fitted.
A slight change with the arm, it is now 4:1 to get the correct throw for the tilt. also the spring has changed to a stiffer one.
Bracket below the motor for securing the side to base.
Arms fitted to servos and Wall-E's internals.
I know I'm good Adrenalyn, BUT not that good, I'll have to give that one a miss this time around, sorry. Unless I put an illusion in front of the internals.
Thank you pladoh, I try to make my robots as interesting as possible to build ans post.
Well Wall-E finally made it to the movies he he, Sitting up on the popcorn machine with his son interaction Wall-e, He has caused quite a stir there. So here are a few pics of him. I had to do a write up on how he was made, so there is a poster to the right of the big Wall-E poster to explain this. I may take the last pic again as this turned out a bit out of focus.
Wall-E and son getting ready for the movies.
I will look after you.
Lets go daddy lets go.
This is so cool Daddy.
Where's the action? Where's the action?
This is so cool Daddy?
Is that poster about me Daddy? No son it's about me.
There may be a local news paper article later about this opening. Keep you posted.
Thanks for the interaction Wall-E GW.
Man, it's amazing to see a side-by-side between the toy and the Art.
Grats! Did you get to run him around under R/C after putting all the work into it?
Adrenalynn: Yep, I managed to get him to run ok, Head pan/tilt and arms up and down, Unfortunately the door servo was not man enough for the job, [A 3oz micro servo] was all I could fit in the space and this would only bring the door half way up.So had to close it for the debut. Of course all this has to come out when I get it back and new hardware has to go in including new motor drives as the RSV2 hip motors have a ton of torque and to slow, so we need to speed him up some.
4mem8 Hope you enjoy the movie tonight!! It's good to see your Wall-E at the movies now and if the newspaper does a write up please post it for us.
Sure will do GW, The movie is great, some real laughs, and yes he has a laser between the eyes. If Ihad known that I would have put my 35mw green laser there. oh well.Footnote: You would never be able to make a Wall-E do the things that the animation does. no way.
Ha ha, That sounds like a bit of a challenge as well.
Yeah, it should not be long before the DVD comes out robot maker.
Look forward to your home base charging system robot maker.
Thanks robot maker, but i know what the problem is, it is defiantly the micro servo not enough torque, but fitting a larger servo is difficult to say the least.
Ok, see what you can come up with robot maker, Although I cannot give you precise measurements at this stage as Wall-E is at my local cinema for the duration of the movie.
Ok, looks like our local paper has got wind of Wall-E and I have to go for a photo shoot Tuesday at 3pm at our local cinema, so will let you know how it turns out.
congrats again, all well deserved acclaim!
Will do ooops, Looking forward to it today.
Mickey Mouse oughtta knock on your door and give you a production contract for it!
Thanks guys, I will have to phone the editor and find out what day it will be published. The manager of the local cinema is also going to do a Wall-E competition with my Wall-E by putting him in different shop windows and run through the local radio station, you have to guess where Wall-E is and ring the radio station to win a prize, then he gets moved to another shop and so on.
Well we had the photo shoot at my local cinema with Wall-E, A lot of fun to be had, and about 100 photo's taken. Should be it the local paper this week sometime. Not sure yet if I can get any pics from them, if I can I will post one here. We are also going to do some interesting competitions with the radio station maybe putting Wall-E in shop windows and the pulic have to find where Wall-E is and phone in to the radio station, then he gets moved to another location.
Ok guys , here is the link to my photo shoot with our local evening Paper at the Cinema where we did a Wall-E photo shoot.
Thanks Alex, It was most enjoyable to do and a lot of fun, It has not finished yet, There are more fun things to do with Wall-E in the next few weeks.
Ha ha, Adrenalynn, I think you mean SHIRT! I'm sure it was a typo, or DOF problem.
Wow. That was an ugly typo! Thanks for catching that!
No I think my Wife has you beat on the keyboard. We replace her's every 3 to 4 weeks. She works as a medical transcriptonist. Should I say more?
Nope, no more needs to be said! Mine last a few months, if I buy really good ones. A few days if I get the cheapies.
I'm not sure who hammers on 'em more - programmers/architects or transcriptionists. Either way - we both kill keyboards. The frightening thing is to consider the rating on the pads and then figure out how much we must be typing, and how fast that equates. (On this nice shiny new Logitech, they keystroke counter says I'm doing 124wpm as I write this.
Ok, cool, np Adrenalynn. I don't think I will suffer from that problem.
lol I won't tell you what my wifes and her Mother types in speed, it will just upset you and make you type faster. When the computer cannot keep up with putting the letters on the screen is quite a sight to see and yes they both have up to date computers. within 1 week most letters on the keyboard are gone, I can't even type on them because I need too look at the keys, hehe.
Hey guys just to let you know I went to the book stand today an got my copy of Robo Mag and I found an article on showing Wall-E and the other prize winners here. I did don't have my scanner attached so I clicked a picture of the page. Now Wall-E is famous around the world again. Congrats 4mem8.
Hey Warren, That's cool, Thanks a lot for posting it.
Grats, Mike! Well deserved press all over the place!
yea. well done Mike. I wonder what ED-209's rep is goin to be...?
Huh, It's going to take all my time just to get it to walk, Let alone anything else. Ha ha.
that's really good, detailed thus far, can't wait for the finished product never cease to amaze.
Could you tell me which issue of this robot magazine ?
Thanks guys, always appreciate your comments.
I know this wall-e is going to be amazing when it is finished, can't wait for the completed pics.
4mem8 is really waiting on me to finnish the program. I keep changing it to add diffrent routines plus I have a lot on my plate as well as 4mem8, I will do my best to get the program done by mid Dec. so I can move on with my other projects..
Yeah, Page 20 and 20,000 views, Go Wall-E, Djures has nearly 40,000 views, popular little fella Wall-E.
Hey guys just to let you know, Wall-E will be featured in New scientist Mag U.K which is out now, But it will also be on their website in the next day here (http://www.newscientist.com/). He seems to get every where, No stopping him. Pushy little fella. A mag is in the post to me as we speak.
4mem, again well earned recognition! Congratulations!!!
Thanks ooops, Wonder where he will turn up next, he he.
Wow he is wandering the world! Congrats man. A great project is getting it's much deserved recognition.
Can't say much else other than to Ditto everyone else's congrats!
Thanks guys, here is the link, It is a difficult site to navigate,so I have the direct link here (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026872.800-how-to-make-your-own-hightech-christmas-gifts.html), Thanks for your comments.
Agreed Adrenalyn, I sent a pm to the person involved with the article, It was more on Wilhelm who started Instructables, It will be interesting to see if the mag is any different, as I supplied several photo's for it.
I'm ok with it being on Wilhelm/Instructables - that's the real "DIY" story in a nutshell. But if they're going to run your pictures, they need to have more about Wall-E in that story, imho.
I truly agree with you Lynn, but at least Wall-E is still getting the news. I think the article is more about Instructables aka DIY crafts that you can save on money while everyone is holding on to their money and fearing the loss of their jobs, at least here in the US. The company that I work for cut $2000.00 US from our X-mas bonus but don't get me wrong its was still a lot of money that most never see. At least in my industry there will always be copiers, printers and faxes that need repair so my job is as safe as one can get thank God for that.
Oh I forgot congrats AGAIN 4mem8 on still the great job you did on him.
I'll have to slap some hand cuffs on him, he's getting around more than me ha ha.
Just had confirmation from Kirstin, [Scientific mag U.K] As to how many pics of Wall-E in the spread versus their website.
So looks like it is different from their website spread.
hey 4mem8, when the mag arrives make sure you scan in the article and cover so we all can see it please..
No problem, will do for my friends.
theres a picure of Wall-E, mikes one, in Robot magazine. not sure if it has alread been mentioned, but hey! Nice work, again!
Hey thanks guys, Appreciated, this is a bit late to answer, but just got back on here after a while away. | 2019-04-21T20:38:50Z | http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/archive/index.php/t-1677.html?s=4f5866ed43586b0911fb692afafd5155 |
It has been a tradition on this blog to take a look back at some of the places we visited last year. In Part 1, we posted photos of places we visited in the second half of 2018. Here are the places we visited in the first half.
Click on the links, where provided to read more about the places of interest. There are usually a series of related posts per location, you can discover them easily in the calendar at the bottom of the post.
Let’s see where we will go in 2019.
While staying at Lindau, we went to see the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen. The industrial town is situated on the german shore of Lake Constance and west of Lindau. We saw a zepplin on the first day we arrived in Lindau.
The museum presents on 4000 m2 of exhibition space its world’s largest collection on airship navigation: a multimedia narrative of history, courageous people, technical innovations and high performance.
We used in this post much of the explanation of the museum from their web site which is here. We saw a short movie about the history of airship and the company which developed the technology.
Ferdinand von Zeppelin established his famous dirigible factory at the end of the 19th century. The 128m-long LZ1 airship (Das Luftschiff) rose from its mooring on July 2, 1900.
The first large exhibition hall on the ground floor is dedicated to the biggest and most famous Zeppelin airship: the LZ 129 Hindenburg. This partial reconstruction brings to life a flight to North and South America by airship that took place in the 1930s.
This ship became the Hindenburg disaster which occurred on May 6, 1937, in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. The LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast. Of the 97 people on board, there were 35 fatalities (13 passengers and 22 crewmen). A variety of hypotheses have been put forward for both the cause of ignition and the initial fuel for the ensuing fire. Photo taken from wikipedia.
The disaster was recorded on film and widely distributed. The event shattered public confidence in the giant, passenger-carrying rigid airship and marked the abrupt end of the airship era.
Despite the disaster, it is clear that the frame is an amazing piece of engineering.
Intricate and precise. Perhaps, this is a reason why steampunk is almost believable.
Besides the preparations required for the journey, it visualizes the luxury at the time on board the flying hotel.
Via the drop-in ladder you can climb into the real-life passenger compartments of the LZ 129, which have been recreated according to historical plans. It was noted that the interiors were designed according to the Bauhaus school in 1930’s – so the airship really incorporated state-of-the art design and technology of the time.
In the permanent exhibition, flying is explained graphically using the principle of “lighter than air” and made tangible at experimental stations.
The successful history of the Zeppelin Group and its pioneers shows how technical innovations have emerged and the cult of Zeppelin has been celebrated for over a century. There was a display of numerous zeppelin-inspired objects, e.g., pens, etc.
We took a coffee break at the cafe.
Other aviation companies, including Maybach, also arose in Friedrichshafen to help service the industry, which received a major impetus from World War I.
Old poster about identifying British versus German military aircrafts in World War I.
The exhibitions on the period from 1933 to today is mostly about the integration of the company into the Nazi and the WWII economy, the destruction of Friedrichshafen, and the reorganisation and redevelopment of industrial enterprises after 1945.
Because of its industrial output, Friedrichshafen was heavily bombed during the war. This aerial photo shows a decimated factory complex and all the bomb craters around it.
The company is still in existence and has diversified into various light and heavy industries, e.g. ZF Group that makes gear box for cars.
It was a really interesting visit as we know so little about zepplin before. Too bad it was too late to join a flight. I will try to do it next time.
The museum is located in front of the harbor and we took a ferry back to Lindau. Nice visit.
While on Lindau, we went to Eli.Gut.Halle for dinner. It is located close to the lighthouse at the end of the promenade.
Offering outdoor and indoor seating, it has both a view of the harbor and the lake.
Here is a view of the harbor of Lindau – the lighthouse, the lion and the tower (from right to left). There are more pics of the harbor in our last post.
We were there when the sun was setting, and the sky was beautiful.
The restaurant is attached to a lounge/event space, a bar and a gallery of sports cars. There is a meeting area upstairs.
From above, one could see the top tier of cars at a better angle.
The theme is obviously sports cars, but not all of them are vintage.
Most cars are German made understandably.
A few English and Italian.
Surprisingly, we did not see a BMW. Munich being the birthplace of BMWs is not far away and we were in Bavaria.
What I have not seen/heard before is a Porsche-branded tractor – fire-engine red.
The food was good, not touristy.
Go for a drink if you are in town.
In May, we went to Lindau with IT. Lindau is a small island in Lake Constance (Bodensee), located near the meeting point of the Austrian, German and Swiss borders and is nestled on the lake in front of Austria’s Pfänder mountain (see later post).
We took this aerial photo when flying from Zurich to Kiev after our visit to the island, and recognized it immediately.
Lindau is connected to the mainland on the north shore by a road-traffic bridge and a railway dam. We did not drive and came by train from Switzerland. The station on the island is an old building and has its charm.
Lindau Hauptbahnhof are connected to Friedrichshafen, Munich, Ulm, Augsburg, Bregenz and Zürich by train services run by DB, OBB and SBB.
Our hotel is in front of the harbor on the promenade. Very scenic and lively.
One morning, a small orchestra played on the harbor front outside our hotel.
Lindau is old. The first use of the name Lindau was documented in 882 by a monk from St. Gallen (which we visited after Lindau, see later post). The name Lindau means “island on which linden trees grow”.
Traditionally, it is popular for tourists from the southern parts of Germany. A well-known landmark in this southwesternmost city of Bavaria is the harbor entrance with Bavarian lion and new lighthouse.
The six-meter-high lion, watching over Lake Constance, is the work of a Munich professor Johann von Halbig. Completed in 1856, it consists of sandstone and weighs about 50 tons.
We strolled to the end of the breakwater on the side with the lion and looked across to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is relatively new, 36 meters high and measures a base circumference of 24 meters. Apparently, it is one of the few structures of its kind which has a clock in the facade.
Looking back towards the harbor, the Mangturm tower can be seen on the left in the photo below. Our hotel is just behind it. This tower used to be a square stone building was built in the 12th century as part of the medieval city fortification.
There are cars on the island but only a small number as the streets are old and narrow. The island is charming for that reason.
Apparently, the Nobel Laureate Meetings began here in 1951 and brings many Nobel Prize laureates to Lindau each year. Students from all over the world are able to meet up with Nobel Laureates to discuss scientific developments.
The Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) was built from 1422 in Gothic style – the work on the impressive building lasted 14 years.
It also houses the former Imperial City Library (Reichsstädtischen Bibliothek) in Lindau. It was Martin Luther who in 1524 called on the “councilors of all German cities” to create “good books or librareyen books” – and his appeal was heard here in 1538.
The library houses a colored copy of the first complete German Bible translation of Martin Luther from 1534 which has been put on display in autumn 2013 and protected by a huge climate-stabilizing glass cube.
The welcoming biergarten on the island. It must be packed with very happy people today as this is posted.
Lindau is a jewel on Lake Constance. Comfortable, relaxing, and cultural.
We will come back one of these days.
Last year, IT and I went to visit the Vitra Campus – located just across the Swiss-German border in Weil am Rhein. See our earlier posts about the Campus and the company’s showrooms. We joined a walking tour of the private areas of the Campus – the factories, the warehouse and the fire station.
Zaha Hadid’s first completed building is perhaps the most famous fire station in the world. The building was commissioned after a disastrous fire at the Vitra factory in 1981.
Completed in 1994, the building housed a garage for fire engines along with another wing containing locker rooms, showers and common areas.
The slanting walls are not caused by my camera, they do not meet at right angles.
The sharp-angled sculptural forms yells “emergency!’ The walls seem to glide past each other.
This building is a key work of so-called Deconstructivism and of late twentieth-century architecture in general.
For architecture pilgrims, the Vitra Campus is a mecca and this fire station is a high point. Since it no longer functions as a fire station, we were invited inside to sit in the conference room.
The fire station represents the earliest attempt to translate Hadid’s fantastical, powerful conceptual drawings into a functional architectural space.
This Fire House project – a complex construction of tilted and clashing planes – looks very different from her later, organic designs.
Vitra’s voluntary fire fighting team decided to co-operate with the professional city fire brigade and dissolved the factory-based fire fighting teams. As a consequence Vitra no longer needed a fire station and the building became a space for lectures, concerts, and exhibitions.
Hadid was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in 2004.
She worked for her former professors, Koolhaas and Zenghelis, at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, becoming a partner in 1977.
Hadid established her own London-based architecture practice in 1980.
On 31 March 2016, Hadid died of a heart attack in a Miami. We did a post about her building in Hyde Park, London (here) shortly after her death.
This is the third post on what we saw at the Vitra Campus.
The Vitra Design Museum is one of the publicly accessible building on the Campus. A major retrospective – “Alexander Girard – A Designer’s Universe” was installed when we visited. Much of what is written below came from their web site which is very informative.
The Vitra Design Museum was founded in 1989 by the company Vitra.
It is housed in a building by Frank Gehry (who else ?). Next to it is a gallery also by Gehry, where we saw an exhibition about the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong (see that post here).
The work of the Vitra Design Museum is based on its collection, which encompasses not only key objects of design history, but also the estates of several important figures (including Charles & Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Verner Panton).
It is dedicated to the research and presentation of design, past and present, and examines design’s relationship to architecture, art and everyday culture.
Originally envisioned as a private collector’s museum, major internationally acclaimed exhibitions were presented later, including retrospectives on Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright and Luis Barragán.
It developed its own product lines to finance its activities and an independent publishing house was established.
Alexander Girard (1907-1993) is renowned for its fabric designs and collection of folk art.
In 1951, he was appointed as the director of Herman Miller’s textile department.
He recognized an impulse in folk art, based on a universal human heritage of patterns, motifs and design techniques that transcends the limits of time and place.
Girard donated over a 100,000 pieces of folk art to the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A new wing was built at the museum—which Girard designed—to house the collection.
Vitra is licensed to make a range of products bearing his graphic designs as well as a series of collectible wooden dolls.
Check out the web site of the Girard Studio to see more of his works.
VitraHaus is Vitra’s flagship store on the Campus. One can see, touch, compare, test, and buy all of Vitra’s home and office furniture offerings here. We visited the Campus last year and this is the second of four posts. See the Campus overview here. Most of what is written below came from their web site which is very informative.
Designed to display the furniture brand’s Home Collection, the five-storey building consists of stacked volumes with pitched roofs covered in charcoal stucco.
The company commissioned Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron in 2006 to design the VitraHaus.
Each gabled end is glazed and cantilevers outwards up to five metres, creating the impression of a pile of houses.
A lift takes visitors to the fourth storey, where we started the circular tour. On that day, it was a space completed in different degrees of pink.
Internally, spiral staircases connect the intersecting interiors.
The furniture showrooms are seamless as one moves from one area to the next.
The lower floor is dedicated to office furniture.
In addition to the display area for the company’s products, there is an exhibition space for the chair collection of the Vitra Design Museum.
These collectible miniatures are everywhere in this building.
One can order a custom-made Eames chair at the Lounge Chair Atelier. The choice of every component can be made by the customer.
There is also the Vitra Design Museum Shop and a café with an outdoor terrace.
There was so much to see and buy in this building.
According to their website, the VitraHaus has a daytime view and a reversed night time view. During the day, one looks out onto the green landscape, but when darkness falls, the illuminated interior of the building glows from within, while its physical structure fades out. The glazed gable ends turn into display cases that shine across the Vitra Campus.
We did not stay late enough to see it.
Last year, IT and I went to visit the Vitra Campus – located just across the Swiss-German border in Weil am Rhein. Much of what is written below came from their web site which is very informative. They also have a great drone video of the campus here.
The Vitra Campus comprises a public and a private area. In the public space, you will find the Vitra Design Museum, the VitraHaus and the Vitra Silde Tower. The private area, where the production facilities are located, can only be accessed as part of an architectural tour (on which these photos were taken).
In 1981, a fire destroyed the majority of the production facilities used by Vitra. The resulting reconstruction provided an opportunity to produce various buildings with renowned architects. The company decided to built its own firehouse. The Vitra Fire Station was the first full-scale work by Zaha Hadid ever to be realised. See later post.
Nicholas Grimshaw was chosen as the first architect to rebuild the Campus. As the insurance funds only covered a six-month interruption in production, Grimshaw designed a factory constructed from simple prefabricated metal elements.
The horizontally striated façade made of corrugated sheet metal bears witness to the industrial purpose of the building as well as the technological competence of the company.
The Vitra Design Museum building was designed by the American architect Frank Gehry as his first project in Europe. See later post about this museum.
Designed by the Japanese architectural office SANAA, the Vitrashop Factory Building was completed in 2012. The building has a nearly circular footprint and consists of two adjoining semi-circular concrete shells.
The flowing character of the building’s exterior is created by a white curtain façade made of undulating acrylic panels.
Although the production hall is larger than any of the other factory buildings on the Vitra Campus, the façade gives it a light, almost floating appearance.
The Schaudepot is the second building on campus by the architects Herzog & de Meuron. The new structure was not yet opened when we visited but opened later in 2016. It combines the simple appearance of an industrial building with the complex requirements of a walk-in museum repository.
The sculpture was commissioned by the children of Vitra company founder Willi Fehlbaum as a gift for his seventieth birthday. It depicts the three main tools employed by upholsters who play a central role in the production of furniture.
Petrol Station. Jean Prouvé was an important engineer, architect and designer of the post-war era. He developed furniture and buildings based on carefully constructed metal structures produced in his own metalworking shop.
The Conference Pavilion by Tadao Ando was the architect’s first work outside Japan.
The centrepiece of the building consists of a sunken courtyard that seems to conceal the surrounding environment and lends the building an almost monastic tranquillity and intimacy.
Posts to come will cover the VitraHaus, Design Museum and the firehouse.
Dear Readers, Happy New Year !
Continuing with our first post of 2016, this post takes a look back at the places we visited in the first half of last year. In 2015, there were 94 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 650 posts. The post that had the highest number of views in 2015 was about our visit to a durian stand in a night market in Malaysia.
Click on links, where provided to read more about the places of interest. There are usually a series of related posts per location, you can discover them easily in the calendar at the bottom of the post.
After the UEFA Champions League Final game on a Saturday in June (click here to see the post), we stayed an extra day in Berlin. As expected on a Sunday, most of the shops were closed. So we were pleased to discover Volkswagon Group’s “flagship” store, not far from Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse 84/Unter den Linden. See the Forum’s site here.
Apparently, it was only a month old when we visited in June 2015. Following extensive remodelling with a completely new design, the former Automobil Forum reopened with all of VW group’s twelve brands under one roof.
The Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen trucks, Scania and MAN brands are presented.
The VW brand was represented by a rally race car.
Apparently, all Porsche dashboard looks the same.
In Europe, more than one in four cars are made by the group. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft is the largest company in Europe, apparently, and this is their communication platform on mobility.
Not following auto news, we had no idea that Lambo and Bentley are both VW brands.
The Lambo’s shark look is comical, as is the over-tanned rolly polly Bentley.
The Group operates 119 (May 26, 2015) production plants in 20 European countries and a further 11 countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Every weekday, 592,586 employees worldwide produce nearly 41,000 vehicles, and work in vehicle-related services or other fields of business. The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in 153 countries.
Interacting with digital exhibits, the visitors can discover both the past and present of the Volkswagen Group.
Of course, they are selling the brands here not the actual cars, but they sell books and other branded paraphrenalia. But the range of merchandise here pales in comparison with what was on offer at BMW Welt in Munich (click here to see the post).
There were several walls full of miniature models on display. The model cars were not available for sale. They serve a documentary purpose.
Volkswagen started producing Sambas in 1951. In the sixties this version became popular as a hippie bus. Instead of a sliding door at the side the Samba had two pivot doors. In addition the Samba had a fabric sunroof. At that time Volkswagen advertised with the idea of using the Samba to make tourist trips through the Alps. Sambas were standard painted in two colors. Usually, the upper part was colored white. The two colored sections were separated by a decorative strip. Further the bus had a so-called “hat”: at the front of the van the roof was just a little longer than the car itself to block the sun for the driver.
We assume they would make a model only if the real car existed – but Porsche police car ? Only in Germany !
The forum offers conference spaces and two restaurants – the eateries sounded interesting but we did not have time to try them.
A fun place to spend half an hour.
Just a quick post about what we ate while in Berlin. The places mentioned in these food diary entries are all memorable for various reasons and definitely recommendable.
Don’t remember why we wanted to have ramen in Germany. IT’s friend recommended this place Cocolo Ramen in Kreuzberg.
Since we were hungry, we took a cab from our hotel (near the zoo) to Kruezberg, an area with a lot of immigrants and a canal runs through it. The restaurent is on Paul-Lincke-Ufer. We were sure the driver did not take the most direct route.
This area feels a bit like the canal area in Milano – numerous bars and restaurants line the sides of the canal, very local and without the touristy fares. Click here to see our post on the Naviglio Grande in Milano.
Cocolo was packed on the outside since the weather was agreeable. We quickly found a table inside next to a big window.
The locals must love it because the inside was quickly filled up too.
Standard ramen on the menu. Nothing surprising. Authentic and tasty is how we would describe it.
Definitely worth the trip seeking it out if you crave ramen in Berlin.
But on the next day, we found a second Cocolo (probably its parent) in Mitte. Cocolo is apparently a growing enterprise.
Just a couple of short posts about what we ate while in Berlin. The places mentioned in these food diary entries are all memorable for various reasons and definitely recommendable.
KaDeWe is a large luxury department store in Berlin, equivalent to Harrods in London or Shinsegae in Seoul. They have the most extensive gourmet food retail area on the entire 6th floor.
I(Chris) had sang praises about this place in earlier posts, some of which reported on my attempt to count how many different types of sausages were available for sale in the store. If you are curious, click here and here to find out. At that previous visit, I was by myself and chose to enjoy a bowl of bouillbaise on a bar dedicated to serving this dish. Click here to see it.
This time, there were four of us, and since all the food bars were serving interesting and delicious-looking dishes. It took us quite a bit of walking around and debate among ourselves before settling down for the seafood and oyster bar, Austernbar.
The place was packed and the staff was very energized. One guy’s job was mostly opening oyster – he used a long hinged blade fixed onto the counter rather than a small shucking knife. He had to be fast. See the orders in front of him.
The variety of oysters on the menu was extensive – originating from Scottish waters (which was the tastiest in our opinion) to French Atlantic coast, around Sylt, and the Mediterranean, etc. We had a sampler of six different kinds.
IT had the smoked eel which was very tasty – just the right amount of smoky flavor with a touch of natural sweetness.
We also had a couple of grilled seafood platters. Yummy.
Definitely a fun place to have a chilled glass of champagne and oysters.
This June, we were the lucky guests of IT again for the UEFA Champions League Final 2015 which was held in Berlin, Germany.
Beside Sue and IT, we were joined by MW(HK) and MI(CH). We arrived at the Olympiastadion around dusk after much traffic congestion, despite being transported in a VIP bus provided by the game’s sponsors.
The Olympiastadion was built for the 1936 Olympic Games, the 11th Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler wanted to use the stadium for propaganda and ordered the construction of a new sports complex rather than renovating an existing Deutsches Stadion.
We waited quite a bit on the outside before being let in through a VIP entrance. As we learnt afterwards, there were as many as 5000 counterfeit tickets in circulation and UEFA was trying to deal with it outside the stadium.
The stadium was renovated in 2004 and hosted 6 matches including the final for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Its capacity is about 75,000 spectators – the largest football stadium in Germany.
The two teams in this year’s Champion League final are FC Barcelona, Spain and Juventus from Torino, Italy.
Juve was the underdog team.
We had seats in midfield, half way up the side facing the player’s entrance.
The Barça fans are on our left and Juve fans on the right.
The game started with a short opening ceremony.
Having been to Camp Nou – the clubhouse of FC Barcelona (click here for the post), I(Chris) knows the Barça team better. Now they have 3 South American star players – Messi, Neymar and Suarez.
The game was very exciting, top-level play, without excessive pushing or tripping. We were truly surprised when the half time whistle was blown as the game was so engrossing that we did not even look at our watches.
Barça won the game 3-1, being the overall better team. Juve had its moment after they scored an equalizer but their high spirit was quickly lost when Barça scored its second goal. Even before the third goal was scored in the last minutes of the game, it was all over for Juventus already.
This was our third attendance of a Champions League final game (lucky us) and this game was the most enjoyable to watch.
We saw the other two games – 2012 in Munich (Allianz stadium, Chelsea beat Bayern Munich, click here to see us holding the actual cup before the game and also here) and 2013 in London (Wembley, Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund, click here). The stadium and hospitality service in Berlin was better than Wembley and on par with Allianz.
H a p p y 2015 !
Now that we are back from our year-end vacation, we are taking a look back at some of the places we visited last year. This is the second of two posts; Part 1 is here.
The photos are organized in reverse chronological order. Some of the trips are business trips and some are vacations. Click the links where provided to see the actual posts. There are usually a series of related posts per location, they are uploaded around the same time – you can discover them easily in the calendar at the bottom of the post.
June 2014 – Val de Loire, France – It was a road trip with our “new” car and we saw V and her families.
Chez Liz, Orleans – thanks, we had a great time seeing every one.
April 2014 – Milan, Italy – I (Chris) went to see the Salone Internazionale del Mobile.
April 2014 – Korea – Sue went with her family for a tour.
February 2014, Chateau d’Oex, Switzerland with IT who came to see ballet, eat fondue and buy accordion.
January 2014, Times Square, New York. I (Chris) took this from the building where I worked many years ago on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 44th street.
We are wondering where we will go in 2015.
This is our first post of 2015. It is time to take a look back at some of the places we visited last year.
Some of you who knew me from New York probably think, judging from the posts here, that since we left for Switzerland, we travel a lot and do not spent much time on work. While it is true that I (Chris) get more vacation days per year now, workload is certainly heavier than before. So these vacations are really important counterbalances.
The photos are organized in reverse chronological order and there is a part 2 to come. Some of the trips are business trips and some are vacations.
There are usually a series of related posts per location, they are uploaded around the same time – you can discover them easily in the calendar at the bottom of the post.
We left on Christmas eve for Malaysia. The photos are being selected and touched up as we type.
Photos from first half of 2014 to come.
My (Chris’s) eyesight is not getting better and as a result, I have to change the prescription on my lens – it is getting thicker but not quite coke-bottle thick. I changed my glasses about six months ago.
I wrote about my loyalty to the ic! berlin brand of eyeglass here – click to see the other models I wore in the last 8 or so years.
I am sticking with this German, handmade-in-Berlin (handgefertigt in eigener herstellung, berlin) brand a third time around. In retrospect, the shape and curvature of my first pair were quite special; the second and now third are quite similar to each other and somewhat conventional.
It was a bit of a decision since they are well known for their light-weight frames made with sheet metal, as were my two earlier purchases. Now I am trying one of their plastic model.
The plastic model still uses their unique screw-less hinge that works by the springiness of the metal. Having a white middle layer seems very popular at the moment as many brands are coming out with it.
The frame is made with a three-layer sandwich of acetate resins – the one closest to the face is translucent light grey-ish blue, the middle layer is white and the outermost is imitation turtle shell. It is a big, size 56 frame.
The frame did not come with a nose bridge but the store ordered one from the factory specially for me.
The model is named Harmonic Oscillator and there is even a little diagram etched on the inner side of the frame to illustrate the concept. I have no idea how this concept is connected with the design of this frame. My first pair was named “roman” and the second pair was named “hotel neutor”.
The limbs of the frame are partially metallic and are finished with a matt brown coating (it says black although it is really dark dark brown to me). On closer inspection, the coating on the metallic part reflects multi-color light. Look at the spots of colors on the edges.
I am quite happy with it and hopefully my eyesight does not deteriorate too quickly.
The brand’s website is here. It appears that they now offer a factory tour, I will definitely check the place out when I am next in Berlin (hopefully in May 2015).
Several posts here are dedicated to the bookstores I have visited in other cities. For example, MIT Press bookstore in Boston and Livraria Cultura in Iguatemi, Saõ Paulo. This is my second post on a bookstore in Köln. The first one on Siebter Himmel is here.
Warning: there are only photos of books here, stacks and stacks of them !
This bookstore simply named Büchermarkt (book market) occupies at least three floors of this brick building on Breite Straße 79 , 50667 Cologne.
It may very well be a chain store and I just went to one of its branches. But this is one with the largest collection of art books I have seen recently. Very cramped and stocked with many different titles.
Near the entrance, they have the new and discounted books including many of the coffee table tomes put out by Taschen and Phaidon.
And then it is just wall-to-wall books. From fashion to fine art to film.
Even more liberal art and cultural books upstairs. I read somewhere that Cologne produces most of the TV shows of Germany. There is probably a sizable population of media types to keep such a bookstore alive.
There is a “balcony” where the two floors are connected by a double height space.
Without this double height space, it can feel very claustrophobic.
There is another floor… a narrow wooden staircase leading up … I have found the out-of-print section. There are some Artists’ books (Künstlerbücher) on display here.
There was a desk and a storekeeper at the top who asked me to leave my bag at the entrance. This place really felt like a library – the smell of old books. There were no price tags on the books here.
Art books are full of pictures. I can spend days in here even I do not read German.
I visited two very different bookstores in Cologne. Located in the Belgian Quarter (Belgisches Viertel), see our earlier post about the area here.
Siebter Himmel means Seventh Heaven.
It was quite a surprising discovery since I had no idea of what it was supposed to be when I first walked in.
Is it a bookstore, a gift shop or … ? Well, a bookstore and lifestyle/design store.
Our book and Design Shop “Seventh Heaven” was born from the belief that book and design can be connected to a special shopping experience. In a total of seven themed worlds, we satisfy your curiosity about unusual products, your right to quality and your desire for personal recommendations. … Expect the unexpected. Let yourself be inspired. Welcome to the “Seventh Heaven”.
It is a small shop with a deep and narrow footprint but they have managed to create several distinctive spaces within it. Quite a feat.
Mannequin on a swing !
Most of the books are in German.
They further subdivided into thrillers into political, nordic and regional.
Siebter Himmel is one of the best lifestyle-themed bookstore I have seen.
Glad that they did not have a coffee bar inside, just because every other bookstore already has one.
They sell clothings and music as well as design objects.
Every city should at least have one such bookstore ! See my earlier posts on some bookstores in Sao Paulo here and here.
My next post is on a more traditional bookstore, also in Köln.
Continuing with my exploration of the Belgian quarter of Cologne (see earlier post here), I came across this unusual combination of enterprises on Brüsseler Strasse 74-76.
The shop floor is divided into two halves, the front is a laundromat while the back is a retail store.
The two businesses share the same entrance.
So one pass the washing machines and dryers before getting into the skateboard and street wear shop.
This combination makes a lot of sense. I am not sure if they are both owned by the same business Rock On but their web site is here.
While the customers are waiting for laundry, they can peruse the merchandise of the store. The demogrpahics also make sense in that those who use a laundromat are likely to be interested in skateboard and paraphenalia.
There is also a waiting area near the entrance where one can ignore the retail activities in the back. One can read the papers and pick up leaflets for concerts and parties here.
But could the arrangement of the two businesses be reversed and give more exposure to the retail shop ? Just like supermarkets that place eggs and milk, the necessities in the corner furtherest from the entrance. | 2019-04-20T16:39:46Z | https://chrisnsue.wordpress.com/tag/germany/ |
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So, the first half of the Edinburgh and Lothians League is complete, and it gives us an opportunity to assess the performances of our various teams thus far.
Team 1’s composition for their Division 1 campaign was still up in the air in early September with Iain Johnstone the only name definitely on the team sheet! When he was eventually joined by Greig McDonell, David Melrose and Colin Green, on paper Team 1 looked like a difficult team to beat. When Week 2 saw Haddington secure a 5-5 draw, things were looking a bit dodgy! But other than that draw, Team 1 have not dropped another point. The first two weeks in November were crucial as first Murrayfield 4 (then top of the Division) visited Ladywood followed by a trip to title contenders Edinburgh International. When Team 1 came out of those matches with 4 points they had secured top spot in the Division. With neither Greig nor Colin available to play every week, there has been pressure on Iain and David to perform well – they have combined for 46 wins out of 60 matches played. When that is added to Greig and Colin’s combined total of 34 wins out of 39, the Team’s combined singles win rate is an excellent 80%. Doubles are always important to a team’s success, especially in close matches, and Team 1 have been undefeated in all of their 11 doubles thus far, including two crucial victories against Haddington which secured a draw and v Ed Int which gave them a 6-4 victory. So, a 3-point gap to Edinburgh International going into the 2ndhalf of the season. Team 1 know however that there are some really tough matches ahead. Edinburgh International will still fancy their chances of overturning that deficit and Murrayfield, Haddington and North Merchiston are all still in the hunt. It’s going to be a tough 2ndhalf.
Team 2 are facing a battle at the wrong end of the Division 1 table. Krzysztof Laszkiewicz, Gary McDougal and Charlie Brindley knew it was going to be tough to survive, Team 2 having only just avoided relegation last season. From 4-2 up in Week 2 v Murrayfield 5 they had to rely on a last match win to secure a 5-5 draw. From that point on, the team went on a horrendous run of 5 consecutive defeats. The last 4 weeks before the Xmas break, however, have been very positive for the Penicuik trio. When you’re struggling for points, matches against those teams around you are vitally important – they came out of their three games against Corstorphine 1, Fife 2 and Corstorphine 2 undefeated with two draws and a win. Those 4 points have moved them off the foot of the table and out of the relegation zone, but with 5 sides separated by only 2 points, it looks like this relegation battle is going to go down to the wire. Individually, there is definitely more to come from this trio, none of whom will be happy with their first half averages. Charlie leads the way but both he and Krzysztof are about 15% worse off than they were last season. As for Gary, if he plays like he did against Team 1’s prima donnas surely his average of just under 40% will also improve.
Team 3’s Division 2 campaign has been somewhat up and down in the first half of the season. James Wighton, Ian Hislop (when he’s not sunning himself abroad), Chris Markey (when he’s not gallivanting all over the country) and Abby Wighton look like a strong team on paper. Their problem this season is that there are two standout sides in Division 2. Edinburgh International 3 and Murrayfield 6 have been in superb form thus far. A 2-8 defeat to Ed Int and a 3-7 loss to Murrayfield leaves Team 3 4 points off top spot at Xmas. More annoying than those two defeats for Team Captain James, however, are two draws, one against a two-person University side, when Louis had to play up from Div 4 and the other, a night to forget v ESC. Had those draws been converted to wins, Team 3 would be very much in the hunt with the “big two”. As it is, it looks like they will have to reverse those two losses in the second half of the season, a difficult task against teams who have the two best players in the division as their number 1s, made all the more difficult by the fact that Ian, 3rdin the individual averages, will miss most of the second half. He has had a fantastic return in his 7 matches played, 19 wins out of 21 for 90%. Abby has shown that her season in the Premier has made her sharper, 23 wins out of 30 for 76%. James had a poor start to the season, but his end of year form should give him encouragement for the second half – he sits on 66%. Chris has hardly played, and his lack of match practice probably accounts for his 40% average. The second half will be tough, but Team 3 are still in with a shout of a promotion place.
Team 4 welcomed back to the Club, Tony Brentnall and Gavin Hunter and they joined forces with father and son duo, Julian and Sonny Taylor in Division 3. The youngsters of Murrayfield 9 look like certainties for the title but it’s then a bit of a dog fight for the second promotion spot, currently held by Haddington 3. Although Team 4 have lost 4 matches in the first half, each of those losses was by the narrowest of margins – four 6-4 defeats. The team’s capabilities can be seen by looking at their game difference totals – although fourth in the table, they have the second-best game difference (+38) - 74 wins v 36 losses. That’s a whopping 30 games better than the team above them in 3rdplace. Despite some dodgy results (we’ll try not to spend too much time on the match they agreed to rearrange which they then lost because they played without a regular third player) Team 4 are only 3 points behind second place and if they can convert some of those losses into draws or wins, they must still stand a great chance of promotion. After a slow start (he hadn’t played for over two years), Tony is starting to look like the player he was and has finished the first half with 75%. Julian has been leading the team by example, although will be irritated by a couple of bad losses – 77% for him. Meanwhile Sonny continues to show good promise – he seems to play better against better players – he will be hoping to push on from his 66% in the second half.
Team 5’s season has been a good one so far in Division 4. Craig Johnson, Stuart Bennett and Millie Bennett were bolstered this year by the inclusion of our second oldest player in the Club, 105-year-old John Bald. John’s experience has shown with only 3 defeats from 21 matches played. At the other end of the age range, 17-year-old Millie has also had an excellent season so far – only 5 defeats from 21 matches and with Craig winning 75% of his games, this trio have had a terrific first half. Whilst Stuart may be disappointed with his individual average, his contributions have been vital to the Team sitting top of the Division 4 table – in 3 matches won by a 6-4 scoreline, Stuart has picked up the vital 6thwin. That’s at least 3 points added to what may otherwise have been their points total at Xmas. Team 5 know they are in for a tough time in 2019 in what looks like being one of the most exciting divisions in the League. 2 points clear at the top, 3 points ahead of third place, but the top 8 are only split by 6 points! It seems like any one of 5 or 6 teams are capable of gaining promotion and that should result in this promotion race going down to the wire.
Team 6’s Division 4 season got off to the worst of starts with injuries to both Rachel Petrie and our oldest Club Member, Brian Bailey (is he really older than John Bald??). A team of 5 also included Louis McLeod, Adam Woodhouse and newbie, Craig Linton. Of their first four matches, two were played with only 2 players, one was conceded and the other resulted in a 7-3 defeat! They rightly claimed the title of the Club’s most shambolic team in the early part of the season. Perhaps buoyed by that criticism, Team 6 have done well since then to compete against everyone. Four 6-4 defeats were unlucky in the extreme, with their other four matches resulting in 2 wins and 2 draws. That must give Team 6 great confidence going into the New Year. Louis has led the way for Team 6 with 27 wins from 33 matches played (81.8%). Had Brian remained injury free, surely this side would have been challenging at the top of the Division. Craig, Rachel and Adam will be looking to turn some narrow losses into victories in the 2ndhalf of the season.
And finally, in Division 4, Team 7. This is our only unchanged team from season 2017/18. George Wilson, Phil Daly, Kristian Skotzen and Hannah McDonell have had some great nights in the first half of the season. They take much of the credit for Team 5 being top of the Division 4 table – the two sides who defeated Team 5 (WL 7 & WL 8) both came unstuck against Team 7! Had Kristian’s romance not got in the way early in the season, a 6-4 defeat with only two players at Fife could probably have been turned into a win. The early season form certainly let some vital points slip and yet by Xmas, they are one of the teams who genuinely seem to have a chance of challenging for a top 4 place (who knows maybe even for promotion – 4 points behind 2ndplace). Team Captain George sits 3rdin the individual averages with only 4 defeats from 27 games played. Whilst Phil had a great start to the season, he will be disappointed by his slight fall off in level in the run up to the Xmas break which sees him fall out of the top 10 with a 70%-win rate. Both Kristian and Hannah have improved hugely on their first season in the League. Last year Kristian finished with 20% - thus far he has more than doubled that to 43% whilst Hannah’s 2017/18 average of 6% has been multiplied more than 8 times as she sits with 51%. Good signs for Team 7 who have their sights set on a good run in the New Year.
Our Player of the First Half??? That’s a difficult one to judge. In terms of best percentage return, Ian Hislop leads the way with 90%. But hey, he’s arguably playing in a Division lower than he’s used to. Our Weekly Awards have seen three players receive the award on two occasions – well done to Millie, Abby and Hannah. Our most improved player?? According to Ratings Central that’s Hannah. But our choice of player of the first half is based on the importance of their wins not only to their own team’s position in the League but to the Club as a whole. This player has played up twice and won 6 out of 6 – add that to 23 out of 27 wins for their own team together with 6 out of 6 in two matches in the Handicap Cup gives this player a terrific record of 35 singles wins out of 39 played. In the Handicap Cup the two undefeated nights came in narrow 5-4 victories. When playing up, his undefeated night v Fife secured the win and his two undefeated nights against the teams 2ndand 3rd in the Division 4 table has resulted in Team 5 leading the way in Division 4. He has also increased his average by more than 30% from last season and according to Ratings Central is our most improved Senior player - well done to George for a fantastic first half.
And finally, our controversial moment of the first half – No – we’re not doing that – a new year is upon us – everything is going to run smoothly in 2019 and this piece is going to be redundant!
Happy New Year to all our Members and TT Friends from around the League and beyond. Whilst we hope that only Penicuik players will play well in the New Year, we hope 2019 will be a good one for all away from the table!!
Week 15 of the Edinburgh and Lothians League saw the Last 16 Round of the Handicap Cup take place with all four of our Teams having progressed past the 1stRound stage for the first time in memory!
Team 1 maintained the same trio from the first-round victory over Fife as they hosted Haddington. Julian Taylor (Scr), Charlie Brindley (-7) and Craig Johnson (+4) got off to a good start after Craig came back from 2-0 down to win Match 1 in 5 ends and that was followed by a good 3-0 win for Julian. Needing only 6 points, John Robson was too good for Charlie and the scores were then levelled as Bruce Murie, with a 2-point start, defeated Julian. Craig certainly likes getting his money’s worth as he then took 5 ends to give the home side the advantage again before the match was squared at 3-3 when Charlie lost out to Bruce in 3 straight sets. Match 7 always looked like it was going to be crucial to the outcome, Julian v John – 0-5 to 11 and when John squeezed home 11-9 in the first end it looked bleak for the hosts, but back came Julian with an 11-9 in the second. He was also well down in the third but brilliantly came back to level at 10-10 – maybe Julian thought the hard work had been done as he lost the next two points and with that a slump in confidence as John ran out a comfortable win in the fourth end. Never mind though, Penicuik’s best handicap on the night, Craig would then have a chance to send the match into the decider……… Eh hold on – for some reason, only known to Team 1, they chose to play Craig on the long matches, 1, 5 and 9 – instead it came down to Charlie to try and save the match and with a Handicap Cup record thus far this season of played 5 lost 5, it is fair to say hopes were not great that he could overturn a 0-9 deficit in a race to 18. In fairness to Charlie he played his best TT of the night, and at 1 set all the third set went all the way – an 18-16 loss however seemed to knock the stuffing out of Charlie and the Haddington trio secured the win needed for a 5-3 victory, Craig looking on in bewilderment as to why he had only played two matches!
Having defeated a Murrayfield side in Round 1, Team 2 faced another trip to Roseburn in their quest to reach the last 8. Gary McDougal (-4), David Melrose (-8) and Louis McLeod, (+6) faced Masoud Nowbaveh (Scr), Haydn Jackson (+3) and Colin Clark (-8). When Masoud dispatched Gary in 3 straight sets (without Gary getting anywhere near him) and Haydn then disposed of David, this looked like being a quick night for the visitors. Louis got the team on the board with a comfortable win against Premier Division player, Colin but the lead was extended again as Haydn wasted little effort in disposing of Gary. Tactically, unlike Team 1, Team 2 had this one right with Louis to play the “quick matches” ensuring, they hoped, that he would get his 3 played before the match was over – he duly won Match 5 before Colin defeated David to give the hosts a 4-2 lead. Louis ended his terrific night with a terrific 11-8 in the fifth win v Haydn and the match was still alive at 4-3. We’re told that Gary had virtually put his shoes on and was ready for the trip home before he remembered that he quite likes playing players who are supposedly better than him – a four end win for Gary over Colin and the match was levelled for the first time since the start of the evening. David v Masoud was to be the decider – and what a decider it was – 0-8 to 19 and the match swung one way and then the other – into the deciding end of the deciding match and still no one had a clue who was going to come out on top – would you believe it – deuce was reached in the 5th– 17-17 before David held his nerve for a terrific comeback win for the visitors. A 5-4 victory sent the Midlothian trio home over the moon.
Team 3 had a good win over West Lothian in Round 1 and they travelled to ESC with Abby Wighton (-5) Sonny Taylor (+3) and George Wilson (+4) looking to reach the quarter final stage. This match definitely deserves a better write up than it’s going to get but no-one from Penicuik has provided any details, other than the fact that George had another terrific night, undefeated and Sonny added two wins in a 5-3 victory for the visitors. Abby is slightly worried about her place in the quarter finals after a winless night!
And finally, in Week 15, Team 4 were ruthless in dropping 12 year old Hannah McDonell after a winless Round 1 for her (OK – maybe she was participating in a school concert or something like that) – she was replaced by James Wighton (-3) to join forces with Ian Hislop (-7) and Greig McDonell (-12) as they hosted Corstorphine, Stan Stoodley (-8), Amjad Mohammed (-6) and Alan Easton (+2). Although Ian lost in Match 1 to Stan, the hosts took control as both James and Greig had terrific wins v Amjad and Alan respectively. Stan restored parity with a comfortable win v James in Match 4 but further wins for Ian v Alan and Greig v Amjad put the hosts on the brink of a last 8 place at 4-2 up. Match 7 saw James take on Alan (0-5 to 14) and when James won the first end for the loss of only 3 points (14-8) the match was in the bag – off wandered Team Captain Greig to check out what was happening in Team 1’s match, relaxed in the knowledge that his night was over. When he returned for the handshakes, he found that Alan had won ends 2 and 3! Oh my goodness – a fourth end win for James and the hosts were back on track for a straightforward victory! Maybe not – the deciding end saw Alan play his best TT of the night for a 14-9 victory and suddenly the match was still alive. 9.40pm and suddenly a concession was a possible outcome – Matches 8 and 9 were hurriedly put on simultaneously – Team 1’s Craig and Charlie watched Greig’s first end v Stan (0-4 to 15) – they’d seen enough as Greig fell to a 15-2 defeat! Meanwhile Ian was involved in a mammoth first end with Amjad – in a match where the start was only 1 point in a race to 12, the first end went Ian’s way 19-17! Greig recovered for a 2ndend 17-15 win as Ian took control of his match with a 12-8 victory. As Greig won end 3 for a 2-1 advantage, Ian lost his third end – with Greig praying for a victory for Ian in end 4 he lost his fourth end only to see Ian lose his as well! How could it have come down to this!! At 10.15pm with the Ladywood Manager getting more and more annoyed both matches went into deciding fifth ends. Greig got a bit lucky as Stan missed a number of forehand drives as he secured a 15-9 victory in the deciding end (the other match was abandoned at 7-5 – who knows how that may have finished) and the most relieved man in the hall was none other than James!!
And so, to our Player of the Week Award for Week 15. There were undefeated nights for Greig, Craig, George and Louis – Craig only played 2 so for that reason and for allowing that bad tactical decision to be made he’s out of the running! George seemingly had a great night at ESC and clearly his 3 wins were crucial to Team 3 getting over the line – but he forgot to take a picture of the scorecard on his new I-Phone 3 (we’re sure it can take pictures) – so he’s out! And so it’s a straight fight between Louis and Greig – there can only be one winner can’t there? His great experience, coming back from big deficits, helping his teammates through, saving the day at the very last minute before being thrown out of the Centre…….. Hang on – according to our Player of the Week Committee, anyone who is able to return Haydn’s serves and hold his nerve against an aggressive young up and coming player and see his team through two rounds where he has been undefeated, not to mention putting up with oldies Gary and David deserves this week’s award – Well done Louis!
In the season of goodwill, we weren’t going to bother with a controversial moment this week but then we heard from that really nasty James about an incident at ESC in Week 15. One week, James is really nice, mild mannered, friendly and helpful and then the next week he is Mr Confrontation! That’s worth a write up in itself. In team 3’s match, George came back from the dead against one of his ESC opponents and gave out his now legendary yelp of joy when he secured the win. Maybe it was that which was taken exception to by his opponent who then declared for anyone who wanted to hear it that “he had just been lucky” and by inference didn’t really deserve the win. This seemingly went completely over George’s head who was oblivious to the comment. But hold on – one man in the room wasn’t prepared to let it go – step up Mr Confrontation himself, James. He challenged the ESC player and pointed out that George had deserved to win – support your teammates – even though James wasn’t even playing. Seemingly, the opposing players teammates also defended George’s win – George was still oblivious to it all – he was too busy thinking about being this week’s player of the Week well – nearly George!
It’s been a quick first half of the season. We’ll be back with a Round-up of the first 15 weeks next Sunday – in the meantime we would like to wish our Members and all our TT friends from around the League and beyond a very Merry Christmas.
Week 14 of the Edinburgh and Lothians League saw 6 of our 7 teams in action with all of them playing on Wednesday night.
Team 1’s last match before the festive break was made much simpler by their opponents, Corstorphine 2, showing up with only two players. Greig McDonell, David Melrose and Iain Johnstone didn’t lose an end as they racked up a straightforward 10-0 victory, a win which confirmed their spot at the top of the Division 1 table at the conclusion of the first half of the season.
Team 2 faced an important trip to Corstorphine 1 for a battle at the wrong end of the Division 1 table. Krzysztof Laszkiewicz, Gary McDougal and Charlie Brindley know they are in a bit of a battle to get away from the relegation zone and with Fife securing a surprise win against North Merchiston 3 to lift them of the foot of the table, this match was even more important. It transpired that the reason Corstorphine 2 were understrength against Team 1 was that one of their normal trio was playing up in this match! This really was one of those matches which could have been anything from a 7-3 defeat to a 7-3 win. Corstorphine’s top man, Stan Stoodley squeezed through in 5 against Charlie in match 1 before Krzysztof levelled the scores and Gary managed a 12-10 in the fifth win in match 3. When Charlie then won match 4 in five ends the signs were positive for the visitors as they led 3-1. Stan reduced the deficit and match 6 was then to prove pivotal. Team 2’s Dave Hall v Krzysztof – renewing their battle from a couple of weeks ago. The match see-sawed one way then the other, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 9-11 – the final end went all the way as Dave proved the importance of missing his Team 2 match with an 11-9 victory in the fifth. 3-3 going into the doubles and a comfortable win for the home side gave them their first lead since match 1 on the night. The Midlothian side, however, bounced back with wins in 4 ends for Charlie and Gary. The difference on the night was Corstorphine’s number 1, Stan – he completed an undefeated night in Match 10 as the spoils were shared between the teams, a 5-5 draw not really the result either team wanted but, in the end, probably a better point for Penicuik than for the hosts. Five teams within two points of each other at the foot of the Division 1 table with Team 2 a point clear of the relegation zone as the Christmas break arrives. It’s going to be a tough and nervy 2ndhalf of the season for Team 2.
Team 3’s Division 2 campaign has been somewhat up and down in the first half of the season and their last three matches have been tight anxious affairs (two 5-5 draws and a 6-4 win). They hosted Murrayfield 7 at Ladywood in need of a boost before the festive break. James and Abby Wighton were joined by Ian Hislop and when James squeezed home 11-9 in the fifth in Match 1, it looked like this was going to be another tense, close encounter. Abby, however, had other ideas as she didn’t drop a set in singles play and by the end of Match 6 the tie was over, 6-0 to Penicuik. Abby and Ian combined for the doubles win and with 5 and 4 end victories for Ian and James respectively in Matches 9 and 10 the whitewash was complete. A terrific result for the hosts and their promotion chances are just about still alive, 4 points behind 2ndplace as the first half of the season ends.
Like Team 1, Team 5’s night was made all the more straightforward as their opponents, North Merchiston 6 could only muster a two-player team for their Division 4 match. John Bald, Craig Johnson and Stuart Bennett knew that a win would guarantee top spot in the division and the result was never in doubt as the hosts made quick work of their opponents with a 9-1 victory, young Kai Hely providing the solitary win for the visitors. So, a terrific return for Team 5 in their quest for promotion but they know they will probably have to play just as well, if not even better, in the 2ndhalf of the season in what is probably the tightest of all 5 divisions. 7thplace is only 4 points behind the second automatic promotion spot and with the top 6 or 7 teams all capable of beating each other, this looks like being a battle for promotion which could go all the way to the last week of the season.
And finally, in Week 14, Team 6 played their second consecutive Derby match as they visited Team 7. Team 7 were on a high after their win over WL 8 the previous week but with other commitments (or as some at the Club saw it, a desire to protect his average), Team 7’s top man, George Wilson sat this one out. Phil Daly, Kristian Skotzen and Hannah McDonell therefore hosted Team 6 of Louis McLeod, Rachel Petrie and Craig Linton. Louis has, without doubt, been Team 6’s rock in the first half of the season with 25 out of 30 wins going into this match. Team 7 without Captain George appeared to have, in their minds at least, conceded three to him before the match started! When Kristian lost the opening match in 3 uninspiring ends to Rachel, Team 7 knew they were in for a long night. Hannah v Louis perhaps gave the “home side” some hope – it looked plain sailing for Louis with an 11-7 win in the first end but back came Hannah with an 11-5 win in the second. 15-13 in the third to Louis would surely knock Hannah’s confidence – it seemed to make her more determined as she won the 4th11-4! 10-10 in the fifth and this match could go either way – Louis gave the biggest sigh of relief ever seen at Ladywood as he squeezed over the line 12-10. No panic yet for Team 7 though, their replacement Captain and 500+ rated player Phil would take care of new boy Craig to get Team 7 on the scoreboard. Eh, a 4-end loss for Phil and suddenly Team 7 were 3-0 down and in big trouble! Matches 4 and 5 on the night were to prove crucial – first Hannah won in five ends against Rachel before Kristian came back from 2-0 down to do the same against Craig. 3-2 and Team 7 were back in the hunt. But in the blink of an eye, Louis defeated Phil and the “Kristian and Hannah” doubles combination faltered against Louis and Craig – a 5-2 advantage for Team 6 who were surely now on course for their second consecutive victory. Phil found his first win of the night against Rachel in Match 8 and Hannah kept the match alive with a win against Craig in what was probably the most entertaining match of the night. It was therefore left to Louis to secure the victory against Kristian – but hold on an 11-5 victory in the second end for Kristian and suddenly there were thoughts of an amazing comeback – but when Louis then won the third 11-5 and took 8-2, 9-4 and 10-7 leads in the fourth this match was over – not a bit of it – with some great attacking play, Kristian came back for a 13-11 win in the fourth – he was down in the fifth as well but kept in it and when he brought the scores level at 9-9 in the deciding end the unthinkable became possible – two serves from Louis drifted slightly long and with the same positive attitude that he always shows, Kristian went for both of them with topspin forehand returns and won both points for an amazing comeback victory. A fair 5-5 result in the end? Team 6 didn’t think so – after the start they had they should have won this match at a canter.
And so, to our Player of the Week Award for Week 14. Ian H, James and Abby were the only players to play three singles and win all three this week - all of Team 1 and John and Craig from Team 5 are disqualified because their undefeated nights were against two-player teams! There were some notable 2’s this week – Charlie and Gary’s wins were crucial in securing a draw for Team 2 whilst there has to be mention made of Kristian and Hannah winning two matches each and none more crucial (and astounding) than Kristian’s comeback from the dead to defeat Louis – but you can’t win it two weeks in a row Kristian, and in fairness your team would have won had you defeated Rachel! Our selection criteria is back this week to “who won most comfortably” and in style! Our winner this week played 12 ends of Table Tennis and won them all - Well done to Abby, Week 14’s player of the Week – and in part she wins due to her efforts to manipulate the selection process by passing on to Hannah at the end of the night how brilliantly she’d played and how she had strolled through the match without losing an end! Looks like Phil might have some competition for the “blow your own trumpet award”. Well done Abby.
Team 5 top the Division 4 table at Christmas but are being hounded by West Lothian’s Teams 7 and 8. Both of those teams have bizarrely inflicted defeats on the league leaders. After Team 5’s loss to WL8, an enquiry was made of the league regarding the “ineligible player rule”. Those who pay particular attention to these things (well done George – but maybe you should get a life) noticed that one of the players who played in that match had played up more than the permissible amount of times from Team 9 but had played one match for WL 4 – the rule is clear that in such a scenario the player becomes committed to the highest team he / she has played for. We should point out that this controversy is not about anything that WL have done – the player in question is clearly a Division 4 player and it would be ludicrous to have committed that player to playing in Division 2. The issue relates to the non-transparency of decisions made by the League to “excuse” the one play up which would ordinarily have resulted in the player being committed to the higher team. Surely in a situation where other Clubs are affected by such a ruling, they should be notified that such a ruling has been made? If that had happened, the issue would not have arisen in the manner it did. There may of course in some situations still be an argument to be had regarding the decision made but in this scenario it was a done deal and other Clubs are completely in the dark about it – that leaves WL, in this case, in a difficult situation – they are then faced with a potential challenge which could have significant effects on their Team when they have done nothing wrong in raising the matter with the league and obtaining their approval to continue in the manner they did! As our friend and former Chairman of WL, John M has repeatedly indicated to the League, transparency is key!
And finally, non-playing coaching roles comes under the microscope!
Team 6 were slightly aggrieved this week by the coaching in certain matches by El Presidente of two Team 7 players! They just about excused his coaching of Hannah – she is his daughter after all – but were heard to complain vociferously regarding the coaching of Kristian in two crucial matches against Craig and Louis! We think Team 6 are perhaps giving too much credit to his coaching ability!! We’re not sure what the rule is for “nominating” a non-playing captain / coach at the beginning of a match but certainly everyone at the Club is aware that for Team 6, Brian fulfils that role when he is available and El Presidente keeps a close eye on Team 7! The fact that Brian wasn’t there to provide some guidance to Team 6 probably highlighted the issue and perhaps the real issue has nothing to do with the League rules and was more about whether our Club President should be a neutral Switzerland type of observer rather than someone who was seen to be “taking sides”. Hmmm – an interesting one?? Our Club President’s response? He was unavailable for comment – seemingly he was too busy out for a pre-Xmas meal with Team 7 celebrating their comeback draw and plotting against Teams 5 and 6 for the second half of the season!
Week 15 sees the return of the Handicap Cup – that will proceed without any difficulty!! Good luck to our 4 teams still in the Competition – let’s see if at least one of them can still be involved post Xmas!!
Week 13 of the Edinburgh and Lothians League was Derby Week for the Club with Teams 1 and 2 in action in Division 1 and Teams 5 and 6 locking horns in Division 4.
With the way Team 1’s free weeks have fallen, the last time Greig McDonell, David Melrose and Iain Johnstone played together was about 6 weeks ago. It has been much much much longer though since there was a derby match between the Club’s top two teams (we think at least 15 years!) Team 2 called up James Wighton from Team 3 to join Krzysztof Laszkiewicz and Gary McDougal as they looked to spring a surprise on Team 1. After the first round of singles matches, a surprise result looked about as likely as there being nothing controversial to report this week as David, Iain and Greig all secured fairly straightforward victories. In the next round of singles there were further wins for Greig and Iain. David came up against an in-form Gary (who had taken an end of Iain in his first match) and David looked bewildered by Gary’s funny bat “attacking play” as he lost out in 4 ends. Greig decided he needed a closer look at Gary in the doubles so chose himself and David to face Krys and Gary and a three-end victory resulted. The match was over as a contest with a 6-1 advantage to Team 1. Fresh from viewing Gary up close, Greig then realised that it maybe wasn’t just David’s inability to play unorthodox players which cost him the win as Gary stormed into a 2-0 lead. The match was pulled back to 2-2 before Gary, who never stopped attacking, secured another terrific win, leaving Greig shell shocked. Wins for David and Iain rounded off an 8-2 victory for Team 1, a result which returned them to the top of the Division 1 table.
As the 1 v 2 Derby match was taking place, in the other half of the hall, Team 5 of John Bald, Craig Johnson and Stuart Bennett took on Team 6 of Louis McLeod, Rachel Petrie and Adam Woodhouse. Team 5 knew that a win was essential to get their momentum going again after a disappointing defeat to WL 8 the previous week which had resulted in them losing top spot in the Division 4 title race. Louis has been a stalwart for Team 6 in recent weeks and he started the night off with an 11-9 in the fifth victory against John. Three wins on the bounce followed for Team 5 to give them the advantage before Louis was victorious against Craig. Match 6 between Stuart and Rachel was always going to be pivotal. When Rachel took a 2-1 advantage it looked like the match score was going to be levelled at 3-3 but back came Stuart to level at 2-2. Rachel got off to a cracking start in the final end and changed sides at 5-2 up and looked in control against a dejected Stuart. From there, however, something changed as Rachel won only one more point as she went down to an 11-6 fifth end defeat and Team 5 secured a crucial 4-2 lead. The doubles was equally as close. Rachel and Louis pulled back from 2-1 down to force a fifth end but seemed to run out of steam in the 5th losing 11-7. A point secured for Team 5 and that was quickly turned into two points as Craig defeated Adam in Match 8. In the end Team 5 comfortably won 7-3, Louis providing the three wins for Team 6 – but this match really could have been very different if matches 6 and 7 had gone the other way.
Team 5's win briefly put them back to the top of the Division 4 table but they needed a favour from Team 7 to keep them there. They travelled to Bathgate trying to prevent WL 8 from returning to top spot. Having lost 7-3 to WL 9 the previous week, hopes were not too high for Team 7’s chances. Perhaps WL 8 took them too lightly as well – in what must be one of their best victories of the season, George Wilson, Phil Daly and Kristian Skotzen secured a fantastic 7-3 win to ensure that by Thursday morning Team 5 had retained their position at the top of the table. George’s form of late is worthy of special mention – he’s won 23 out of 27 matches whilst playing for Team 7 and has played up twice for Team 5 winning six out of six – that’s 29 out of 33 singles matches won this year compared to last season where he finished with 29 wins for the whole season – what a terrific improvement and if he can keep it going he’s surely in with a chance of being our “player of the Season” by April.
Staying in Division 4, Team 6 had the opportunity of putting their derby disappointment behind them as they faced Edinburgh International on Friday night. And it was a positive bounce back performance by Team 6 as they secured an 8-2 victory against a two-man side. Another undefeated night for Louis was added to by wins from both Rachel and Craig Linton.
Team 3 faced a trip to Edinburgh Sports Club in Division 2 and for the second match in a row they were involved in a tight tense affair. James Wighton was joined by daughter, Abby and Chris Markey and when Abby lost a tight five-ender in Match 1, the visitors knew they were in for a tough night. Wins for James and Chris gave the Midlothian trio a 2-1 advantage before ESC then recorded two wins out of the next three matches to bring the scores level at 3-3. A win for James and Chris in the doubles saw Team 3 once again hold the advantage only for Match 8 to go the way of the home side – 4-4 going into the last two singles and the match was in the balance again – a win for Abby secured a point in Match 9 but James couldn’t quite pull off the victory as the spoils were shared between the teams – probably a fair result in a match where neither team ever held more than a 1 game advantage.
After winning last week’s award for the most shambolic team, Team 4 had a point to prove as they took on ESC 4 at Ladywood in Division 3. Julian Taylor, Tony Brentnall and Sonny Taylor were in fine form as they raced out of the blocks and never looked back. In probably his best performance since returning to the Club, Tony was in terrific form in not dropping a set whilst Sonny bounced back from a couple of difficult matches as he too was undefeated. Going for a 10-0 whitewash victory, Team Captain Julian stumbled at the last hurdle as ESC won match 10 on the night. A terrific 9-1 victory for Team 4 returned them to third place in the Division 3 table.
And so to our Player of the Week Award for Week 13. Iain, Tony, Sonny, Louis and George were all undefeated this week in singles play. We’ve already commented upon the terrific play from George this season and he was crucial in Team 7’s win against then League Leaders WL 8 – but he lost the doubles! (and you won the award in Week 4, George – don’t be greedy!) Special mention also goes this week to Louis who has won 25 out of 30 matches for Team 6 – without him, Team 6 would have taken some real batterings – but Louis, you also lost the doubles so you’re out of the running! Tony and Sonny were both undefeated for Team 4 – Tony never dropped a set – but hold on, ESC voted Sonny as Player of the Match – what did you do to antagonise your opponents Tony?? Sonny also won the doubles, but wait a minute, we think Tony played a better match than you Sonny so you’re both out of the running! That only leaves Iain – he never played in the doubles – it would be unfair to award it to him! This award is not just about being undefeated – two players stand out from the crowd – in the Division 1 Derby match not only did Gary play some fantastic TT in defeating two players rated much higher than him (allegedly 300 and 200 points behind Greig and David respectively), but he did so whilst completely maintaining his control whilst his opponents were losing theirs! He had the confidence to keep on attacking and the concentration to ignore some mind games from the other end of the table – a terrific night for Gary and you were so nearly our player of the Week! That award, however, goes to a player who hopefully has made a breakthrough in match play over the last few weeks. His two wins were not just hugely important to his own team’s victory, they were also crucial to keeping Team 5 at the top of the Division 4 table and who knows how important that might be at the end of the season! He also defeated a player rated more than 200 points higher than him and unlike previous matches, he managed to pull through two tight five-enders – Well done to Kristian, Week 13’s player of the Week.
Umpiring again came under the microscope at Penicuik on Wednesday. In Team 4’s match v ESC, there were issues raised regarding the service rule and what amounted to a legal service. This first reared its head during a game umpired by ESC involving Julian. Julian was pulled up as it was indicated that he wasn't serving from the flat of his palm and it looked like the ball was touching his fingers. After a slight re-adjustment he just carried on with the game, aware of the apparent issue. According to Julian this may have actually ended up putting off his opponent more than him. So, an Umpire who had clearly been reading up on the rules! Well maybe not – in a chat afterwards with said Umpire it was seemingly mentioned that the only reason Julian had been pulled up was because Chris from Team 3 had pulled up said Umpire the previous evening when he had been playing up in Division 2!! Team 4’s view was that this, and another incident when Sonny was pulled up by another ESC umpire, somewhat spoiled what was otherwise a well-tempered game.
But hey, if there are infringements to the service Rule, they should be pulled up. The problem, as we see it, is that there is so much inconsistency about the enforcement of this Rule that it causes ill-feeling when it is raised! If everyone took the same view on the Rule, then at least serving in general would probably improve. As it is, those who do bring it up are viewed as pedantic and are seen to be argumentative and confrontational. People get upset by being told that they are doing something illegal – they shouldn’t but it’s a natural reaction. Of course, the other thing we need to all accept is that the Umpire is always right! It’s his / her job to enforce the Rules. Challenging the Umpire, a la John McEnroe, doesn’t help and is not conducive to a happy atmosphere – just ask Krzysztof – he had to put up with our President’s various challenges to his Umpiring errors this week (sorry decisions not errors!) The Umpire is always right – unless it’s not in your favour!
Only one week of league play left before the first half of the season comes to an end – where has the time gone?? Roll on Week 14.
Week 12 of the Edinburgh and Lothians League was a very busy one for the Club with all of our seven teams in action.
Team 1 saw the return of Iain Johnstone after missing the last two matches and the rotation system was back in operation with Colin Green replacing Team Captain Greig McDonell who chose instead to watch some torrid stuff from Team 7 at Bathgate! David Melrose, fresh from some sunshine abroad, completed the team (Please can everyone else note that David, although on holiday during the season, had his week away during a free week – top marks to him!). Murrayfield 5 were the opposition at Roseburn and their position in the league table seems to be somewhat out of kilter with their abilities. Match 2 on the night was a classic between former Penicuik young gun Luke Hennessey and the returning Iain. At 2-0 down Iain was in trouble but he dug deep to win the final 3 ends for a great comeback win – Luke, who doesn’t hide his emotions very well, didn’t take that defeat too well. He put that behind him, however, when he continued his good form against David – 3 times in a row he’s now come out on top. The home side’s only other victory though was provided by Stella who defeated Iain as Team 1 continued their good form with an 8-2 victory.
Team 2’s Division 1 season has been a struggle so far. They faced two crucial matches in Week 12 against teams also in relegation trouble. On Wednesday night Gary McDougal, Charlie Brindley and Krzysztof Laszkiewicz faced Fife 2 at Ladywood. The night started brilliantly for the hosts with good 5 and 4 end wins for Charlie and Krzysztof, but Fife roared back with the next 3 matches before Gary restored parity with a match 6 win – 3-3 with the doubles next up. Gary and Krzysztof combined for a crucial win before Fife’s Lance Stockdale completed an undefeated night to level the scores again at 4-4. Gary secured a point and it was left to Charlie to play match 10 – with Team 2’s first win within touching distance Charlie lost a 1-0 advantage to go 2-1 down – with his teammates nerves shattered he levelled the contest before a fifth end marathon which went the distance – 13-11 in favour of Charlie to the relief of all home supporters.
The following night the same trio hosted bottom of the table Corstorphine 2. Could they pull off 4 points in a week. At 3-2 up it looked positive for the hosts but matches 6 and 7 were pivotal. Two fifth end losses for the hosts and they were suddenly 4-3 down and it got worse when Krzysztof lost match 8 in 3 straight sets. A defeat was suddenly on the cards but back came Gary and Charlie to win the final two matches to secure a 5-5 draw. A point gained? After an off night for Gary and Krzysztof it was a good point but against a previously pointless opposition, Team Captain Krzysztof felt this was a missed opportunity. Nevertheless, having started the week second bottom of the Division, 3 points out of 4 has moved the team up the table to 4th bottom, 2 points clear of the relegation zone.
Team 3’s scheduled fixture v West Lothian 4 in Division 2 was postponed at the request of WL. Looks like James Wighton is trying to wrestle back the nicest team captain award. They however played a match v Haddington, brought forward from the New Year. James was joined by Chris Markey and Abby Wighton as they travelled to East Lothian. Having defeated Haddington 10-0 at home only 3 weeks ago this was going to be a walk in the park for the visitors wasn’t it? It proved to be anything but! Chris showed probably his lack of match practice with only one win and Abby lost a bad one to a player playing up from Div 3. With a father and daughter loss in the doubles, suddenly the pressure was on James to make no mistakes. And he showed his true form with an undefeated night to secure a nervy 6-4 victory for Team 3.
This week’s award for the most shambolic team of the week goes to Team 4. They granted a postponement to Edinburgh International who couldn’t field a full team on the scheduled match night – and guess what – Team 4 then couldn’t field a full team. Millie played up from Division 4 but in a match, which went the distance, the home side really only have themselves to blame after a 6-4 defeat. Team Captain Julian almost salvaged a draw but lost the last match of the night 12-10 in the fifth. They’ll need an unbeaten second half of the season to try and secure a promotion spot.
In Division 4 there was a top of the table clash between Penicuik 5 and West Lothian 8. Having defeated WL9 the previous week, Stuart and Millie Bennett and Craig Johnson were hoping to give themselves some breathing space at the top of the Division. When the West Lothian trio raced into a 4-1 lead this match looked over. A crucial win for Stuart kept the visitors in it but a loss in the doubles ensured a point for the Bathgate side. Craig then inflicted only the second defeat of the season on Dave Stephen before Millie won match 9 to reduce the deficit to 5-4. The difference on the night, however, was Tommy Hamill who completed an undefeated night for him and with it a 6-4 victory for the hosts. Disappointment for Team 5 but they know that two wins to finish the first half will see them return to the top of the Division.
Team 6 also faced two matches in Week 12 and it was a week to forget for them. Wednesday night saw them host West Lothian 7, who themselves are still heavily involved in the promotion race. Louis McLeod won 2 and Craig Linton won 1 and they combined for a 5 set doubles win in a narrow 6-4 defeat. The following night, Rachel Petrie replaced Adam Woodhouse, but it made no difference as Haddington 5 secured a 6-4 win. Louis was again the player of the match for the visitors with 3 out of 3 singles wins, whilst Craig added one win. With Louis and Craig having had a good run in the doubles, it was perhaps surprising that Rachel replaced Craig to join Louis - it nearly paid off but, on this occasion, a 12-10 final end defeat resulted in another narrow loss.
And finally, in Week 12, Team 7 lined up with George Wilson, Phil Daly and Hannah McDonell as they visited West Lothian 9 looking for an unprecedented 4th victory on the bounce! The less said about this match the better. Team 1 captain Greig spent the night wishing he’d gone instead to Murrayfield – at least there seemed to have been some fireworks there. A somewhat lacklustre performance from the visitors saw them fall to a 7-3 defeat. The highlight of the night was 5 points in a row from 10-3 down by a completely disinterested and out of sorts Hannah due to the promise of a McFlurry on the way home if she could show some interest! Pity this was the last match of the night – a tactic though which may be used in future matches at an earlier stage!
And so to our Player of the Week Award for Week 12. Colin and James were the only two players undefeated this week in singles play. But there were also notable performances this week from Louis and Charlie with 5 wins out of 6 singles played. Unfortunately for Louis those 5 wins were not enough to even win a point for Team 6. The undefeated night for James included a doubles loss so sorry James not this week! A late contender for the award is Phil – despite a shocking night for him at West Lothian, he gave our intrepid Reporter two boxes of chocolates – a bribe? If only he’d played better, he was a cert for the award this week! For the importance of his 5 singles wins to his team – including two last match wins to secure a draw and a victory well done to Charlie!
With umpiring taking centre stage recently and Clubs being told to have their umpires take more control of matches, we think Corstorphine may have missed the relevant email. In their match against Team 2 this week, a rather toxic atmosphere was created by one of their trio who took exception to an edge being given to the home team player. It wasn’t an edge claimed the opponent. Charlie, who was playing the match, said it definitely was an edge – umpire and Mr Nice Guy, Krzysztof gave it as an edge to Charlie much to the annoyance and frustration of the visiting player. No doubt fuelled by that, the poor atmosphere rumbled on as the opposing player then started to question the fact that Charlie was supposedly using “speech play” to disrupt the match and no doubt his concentration. The alleged unfair actions apparently related to very occasional grunts from Charlie as he played certain shots – nothing untoward so far as we understand the rules.
It got worse seemingly as the same player then had a moan about young Sonny, who was playing a different match, because he was walking, outwith the playing area, supposedly in his vision. Words were seemingly exchanged, and the resulting atmosphere was entirely unnecessary.
Team Captain Krzysztof was greatly irritated by all of this – not because of a lack of respect towards him as an umpire, not because of the, on one view of it, ridiculous behaviour, but because he had been helpful and generous in agreeing to a postponement of this match because the opposing team at the scheduled date had all been unavailable due to a certain Football Derby Match in Edinburgh!! He had rearranged this match to a Thursday, much to the ire of other club members as it interfered with Club night, much to the annoyance of his own teammates who had to play two matches in two days - and the thanks he gets was this!
Lesson learned for Krzysztof – be more like that nasty James Wighton and just point-blank refuse postponements – we’ve got far too many nice people in our Club!! | 2019-04-22T16:29:47Z | https://www.penicuiktabletennis.com/news--results/archives/12-2018 |
Lack of access to health care is a persistent condition for most African indigents, to which the common technical approach of targeting initiatives is an insufficient antidote. To overcome the standstill, an integrated technical and political approach is needed. Such policy shift is dependent on political support, and on alignment of international and national actors. We explore if the analytical framework of social exclusion can contribute to the latter.
We produce a critical and evaluative account of the literature on three themes: social exclusion, development policy, and indigence in Africa–and their interface. First, we trace the concept of social exclusion as it evolved over time and space in policy circles. We then discuss the relevance of a social exclusion perspective in developing countries. Finally, we apply this perspective to Africa, its indigents, and their lack of access to health care.
The concept of social exclusion as an underlying process of structural inequalities has needed two decades to find acceptance in international policy circles. Initial scepticism about the relevance of the concept in developing countries is now giving way to recognition of its universality. For a variety of reasons however, the uptake of a social exclusion perspective in Africa has been limited. Nevertheless, social exclusion as a driver of poverty and inequity in Africa is evident, and manifestly so in the case of the African indigents.
The concept of social exclusion provides a useful framework for improved understanding of origins and persistence of the access problem that African indigents face, and for generating political space for an integrated approach.
Access to health care for the African indigent populations has been an unsolved issue for several decades now. In the last quarter of the 20th century, economic crisis, structural adjustment and the introduction of cost recovery for health services have exacerbated the problem but also triggered some compensatory policy responses [1, 2], mainly in the form of fee exemption mechanisms. Ten years after the launch of the Bamako initiativea in 1987, Gilson pointed out that those exemptions were rarely implemented, and–if implemented–usually ineffective in protecting the poorest [3, 4]. Already in 1988–in a World Bank study on cost recovery in Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast and Ghana–Vogel noticed: “It seems indeed ironic that almost every government official that was interviewed expressed concern for the poor in discussing changes in user charges, but at the same time freely admitted that the existing pattern of expenditure was extremely inequitable” .
At least in international circles, equity became a concern and by the end of the century, Stierle and colleagues provided a comprehensive review of concepts and policy measures specifically related to indigents in sub-Saharan Africa .b First of all, the authors observed a widespread lack of precision on how to define indigence. They noted that the complex concept of indigence “covers, at least and interdependently, the dimensions of poverty and social exclusion” and that “the distinction between poverty and indigence seems particularly important for countries where the majority of people are poor”. Framing indigence as more than extreme poverty, Stierle and colleagues kept clear of the widespread confusion between the two notions. The authors also distinguished two fundamentally different approaches–which they termed ‘technical’ and ‘political’–for improving access to health care for the African indigents. On the one hand, the (more common) technical approach–within a depoliticised conceptualisation of indigence/poverty–reduces the challenge of indigents’ access to technical tasks, specifically to the identification of the indigents and effectively targeting services to them. On the other hand, the (less common) political approach seeks to reduce inequalities and to address the causes of poverty and exclusion, in order to improve the health status of the indigents . Eventually–spelling out indigence as “the advanced state of poverty and social exclusion” and taking stock of the limited success of a segregated technical approach that had been unable to break the circle of poverty and to counteract social exclusion–Stierle and colleagues made a case for the integration of the technical and the political approaches .
Apposite as Stierle and colleagues’ proposal might have been, it has rarely been applied in practice. Until today, the issue of indigence has been mainly dealt with in a narrow social protection framework, increasingly based on targeted social assistance. Considerable efforts have been made to make targeting more effective through better identification of the poor, mainly at project [7, 8], but also at national level [9, 10]. Yet, for most African indigents, the results are as disappointing today as they were more than a decade ago. In West Africa–as Ridde pointed out–“30 years after Alma-Ata and 20 years after the B(amako) I(nitiative), the worst-off still do not have access to care” . Such lack of progress should prompt all actors involved to seriously question mainstream policy.
Today, we have much more evidence than Stierle and colleagues could have had more than a decade ago to reassert that targeting is necessary and indispensable, yet insufficient on its own. The case for integrating the technical into a political approach is stronger than it ever was, but to bring about this policy shift remains an enormous challenge [12, 13]. As Niño-Zarazúa and colleagues posited when contemplating the recent evolution of social protection in sub-Saharan Africa, “Getting the politics right may be as important, or even more important than getting the initial technical design of programs right”. Cautioning against optimism, they see the alignment of donors and national actors in favour of long-term social policy as a prerequisite–a condition that is still rarely fulfilled today .
In this paper we go one step further and argue that the analytical framework of social exclusion can contribute to bring about this desired change.
We produce a critical and evaluative account of the literature on three themes (social exclusion, development policy and indigence in Africa) and their interface. As the aim of the underlying literature review is to actualise understanding of these complex themes and their possible interactions, our review method chosen is essentially narrative. We (re)introduce and appraise the concept of social exclusion, how it has been interpreted and how it can be construed, how it has been both valued and neglected, and how relevant it was and remains in the African context. We assert that purposeful analysis of the pathways of social exclusion within African societies–including within programmes and projects aimed at benefiting the excluded–strengthens the case and can generate political space for a comprehensive and integrated approach to social policy. Eventually, among other positive impacts of the latter, improvement in the conditions of the indigents is expected.
In most early reviews of social exclusion [15–19], the initial use of the term social exclusion is attributed to the French secretary of state Lenoir’s publication on ‘les exclus’, those unreached by a failing welfare state .c With hindsight, this framing might have done more harm than good. Unlike the sociologist Elias, who had unravelled exclusion in relational terms a decade earlier , the politician Lenoir pinpointed categories of excluded in a very particular context. Matching seamlessly with a notion of residual social policy that soon would confirm its prominence in poor countries within their World Bank-backed Poverty Reduction Strategies , the focus on status and individuals more than on causes and processes provided a strong rationale for a targeted approach. In the case of the African indigents, this just meant more of the same: “individualized solutions to a general social problem” . In addition, the emphasized conceptual origin of social exclusion in well-off welfare states, made it all too easy for the political elites in poor countries with high poverty rates to dismiss the concept entirely.
When social exclusion started permeating global vocabulary in the aftermath of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development , European policymakers had already adopted the concept. France had introduced its ‘Revenu minimum d’insertion’ in 1988, the United Kingdom set up a ‘Social Exclusion Unit’ in 1997, and Scotland a ‘Social Inclusion Division’ and ‘Social Inclusion Network’ in 1998, to name a few. These national initiatives differed markedly, not only because of different local contexts but also because of distinct understandings of what social exclusion is and how it should be addressed. Even so, they had one thing in common: a compensatory approach to deal with the consequences of social exclusion. The European ‘Poverty 3’ programme (1989-1994) consolidated the shift from poverty to exclusion in the social policy discourse. More recently, European policymakers started paying due attention to the structural, relational and personal dimensions of social exclusion, and to the experiences of the excluded themselves. In the more academic field, Nobel prize laureate Amartya Sen reframed Adam Smith’s not “being able to appear in public without shame” as “a capability deprivation that takes the form of social exclusion” .
When the International Institute for Labour Studies conducted a worldwide research project on social exclusion to inform the 1995 World Summit for Social Development (WSSD), social exclusion was still principally presented as “a state of affairs” and “material poverty (…) as a particular form of social exclusion” . The WSSD did a great job in putting both poverty and social exclusion on the global political agenda. Yet, the focus on exclusion as outcome more than process paved the way for a perpetuation of a residual poverty approach.
It took the research community some time to take a conceptual stand in favour of social exclusion as a process. Arjan de Haan was one of the first to stress that the relevance of the concept basically consisted in its focus on processes, causes and mechanisms that led to deprivation . Amartya Sen took a similar stand in the debate: “The helpfulness of the social exclusion approach does not lie (…) in its conceptual newness, but in its practical influence in forcefully emphasizing–and focusing attention on–the role of relational features in deprivation” . Eventually, researchers and policymakers in developed countries welcomed the shift in attention from outcome to process. International development actors were more reluctant to do so. Illustrative is the case of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) that in 2005 still described social exclusion as outcome as much as process .
While the World Bank’s Poverty Reduction Strategies and the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were not conducive to take a process approach on board, it was the WHO’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health that provided an opportunity to turn the tide. After a critical appraisal of a diversity of policies addressing social exclusion,d the Commission’s Social Exclusion Knowledge Network (SEKN) presented a framework for understanding and tackling social exclusion as related to health inequalities that makes a conclusive case for a relational perspective. Within this perspective, the SEKN defined social exclusion as “dynamic, multidimensional processes driven by unequal power relationships interacting across four main dimensions–economic, political, social and cultural–and at different levels including individual, household, group, community, country and global levels. It results in a continuum of inclusion/exclusion characterised by unequal access to resources, capabilities and rights which leads to health inequalities” . The Commission on Social Determinants of Health translated this definition in a principle of action: “Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources–the structural drivers of (…) conditions of daily life–globally, nationally, and locally” . The Commission thus opened a policy window for dealing with social exclusion processes to tackle health inequities.
Whether indeed appropriate action is been taken remains an open question. Where the need is greatest and specifically in Africa, as Marmot and colleagues observe , “countries such as Kenya and Mozambique have expressed real interest in social determinants of health, but we are unaware of what specific action might have followed”. All the same, a range of actors seems to be building up a momentum. In Kenya , Mozambique , Uganda , Zambia and Zimbabwe , ‘Equity Watch’–a dynamic interface between national politics, researchers and activists to monitor progress and expose gaps in advancing health equity–emerged following the 2009 EQUINET (the Regional Network on Equity in health in East and South Africa) conference . Zimbabwe pioneered this initiative with a first ‘Equity Watch’ already in 2008 and kept on leading the process with a multi-sectorial priority-setting exercise for equity in health coverage and action on social determinants in February 2012 .
Besides, an emerging framework from a powerful international actor leaves room for hope: the World Bank’s Social Development Strategy . Taking stock of progress since the 1995 World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) and reviewing its own involvement in social policy setting, the World Bank noted that “the WSSD commitment to support social integration was inexplicably left out of the MDGs”, that “the human development goals of the MDGs are necessary but not sufficient to achieve inclusive and sustainable development”, and that “there is a growing, albeit it somewhat grudging, acceptance of understanding and transforming power relations as an essential ingredient of development and poverty reduction” .
This led the Bank to pay more attention to structural inequalities, “perpetuated and reinforced by unequal relations in roles, functions, decision rights, and opportunities, which are bound in a web of interdependence”, and conceptualized as a vicious circle of structural inequality . Such framing bears a welcome resemblance to the relational concept of social exclusion, as emphasized by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health.
The outcome vs. process debate was not the only difficulty that the concept of social exclusion was confronted with. Ever since social exclusion entered development discussions, the relevance of the concept as such and its applicability to developing countries met with scepticism. This was not unforeseen. In the document that introduced the concept to the 1995 World Summit, a prefatory caveat was included: “its relevance and value in a broader global context, and particularly in developing countries, has not yet been established” .
More than a few scholars questioned the relevance of the concept of social exclusion by pointing out its similarities with already existing concepts, such as multidimensional poverty or deprivation. Most academics however gradually accepted Sen’s argument for the intrinsic value of a social exclusion lens, independent from any claimed or disputed innovativeness. Exemplifying is the still critical yet balanced stand Saith took in 2001: the concept of social exclusion offers nothing new to research into causes, correlates and processes of poverty already conducted in developing countries, but might well help bringing these largely neglected studies to the fore . In his comprehensive review, Estivill concluded: “The number of studies have to be increased (…) thereby creating a cumulative observatory (…) to influence and feed more general policies” .
While the amount and depth of empirical evidence for social exclusion in any society and throughout societies indeed steadily increased, translation into policy did not follow automatically. Lack of knowledge translation does not seem to be the issue. Nor can social exclusion be remedied by technical measures only. The fundamental issue is indeed that of the inequitable distribution of power, and thus of social exclusion itself as understood by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health . Or as Labonté asked in no uncertain terms “how can one ‘include’ people and groups into structured systems that have systematically ‘excluded’ them in the first place?” . We will elaborate on that paradox in our next section, dealing specifically with Africa. Here, we return to the applicability of the concept of social exclusion in the developing world as a whole.
Today, it can be said with good reason that social exclusion as such is truly universal, whereas its manifestations are obviously contextual. Or, as Bhalla and Lapeyre put it already more than a decade ago: “A plea for making exclusion a global concept is based on the assumption that the analytical concepts (…) are universal even if their operationalization in specific social and cultural contexts may be different” . Following up on a worldwide research initiative, Gore and Figueiredo both confirmed the universal presence of exclusion and its revealing range of contextual manifestations. In developing countries, exclusion from civil and political rights is often on a par with exclusion from social rights. Where citizenship remains shallow, states rarely compensate the unequal bargaining power of individual and group actors. Where societies are still predominantly agrarian, access to land can be more important than employment. And where poverty is the rule, social exclusion can be life-threatening.
Yet, where poverty is a mass rather than a minority phenomenon, the concept of social exclusion has been less applied. Specifically in sub-Saharan Africa, development agencies often preferred not to use the term because their local staff saw it less relevant for conditions of generalised poverty . Such practice should be seen as short-sighted, if not detrimental. Above all, the neglect of a social exclusion perspective should be considered a missed opportunity in the sense that understanding social exclusion, as a process leading to poverty and inequity, is not less needed because one of the outcomes is more manifest than the other.
In sub-Saharan Africa, adherence to the poverty discourse prevented paying due attention to the fact that the region is not only poor, but also one of the most unequal in the world, surpassed only by Latin America . Inequality in sub-Saharan Africa might actually be closer to that of Latin America than the figures may appear: the use of income instead of consumption measures in Latin America might overestimate inequality in the latter .
A social exclusion lens is in fact more needed in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere, precisely because the processes leading to poverty and inequity are more hidden than elsewhere. Besides, a social exclusion perspective can be helpful in drawing attention to the operation of social policy as a mechanism of exclusion itself .
Excessive reliance on targeting in poverty reduction and social security is a case in point. While targeting is acceptable (and needed) as add-on to universal policies, it is by and large ineffective on its own and full of drawbacks [22, 26, 48]. One particular inconvenience, as documented by Ellis in pilot cash-transfer schemes for the destitute based on proxy indicators (Ethiopia) or on a 10%-of-the-population cutoff (Zambia and Malawi), is that of recipients ‘leapfrogging’ above the levels of consumption of non-recipients, thereby creating more social divisiveness and eroding support for the targeting schemes. One of the biggest disadvantages of sole targeting of the poor is social exclusion, as Simmel elucidated more than a century ago in Europe: by labeling the poor as needy and offering them assistance only, the assisted become socially even poorer, excluded from society . In Africa, a classic and extreme example of such collateral exclusion-by-targeting is that of leprosy : “It is neither leprosy nor poverty that kills the leper but loneliness” [47, 51].
It should be clear by now that a social exclusion lens is as relevant to identify causes of poverty and inequity in developing countries as in developed countries. It should also be recognized how useful a social exclusion perspective is to counteract these causes, and to bring about genuine development.
Since the 1990s authors have supplied evidence for a chain of causality from human to economic development: social development contains crucial instruments for sustainable economic development [52, 53]. At least as far as income inequality is concerned, we now know that high inequality is detrimental to economic development. This finding was first highlighted in a UNU/WIDER study , confirmed by the World Bank when laying out its Social Development Strategy , and corroborated in a 2010 UNRISD flagship report .
So why does social exclusion get so little attention where it is most needed?
In Africa, the limited uptake of a social exclusion perspective–by international actors and local elites–is a multi-layered phenomenon. We already discussed the influential yet mistaken argument of social exclusion becoming less important in a context of widespread poverty. The disregard of social exclusion in Africa by non-Africans also goes hand in hand with a romanticised overestimation of African solidarity that overlooks material reciprocity as a main driver of solidarity in modern African society [56–60].
There is however no doubt that the common African is quite familiar with the existence and extent of social exclusion. In West Africa, the Malinke called both the poor and the indigents fangantan, those lacking power . Wolof speakers in Senegal and the Gambia may still refer to indigents as baadoolo, those belonging to a social class with no power or strength (doole). They also use baadoolo for labelling individuals as egoistic, thus ungrateful to society. Kanuri speakers in Nigeria term the poorest of the poor ngudi, the unfortunate–judged outside the normal network of social relations and deemed not to be trusted . In fact, in most African societies wellbeing is conceived in terms of social relations and kin networks, and a person’s place in them . When exclusion is part of language, it is part of everyday life.
Political and development scientists show that social exclusion in Africa has increased, not decreased, over time. Inack and colleagues describe how colonial rule reinforced exclusion based on ethnic identities in Cameroon. De Boeck gives a detailed account of the same in Congo. Mamdani sums up how throughout Africa the colonial state identified non-natives as races and natives as ethnicities. Races–white at the top–were considered a civilizing influence, and non-natives were governed through rights-based civil law. Ethnicities were considered in need of being civilized, and natives were governed through customary laws that enabled discriminatory power and left no room for civil rights. On top of existing intra-ethnic and reinforced inter-ethnic exclusion, colonial rule de facto excluded natives from society. In the early independence years, the nationalist aspiration of constructing a de-colonised identity was essentially the natives’ appeal for inclusion into the world of rights. To some extent and for some time, nationalism also masked social exclusion based on ethnic identities [13, 66].
The subsequent nonfulfillment of the nationalist agenda, with state collapse at one extreme of the scale, had at least two interrelated consequences for the manifestations of social exclusion in post-colonial Africa: the absence of a ‘nationality of social exclusion’–defined by Gore as “the significance of the nation State in the institutionalization of exclusionary practices”, and the perpetuation of exclusion through adverse incorporation–understood as the conditional inclusion of ‘outsiders’ in a closed relationship, by the privileged group in order to safeguard its monopolistic advantages [68–70]. Unaccomplished nation building shifted the locus of social exclusion away from the state. Lund notes the rise of what he calls ‘twilight institutions’: “they are not the state but they exercise public authority”. Hagman and Péclard observe a constant redefinition of statehood in post-colonial Africa, and a multitude of social actors who compete over the institutionalisation of power relations. Within such environment inclusion and exclusion are intertwined, inclusion more often than not entails adverse incorporation, and exclusion reproduces itself.
Adverse incorporation is as old as mankind: people who are excluded from one set of norms achieve some kind of inclusion once they abide by the unfavourable conditions of sustained exploitation . At global level, its quintessence is the ‘untouchable’ Dalit in the South Asian caste system. In Africa, adverse incorporation is less explicit, much less recognized, but not to be overlooked.
Gore points out how Africa’s unfulfilled ‘nationalisation’ of rights and obligations gives room to “multiple sites of exclusion and inclusion based on membership of a variety of shifting groups”, including clientelist networks. Wolfe highlights how globalization and its concurrent of free-market based development give rise to clientelism and clannishness. Contemporary African society thus hosts multiple drivers of social exclusion and adverse incorporation. Still, their interpretation as problematic is uncommon, its presence often concealed or–in the view of the non-excluded–seen as a fact of life.
A case in point can be told from our own professional experience. In 2006 in Mali, when pre-testing an interview guide for a research on the influence of community health insurance (CHI) on the quality of care in primary health centres, we faced several obstacles. First, it was difficult to find among the villagers potential respondents who were unrelated to the village authorities, the health staff and the CHI leaders. Second, most of the villagers identified as unrelated to the same were reluctant to be interviewed. We felt thus pleasantly surprised when meeting, during a lunch break on the corner of the marketplace, half a dozen of women all unrelated to any village or health authority and very willing to speak out. We were offered a drink, had a chat with the women sitting on their mats, and promised them to come back with a voice recorder. We returned to the health centre and informed the health authorities gathered there about our pleasant encounter. Their reaction proved to be a cold shower. They told us that these women were repairers of gourds–a lower status occupation, were of improper behaviour and should be avoided at all cost. To get their point across, they ensured us that no man who would be seen sitting on a repairwoman’s mat would ever be allowed by the community to take a second wife, a mark of social distinction in the region. Besides, no policy actor would be interested in the repairwomen’s opinion, if they had any.
For a social scientist, this story would be a prime example of adverse incorporation: the women described are excluded from many domains, but allowed to live in the village as long as they accept their exclusions. For a global traveller, the story would bear a striking resemblance to the outcasting of Dalits from Hindu society. While several scholars [74–76] share a caste-based interpretation of West African societies in their academic writings, publicly referring to caste is unpopular in West Africa.
Lack of interest in the poor and aversion to excluded groups are by no means confined to village level. As Ridde observes in a wider district setting, exclusion of the poorest from access to health care is customary and the problem of these worst-off is only dealt with after all other issues. At national level, Devereux and colleagues note a disappointingly low uptake of donor-driven social protection pilot projects by African governments. Earlier, Hossain and Moore documented how national political elites in developing countries are often unsupportive of, or in some cases hostile to, donor efforts to promote pro-poor policies.
These similar attitudes at all levels of society have one driver in common: a pervasive perception of a poor person as an unproductive good-for-nothing [14, 80, 81]. Partly overlapping with the political construction of the African ‘lazy man’ [81, 82], it gives the non-poor a justification to exclude the poor. Among the poorest, the indigents are worst off. More often than not political elites consider them not only as unable to help themselves, but also as unable to benefit from poverty programmes [12, 81].
While being antithetical to the pro-poor discourse of the donor community, the image of the unproductive poor finds confirmation in the still dominant economic model that promotes increased productivity within a competitive market without worrying too much about those who simply cannot deliver to this paradigm. At the most, the indigents become passive recipients of handouts.
From here to a functioning welfare state based on social citizenship and de-commodified (not market-based) rights is obviously a long way. Yet it is precisely this arduous road that is needed to tackle social exclusion and that would offer the African indigents more than what Esping-Andersen depicted as “a security blanket of last resort”.
Such road necessarily includes what Michielsen and colleagues term ‘the dimension of transformation’ of social protection in health: “transforming the social and institutional context (…) to counteract exclusion and deprivation of the right to health and quality care” . To be substantive, transformation needs realisation of citizenship and political action at state level. As Mamdani has put it: “In the absence of a wider strategy of political change and social transformation, the empowerment of local communities can be of only limited and temporary significance” . Social citizenship and transformation are the necessarily components of counteracting social exclusion, and are ultimately ‘distributive choices’ .
Today, mapping African states that fully realised social citizenship and inclusive social protection still results in a gloomy picture. Yet, clusters and pockets of progress are noticeable. This is certainly the case in Southern Africa, and to a much lesser extent in the rest of the continent. In Southern Africa, where urbanisation and industrialisation go hand in hand, substantial progress has also been made towards comprehensive social protection for over a decade. In West Africa, Ghana is the forerunner, since its introduction of a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS, 2005) and of a complementary cash-transfer programme (Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty, LEAP, 2008) .e Both Southern Africa’s grant-based social protection schemes and Ghana’s efforts are by and large tax-funded, delivered by public agencies and enshrined in legislation. And, as Niño-Zarazúa and colleagues note, “the connection between program entitlements and citizenship rights is to the fore”.
The importance of social movements as a driving force for transformation and progress cannot be understated. Again, this is especially noticeable in the recent history of Southern and South Africa [14, 88]. Taking South Africa as an example, it is clear that social movements have been instrumental in both the transition from the pre- to the post-apartheid state and in the shaping of social policies in the post-apartheid era. The post-apartheid social movements–in the words of Habib –launched “a fundamental challenge to the hegemonic political and socio-economic discourse that defines the prevailing status quo”.
A lesser, still barely traceable impact of social movements is to be found in contemporary West African anti-slavery groups that–despite slavery being a taboo subject–are struggling “to establish new social values according to which people of slave descent should equally be able to access resources and political offices” .
In addition to social movements as a political driving force against social exclusion and for progress towards comprehensive social protection, we identify the fairly recent emergence of South-South cooperation as potentially favourable for progress in Africa. Unlike North-South donor aid, which is all too often restricted to project activities that fail to make substantive transformation at national level, South-South cooperation is already positively impacting national social policies in Africa. The prime example is the contribution of the Brazil-Africa cooperation programme on social development and social protection, particularly to the design and follow-up of the Ghanaian Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) initiative. What distinguishes this South-South exchange of experience from North-South aid is indeed its remarkable uptake by national policymakers. The Ghanaian government embedded LEAP in a comprehensive social protection framework and is its main financing source.
Both the political action of African social movements and a changing international development spectrum are potentially beneficial for a move towards more comprehensive social protection in Africa, and for tackling social exclusion. This should eventually and sustainably benefit the indigents, who are the top of the iceberg of a larger phenomenon. As philosopher Alain Badiou (quoted in ) put it: “Today the great majority of people do not have a name; the only name available is ‘excluded’, which is the name of those who do not have a name”.
The tide is high, and the time is right to bring back to mind Stierle and colleagues’ [6, 91] call for the integration of technical and political approaches in support of the African indigents. The concept of social exclusion provides a useful framework for this much needed action.
aThis joint WHO/UNICEF initiative sought to improve African primary health care by making essential drugs available through self-financing at district level . While the ultimate goal remained unreached, the Bamako initiative did provide a justification for cost recovery for decades to come. For a critical early evaluation of the Bamako initiative, see .
bStierle and colleagues’ article drew upon an extensive literature review published earlier by the German Technical Cooperation .
cThereby overlooking–amongst others–Ambedkar’s substantial conceptualisation (1916 onwards) of social exclusion in the Indian caste system , as well as the Latin American debates (1960s onwards) on marginalisation as a driver of social exclusion .
dThis exercise lasted from 2006 to 2008 and resulted in a series of 16 background papers covering four world regions .
eInterestingly, Ghana is the only African country that dedicated an entire Human Development Report to social exclusion .
WS conceived the literature review and analysis, and produced the first draft of the manuscript. FD and BC complemented the analysis and commented on the draft manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. | 2019-04-26T08:02:55Z | https://equityhealthj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-9276-12-91 |
Most non-domesticated life on earth is in decline and about 200 species a day are going extinct due to a wide range of environmental problems. Many humans are at risk of being harmed or killed by related problems this century.
All of the many problems are caused by the same thing: humans have used non-renewable energy to explode their population from 1 billion to 7 billion in 100 years, and now consume so large a share of the earth’s resources that almost all non-domesticated species are in decline.
Note that I use the word “resources” here in a broad context meaning land, water, minerals, photosynthetic output, biomass, and the planet’s capacity to recycle waste products.
The total quantity of resources consumed by humans equals the human population times the average consumption per person.
About 75% of the world’s population are poor and do not consume much more than is required for subsistence, although they desire and are working hard to consume more. The privileged 25% are working hard to maintain and grow their level of resource consumption and the majority are unwilling to contemplate a voluntary reduction in consumption, in part because they know that if they reduce their consumption others will consume the freed resources.
This dynamic makes it difficult to reduce the total human footprint by reducing per capita consumption.
Therefore, any progress towards solving the problems caused by human overshoot must come from a reduction in human population.
Paraphrasing Albert Bartlett, “There is no problem on earth that does not improve with fewer people”.
Establishing an effective and fair global population reduction policy will be very difficult and may be impossible for many reasons, not least of which it conflicts with what our genes want to do.
It may also be too late for a reduction in birth rate to prevent the worst consequences of overshoot. We can however say with certainty that a rising population will make things worse and a falling population will make things better. Therefore we should try to get the population down regardless of the prognosis.
Given that population reduction is the only thing that might help our predicament, why do we not even discuss it?
More to the point, why do those individuals and organizations with the best understanding of the seriousness of our predicament not speak out for population reduction? I am talking about environmental organizations, climate scientists, biologists, ecologists, deep greens, peak oilers, doomers, you name it. Almost without exception they are silent on population reduction.
I see the same dynamic in activist friends and acquaintances who deeply care about the planet and who work hard on environmental and social issues but never mention population reduction, despite the fact that population reduction is the only thing that might improve long-term environmental and social issues.
I understand that it may be impossible to gather enough political support, and that we might conclude that unintended consequences of population reduction policies are worse than the problems we are trying to solve. But at least we would have had the conversation and made a deliberate decision to not change course.
As it stands today we are racing towards a cliff without even discussing if we should slow down or change direction.
I like to think that if citizens understood that the choice was between having one child with some chance of a happy life versus having several children with no chance of a happy life, I think most people would choose a small family. Especially if they had confidence that the rules would be applied to rich and poor alike, and that cheaters would be punished. But if we don’t discuss it we’ll never find out if I am right or wrong. We’ll just blindly go off the cliff.
The fact that we do not discuss the only thing that might actually improve the future is amazing. I concluded several years ago that denial must be genetic. I later found a theory for evolved denial by Ajit Varki and Danny Brower and it is the reason this site exists.
Today, Alice Friedemann of the Energy Skeptic blog published a paper addressing this issue by Roy Beck & Leon Kolankiewicz titled “The Environmental Movement’s Retreat from Advocating U. S. Population Stabilization (1970-1998): A First Draft of History“.
It’s a long rambling paper on an important topic so I thought it worthwhile to summarize its key points here. Note that the paper has a U.S. focus with little analysis of what happened in other areas of the world.
What changed from 1970 to 2000?
In 1970 the need for population control was broadly understood and accepted by political leaders, business leaders, environmental organizations, universities, and the public. Strong environmental laws were passed. Earth Day had population control as a priority.
Thirty years later in 2000 the problems caused by population growth were still discussed but there was no discussion of the underlying population growth problem. The US population had increased by 70 million (33%) since 1970 . There was more nitrogen oxide pollution, more CO2, more endangered species, and fewer wetlands. Environmental groups no longer had population control as a priority and did not oppose laws that increased immigration. Earth Day did not mention population control.
What caused these changes from 1970 to 2000?
In 1970 the fertility rate of the white population fell below replacement level. All population growth after 1970 came from immigration and higher birth rates of the non-white population.
Environmental groups backed away from population control as a priority for fear of membership and donation loss due to potential charges of racism and the increased demographic influence of immigrants. Environmental groups competing for members and donations focused on issues that could demonstrate short-term successes rather than issues like population control that take decades to show results. It is much harder to raise funds for preventing future problems than for fixing an existing problem. In summary, protection of environmental institutions took precedence over protection of the environment.
Business used donations (or the lack thereof) to influence environmental groups to drop population control as a priority because they wanted the economic growth created by immigration and reduced labor costs from an expanding labor pool.
Politicians did not want to touch the population issue because of the increased voting power of immigrants.
The Catholic Church aggressively opposed any group in favor of population control, especially after abortion was legalized. It appears the Catholic Church had a large influence on government population policies but historians need to research this to confirm.
Women’s issues emerged as a priority which shifted the narrative from racially sensitive population control to politically correct empowerment of women.
A view emerged within the left that most environmental problems were caused by unfair distribution of resources and capitalism rather than overpopulation. Priorities shifted from population control to changing the economic system.
A view emerged that it was wrong to block immigration and to conserve resources for future generations while poor people struggled in developing countries.
I found the paper to be a disappointment. I think it did a good job of explaining why environmental groups dropped population control as a priority. In summary they chose to give higher priority to protecting themselves than the environment. That’s no surprise.
A much more important issue that was not addressed was why did the majority of the public drop population control as a priority? Given that public sentiment shifted it is no wonder that political leaders, business leaders, universities, and environmental groups followed suit.
What really happened? I have a theory.
In 1970 economic growth was strong. The middle class was healthy and not threatened. Most white families, for whatever reason, had already decided to have 2 or fewer children. Making population control a priority did not require lifestyle changes for most. There was surplus wealth to spend on environmental protection laws and enforcement. People who understood the threat of overpopulation could form organizations and raise funds to support themselves.
By 2000, economic growth had slowed. The middle class was in decline and feeling threatened. Recent immigrants with higher birthrates became a powerful political force and resisted changes to their lifestyles or immigration reductions. Environmental groups chose survival over principles. Government deficits had replaced surpluses. Economic growth was becoming harder to achieve due to depletion of low-cost non-renewable energy. Our monetary system requires growth or else it collapses, however it will not collapse if per capita economic activity decreases as long as total economic activity increases. Therefore continued growth of the population via immigration became necessary to maintain some overall economic growth despite falling real incomes for individuals.
Today, 15 years later, the middle class is under even more pressure because low-cost non-renewable energy continues to deplete and globalization has eroded their standard of living. They see that immigration has not benefited them, seek someone to blame, and many have decided to vote for Trump.
If I am right, it is ironic that economic growth slowed due to the overpopulation related depletion of non-renewable resources which then required a further population increase to maintain some economic growth to avoid collapse. It’s analogous to the positive feedback loop of rising temperatures causing ice loss and methane release.
We have only two paths. We can find a way to break through our evolved denial and proactively act. Or we can let nature act for us.
In addition to the factors already outlined in the article as reasons for the disappearance of population control from the public’s priorities, we’ve also had the dropping of China’s ‘one child per family’ policy in 2015, which took effect at the beginning of this year.
Although it’s possible that the growth of China’s population which results may not be very significant (largely because of the economic and social incentives that have indirectly arisen from the rapid urbanization of China), the relaxation of the one-child policy sends an unwelcome signal around the world that as a species, we need not worry about constraining the total size of the world’s population. But it’s an unfortunate fact that our global economic system, which in the West is largely based on industrial capitalism, has trapped us in a vortex in which that system is only viable if each successive generation produces additional consumers, despite the wastefulness of such an economy and the associated depletion of resources and degradation of the planet as a habitable place.
In such a situation, a good understanding of the demographic and economic realities attached to the various possible future scenarios, far-sighted vision, assertive leadership, a supporting legal framework, and adequate financial and administrative resources are all necessary for effective action that is capable of combating the undesirable trends and consequences connected with uncontrolled population growth. Unfortunately, in the notionally democratic societies of the West, perverse incentives actively encourage politicians to pander to their support base and not raise the issue of curbing population growth via enforcement of an as-yet non-existent limit on fertility (something the Chinese did through both physical coercion and fiscal penalties), and not to draw attention to the adverse economic consequences of limiting population size. So as this article’s author has already made amply clear, nothing useful is happening on the political and social debate front regarding this issue.
Given this situation, the only recourse I can envisage that seems remotely possible to achieve by voluntary means is for a few foolhardy national leaders to set up and fund a dedicated policy-making unit under the auspices of the United Nations, the British Commonwealth, or the Non-Aligned Movement; this unit would have the aim of drafting an international convention having legal force and laying out proposals for concrete population control measures which the signatory nations could be induced to adopt. This would then be followed by the multilateral adoption and ratification of a suitable version of the draft by an overwhelming number of countries; the establishment of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms; and the creation of an international legal framework to coordinate and adjudicate the implementation of the population policy.
No, on second thoughts this is impossible to make happen. Bottom line: we’re all screwed and the planet is doomed.
It’s quite remarkable that no leaders anywhere in the world, even those nearing the end of their term, speak out on population reduction. Some really powerful force must be at play because it is obvious to anyone that looks that we are in severe overshoot. I think it’s evolved denial, but if it’s something else I love to know what it is.
The denial is likely rooted in the fact that nature was originally much “bigger” than people, and something to rightly fear. For centuries we lacked the technology (and/or numbers) to do it much harm. Now, most people still behave in the same old ways on a reptilian level, but they ignore modern context or assume “THEY” will find some technological fix for the whole mess.
Anyone with their eyes open should see that those fixes are usually weak attempts to mop up the mess. Nothing really gets better except for random sanctuaries preserved amid growing destruction. Not enough people care to see what’s really going on, which I’d call a mass failure of intelligence. A guy like Trump doesn’t get elected by a species that really understands cause & effect. It’s not just random dummies.
The wind power industry is a good example of how people don’t think critically and deny what’s right in front of them. “Clean” energy is destroying much of the world’s remaining scenery and killing off birds & bats while posing as planet-friendly. For me, that was the last straw in thinking Man would do the right thing by nature.
I have met maybe five people in my life that know that this is a serious problem. Because of this I know there is absolutely no hope that anything can be done to save civilization as we know it from crashing hard. Luckily I don’t care because I am old and I was smart enough even when I was young not to have any children that I would have to feel guilty about and therefore have reason for denial.
Hi, welcome. It’s amazing how we never discuss the things that matter. A couple people are killed by a lunatic in London and it’s front page news. Millions are at risk from over-population related famine and we ignore it.
Good article. I think far more “deep green” people understand overpopulation than you assume, though. They just need to mention it more, if they aren’t.
We’re close to the end of the present large cycle now – we’ll crash & burn economically and this will likely lead to nuclear war and voila! you have your massive population decrease. Problem solved. Then we start over.
Perhaps the bigger question(s) should be.. why these cycles? That might mean a look at spirituality and the meaning of life. From my brief scan of this (very interesting) site, I think the author prefers not to go down that rabbit hole – or more accurately, has already dismissed any possibility of anything spiritual.
I am very interested in understanding the genetic reasons for spirituality.
Thanks for your reply and link that I hadn’t previously spotted. Nice Alien/Religion story! For the most part, I agree.
However, I spoke of spirituality, not religion.
It would appear you haven’t had yours and sadly, science won’t get you there.. yet. Einstein came very close and though I have an extremely limited understanding of current quantum physics, aren’t scientists now (somewhat reluctantly) coming to the conclusion that beyond physical matter is something elusive, something beyond science, yet to be identified?
One day, the light bulb will go on and there’ll be that ‘Aha’ moment… it’s SPIRIT!!
I’m a material guy. The closest I come to spirituality is having a deep appreciation for how rare and special it is for us to be having this conversation, and how sad it is that we are screwing it up.
Ah well, each to his own…. agree with the other sentiments and enjoy reading an alternative and well thought through pov.
Actually, we should be grateful to be part of an unlimited, ever expanding and infinite Universe in which the only limitations are those we place on ourselves. Everything is possible and we are given freedom to choose in every moment (where actions can only take place). Every act has its consequence and those consequences unfold as our present circumstances (on a personal, national and world level). And so the wheel turns until we ‘get’ it… There are no accidents in the Universe and everything is Perfect… yep, big call, that!
But hey, that’s just my pov!
“Much ado about nothing” is the same mindless attitude that led to the problem in the first place! Define “nothing” for us. Are you so jaded that you see this as would an alien looking down from a spacecraft?
“Problem solved” is nonsense, since all the chemicals and industrial detritus Man creates won’t just disappear. A relatively recent example is the huge mass of ugly wind turbines being touted as green while the countryside gets ruined, in addition to all the scars from mining, drilling, agriculture, ranching, etc. (see http://cutt.us/blight_for_naught).
The obvious problem is quality of life for numerous species right now, tomorrow and in coming decades. Glib observations of historical crash cycles are useless to anyone with a conscience.
That comment is also devoid of context. Global warming deniers casually talk about “natural cycles” that repeat themselves, while ignoring the context of this current, unnatural one. Overpopulation on a global scale is not a natural cycle and it’s also driving CO2, along with aspirations to affluence in Asia, etc.
The course of human progress (if you want to call it that) has not repeated over eons, so why lump it in with ancient cycles? We could become a one-time circus in the history of the Earth if intelligence doesn’t prevail over greed and fatalism.
There have been localized civilization collapses, e.g. Rome and the Mayans, but it’s now a global issue since so many economies are interdependent (biggest weakness of globalism). The assumption of endlessly affordable oil for ocean and air freight is naive, but feed-the-world groups keep framing hunger as a “distribution” problem rather than overpopulation and violations of local carrying capacity.
Nobody makes such excuses when other species die off during local droughts or plagues. Man just delays the final outcome with technologies that can’t exist on a practical scale without finite fossil fuels, including the “renewables” sector. The feel-good cry of “100% renewable energy” fails basic math and is another facet of overpopulation-denial (see critiques of the 2009 Jacobson/Stanford report).
It’s ironic – sadly ironic – that subscribers to this ‘un-denial’ site seem to be ….. in a state of denial. Denial of the truth of their existence. That truth (I know you want to know) is that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. You are not your body – gasp! You are much, much more – double gasp!!
This irony, this ignorance, is widespread in the Yali Yuga in which we find ourselves, the Iron Age, the age of no reason.. we’re not here in error or some mistake and the chaos will continue unabated; it’s actually just begun.
So I agree with you guys in many respects. I.e. that we’re heading for the crapper at warp speed. It’s just that your premise is wrong. The problems are not ‘out there’, they’re right here, within each of us.
If there is blame to apportion try past actions resulting in present circumstances. Try ‘mindfulness’ not pointless & mindless whining & denying.
If it’s any consolation, it’s all perfect and just as it should be. No accidents in the Universe!
Thanks for this Rob Mielcarski. Very well done.
I think your points about getting politicians involved are well thought out. The short term nature of the election cycle means the benefits just don’t come close to the costs, except if the whole community is on board. And that seems unlikely. Although one of the key issues with both the unexpected Brexit and Trump victories was unhappiness in the community with high immigration.
I’d love to hear your thoughts regarding the possibility of working with the people who have gigantic chunks of money invested in oil, coal, natural gas and other investments that won’t reap benefits for many years. I wouldn’t think that they have the same short term view. I’m reading Niall Ferguson’s Biography of the Rothschild’s. The urban legend is that they were just all about business and covered every angle all over Europe. The second part, though, was that they were actively involved in trying to keep the peace in Europe because they made more money when industry was booming rather than when money was spent on soldiers and guns. They also knew that when war breaks out all the stock markets dive and their investments lose value.
I wonder if the big money people today have the same concerns. Are they happy with the flood of refugees into Europe? Do they see any reason that the flood would subside? Are they worried about conflict when refugees are forced on one country (like has happened in Turkey and Italy) and the other countries are not paying their fair share to help solve the problem? Are they concerned with worn out infrastructure that isn’t being replaced because rapid population increase, constantly requires new infrastructure? Is there any way to convince these big money people that they stand to make more money with less risk, with a slower population growth rather than concentrating on pollution, climate change, extinctions and congestion in the cities. Taking the example of the Rothschilds they could work behind the scenes unlike politicians.
In Australia, the Business Council of Australia is actively in favour of increased population because they see it as a way to keep wages down with greater competition for jobs and they make more money with more customers. The problems are not as critical as they are in Africa, Europe and South Asia. I wonder what the big multinationals think. Any ideas?
A note for Erik Kowal the one child Policy is now a two child policy so it isn’t like they have opened the flood gates. Controls are still more strict than anywhere else in the world.
I was not aware that China has kept a two child policy in place. I will have to do some more reading.
I do not know the answer to your interesting questions. My guess is that big money would put keeping some economic growth going at the top of their priority list.
If and when economic growth stops the system will collapse via deflation, if leaders choose a hands off approach, or via hyperinflation, if leaders choose to fight reality with money printing. Big money stands to lose the most because most wealth is in the form of debt which will lose most of its value in a collapse.
In an environment with high debt levels and falling net energy it is very difficult to keep growth going. We’ve done it so far by expanding debt much faster than GDP. Some countries have also chosen to import poor people.
The design of our economic system does not care if there is per capita growth, it only cares about gross growth. By increasing the population you can keep some gross growth going a little longer, even while per capita wealth declines.
Of course there is no free lunch, and this strategy will increase the level of suffering experienced when the inevitable collapse occurs.
Not sure we will get a sudden collapse. I don’t have anything to back that up except that the Global financial crisis was weathered through borrowing and printing money and we are so relatively rich now that fluctuations in the system don’t cause people to starve, we just have to put off buying a big screen TV or going to Hawaii.
I’m more inclined to believe we will see a gradual erosion of living standards that in some respects won’t be noticed by the average citizen. I live in Sydney and grew up in Los Angeles. The time to get to work is horrendous compared to 25 years ago but everybody just accepts it. We’ve got smart phones now so the time goes faster. The price of food, energy and housing has increased faster than wages over the past 20 years but we’ve got the internet and cable TV so its all okay.
To respect silence: wind turbines don’t kill even close to 0.1% of all the birds killed by man-made conveniences.
That’s a tidy but misleading claim that gets trotted out all the time. It doesn’t mention the TYPES of species, including migratory birds far from cities, and plenty of raptors that can’t be killed by the house-cat platitude.
Quasi-environmentalists read stuff like that and casually claim it can be fixed by future gizmos, or turning turbines off at certain hours (yeah, they’ll surely lose all that revenue to save bats). They skip over the core problem of obnoxiously large machines right in the middle of flyways, with MANY more planned. What you see marring today’s landscapes could be only 1/10th of what’s in store. It’s not a case-closed situation!
I can’t fathom how “environmentalists” can applaud towering construction projects and claim no harm is being done aesthetically or in terms of wildlife. It defies all logic. Noise is another big topic, laden with denials and accusations of NIMBYism. The wind mob is much like climate-deniers in that it cherry-picks one issue at a time (dishonestly) and fails to account for all the cumulative harm.
I think your point regarding raptors not being killed by domestic and feral cats is a good point. It is clear that the Altamont wind farm was located in an area that was dangerous for those species. Similarly by estimating the total number of birds it is clear that feral cats are killing significant percentage of pigeons and other nuisance species that are not critical to the remaining natural ecosystems that we are trying to protect. At the same time raptors are not the only valuable bird species on the planet. Cats kill lots of parrots and other valuable smaller birds so the total numbers are important. Even with the Dr Shawn Smallwood estimates, which are at the top end of all other estimates, the total birds killed by wind turbines are tiny compared to all other man made features.
I understand you think that Wind farms are a blight on the landscape and many people share this opinion. I know of people who would rather have a nuclear power plant on every corner and a 5 degree increase in the global temperature rather than look at one more wind turbine. I just don’t share that opinion and I assume that we are looking at the same photos and same videos, so it’s not a matter of not enough information.
I know the Noise arguments and have seen some of the data and don’t find it compelling. In most of the cases I’ve seen, the impacts due to noise are subjective. Certainly the noise from turbines is very low compared to traffic and industry.
The last argument on the website you referenced ( http://cutt.us/blight_for_naught ) seems to be that wind power really doesn’t reduce greenhouse impacts or fossil fuel use. Reading some of your comments I guess you don’t even believe that one.
Consider the rushing noise from a standard house fan and ask yourself how machines EXPONENTIALLY LARGER could not affect people and animals in a wide area. Driven by the wind itself or driven by motors, blades cutting through air will make friction noise, along with machine bearings and gears. Many wind turbines sweep over an ACRE of airspace vs. a square foot for a typical fan. Where a turbine ends up sounding loudest depends on topographical acoustics. Right beneath one is often the quietest place because it propagates outward. Smug “I can’t hear anything, case closed!” recordings are typically made in those spots.
A certain mindset makes people say wind turbines are “beautiful” A) because they’re assumed to be anti fossil fuels (ERoI denial) and B) because their form looks more “elegant” than a blocky coal or nuclear plant. Both of those are based on acquired tastes or outright lies, considering the number of wind towers in existence today. They turn former natural or farm landscapes into industrial parks, like it or not. I could compare the white curves of a nuclear plant to an attractive woman but I have no need to lie about Man’s total impact on nature. The wind power crowd is in denial and must know it on some level.
Replace those white towers with much smaller, less visible oil rigs and wind-puppets would be screaming to dismantle them. They rationalize away obvious blight on mere technicalities. Another good example is the 2013 dispute over LG’s proposed 143-foot office building on the Hudson River, which they cut by half to preserve the famous treeline. Meanwhile, 400-650 foot wind turbines tower over trees in scenic places that aren’t as famous as the Hudson. It’s a bit like the outcry when Cecil the lion was shot vs. thousands of no-name lions who’ve died in similar ways. With wind power, the death of scenery, birds & bats is ongoing and willfully ignored by quasi-green shills.
It’s also a fallacy to imply that nuclear plants would be “on every corner” since they have far greater energy-density than wind turbines, which often sprawl over 30,000+ acres or a dozen miles of ridges for just a few hundred. Here’s a photo of a coal plant (I’m not “pro coal”) that puts out far more power than sprawling wind turbines nearby. https://bc7ef94c9aa3a4d0c3bb-524159c56cd80a90fd1e155cf4179a97.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/wv_cnvy1604.jpg (Mt. Storm, WV). Nuclear is similar in its land-to-power ratio, with significantly smaller mined areas supporting it. I can’t see integrity in those who decry coal mountaintop removal yet claim spiky clearcut ridges are “beautiful.” In nature, you do see bare (alpine or desert) rock but never such alien structures. Many coal mines, e.g. Wyoming are low-lying and hard to see until you’re right on them. Wind turbines are far more visible now.
If you’re truly OK with the current visual impact, you have to realize that, for any major effect on fossil fuel use (still unlikely to minimize AGW) we’d need many times the number of turbines seen today. The widely quoted 2009 Jacobson scheme seeks 3.8 million large models. Putting them offshore just shifts the blight to our last “infinite” horizons, which I consider a crime against nature. It’s very rare to have offshore wind turbines hidden from land, and they’re the tallest models at 700+ feet now. They even want them to be over 1,000 feet tall for grandiose “palm tree” turbine technologies: https://energy.gov/articles/enormous-blades-offshore-energy (could those ever be worth all the fuel burned to build them?). Even the mere five turbines at America’s first offshore project at Block Island, RI have rankled some residents. The windsters respond with hollow classism arguments, as if only rich people care about a view! They sound like right-wingers chiding fractivists.
Respect Silence I don’t think this will make any difference to you but in case there are other readers.
• It’s all a big conspiracy against my point of view by very evil people and this person has just been caught up in the conspiracy and believes it.
If you don’t have any respect for the person you are trying to convince, you are unlikely to get any respect in return, and they are, therefore, unlikely to be receptive to your ideas.
A quick google search of birds killed by wind turbines has several articles all saying that the numbers of birds killed by other man-made sources is thousands of times larger than wind turbines. Wikipedia shows a list where other sources, not including cats, are at least a thousand times larger than wind turbines. Perhaps there are other elements to the story that I am not seeing, but that is how I’ve come to my opinion.
I could not find any quick answer on the percentage of bats killed by wind turbines except that the number is substantial, white nose syndrome kills a huge number of bats and farmers kill lots of bats.
Perhaps there are other elements to the story that I am not seeing, but that is how I’ve come to my opinion.
Sorry, but I have no interest in getting along with people who call themselves green while promoting obscene intrusions on already-stressed landscapes. This doesn’t need to be explained those who intrinsically get it. Famous environmentalists with a land ethic (Muir, Leopold, Abbey, et al) are highly unlikely to have supported what wind power has become. Many photographers resent that so much scenery has been lost, though some have become industry shills with photos of silent, hazy sculptures, always in the distance.
Again, this is what your beloved wind farms look like in the real world: http://google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=wind+farm+mountains Videos show it best because they’re also spinning (part of the time), adding to their unnatural impact. People who respect open space can’t just look away or prattle on about “careful siting” when each new project is already contested.
You folks keep sidestepping the severe bat-kill problem, so here again are the links you claim to be unable to find: https://www.usgs.gov/news/a-deadly-double-punch-together-turbines-and-disease-jeopardize-endangered-bats and https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bat-killings-by-wind-energy-turbines-continue/ You’ll keep repeating the same industry-sourced bird studies, so that’s a stalemate.
To me, wind power defenders are simply lying about what’s really going on, just as climate-deniers lie about CO2 risks. You’re stuck on anthropocentric gestures toward solving climate change instead of questioning growthism or “sustainability” that requires no real sacrifice. Unless I’m mistaken, the main reason for this un-denial blog is because of those very attitudes! Wind energy is the opposite of where technology should be heading; big, noisy and clunky vs. small, quiet and agile.
Industrial wind blight created a tipping point among people who realized Man may never do the right thing by nature. Even if noise/birds/bats weren’t issues, spoiling nature’s majestic physical legacy to “save the planet” is crass and futile. It’s a gut reaction, like watching vandals white-tagging the Great Pyramids or trophy hunters turning elephants red. You don’t just accept it as normal.
Per unit, solar PV is a weaker power source than wind but it has the big advantage of placement on things that are already built (sprawling solar projects like the Ivanpah bird-fryer are mistakes). Solar PV and rooftop solar thermal systems should be greatly scaled-up to cover what wind is trying to supply.
Deep geothermal should also do the same. Tidal energy is too intrusive on a bigger scale and should never be built in non-industrial areas. Nuclear is a tricky topic but I’d still rather see it than more wind turbines. Enough said here.
Wind power is indeed no viable strategy to reduce CO2 emissions. Wind, solar make up only a marginal share of energy production (1%, 2% ?), and as long as we have economic growth we’ll have growing CO2 emissions. They can’t replace fossil fuels more than to a small degree so we’ll end up burning fossils as long as economic activity continues. The only way to reduce CO2 emissions is by shrinking the economy. We’ll get there when fossils peak or the economy crashes….
So the effect of renewables is really just a psychological one.
Of course we’ll also continue majorly wrecking the environment one way or the other, until we’re back to much lower population levels and subsistence living.
Population control is an orphan cause, as no one faction’s short-term self interest is furthered by espousing it. And the most powerful self-interest that drives growth is some form of greed. It’s obvious why corporate oligarchies promote pop growth – a bigger customer base to increase demand for goods and services, and bloated labor pools to drive down wages. A one-two punch that powerfully amplifies profits. But there’s also anthropocentric biologic greed, the selfish gene. This leads to zombie-like procreation behavior by the billions of people inhabiting the earth, people from every socioeconomic stratum. Logically, if couples just wanted the satisfaction and psychological rewards of raising a family they could just adopt one or more of the millions of impoverished and starving children already on the planet, but that is rarely their first choice, thanks to their innate biologic drive to promulgate their own DNA, not that of another “tribe” from half way around the world. Other factions like organized religions, special-interest groups, politicians, and countless others also have greed-related motives for promoting growth.
So, unless you expect to sell a few books (don’t expect to get on the best-seller list) about the subject, you almost have to be a perfectly altruistic saint to promote population control. Because in doing so, you would immediately be targeted as a racist, anti-family demagogue. On top of that, no benefits of pop control can come quickly and surely to you personally, only to the world at large over many years’ time. Human nature being what it is, how many people would want to take on a cause like that?
Population will be reducing soon. If people weren’t in denial about how this is going to happen I think they’d be happy and grateful to have only 1 child.
Next Next post: Why is my message so unpopular? | 2019-04-20T19:00:27Z | https://un-denial.com/2016/03/25/overpopulation-denial/ |
In modern agriculture, there is a high demand to move from tedious manual harvesting to a continuously automated operation. This chapter reports on designing a simulation and control platform in V-REP, ROS, and MATLAB for experimenting with sensors and manipulators in robotic harvesting of sweet pepper. The objective was to provide a completely simulated environment for improvement of visual servoing task through easy testing and debugging of control algorithms with zero damage risk to the real robot and to the actual equipment. A simulated workspace, including an exact replica of different robot manipulators, sensing mechanisms, and sweet pepper plant, and fruit system was created in V-REP. Image moment method visual servoing with eye-in-hand configuration was implemented in MATLAB, and was tested on four robotic platforms including Fanuc LR Mate 200iD, NOVABOT, multiple linear actuators, and multiple SCARA arms. Data from simulation experiments were used as inputs of the control algorithm in MATLAB, whose outputs were sent back to the simulated workspace and to the actual robots. ROS was used for exchanging data between the simulated environment and the real workspace via its publish-and-subscribe architecture. Results provided a framework for experimenting with different sensing and acting scenarios, and verified the performance functionality of the simulator.
Traditional harvesting of fruiting vegetables for fresh market is a labor-intensive task that demands shifting from tedious manual operation to a continuously automated harvesting. In spite of the advances in agricultural robotics, million tons of fruits and vegetables are still hand-picked every year in open-fields and greenhouses (Figure 1). Other than the high labor cost, the availability of the skilled workforce that accepts repetitive tasks in the harsh field conditions impose uncertainties and timeliness costs. For robotic harvesting to be cost-effective, fruit yield needs to be maximized to compensate the additional automation costs. This leads to growing plants at higher densities which make it even harder for an autonomous robot to simultaneously detect the fruit, localize, and harvest it. In the case of sweet pepper fruit, with an estimated yield of 1.9 million tons/year in Europe, reports indicate that while an average time of 6 s per fruit is required for automated harvesting, the available technology has only achieved a success rate of 33% with an average picking time of 94 s per fruit . For cucumber harvesting, a cycle time of 10 s was proven to be economically feasible . Only in Washington State, 15–18 billion apple fruits are harvested manually every year. An estimated 3 million tons of apples is reported to have been produced in Poland in 2015 , out of which one-third are delicate fruits and are less resistant to bruising from mass harvester machines. Also in Florida, where the current marketable yield of sweet pepper fruits in open-field cultivation is 1.6–3.0 with potential yield of 4 lb/ft2 in passive ventilated greenhouses , manual harvesting is still the only solution. Therefore, development of an automated robotic harvesting should be considered as an alternative method to address the associated labor shortage costs and timeliness.
Research and development in agricultural robotics date back to 1980s, with Japan, the Netherlands, and the USA as the pioneer countries. The first studies used simple monochrome cameras for apple detection inside the canopy . Advances in the sensor technology and imaging devices have led to the employment of more sophisticated devices such as infrared , thermal and hyperspectral cameras , or combination of multi-sensors that are adopted with novel vision-based techniques for extracting spatial information from the images for fruit recognition, localization, and tracking. Examples of some of the recent achievements include automatic fruit recognition based on the fusion of color and 3D feature , multi-template matching algorithm , and automatic fruit recognition from multiple images . Unlike the industrial case, an agriculture robot has to deal with different arrangement of plantings size and shapes, stems, branches, leaves, fruit color, texture, and different location of fruits and plants with respect to each other. Significant contributions have been made by different research groups to address these challenges; however, there is currently no report of a commercial robotic harvesting for fresh fruit market , mainly due to the extremely variable heterogeneous working condition and the complex and unpredicted tasks involved with each scenario. Some of the questions to be addressed in designing of a complete robotic harvesting are the simultaneous localization of fruit and environment mapping, path planning algorithms, and the number of detectable and harvestable fruits in different plant density conditions. The function of a robot can be separated into three main sections as sensing (i.e., fruit recognition), planning (i.e., hand-and-eye coordination), and acting (i.e., end-effector mechanism for fruit grasping) . A common approach in fruit detection is by using a single view point, as in the case of a cucumber harvesting robot , or multiple viewpoints with additional sensing from one or few external vision sensors that are not located on the robot . Other than the issues with frame transformation, this solution is not promising if the fruit is heavily occluded by the high density plant leaves . Obviously, the final robot prototype needs to be relatively quicker for mass-harvest, with an affordable cost for greenhouse growers. Swarms of simple robots with multiple low-cost camera and grippers, or human-robot collaboration are the research topics to solve the facing challenges in robotic harvesting that current technology cannot overcome. These approaches can significantly improve the processing time of multiple fruit detection in the high-density plants, and provide ground truth results over time for machine learning algorithms based on human-operators experience. Research on agricultural robotics with a focus on automated harvesting of fruiting and vegetable are huge. See for example the works carried out on sweet pepper [1, 18, 19, 20], oil palm , cucumber [15, 22, 23, 24], apple , strawberry [26, 27], cherry fruit , citrus , and tomato . Most of these works have used eye-in-hand look-and-move configuration in their visual servo control (Figure 2). Other researches are concentrated on the end-effector design , analysis of the robot performance in the dense obstacle environments using stability tests , motion planning algorithms , and orchard architecture design for optimal harvesting robot . In addition, several software frameworks have been developed for agricultural robotics. An example includes the work of , in which a generic high-level functionality was provided for easier and faster development of agricultural robots. Some of the most recent advances in sensing for robotic harvesting include the works of [29, 35] which address the problem of detecting fruits and obstacles in dense foliage. Moreover, and have extensively explored the use of combined color distance, or RGB-D, data on apples and on sweet-peppers, respectively, while present a study devoted to symmetry analysis in three-dimensional shapes for products detection on the plant.
Research and development in robotic harvesting of fruits with different manipulators and gripper mechanisms for: (A) citrus, (B, C) sweet pepper, (D, E) tomato, (F) cucumber, (G, H) strawberry, and (I–K) apple.
Improvement of robotic harvesting requires experimenting with different sensors and algorithms for fruit detection and localization, and a strategy for finding the collision-free paths to grasp the fruits with minimum control effort. Experiments with the actual hardware setup for this purpose are not always feasible due to time constraints, unavailability of equipment (i.e., sensors, cameras, and the robot manipulator), and the operation costs. In the other hand, some hardware setups may result in actuator saturation, or create unsafe situation to the operators and/or plants system. Simulation offers a reliable approach to bridge the gap between innovative ideas and the laboratory trials, and therefore can accelerate the design of a robust robotic fruit harvesting platform for efficient, cost-effective and bruise-free fruit picking. This research was motivated based on the sensing task in robotic harvesting, which requires delivering a robust pragmatic computer vision package to localize mature pepper fruits and its surrounding obstacles. The main objective was to create a completely simulated environment for improvement of plant/fruit scanning and visual servoing task through an easy testing and debugging of control algorithms with zero damage risk to the real robot and to the actual equipment. The research was carried out in two main phases: (i) the creation of the simulated workspace in the virtual robot experimentation platform (V-REP), and (ii) the development of communication and control architecture using the robot operating system (ROS) and MATLAB (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, USA). The simulated workspace included an exact replica of the Fanuc LR Mate 200iD robot manipulator with six degrees of freedom (Fanuc America Corporation, Rochester Hills, MI), models of sweet pepper fruit and plant system, and different vision sensors were created in (V-REP). A simulated color camera attached to the end-effector of the robot was used as fruit localization sensor. ROS was used for exchanging data between the simulated environment and the real workspace via its publish-and-subscribe architecture. This provides a tool for validating the simulated results with those from experimenting with a real robot. V-REP and MATLAB were also interfaced to create two-way communication architecture for exchanging sensors and robot control messages. Data from the simulated manipulator and sensors in V-REP were used as inputs of a visual servo control algorithm in MATLAB. Results provided a flexible platform that saves in cost and time for experimenting with different control strategies, sensing instrumentation, and algorithms in automated harvesting of sweet pepper.
Computer simulation of a complete robotic harvesting task requires: (i) CAD file setup including good replications of the plants-and-fruit scene and the robot manipulators, (ii) simulation environment and calculation modules for the manipulator candidates and platforms (i.e., inverse kinematics and path planning), (iii) different sensors setup, and more importantly (iv) algorithms for control tasks such as visual servoing and gripper control mechanism. The main simulation environment, scene objects, and calculation modules were built in the latest version of V-REP Pro Edu V3.4.0 for Linux 64 (available atwww.coppeliarobotics.com), and ROS installed on Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS. Some of the used terminal commands are summarized in Table 1.
List of the most used Ubuntu terminal commands used for navigating in the simulation environment.
ROS Indigo was used to provide a bidirectional communication (information exchange) between simulated robot and cameras with the real world. Experimental packages for Fanuc manipulators within ROS-Industrial (available athttp://wiki.ros.org/fanuc_experimental) were used for controlling the manipulator. This design allows reading information from the simulation scene (i.e., robot joints velocity, position, sensors, etc.) and publishes them across ROS network for further process. Results can be used by the simulation, and/or by the real robots and controllers. The image-based visual servo control was carried out in V-REP and MATLAB. For the sake of this chapter, we only provide a brief description of ROS and V-REP.
ROS is a collection of software frameworks for robot software development. It was originally developed in 2007 by the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and with the support of the Stanford AI Robot project. It provides a solution to specific set of problems encountered in the developing large-scale service robots, with philosophical goals summarized as: (i) peer-to-peer, (ii) tools-based, (iii) multi-lingual, (iv) thin, and (v) free and open-source . From 2008 until 2013, development was performed primarily at Willow Garage, a robotics research institute/incubator. During that time, researchers at more than 20 institutions collaborated with Willow Garage engineers in a federated development model. Since 2010, ROS has released several versions, including Box Turtle (March, 2010), C Turtle (August, 2010), Diamondback (March, 2011), Electric Emys (August, 2011), Fuerte Turtle (April, 2012), Groovy Galapagos (December, 2012), Hydro (September, 2013), Indigo (July, 2014), and Jade (May, 2015). The open-source ROS makes it possible to develop code and applications that can be shared and used in other robotic system with minimum effort. It also offers standard operating system features such as hardware abstraction, low-level device control, implementation of commonly used functionalities, message passing between processes, and package management. ROS Packages are files and folders that are built to create minimal collections of code for easy reuse. A ROS package usually includes the followings folders and files: bin, msg, scripts, src, srv, CMakeLists.txt, manifest.xml (Figure 3).
Diagram showing ROS file architecture and nodes communicating system.
Fundamental concepts of the ROS are: Nodes, Messages, Topics, and Services. ROS works based on a “publish-and-subscribe” architecture where processes (called nodes) publish and/or subscribe to specific topic on which information is exchanged in the form of messages (Figure 3). A Node is an executable file that uses ROS to communicate with other Nodes. A Message is ROS data type that is used when subscribing or publishing to a topic. Nodes can publish messages to a Topic as well as subscribe to a Topic to receive messages. Service helps Nodes find each other. ROS nodes use a ROS client library to communicate with other nodes. Nodes can also provide or use a Service. With this architecture, each node in ROS is able to respond to input and activate other nodes, allowing participation of a sequence of nodes to complete complicated robot mission tasks. Installation details and basic configuration of ROS environment, as well as installation and configuration of packages such as V-REP/ROS bridge, and the details of the Fanuc manipulator package are not in the concept of this chapter. A more detailed discussion can be found in .
V-REP is like a Swiss knife in robotic simulation community. Its first public release was in March 2010, and its latest version (V3.4.0 v1) was released on April 16, 2017. It possesses various relatively independent functions, features, or more elaborate APIs, that can be enabled or disabled as desired. Compared to gazebo, V-REP is very stable and easy to set up and running. For example, the vision sensors are reasonably well simulated and if the scene is not too complex, the run times of the simulations are generally good as well. If the project requires building a custom robot in the simulator (i.e., NOVABOT or Fanuc LR Mate 200iD manipulator), the setups for links, joints, and calculation modules such as inverse kinematics necessitates some practice, however, that is the case in any robot simulation software. Another big advantage is its true cross-platform, which means it can be run in Windows or Linux. By default, the V-REP distribution for Linux should be automatically ROS enabled based on ROS Indigo and Catkin. Each object/model in V-REP scene can be individually controlled via an embedded script, a plugin, a ROS node, a remote API client, or a custom solution. Controllers can be written in C/C++, Python, Java, Lua, Matlab, and Octaveor Urbi. The three main elements of V-REP simulator are scene object (i.e., joints, shape, sensors, path, etc.), calculation modules (i.e., inverse kinematics, collision detection, etc.), and control mechanism (i.e., scripts, plugin, sockets, etc.). In addition, V-REP inverse kinematics supports four different dynamic engines: The Bullet, ODE, Newton, and the Vortex Dynamics Engine. An overview of V-REP framework architecture is shown in Figure 4.
Schematic diagram showing the architecture and the main elements of V-REP simulator.
Quantification of fruits to estimate the time required for robotic harvesting is an intensive labor task that is either ignored in high density greenhouses or is carried out manually by the use of hand pickers. We proposed a low-cost robust sweet pepper fruit recognition and tracking system using stream RGB images. Main hardware and software components of the system included a laptop computer (Lenovo Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6200 U CPU@2.30GHz, RAM 8.00GB, 64-bit OS Windows 10), a Logitech camera (C920 HD Pro USB 1080p), supplementary halogen lamps, Adafruit Ultimate GPS breakout module 66 channel w/10 Hz (NY, USA), and Arduino Uno Microcontroller board. The image processing algorithm was implemented in MATLAB and applies median filter and image segmentation method to remove color noise from the RGB images of pepper fruits taken in the lab experiments at different angles, positions, and light conditions disturbances (varying illumination and overlapping). Figure 5 shows: (A) original image, (B–D) red, green, and blue bands, (E) mask of only red object, (F) regions filled, (G) masked-red image, (H) extracting red component from the masked red image and applying median filter to filter out the noise, (I) convert the resulting grayscale image into a binary image and removing all pixels with a gray level value less than 3000, (J) masked image showing only red-detected object, (K) blob analysis, bounding the red objects in rectangular box and showing centroid. The image processing algorithm was validated using 78 images obtained from lab experiments and internet sources, with a recognition success rate of 94% and average recognition time of less than 2 s per image. Results of the image processing were sent from MATLAB to V-REP for simulation of visual servo control. For the actual experiment, color images of sweet pepper were acquired under natural daylight condition in different greenhouse environment in the presence of the halogen lamps. Each band of the RGB image was transferred as a 24-bit, 640 by 480 pixels matrix and was processed in real time by the custom built MATLAB application on the laptop computer. ROS was used for exchanging data between the simulated environment and the real workspace via its publish-and-subscribe architecture. Another 57 images were obtained for experimenting with different fruit and plant position scenarios. In addition, internet searched images of sweet pepper taken at different greenhouse environments were used to verify the reliability and to improve the accuracy of the algorithm. The image subscription and publishing was performed by having V-REP ROS enabled based on ROS Indigo and Catkin build. The general ROS functionality in V-REP is supported via a generic plugin “libv_repExtRos.so” or “libv_repExtRos.dylib.” It should be noted that plugins are loaded when V-REP is launched, and the ROS plugin will be successfully loaded and initialized only if “roscore” is running at that time. The plugin is open source and can be modified as much as needed in order to support a specific feature or to extend its functionality. Three of the main ROS package folders in the V-REP, (located in programming/ros_packages) are the “vrep_common,” “vrep_plugin,” and “vrep_joy” as shown in the left side of Figure 6.
Demonstration of the steps in the robust image processing algorithm using edge detection with fuzzy-logic for identification and tracking of sweet pepper.
Image publishing and subscribing in ROS, Left image: snapshot of the main ROS package folders in the V-REP, and right image: snapshot of the simulation environment in V-REP publishing an image to a ROS node.
The first package was used to generate the services and stream messages that were needed to implement the V-REP API functions, while the second is the actual plugin that was compiled to a “.so” file used by V-REP. The “vrep_joy” package enables interaction with a joystick. Having the services and stream messages in a separate package allows for other application to use them in order to communicate with V-REP via ROS in a convenient way. These packages were copied to the catkin_ws/src folder. The command “$ roscd” was then used to check whether ROS is aware of these packages (e.g., $ roscd vrep_plugin). After navigating to the catkin_ws, the command “$ catkin_make” was used to build the packages and to generate the plugins. The created plugins were then copied to the V-REP installation folder to be used for image subscription and publishing. A new terminal was opened in Ubuntu for staring the ROS master using the command “$ roscore.” Another terminal was opened and was navigated to the V-REP installation folder to launch the V-REP simulator in Ubuntu by typing the command “$. /vrep.sh.” The entire procedure is summarized as these steps: (i) installing ROS Indigo on Ubuntu and setting up the workspace folder, (ii) copying “ros_packages” in V-REP into the “catkin_ws/src” folder, (iii) source “setup.bash” file, (iv) run “roscore” and “. /vrep.sh.” The two available nodes, “/rosout” and “/vrep” and the three topics “/rosout,” “/rosout_agg,” “/vrep/info” were checked using “$ rosnode list” and “$ rostopic list” commands, respectively. In addition, the command “$ rosservice list” was used to advertise all the services. It should be noted that the only V-REP topic that was advertised was “info” publisher that started as soon as the plugin was launched. All other V-REP topics for publishing and subscribing images and sensors were individually enabled using Lua commands: “simExtROS_enablePublisher” and “simExtROS_enableSubscriber.” Moreover, to visualize the vision sensor stream images and data, the “$ rosrun image_view image_view image:=/vrep/visionSensorData” and “$ rostopic echo/vrep/visionSensorData” were used, respectively. Snapshot of the simulation environment is shown in the right side of Figure 6.
Simulation scene in V-REP contains several elemental objects that are assembled in a tree-like hierarchy and operate in conjunction with each other to achieve an objective. In addition, V-REP has several calculation modules that can directly operate on one or several scene objects. Major scene objects and modules used in the simulation scene include (i) sensors, (ii) CAD models of the plant and robot manipulator, (iii) inverse kinematics, (iv) minimum distance calculation, (v) collision detection, (vi) path planning, and (vii) visual servo control. Other objects that were used as basic building blocks are: dummies, joints, shapes, graphs, paths, lights, and cameras (Figure 7). In this section, we provide description for the sensors and CAD models, and assign the next section to the calculation modules.
Major scene objects used in the simulation.
V-REP supports different vision sensors (orthographic and perspective type) and proximity sensors (Ray-type, pyramid-type, cylinder-type, disk-type, and cone- or randomized ray-type proximity sensors). It is possible to model almost any proximity sensor subtype, from ultrasonic to infrared. In addition it has built-in CAD models of several available commercial sensors such as Microsoft Kinekt, 2D and 3D laser scanners, blob detection camera, Hokuyo URG 04LX UG01, SICK S300, and TimM10 sensors. Other models can be built similarly based on combinations of different vision and proximity sensors. The V-REP model of each sensors used for this simulation is shown below its actual images in Figure 8 which include: Fish-eye RGB Axis 212 PTZ sensor (Figure 8A), Infrared Proximity Sensor Long Range-Sharp GP2Y0A02YK0F (Figure 8B), SICK TiM310 fast laser measurement scanner (Figure 8C), Fast Hokuyo URG-04LX-UG01 scanning Laser Rangefinder (Figure 8D), and Microsoft Kinect (Figure 8E).
Major sensors used in the experiments, first row image are the actual and the second row images are the simulated sensors.
The fish-eye RGB camera was added for fruit detection, tracking, and for visual servo control with a custom set of filters that were designed for the image processing algorithm in MATLAB and V-REP. Two color cameras were also added for tracking the scene and the position of the robot end-effector with respect to the fruit and plant in order to provide a wider view of the vision sensor. The V-REP model of the Microsoft Kinect sensor includes RGB and depth vision sensors, and was used in the scene to calculate the time needed for the laser signal to hit an object and bounce back to its source, creating in this way a three-dimensional representation of the object. Five different proximity sensors with different shapes were also experimented in the simulation, including: laser ray, pyramid, cylinder, disk, and randomized ray-type. The laser-scanner rangefinder was considered in the simulation to measure distance between an observer object (i.e., the robot gripper or the end-effector camera) and a target (i.e., fruit, plant, or obstacles). Typical range finders work based on time-of-flight (TOF) and frequency phase-shift technologies. The TOF method utilizes laser by sending a pulse in a narrow beam toward the object and measuring the time taken by the pulse to be reflected off and return to the sensor. The frequency-phase shift method measures the phase of multiple frequencies on reflection together with performing simultaneous math calculations to deliver the final measure. Rangefinders are available in V-REP in the form of vision-sensors and proximity sensors. For example, the Hokuyo URG-04LX-UG01 and the 3D laser scanner range finder use a ray-type laser proximity sensor. The V-REP model for Fast-3D laser scanner uses vision sensor with the filters as illustrated in Figure 9. It should be noted that vision-sensors-based rangefinders have high calculation speed but lower precision, while proximity-sensors-based rangefinders have higher prevision in calculating the geometric distance with relatively lower calculation speed.
Filter used by each of the two vision sensors in “Fast Hokuyo URG-04LX-UG01” V-REP model (top), and by the vision sensor in the “3D laser scanner Fast” V-REP model (bottom).
The CAD models of the sweet pepper plant, including stem system, leaves, and pepper fruits, as well as the single and multiple arms robot manipulators that were used in the simulation are shown in Figures 10–13. The Fanuc LR Mate 200iD robot manipulator shown in Figure 11 is a compact six-axis robot with the approximate size and reach of a human arm. It combines best-in-class robot weight-load capacity with standard IP67 protection and outstanding FANUC quality. This makes the Fanuc LR Mate 200iD the best and most reliable mini robot for process automation in many industries. The maximum load capacity at wrist = 7 kg, repeatability = 0.02 mm, mechanical weight = 25 kg, and reach = 717 mm. The joints motion range and maximum speed are summarized in the operator manual . As alternative innovative solutions, simple robots, including a platform with multiple linear actuators (Figure 12), and multiple SCARA robot arms (Figure 13) with multiple lower-cost cameras and grippers were also designed for simulation.
CAD models of the entire plant system: fruit, leaves, stem, calyx, and leaves.
Simulation scene setup with CAD models of the professional robot manipulator used in visual servo control experiment, left: Fanuc LR Mate 200iD, right: NOVABOT.
Simulation scene setup with CAD models of the multiple linear actuator robotic platform.
Simulation scene setup with CAD models of the multiple SCARA arm robotic platform.
In order to setup the robot manipulator for different experiment, several calculation modules, including minimum distance calculation, collision detection, path planning, inverse kinematics, and different control mechanism were used in V-REP. Snapshot of the calculation modules is provided in Figure 14. V-REP control mechanism are divided into (i) local interfaces, including Embedded scripts, Plugins, Add-ons, and (ii) remote interfaces, including remote API clients, custom solutions, and ROS nodes, as shown in Figure 14A. It should be noted that different V-REP control mechanisms can be used simultaneously in one scene, or even work in conjunction with each other, which provides a multipurpose and accessible framework for the purpose of more complex robotic simulation. Scripting in V-REP is in the Lua language which is a fast scripting language designed to support procedural programming. Scripts in V-REP are the main control mechanism for a simulation. For the sake of this book chapter, we only provide brief illustration of the inverse kinematic task for the NOVABOT manipulator and the visual servo control.
Demonstration of (A) five different control mechanisms in V-REP, (B) inverse kinematics chain, (C, D) minimum distance calculation from tip vision sensor and plant/fruit model, (E) collision detection between robot links and plant model, and (F) path planning for moving a harvested fruit to the bin.
The inverse kinematic (IK) task in V-REP requires three things: (i) CAD data of the manipulator links (ii) joints, (iii) kinematic chain, (iv) tip and target dummies, and (iv) IK task. The CAD file was imported to the scene from [Menu bar --> File --> Import --> Mesh]. It should be noted that depending on how the original CAD data was generated in the original CAD software, the imported mesh file could be at a different scale, different location, or even subdivided into several shapes. The assigned color of imported shapes is random. V-REP also provides basic tools and options for creating model of a new robot if the CAD file is not available from external sources. Upon importing the CAD file, a single simple shape is located in the middle of the scene and appears in the scene hierarchy on the left hand side of the main window. For the IK task, the single CAD shape was divided by selecting [Menu bar --> Edit --> Grouping/Merging --> Divide selected shapes]. This divided the original shape into several sub-shapes that were grouped manually for a same rigid entity using [Menu bar --> Edit --> Grouping/Merging --> Group selected shapes]. For example, all shapes that were related to the robot base were grouped together and renamed as robot_base in the scene hierarchy. It is usually easier to change the color of each shape for a better visual appearance and for selecting the shapes that belong to one group. In the case, when all shapes that were meant to be grouped shared the same visual attributes, they were merged together instead using [Menu bar --> Edit --> Grouping/Merging --> Merge selected shapes]. After the shapes were grouped in a compound shape, the robot joints that logically belong to a shape (robot link) were added into the scene using [Menu bar --> Add --> Joint --> Revolute] with their correct position and orientation specified. All joints were then set to the IK mode and were placed at the correct position. In case, when the exact joint positions were not known, they were extracted manually based on the position of the relevant shapes. It is often helpful to refer to the robot design manual for a better understanding of links and joints functionality for building the kinematic chain, going from tip to base. The IK task requires specification of the kinematic chain described with a “tip” dummy and a “base” object, and a “target” dummy that the “tip” dummy will be constrained to follow as shown in Figure 15. After all elements for the definition of the IK task were ready, the “target dummy” was selected as the linked dummy to the “tip dummy,” and the IK task was registered as an IK group with proper selection of calculation method (DLS or pseudo inverse), damping, and constraints (x, y, z, alpha-beta, gamma).
Demonstration of the joint functionality and the inverse kinematics chain for the NOVABOT manipulator.
A robot can be controlled in V-REP simulation through several ways such as child script, writing plugins, ROS nodes, external client applications that relies on the remote API, or writing an external application that communicates with V-REP plugin or script via pipes, sockets, or serial port. V-REP supports seven supported languages: C/C++, Python, Java, Matlab, Octave, Lua, and Urbi. In this research, we used MATLAB as the remote API because it provides a very convenient and easy way to write, modify and run image based visual servoing control codes. This also allows controlling a simulation or a model (e.g., a virtual robot) with the exact same code as the one that runs the real robot. The remote API functionality relies on the remote API plugin (on the server side), and the remote API code on the client side. Both programs/projects are open source (i.e., can be easily extended or translated for support of other languages) and can be found in the ‘programming’ directory of V-REP’s installation. Visual servo control scheme with eye-in-hand configuration, as shown in Figure 16, was implemented in MATLAB based on image moment method. For the case of the multiple linear actuators and the SCARA arms, we divided the camera view into multiple camera views to enhance the accuracy of the fruit detection algorithm and also to accelerate the image processing time (Figure 17). Details of the visual servo control algorithm are considered intellectual property of authors’ research group and are beyond the content of this chapter.
Visual servo control scheme with eye in hand configuration based on image moment method used with the Fanuc LR Mate 200iD and the NOVABOT manipulators.
Schematic diagram of an innovative approach for robotic harvesting based on multiple low-cost manipulators (e.g., multiple linear actuators or SCARA arms).
Results provided a simulated environment for improvement of plant/fruit scanning and visual servoing task through easy testing and debugging of control algorithms with zero damage risk to the real robot and to the actual equipment. It also contributed to experimenting new ideas in robotic harvesting of sweet pepper, as well as testing different sensing instrumentation and control strategies on the currently used manipulators. Three groups of experiments, with separated V-REP scenes were designed for investigating different algorithms, robot manipulator, and sensors setup. They are summarized as experimenting with: (i) fruit detection and tracking algorithm using different camera views (Figures 18 and 19), (ii) manual and automated plant/fruit scanning in x-y, x-z, and y-z plane, and x-y-z space (Figures 20 and 21), (iii) fruit/plant scanning using Kinect, Hokuyo, fast 3D Laser, proximity 3D Laser scanner, and proximity Hokuyo URG04LXUG01 sensors (Figure 22), and (iv) visual servoing control law on single (Figure 23) and multiple (Figure 24) robot manipulator. Depending on the objectives of each scenario, sensors were placed in fixed spots, or on a moving link of the robot such as the end-effector. For example, the RGB vision sensor for fruit detection and tracking was used as eye-in-hand configuration with end-point closed-loop control. For the manual fruit/plant scan experiment with RGB sensors, the robot joints were controlled via sliders or by directly entering the desired joint angles in each label box as shown in Figure 20. This enabled sensing from the gripper from multiple viewpoints. In order to provide an interface with real workspace, two 2-axis analog Joysticks with push button were then used with Arduino Uno microcontroller to manually control angular positions for the joints. The automated fruit/plant scan experiments with RGB sensor were also carried out in different x, y, and z direction. The objective from this experiment was to simulate various camera pose and views for the best fruit attack and harvest. For Scanning in x-y plane, a 360° scan configuration of the fruit in the horizontal x-y plane is shown in Figure 20, with 30° increment snapshots of the simulated fruit. A similar scanning has been employed by . For scanning in x-y-z space, two scan configurations in x-y-z space were used with snapshots of the resulting camera view shown in Figure 21. In this setup, the RGB sensor mounted on the robot tip is moved on the horizontal plane x-y to find the best view of the fruit. Moreover, the manipulator is “twisted” to provide different viewpoints for the end-effector camera.
Results of the image processing algorithm for fruit localization using wide camera view (left) and divided camera view (right).
Result of the image processing algorithm for quantification and tracking of sweet pepper in different fruit-and-plant scenario.
Two dimensional scanning experiment (x-y, x-z, and y-z planes) for finding the maximum fruit visibility. Camera was set to move at 30 degrees increments around the fruit and plant model.
Three dimensional scanning experiments (x-y-z space) for finding the maximum fruit visibility. Camera was set to rotate around the fruit and plant until it finds the best angle of attack.
Simulation of scanning experiment with Laser scanners and depth sensors.
Simulation of visual servo control experiment with the eye-in-hand configuration and PID Control law on joint angles with feedbacks from image moments. Stability was achieved in 2.5 s without overshoot and oscillations.
Simulation of robotic harvesting with arrays of linear actuators.
The “3D Laser Scanner Fast” sensor model in V-REP is based on vision-sensor with a perspective angle equal to 45°, a resolution of 512 by 512 and minimum and maximum 0.05 and 5 m distance of operation. Snapshot of the experiment with this sensor is shown in Figure 22. The “Fast Hokuyo URG-04LX-UG01” model in V-REP also works in perspective mode with an operability angle equal to 120°, and a resolution that was set at 512 by 1 which means it scans along a line shown on the floating view. It has a minimum and maximum distance of operability, respectively, equal to 0.04 and 5. The image processing in this case is similar to the 3D laser sensor except that the intensity map scale component is omitted. This sensor in fact does not come with any floating view by default. Two floating views were added for the two vision sensors of the “Fast Hokuyo URG-04LX-UG01” model. The black line inside the floating view of each sensor indicates presence of object (i.e., fruit, leaf, robot, and plant). First row images in Figure 22 are snapshot of the scene with Kinect depth sensor in action for fruit/plant scan, and the bottom row images are, respectively, from left to right are: snapshot of the scene with vision sensors, showing the “3D Laser scanner Fast,” the “Fast Hokuyo URG-04LX-UG01,” snapshot of the scene with proximity sensors showing the “3D-Laser scanner,” and the “Hokuyo URG-04LX-UG01” scanning scene.
For the visual servo control task, a robot end-mounted camera was used to position the robot arm in a plane orthogonal to the axis, such that the fruit to be harvested is centered in the camera’s field of view. The system had no trajectory generator, instead a feedback loop closed visually, was used to control the robots arm position. The sensor and robot was programmed for visual servoing task in such a way that the end-effector tracks the largest detected fruit until maximum possible view of that fruit is provided. Two different control approaches was designed and tested, one based on joint velocity control and the other based on joint position control. In both design a PID control law was implemented to minimize the offset error between image position of a detected fruit and center of the camera frame. Results showed that the robot could adjust itself in such a way that its tip RGB sensor shows maximum possible view of the largest detected fruit and become stable in a short time. It should be noted that both control algorithms were designed and tuned based on the experiments and statistical results from fruit/plant scan. Video demonstration of the entire experiments can be accessed from the links listed in Table 2.
Links to the video demonstrations.
As the final discussion, we would like to highlight that agricultural robotic is a part of the big picture in the future production of vegetable and crops, i.e., growing plants in space. An example includes space research for development of Mars greenhouses to produce vegetables during a mission to Mars or at Antarctica. The trend in food production is toward urban farming techniques, compact Agri-cubes, and automated systems with minimum human interface. The idea is that even people with limited experience/knowledge in vegetable cultivation can operate these units. While this integration might seem too ambitious, it can serve as a prophetic awareness for a perceptive outlook in the farming system. For example, the conventional arrangements of citrus groves, orchards, and the trees shapes in Florida had to be reconsidered for the mechanical harvesting machines to operate successfully. It is likely that the greenhouse planting systems for sweet pepper will also be re-shaped to match with a customized robotic platform. Two of the key challenges to be solved during the design of robotic harvesting framework are addressed by as (i) detection of a target location of the fruit, and (ii) moving the end-effector toward that location with precision for harvesting task. We argue that these two challenges have not been stated accurately. First of all, it is not always necessary to detect the target location of the fruit, especially in the case of a mass harvesting platform with shaking grippers. Second, moving the end-effector toward the target fruit is not a scientifically sound statement, e.g., considering the strategy case in which the plant system is moved toward a fixed end-effector. To avoid this divergence, the task should have been stated as minimizing the error between the location of the end-effector and the target fruit. In fact, a promising solution to the robotic harvesting is not through a single robot manipulator. We provided a quick review of the previous works, and used simulation approach to reveal that single arm robots for harvesting are still far beyond realization, and have failed mainly due to the sensing and moving action in high vegetation density. In this approach, even if the fruit localization is accurate, and the robot control calculates an optimum trajectory to reach the fruit without receiving additional sensing feedback from the camera, the moment it enters into the dense plant canopy it disrupts the exact location of the target fruit.
Research and development for the use of robotics in agriculture that can work successively have grown significantly in the past decade; however, to this date, a commercial robotic harvesting is still unavailable for fresh fruit market. With the decrease of greenhouse workforce and the increase of production cost, research areas on robotic harvesting have received more and more attention in recent years. For the success of robotic harvesting, the identification of mature fruit and obstacle is the priority task. This chapter reported on a simulation and control platform for designing, testing, and calibration of visual servoing tasks in robotic harvesting of sweet-pepper. Creation of a virtual environment was carried out as a response to the improvement of fruit detection rate. We provided a documented guideline for a reliable, cheap and safe experiment platform with a faster approach for development, testing, and validating control strategies and algorithms to be used with different robot candidates and gripper mechanism in automated harvesting of fruiting vegetables. Results of the image processing confirmed that the presented approach can quantify and track mature red sweet pepper fruits from its surrounding obstacles in the real-time. It can be concluded that development of an affordable and efficient harvesting robot requires collaboration in areas of horticultural engineering, machine vision, sensing, robotics, control, intelligent systems, software architecture, system integration, and greenhouse crop management. In addition, practicing other cultivation systems in the greenhouse, such as single row, might be necessary for overcoming the problems of fruit visibility and accessibility. It can also be concluded that human-robot collaboration might be necessary to solve the challenges in robotic harvesting that cannot yet be automated. In a collaborative harvesting with human-robot interface, any fruit that is missed by the robot vision is identified by the human on the touch screen, or the entire robot actions are controlled manually in a virtual environment. Nevertheless, robotic harvesting must be economically viable which means it must sense fast, calculate fast, and move fast to pick a large number of fruits every hour that are bruise free. | 2019-04-26T00:52:59Z | https://www.intechopen.com/books/automation-in-agriculture-securing-food-supplies-for-future-generations/robotic-harvesting-of-fruiting-vegetables-a-simulation-approach-in-v-rep-ros-and-matlab |
2001-05-15 Assigned to ALLERGAN SALES, INC. reassignment ALLERGAN SALES, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: LAGUETTE, STEPHEN W.
2005-11-10 Assigned to ALLERGAN SALES, LLC reassignment ALLERGAN SALES, LLC MERGER (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: ALLERGAN SALES, INC.
An intraocular lens for use in a mammalian eye includes an optic adapted to focus light toward a retina of the mammalian eye and, in cooperation with the mammalian eye, to provide accommodation, the optic being adapted to have a first configuration to provide substantially a single optical power and a second configuration to provide a plurality of different optical powers.
The present invention is related to intraocular lenses (IOLs). More particularly, the invention relates to such lenses which provide substantial advantages of both monofocal IOLs and multifocal IOLs.
Currently produced or conventional monofocal IOLs provide excellent optical quality for distance vision. Thus, such monofocal IOLs are produce with a single vision correction power, that being a vision correction power for distance or distance vision. However, such conventional monofocal IOLs do not provide sufficient near vision correction for reading or other situations where near vision is required.
One approach to providing near vision correction is currently in commercial use and is known generically as “multifocal IOLs”. Such multifocal IOLs are produced with a plurality of optical powers, for example, a distance vision correction power and a near vision correction power. Although such lenses have proven to be quite effective in providing the desired range of vision correction power, they may not be totally acceptable to some patients due to the simultaneous vision characteristics of such lenses which may produce halo/glare phenomena.
An additional approach to providing the patient with a range of vision correction powers has been suggested and is commonly known as an “accommodating IOL”. This type of IOL is designed to specifically provide both distance and vision correction powers. For example, the accommodating IOL may provide for the axial movement of a monofocal optic to vary the focus of an image on the retina. Such accommodating IOLs often are limited by the amount of movement required to produce adequate accommodation. For example, an accommodating IOL to be substantially effective should produce from 2.5 diopters to 3.5 diopters of add power to result in adequate near vision. There may not be adequate accommodative mechanisms remaining in the pseudo-phakic eye to move a monofocal lens the desired amount.
There continues to be a need to provide IOLs which are effective to provide both distance vision correction and near vision correction.
New IOLs have been discovered. The present IOLs take advantage of employing an optic adapted to have two different configurations to enhance the accommodation achievable in the eye in response to normal accommodative stimuli. Thus, the present IOLs have a first configuration in which the optic of the IOL has a monofocal distance vision correction power, for example, with the IOL in its resting state. In this first configuration, the present IOLs retain the excellent vision characteristics of a conventional monofocal distance vision correction IOL. However, the optics of the present IOLs are further adapted to have a second configuration to provide a plurality of different optical powers, for example, a near vision correction power in addition to a far or distance vision correction power.
Thus, the present lenses provide for vision correction or focusing for both near objects and far or distance objects. The negative aspects of simultaneous vision which occur with multifocal IOLs, such as night driving and the halo/glare phenomenon, are reduced, or even eliminated, with the present IOLs in the monofocal distance state or configuration. With the present IOL in the multifocal or second configuration, adequate near vision, for example, up to about 3.5 diopters in add power, are provided. The present IOLs are substantially not limited by the amount of accommodative ability remaining in the pseudo-phakic eye. The shape or configuration of the IOL is selectively changed for near vision by the patient during accommodation, for example, by the patient focusing from distance to near.
The present IOLs are relatively straightforward in construction and to manufacture or produce, can be implanted or inserted into the eye using systems and procedures which are well known in the art, and function effectively with little or no additional treatment or medications being required.
In one broad aspect of the present invention, IOLs for use in a mammalian eye are provided. Such IOLs comprise an optic adapted to focus light toward a retina of a mammalian, e.g., human, eye. The optics are further adapted to have a first configuration to provide a single optical power and a second configuration to provide a plurality of different optical powers. The optics advantageously are moveable between the first configuration and the second configuration. Preferably, the optics are moveable in cooperation with the mammalian eye between the first configuration and the second configuration. For example, the optic can be reshaped or is reshapable between the first configuration and the second configuration. Such reshaping preferably occurs in cooperation with the mammalian eye.
The present IOLs include means acting to at least assist in moving the optic into the second configuration, for example, in moving the optic between the first and second configuration. Such means can be, and preferably is, part of the optic of the present IOLs. Preferably, such means acts to do at least one of: facilitate the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye, and inhibit the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye. Thus, for example, the means can be provided as part of the optic to at least assist in controlling the reshaping or configuring of the optic between the first configuration and the second configuration.
In one embodiment, the optic has an outer surface and the means is located in proximity to the outer surface. For example, the outer surface may be part of an outer layer or portion substantially surrounding a core. The outer layer or portion can be specifically configured to provide a monofocal vision correction with the optic in the first configuration, such as with the optic in the rest position, and/or desired multifocal vision correction powers with the optic in the second configuration, such as with the optic being reshaped, for example, compressed, by the action of the mammalian eye.
The optic preferably includes at least one region adapted and positioned to do at least one of: facilitate the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye, and inhibit the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye. This at least one region preferably is located in proximity to the outer surface of the optic. For example, the at least one region may be in the form of an annulus or band around the optical axis of the optic. This region may have reduced thickness or rigidity or may be otherwise weakened so that the optic, under the influence of the mammalian eye, can move to a second configuration and provide a different optical power at that region. Alternately, or in addition, a region may be provided which has increased thickness or rigidity or may be otherwise strengthened so that even under the influence of the mammalian eye, the optic is inhibited, or even substantially prevented, from having a different optical power at the region.
Advantageously, the optic includes a plurality of such regions. Such region or regions may be part of the outer layer or portion of the optic or may be otherwise located at or near the outer surface of the optic.
In a very useful embodiment, the optic includes an inner core and an outer layer or portion adjacent to the inner core, preferably with the inner core being more deformable than the outer layer. In this embodiment, the outer layer or portion preferably is structured to do at least one of: facilitate the movement of the optic in cooperation with the movement of the mammalian eye, and inhibit the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye, for example, in a manner as described elsewhere herein.
The present IOLs preferably are fabricated from one or more flexible, fully cured deformable polymeric materials. For example, an outer layer or portion may be provided that selectively deforms due to prescribed varied wall thicknesses or hinged areas. The outer portion or shell preferably encases or surrounds a core, preferably made of a more easily or readily deformable material, for example, a polymeric material which is more easily deformable relative to the polymeric material from which the outer layer or portion is made. The core preferably comprises a first polymeric material and the outer layer or portion comprises a different, second polymeric material. Although it is not necessary, it is preferred that the refractive indexes of the first and second polymeric materials be substantially the same, that is within about 7% or about 5% in refractive index of each other.
The optics of the present IOLs preferably comprise at least one polymeric material, and in a very useful embodiment at least two different polymeric materials. Overall, the optic preferably is sufficiently deformable to be inserted through a small incision into the eye. Upon contraction by the ciliary muscle due to accommodation, the optic is compressed or squeezed circumferentially. The optic is deformed or reshaped into a prescribed shape that results in a multifocal surface, preferably a multifocal anterior surface. This multifocal surface advantageously is a refractive surface that provides for near vision and preferably distance or far vision.
In one embodiment, the present IOLs in the second configuration provide only two optical powers, that is the present IOLs are bifocal in character, for example, providing for near vision correction in a central portion and distance vision radially outwardly of the central portion of the optic, such as near or along the periphery of the optic. Of course, the lenses can be produced so that the second configuration provides more than two optical powers, for example, a more elaborate multifocal surface, such as that described in Portney U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,858, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
In a particularly useful embodiment, the optic has an optical axis, and at least one of the plurality of different optical powers, in the second configuration, is provided in an annular region around the optical axis.
In one embodiment, the IOL further comprises a force transfer assembly secured to and extending radially outwardly from the optic. The force transfer assembly is adapted, when the IOL is located in the mammalian eye, to transfer a force exerted by the eye to the optic, thereby to facilitate the movement of the optic between the first configuration and the second configuration. Advantageously, the force transfer assembly includes an end extending from the optic adapted to contact a capsular bag of the mammalian eye when the IOL is located in the mammalian eye.
The reshaping or deformation of the optic from the first to the second configuration can cause an axial movement of the optic which has an additional effect on the accommodative power of the optic. The overall accommodative power of the optic in accordance with the present invention preferably is increased beyond the simple axial movement of a single configuration monofocal lens because of the first and second configurations of the present optics.
It should be noted that the force transfer assembly is not essential in accordance with the present invention. The optic can be sized and configured to fit within the capsular bag and to contact the capsular bag, in particular the periphery of the capsular bag, so that the force exerted on the capsular bag by the ciliary muscle can be transferred directly to the optic of the present IOL. Such IOLs in which the optics are sized and configured to contact the peripheral capsular bag are very effective in being reshaped to provide the desired vision correction power or powers. In addition, substantially filling the capsular bag volume with a deformable optic reduces the risk of decentration or tilt of the lens system in the eye, relative to lens systems in which the optic does not substantially fill the capsular bag volume. Providing for a reduced risk of decentration is highly advantageous, for example, as the capsular bag contracts. Even if the contraction of the capsular bag is asymmetric, for example, because the zonules are not of uniform strength, the elastic properties of the optic mitigate against this asymmetry and reduce the risk of decentration.
Substantially filling the capsular bag volume, as described above, may reduce the risk of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) particularly if the posterior surface of the optic remains in contact with the posterior wall of the capsular bag during all states of accommodation.
In a very useful embodiment, the present IOLs are deformable for insertion into the mammalian eye through a relatively small incision, for example, on the order of about 3.5 mm or less. Thus, the optic, and the force transfer assembly, if present, are deformable for insertion through a small incision into the eye. Such IOLs regain their original undeformed condition rapidly after being inserted into the mammalian eye. However, it is preferred that the entire IOL be sufficiently deformable to be passed through an incision in the eye which is less than the diameter of the IOL in its undeformed condition.
The present optics may be made of any suitable materials of construction. For example, the present optics may be made of one or more polymeric materials employing techniques used in manufacturing conventional polymeric material IOLs. Examples of the materials from which the present optics can be made include, without limitation, acrylic polymeric materials, silicone polymeric materials, and the like and combinations thereof. Although combinations of different polymeric materials may be employed, the present optics preferably are made of different polymeric materials of the same general chemical family. For example, the inner portion or core of the optic may be made of one silicone polymeric material while the outer portion or layer or other means is made of a different silicone polymeric material. Similarly, the core of the optic can be made of one acrylic polymeric material while the outer layer or other means is made of a different acrylic polymeric material. In any event, the present optics preferably are made of compatible materials of construction, that is materials which can be used to produce an effective IOL which remains as an intact structure in the eye without significant deterioration for periods of time extending for at least about 20 or about 25 years or more.
At least about 1000% elastic elongation.
An elastic elongation of at least about 150%, preferably in a range of about 150% to about 400%.
The outer layer or other means can be made of widely varying materials. Examples include, without limitation, rigid and foldable acrylic polymeric materials, rigid and foldable non-acrylic polymeric materials, deformable or foldable silicone polymeric materials and the like and combinations thereof. The outer layer or other portion can be hydrophobic or hydrophilic.
Many materials which meet the above-noted criteria are conventional and well known in the art. Therefore, a detailed description of such compositions is not presented here.
However, by way of illustration, the following materials of construction, based on constituent monomeric components, is presented.
2-phenylpropyl acrylate 50% wt. 70% wt.
dimethacrylate 0.5% wt. 1.0% wt.
N-hexyl acrylate 48.9% wt. 28.4% wt.
(benzotriazole-type) 0.5% wt. 0.5% wt.
Initiator 0.1% wt. 0.1% wt.
The present optics are conveniently produced using conventional and well known techniques, such as molding techniques. In one embodiment, the outer layer or other means, for example, one or more annular bands of material, is produced in a separate mold and then placed into a mold into which is placed the monomeric or partially polymerized monomeric mixture of the core precursors. The combination is then heated to elevated temperatures, for example on the order of about 40° C. to about 100° C., and the combination is allowed to cure, preferably for about one hour to about 24 hours. The material in the mold is then post-cured, preferably at a temperature in the range of about 70° C. to about 130° C., for a period of time, preferably for about two hours to about 30 hours. After curing (and post-curing), the mold is disassembled and the molded optic recovered.
The force transfer assembly, if present, can be made or provided separately and then coupled to the optic or lens body, for example, in a mold in which the optic is cured or post-cured. Alternately, the force transfer assembly can be coupled to the lens body after the lens body is formed. Conventional techniques can be employed. For example, one or more recesses can be formed in the optic and the force transfer assembly can be secured to the optic by having an end placed in the recess, for example, in much the same manner in which a haptic or fixation member is secured to the optic of a conventional IOL.
Any suitable material or combination of materials of construction may be utilized in the force transfer assembly and the force transfer assembly can have any suitable configuration provided that such assembly is effective to at least partially transfer the force of the eye to the optic of the IOL. The force transfer assembly preferably is more rigid or less flexible than the core of the optic. However, the force transfer assembly preferably is sufficiently deformable to be folded or otherwise deformed to pass through a small incision for insertion into the eye. The force transfer assembly can be a single member substantially surrounding the optic, or can be a plurality, for example, about 2 or about 3 to about 4 or about 6, individual elements positioned around the peripheral edge of the optic. Although the force transfer assembly can include at least one hinge to facilitate axial movement of the optic in response to the action of the eye, preferably the force transfer assembly does not include a hinge.
The force transfer assembly preferably is made of a material or materials which are compatible with the eye and with the other material or materials included in the IOL. Examples of materials which can be included in the present force transfer assemblies include, but are not limited to, polypropylene, silicone polymeric materials, acrylic polymeric materials including but not limited to polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyamides and the like and combinations thereof.
In a further broad aspect of the present invention, methods for inserting an IOL in an eye are provided. Such methods comprise providing an IOL in accordance with the present invention, as described herein. The IOL is placed into the eye, for example in the capsular bag of the eye, using equipment and techniques which are conventional and well known in the art. The IOL is placed in the eye so that the eye effectively cooperates with the IOL to provide accommodation as desired. After the IOL is inserted into the eye, any incision in the eye is closed. After a relatively short period of recuperation, the IOL provides the wearer of the IOL with substantially effective accommodation. No further treatments or medications, for example, to paralyze the ciliary muscle, to facilitate fibrosis or otherwise influence the position of the IOL in the eye, are required. Preferably the optic is deformed prior to being placed into the eye. Once the IOL is placed in the eye, and after a normal period of recovery from the surgical procedure, the IOL, in cooperation with the eye, provides the mammal or human wearing the IOL with the desired accommodation.
Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the following detailed description and claims, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like reference numerals.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are plan and side (partly in section) elevational views of the IOL of FIGS. 8A and 8B in a compressed, multifocal position.
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, an IOL according to the present invention, shown generally at 10, includes a lens body or optic 12. This optic 12 includes a combination of components, that is, outer portion 14 and core portion 16. Outer portion 14 completely surrounds core portion 16 which is secured to the outer portion.
The core lens portion 16 is made of an optically clear material and is relatively highly deformable. Thus, not only is the core lens portion 16 sufficiently deformable so as to be foldable or otherwise deformable for insertion into the eye through a small incision, that is an incision in the eye smaller than the maximum, undeformed diameter of the optic 12, but, in addition, is sufficiently deformable to facilitate the movement of the optic 12 between a first configuration and a second configuration, as described elsewhere herein. The outer lens portion 14 preferably is more rigid than is the core lens portion 16.
The outer lens portion 14 is comprised of an optically clear material that is easily deformable when subjected to compression within the mammalian eye, and is sufficiently deformable for insertion into the eye through a small incision. In addition, the outer lens portion 14 is structured to be selectively deformable in response to a force exerted by the eye in which the IOL 10 is placed, for example, the contraction or contractive force, exerted by the ciliary muscle of the eye. The core lens portion 16 has a refractive index within about 5-7% of the refractive index of the outer lens portion 14 of optic 12.
The outer lens portion 14 and the inner lens portion 16 preferably are comprised of materials from the same basic chemical family. For example, the core lens portion 16 may be comprised of low or very low modulus silicone polymeric material having an index of refraction of at least about 1.40 or about 1.42, while the outer lens portion 14 can be comprised of a higher modulus silicone polymeric material having an index of refraction of at least about 1.42 or about 1.44 or about 1.46 or about 1.48 or higher. The tensile modulus of the silicone polymeric material making up the core lens portion 16 is, for example, no greater than about 20 psi to 50 psi at an elongation of 200%.
Alternately, the outer lens portion and the core lens portion 16 can be comprised of acrylic polymeric materials. In this embodiment, the core lens portion has a refractive index of at least about 1.42 or about 1.45.
The present IOL 10 can be produced using conventional polymer processing techniques. For example, the present outer lens portion 14 can be produced separately using conventional molding, for example, injection or insert molding techniques. This outer lens portion 14 can then be used to produce optic 12 using conventional molding techniques, for example, injection molding techniques, together with the material used to produce the core lens portion 16.
The optical powers of the lens portions 14 and 16 may be controlled so as to satisfactorily address the needs of the patient in whose eye IOL 10 is inserted. Each of the lens portions 14 and 16 can have a suitable optical power.
The optical power of the optic 12 is a combination of the optical powers of the individual lens portions 14 and 16, and can be varied based on the individual optical powers of the portions 14 and 16 and the degree of reshaping and/or axial movement of the optic 12.
There are a number of ways to cause reshaping and/or axial movement of the optic 12. FIG. 2 illustrates an outer lens portion 14 structured to include a center section 26 of reduced thickness. The center section 26 surrounds the optical axis 28 of the optic 12 and is located on or near the anterior face 30 thereof. When the IOL 10, and in particular optic 12, is compressed, for example by squeezing peripheral regions 34 and 36 together, the optic is reshaped by an outward bowing of the anterior face 30. This squeezing is generally similar to the compressive force applied to the optic 12 by the eye in which the IOL 10 is placed. The outward bowing or reshaping is especially pronounced at region 37, because the reduced thickness section 26 is relatively more prone to give way from the internal pressure of the core lens portion 16. The core lens portion 16 thus extends forward, as seen for example in the central region 37 in FIG. 3, which is a slightly different embodiment than in FIG. 2.
The extended central region 37 of optic 10 provides near vision correction power. The remainder of the outer portion 14, having a thickness greater than section 26, is more resistant to reshaping under such compression than is section 26. Therefore, under such compression, the annular region 38 of optic 10 extending radially outward of center section 37 continues to provide distance vision correction power. Thus, the regions 37 and 38 of optic 10, under compression, provide both near and distance vision correction powers, respectively. In other words, the anterior surface 30 of optic 10 is a multifocal surface with the optic under compression. In contrast, with the optic 10 in the rest position as in FIG. 2, the anterior surface 30 is a monofocal surface.
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the IOL of the present invention which is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 2, except for a different construction of the outer portion 14. Specifically, the center section 26 is made of a material that is relatively more susceptible to outward bowing than is the peripheral region surrounding it. The center section 26 may be injection molded in combination with the peripheral regions surrounding it to provide a relatively seamless and uninterrupted anterior face 30, at least in the rest position of the IOL. When the peripheral regions 34 and 36 are squeezed together the core lens portion 16 is placed in compression thus forcing the center section 26 in the anterior direction as shown in the extended region 37. Desirably, the material of the outer portion 14 is generally consistent, though the center section 26 has a different stiffness or elasticity that causes it to bow outward farther than the surrounding region.
The extent to which central region 37 extends forwardly, and therefore the magnitude of the near vision correction power obtainable by IOL 10, depends on a number of factors, such as the thickness of region 26, the overall structure of the outer portion 14 and/or the inner portion 16, the material of construction of the outer portion and/or the inner portion, the amount of force that the eye in which IOL 10 is placed can exert on the IOL and the like factors. The amount or degree of near power correction obtainable from IOL 10 can be controlled, or at least partially controlled, by varying one or more of these factors.
The IOL 10 is sized to fit within the capsular bag 50 of the eye 40 so as to be reshapable in response to the action of the ciliary muscle 46 and zonules 48 on the capsular bag of the eye. The IOL 10 should be sized to facilitate the movement and reshaping of the optic 12 in response to the action of the ciliary muscle 46 and zonules 48. For example, if the optic 12 is too large, the ciliary muscle 46 and zonules 48 will be inhibited from effectively contracting/relaxing so that the amount of movement and reshaping will be unduly restricted. Of course, if the IOL 10 is too small, the optic 12 will be ineffective to focus light on the retina of the eye 40, may cause glare and/or may not cooperate with the eye to effect the desired amount of accommodating movement/reshaping. If the IOL 10 is to be included in an adult human eye, the optic 10 preferably has a diameter in the range of about 8 mm to amount 12 mm.
The IOL 10 can be inserted into the capsular bag 50 of the eye 40 using conventional equipment and techniques, for example, after the natural crystalline lens of the eye is removed, for example, using a phaceomulsification technique.
The IOL 10 in the eye 40, as shown in FIG. 4, is located so that the posterior face 20 of the outer lens portion 14 is in contact with the inner posterior wall 52 of the capsular bag 50. This contact is substantially maintained regardless of the configuration of the optic 12 in the eye 40. Such contact is effective in maintaining the structural integrity of the capsular bag 50 and, in addition, effectively inhibits the growth of cells from the capsular bag onto the optic, thereby at least inhibiting or reducing the severity of posterior capsular bag opacification (PCO).
The zonules 48 and the ciliary muscle 46 of the eye 40 are effective to move the capsular bag 50, thereby reshaping and moving the IOL 10. Thus, with the ciliary muscle being fully relaxed, the optic 12 is in a relatively flat configuration. Such configuration of optic 12 provides effective monofocal distance vision to the eye 40. This configuration is at least generally illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. With IOL 10 in the position as shown in FIG. 4, far away or distant objects are brought into focus. In this position, IOL functions much like a conventional monofocal IOL.
If a near object is to be viewed, the ciliary muscle 46 contracts or constricts causing the zonules 48 to relax tension on the capsular bag 50 and the IOL 10 included therein. IOL 10 is reshaped into a second configuration, illustrated generally in FIG. 3. This action of the ciliary muscle 46 and zonules 48 causes a reshaping of the optic 12 so that central anterior region 37 becomes apparent. This region 37 surrounds the optical axis 28 and provides near vision correction. The annular region 38 radially outwardly of region 37 continues to be configured for distance vision correction. In effect, the configuration of optic 12 illustrated in FIG. 3 is a multifocal configuration since both near vision correction and distance vision correction are present. When the ciliary muscle 46 again relaxes, the IOL 10 returns to the first configuration, shown generally in FIG. 2.
Thus, the present IOL 10 has the ability, in cooperation with the eye, to be reshaped to provide for both distance focus and near focus, and to be returned to its first configuration in which only distance focus is provided.
IOL 10, and in particular optic 12, is such that the amount of accommodation achievable at region 60 preferably is in the range of about 1 to about 4 or about 5 or about 6 diopters.
FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate IOL, shown generally at 110, in accordance with the present invention. Except as expressly described herein, alternate IOL 110 is structured and functions similarly to IOL 10. Components of IOL 110 which correspond to components of IOL 10 are indicated by the same reference numerals increased by 100.
The primary difference between IOL 110 and IOL 10 relates to the structure of outer portion 114 of optic 112. Specifically, whereas outer portion 14 has only a single region 26 of reduced thickness, outer portion 114 has three regions 56, 58 and 60 of reduced thickness. The central region 56 surrounds the optical axis 128 and has a variable thickness. Region 58 is an annular region located outwardly of region 56 and annular region 60 is located outwardly of region 56 and is reduced in radial dimension relative to region 56.
Under compressive force from the eye in which IOL 110 is placed, the inner portion 116 forces the regions 56, 58 and 60 to extend outwardly. The variable thickness of region 56 leads to a central region of the compressed optic 112 having an intermediate (between near and far) vision correction power. The reduced thicknesses of outer regions 58 and 60 lead to two regions of the compressed optic 112 having near vision correction powers. In general, the multifocal anterior surface of compressed optic 112 has more varied optical powers than does the multifocal anterior surface of compressed optic 12. The optical power curve of compressed optic 112 may resemble, at least in general, a power curve disclosed in the above-noted Portney U.S. Patent which is incorporated herein by reference. Such a varied multifocal configuration provides the wearer of IOL 110 with enhanced vision over a wider range of distances.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an additional IOL, shown generally at 210, in accordance with the present invention. Except as expressly described herein, additional IOL 210 is structured and functions similarly to IOL 10. Components of IOL 210 which correspond to components of IOL 10 are indicated by the same reference numerals increased by 200.
The IOL 210 can be produced by molding the outer lens portion 214, and transfer members 72 separately and then molding can be employed to form the combination of the inner lens portion 216, the transfer members and the outer lens portion 214.
With the force transfer assembly 70 in place, if the IOL 210 is to be included in an adult human eye, the optic 212 preferably has a diameter in the range of about 3.5 mm to about 7 mm, and the IOL 210 has an overall maximum diameter, including the force transfer assembly 70 in the rest state, that is fully extended from the optic 212, in the range of about 8 mm to about 12 mm.
Insertion can be accomplished using conventional techniques, for example, after the natural lens of the eye has been removed.
In the eye, IOL 210 moves axially in response to the action of the ciliary muscle 246 and zonules 248 through the force transfer assembly 70. In addition, the optic 212 is reshaped in response to the action of the ciliary muscle 246 and zonules 248 through force transfer assembly 70. The posterior face 80 of outer lens portion 214 remains in substantial contact with the inner posterior wall 252 of the capsular bag 250. Such contact occurs whether the IOL is located in its posterior most position in eye 240 or in its anterior most position in eye 240. Such contact inhibits the growth of cells from the capsular bag 250 onto optic 210 and inhibits PCO.
IOL 210 provides focus accommodation because of the reshaping of the optic 212, in much the same way as when optic 12 is reshaped. However, optic 212 provides further accommodation because of the axial movement of optic 212. Thus, optic 212 may provide additional or enhanced accommodation relative to optic 12.
An alternative embodiment of a convertible IOL 300 the present invention is illustrated at rest in FIGS. 8A-8B, and after having been compressed into a multifocal lens in FIGS. 9A-9B. The IOL 300 has a generally convex anterior face 302, a concave posterior face 304, and a surrounding peripheral edge 306. A plurality of differing concentric regions enable the IOL 300 to be converted between a monofocal lens and a multifocal lens. With reference to FIG. 8A, the IOL 300 includes a circular center section 310, an intermediate section 312 surrounding the circular center section, and an outer peripheral section 314. Desirably, the three sections 310, 312, and 314 are concentrically disposed and contiguous, although other configurations are possible. The three sections are also shown in cross-section in the lower portion of FIG. 8B.
In a preferred embodiment, the three sections 310, 312, and 314 possess different rigidity or softness characteristics to cause them to bend or bow in the anterior direction at different rates when under radial compressive stresses. For example, the intermediate section 312 may be relatively harder than either the center section 310 or outer peripheral section 314, and thus be less susceptible to forward bowing. This configuration is seen in FIGS. 9A and 9B where the center section 310 and the outer peripheral section 314 exhibit more pronounced curvatures than the intermediate section 312. In this way, the center section 310 provides near vision, while the intermediate section 312 and outer peripheral section 314 provide varying degrees of far vision correction. The three sections 310, 312, and 314 may be injection molded to provide a relatively seamless and uninterrupted anterior face 302, at least in the rest position of the IOL 300.
The present invention provides accommodating IOLs which cooperate with the eye to achieve advantageous amounts, preferably enhanced amounts, of accommodation. Such accommodation, as described herein, is often increased, for example relative to previous monofocal accommodating IOLs. In addition, halo/glare phenomena are reduced, for example, relative to previous multifocal IOLs.
an optic structured to focus light toward a retina of the mammalian eye and being further structured to have a first configuration to provide a single optical power and a second configuration to provide a plurality of different optical powers, wherein the optic, when the intraocular lens is in use in a mammalian eye, is movable in response to force applied to the optic by the mammalian eye between the first configuration and the second configuration.
2. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the optic is reshapeable between the first configuration and the second configuration.
3. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the second configuration provides only two optical powers.
4. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the single optical power is an optical power for distance vision.
5. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of different optical powers is an optical power for near vision.
6. The intraocular lens of claim 5 wherein at least one of the plurality of different optical powers is an optical power for distance vision.
7. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the optic has an optical axis and at least one of the plurality of different optical powers is provided in an annular region around the optical axis.
8. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the optic comprises at least one polymeric material.
9. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the optic is sufficiently deformable to be inserted through a small incision into the mammalian eye.
10. The intraocular lens of claim 1 comprising means for at least assisting in forming the second configuration.
11. The intraocular lens of claim 10 wherein the means does at least one of: facilitate the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye, and inhibit the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye.
12. The intraocular lens of claim 10 wherein the optic has an outer surface and the means is located in proximity to the outer surface.
13. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the optic includes at least one region adapted and positioned to do at least one of: facilitate the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye, and inhibit the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye.
14. The intraocular lens of claim 13 wherein the optic has an outer surface and the region is located in proximity to the outer surface.
15. The intraocular lens of claim 13 wherein the optic has an optical axis and the at least one region is in the form of an annulus around the optical axis.
16. The intraocular lens of claim 13 wherein the optic includes a plurality of the regions.
17. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the optic includes an inner core and an outer layer adjacent the inner core.
18. The intraocular lens of claim 17 wherein the outer layer substantially surrounds the inner core.
19. The intraocular lens of claim 17 wherein the inner core is more deformable than the outer layer.
20. The intraocular lens of claim 17 wherein the outer layer is structured to do at least one of: facilitate the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye, and inhibit the movement of the optic in cooperation with the mammalian eye.
21. The intraocular lens of claim 17 wherein the outer layer has sections of varying stiffness to cause varied forward bowing of the lens and the plurality of different optical powers upon being subjected to radially compressive forces from the eye.
22. The intraocular lens of claim 21 wherein the outer layer has a center section and at least one section outside of the center section that is stiffer than the center section.
23. The intraocular lens of claim 17 wherein the inner core comprises a first polymeric material and the outer layer comprises a different, second polymeric material.
24. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the second configuration provides more than two optical powers.
25. The intraocular lens of claim 1 wherein the lens includes a center section, an intermediate section adjacent the center section that is stiffer than the center section, and an outer section adjacent and outside the intermediate section that is less stiff than the intermediate section, to cause varied forward bowing of the lens and a pluraality of different optical powers upon being subjected to radially compressive forces from the eye.
26. The intraocular lens of claim 1 which further comprises a force transfer assembly secured to and extending radially outwardly from the optic, the force transfer assembly being adapted, when the intraocular lens is located in the mammalian eye, to transfer a force exerted by the eye to the optic, thereby to facilitate the movement of the optic between the first configuration and the second configuration.
27. The intraocular lens of claim 26 wherein the force transfer assembly includes an end extending away from the optic adapted to contact a capsular bag of the mammalian eye when the intraocular lens is located in the mammalian eye.
an optic structured to focus light toward a retina of the mammalian eye, the optic including a surface that is deformable from a first configuration providing the optic with a single optical power to a second configuration providing the optic with a plurality of different optical powers, wherein the surface, when the intraocular lens is in use in a mammalian eye, is resiliently deformable between the first configuration and the second configuration in response to force applied to the optic by the mammalian eye.
Fechner, et al. J Cataract Refract Surg 24, Jan. 1998.
Holladay et al, J. Cataract Refractive Surg., vol. 14, 1/55.
Mandell, Contact Lens Practice, 4th Ed.
Menezo, et al. J Cataract Refract Surg 24, Aug. 1998.
The Shah Bifocal Intraocular Lens Implant.
Thornton, Color Atlas of Lens Implantation, Accommodation in Pseudophakia, pp. 159-162, 1991.
Video Tape "New Elliptical Acco. IOL for Cataract Surgery" Shown at ASCRS Symposium on Apr. 10, 1999 (Video Enclosed). | 2019-04-18T13:47:28Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US6638305B2/en |
Obedience is an obligation arising from existing relationship, and the nature of the relationship establishes the extent of the obedience. If a very limited relationship only exists, the obligation of obedience must be equally limited. This is a natural law in equity, immutable and abiding. Mosaic obedience was entirely different from christian obedience, and they cannot be joined together or united, because Christ is distinct from Moses. “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” Moses, therefore, was the minister of justice, which was always unto condemnation, because his people failed in their obedience to the law. Paul therefore says, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse.” This is an unchanging principle and abiding truth, both then and now and ever. He gives the righteous reason, saying, “For it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Christ was the only one that ever thus perfectly obeyed the law. He as a righteous Man under the law kept it, fulfilled it, and took it out of the way forever. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth,” says Paul. Again he says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” His redeemed people, therefore, are free from the law, from its obligations and its curse, and it has no demands against them, no claims upon them. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” So taught faithful Paul.
“Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” How different he is from Moses! The law of justice and condemnation came by Moses, and it thunders a righteous curse against all who are of the works of the law, because they woefully fail in their works of obedience to it. Being conditional in its nature and provisions, both its blessings and curses were also conditional. It was a fearful failure, therefore, because all the conditional workers who thus claim to servo God conditionally have miserably failed to render perfect obedience to its righteous conditions and obligations, and it will not accept anything less than perfection; indeed, it cannot. A half-way or faulty compliance with its righteous conditions would both violate and dishonor the law of God, and so bring down its curse upon every one who failed to render perfect obedience to it. This is the awful defect and failure in any and every conditional covenant and law which offers blessings for conditional obedience, which must necessarily be perfect or it is not obedience, but denounces curses against the disobedient; for no sinful being can ever perfectly obey the righteous obligations of God which rest upon him, because of the depravity and weakness of his sinful nature in the flesh. But a holy law or commandment cannot accept and reward a faulty conditional obedience, because to do so would be an outrage upon righteousness, which no holy commandment will permit. It is impossible, therefore, for any conditional obedience toward God to receive his blessing as a conditional reward, if imperfection or fault attaches to such obedience. This is a self-evident truth; for a conditional reward from God, if bestowed upon imperfect obedience, and for it, would be the same as rewarding imperfection or sin. From this inevitable consequence there is no escape. All men, even the most zealous for God’s conditional rewards, freely confess this solemn truth in prayer to him, for they will confess their sinful failures in all their righteous obligations to him, and that in no respect are they perfect in their love and service, but continually need his forgiving mercy. Why, then, will not men be consistent, by teaching according to their prayers? Either the confession of sinful failure and the need of mercy is insincere and mockery, or else the doctrine of conditional rewards is not true, but a delusive snare and cheat. Religious teachers should either quit teaching the people according to the old conditional covenant of rewards for works of obedience, or else they should cease to mock God in their prayers, by asking him to be merciful to their unrighteousness, and to remember their sins against them no more, which is according to the new covenant of mercy and grace; for either their prayers are a mockery and hypocritical, or their conditional teachings are basely false, because it is absurd to profess to be under the new covenant only during prayer, and then to pass out and go under the old covenant of conditions .as soon as the prayer is ended. Men are self-deceived, and deceiving the people, if they flatter themselves that they are honoring and serving and pleasing God, who changes not, by such inconsistencies, contradictions and shams.
A dear brother, now deceased, told an aged minister and me during our last visit at his home, that he said to his pastor, “Brother, you pray all right, but when you get up to preach you contradict your prayers.” This one stubborn fact condemns all the teachings of conditional salvation, or else it fastens upon all conditionalists the awful sin of mocking God in prayer; for there can be no such thing as the mercifulness of God to our unrighteousness, according to conditional salvation, for this bestows rewards or blessings for righteousness or obedience only, and its rewards are never of grace and mercy, but alone of debt. Mercy and grace, therefore, are banished from every form or kind of conditional salvation, and it becomes purely a matter of reward for service performed. So, then, the moment the worker under the principle of conditional salvation does the work as the required condition, he is righteously entitled to such salvation, not as a beggar at mercy’s door for grace, but as his just due. God himself has so decided this principle, by his inspired servant Paul, and no man can change it from law to gospel; for the sentence of God is, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” It is clearly evident that all conditional salvation is contingent and dependent upon works of righteousness or right obedience, which the conditionalist must first comply with and do before he can receive the reward of conditional salvation; but then, when he has performed the conditional works, he is lawfully entitled to the stipulated reward of salvation, and it is justly due to him as a debt. It is positively so, and cannot be otherwise, for principles cannot change, and this principle of conditional salvation for conditional obedience is strictly a principle in law, in which the conditional worker becomes the creditor and the Lord the debtor. Boasting on the part of the obedient conditionalist is at once admitted and encouraged, yea, and justified, by every sort of conditional salvation, and the truth of this is confirmed in all the religious world, by the loud claims and boastings of all conditionalists, Conditional Baptists not excepted. This may do for the natural, fleshly, self-willed, legal and worldly religion of the world, who work and serve religiously, not because they love God and delight to show forth his praise, but their works of formal obedience are prompted by the conditional salvation that they expect to obtain by their works. This fact attaches to every feature of conditional salvation, and to all conditional obedience, for the reward necessarily becomes the incentive and the object sought for in all works and services performed as conditional obedience, upon the performance of which depends conditional salvation of some sort. The whole thing from first to last is wholly worldly and fleshly, legal and selfish, and while it may please and praise the pride of the flesh, it dishonors’ the rich mercy of God, and reproaches his saving grace. This is very far from christian obedience. Christ is the fullness of salvation from all sin, past and present and to come. “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” In Christ is infinite and exhaustions fullness of righteousness and salvation and blessing, therefore, and all his fullness is grace. And it is of. his saving fullness only that all we who are his have received; yea, all that we have received or ever shall receive of his divine fullness, on earth and in heaven, is “grace,” and not only grace, but “grace for grace.” This one blessed truth as it is in Christ, bars out and excludes forever all conditional rewards for works of conditional obedience, because hero grace is the only reward. The christian receives only of Christ’s fullness, and every gift and blessing of salvation that he ever receives is a blessing both of grace and for grace. All Christ’s fullness of blessing is thus. No other principle of reward and blessing in christian obedience can obtain, therefore, only “grace for grace.” And all this riches and blessing of surprising grace is “of his fullness.” Not all of it, to be sure, but sufficient for us, for Jesus is ever “full of grace and truth.” So, then, if any advocate any conditional system or notion of salvation, and hold to rewards of debt for works of obedience, such cannot find this principle in Christ or in his obedience, but must turn away from him to Moses, and from the grace of the new covenant to the works of the old covenant, for here in Christ and all his heavenly fullness grace only abounds, and grace is all. The gospel of Christ is the gospel of the grace of God, and the fullness of salvation in the gospel is salvation by grace, and all obedience unto Christ and in the gospel is the obedience of grace, for all the obedience of the saved in Christ is only because they have received of his fullness, and grace for grace. Certainly it must be conceded, and no one will presume to deny it, that there can be no christian obedience out of Christ or without him, and only as we have received of his fullness, and grace for grace. Now this settles it conclusively, that all christian obedience is the result and fruit of Christ’s fullness and grace, of which we must receive, and it must abide and abound in us. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” and he is the Mediator of the new covenant, the Surety of the better testament, which was established upon better promises than the first and old testament or covenant; therefore all obedience to Christ is under the new covenant, and according to it. It is clearly evident, then, that christian obedience cannot be under the legal or old covenant, nor according to it, therefore the obedience unto Christ cannot be conditional, for then it would necessarily be under the old covenant and according to it, because it was conditional. So, before it can be proven that christian obedience is conditional, it must first be shown that Christ reigns upon Mount Sinai, where the conditional covenant of works was given, and not upon the holy Mount Sion in Jerusalem, where the holy Lamb of God, our precious Redeemer was crucified. The two mountains are far apart, both literally and spiritually, far Sinai is far off in the wilderness of Arabia, and when any one comes to it, behold, he meets, not Jesus, but Moses upon its summit, from whence comes fire and smoke, voices and thunderings, so terrible that even Moses himself was made to exceedingly fear and tremble. Yet, though strange the infatuation, some who claim to be preachers of salvation and teachers of obedience to Jesus the Savior, will travel away back to Sinai, in their efforts to prove conditional obedience under the new covenant, and will quote liberally from Moses, the mediator of the conditional covenant, which made nothing perfect. Paul would say to all such brethren, “Are ye so foolish! having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” But it is a significant fact, that all classes and schools of conditional religion do always fly to the law of Moses, the ever-failing covenant of works, in their efforts to support some sort of conditional salvation. And then, after they have done the best they can in this way and by such means of proof, as they think, they will try to patch up this old and worn out and ragged garment or system with cloth from the new covenant of mercy and grace, to hide its defects. So, at best it is a patched up sort of religion, a motley mixture of the new covenant with the old, the works of Moses with the grace of Jesus; yet this is called the gospel of Christ (?) and a recent and self-pleasing term for it is, “Conditional Time Salvation.” The evident and only meaning of this term squarely contradicts every part of the new covenant, which has not a condition in it, and it is contrary to the gospel of Christ, “for it is the power of God unto salvation,” and it also denies that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ saves us now in time. It is not, therefore, the doctrine of the new covenant, nor the gospel of Christ, nor is it “the grace of God that bringeth salvation;” for there is no salvation in this new gospel of conditionalism, but only damnation, unless every one righteously performs the works which its conditions require; therefore it all “depends upon themselves,” but not upon the grace of God, if any one obtains any salvation whatever conditionally. Who, then, can receive any salvation or divine blessing in this way! For, ask the best of its advocates, Do you perfectly fulfill either all or any of the commandments of God? and he must confess that he does not, unless he is a blinded pharisee, wrapped up in a cloak of self-righteousness. How, then, is he going to receive anything but condemnation, according to his new-fledged conditional salvation? For he must righteously do the conditions, which no sinful man can do, or else his conditional gospel (?) curses him, and sends him away with the foolish virgins to buy oil for himself. What a miserable fraud and failure must everything be that is conditional on our part, and therefore necessarily depends upon our ever-failing and imperfect selves. How painfully amazing that the children of the new covenant will be deluded and drawn away by such perverse things and chaffy stuff! Let us rejoice that this is not the gospel. Christian obedience is the obedience of love, and “love is of God,” says John. And Paul says, “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” This has no reference to what God did for us in regeneration, because it is spoken to baptized believers in Christ, and Paul here testifies to what is wrought in our hearts now. All obedience springs up from this love of God which is thus graciously and freely shed abroad in our hearts, not conditionally if we will do something in order to get it, but by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. How positive and clear it is, therefore, that all obedience unto Christ is from the believing and loving heart of the child of God, and has its active source in the Father’s love, and that this love is ministered in our hearts by the Spirit of love and truth which God gives unto us. To his own loving disciples does Jesus say, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” That is, because ye love me. So, only those who do love can keep his commandments, because this is the obedience of love, and none but the loving disciples of Christ are under this sweet and sacred obligation of obedience to him. John says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” No, because it is his love in our hearts that qualifies and sweetly constrains and enables us to keep them. “We love God,” which is the essential cause, “and keep his commandments,” as the inseparable and unfailing effect.
Our adorable Savior and Master says, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. * * * If a man love me, he will keep my words. * * * He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.” He states this as an infallible cause and effect, and a positive test. He shows most clearly and certainly that love to him is the root and efficient power and source of all obedience to him, and that keeping his commandments is the certain result, the active outflowing and delightful fruit of this love. “If a man love me, he will keep my words.” The last is just as certain as the first, because our perfect Teacher made no mistakes, and never guessed at what he declared. He said that heaven and earth should pass away, but his words should not. Love to Christ produces obedience to him, therefore, and keeping his words is the manifested power and heavenly outgrowth of this operative or active, sanctifying and glorifying love. This obedience of love to Jesus the Savior is no more unwilling or coerced or passive or inactive than it is mercenary or selfish, contingent or conditional, for it is none of these. Until it can be shown that one who does not love the Lord may keep his commandments, or that obedience to him can be performed without love to him; or if this point is given up, then unless it can be proven that the Holy Ghost is given unto us conditionally, and that the love of God is also conditionally shed abroad in our hearts by him, our obedience to Christ cannot truthfully be held to be conditional and dependent upon ourselves. Neither of these things will be attempted to be shown by conditionalist Baptists, because it would be so evidently unscriptural and absurd. For the Holy Spirit is freely and sovereignly given to us of God, and the love of God is freely and graciously shed abroad in our hearts by the sovereign operation of the Spirit. To deny this evident truth would be the same as to affirm that the unchangeable God is acted upon and influenced and controlled conditionally by man, which is really a denial of God. We do not act upon God, neither can we turn him, nor influence, direct and control the Holy Spirit, but all this is true of him toward us. Surely the brethren can all see this, and should admit it. That the dear children of the loving God and Father of his people are brought into the sacred bond of the new covenant, and are under the most blessed and divine obligations to keep the commandments of Jesus in the loyal and loving obedience of their hearts to him, all freely agree. That the precious Christ is the Mediator of the new and everlasting covenant, and fulfilled all its provisions, in which there are no contingencies or conditions on our part, or nothing that depends upon us to fulfill it and make it good and sure, but it consists of the “wills” and “shalls” of the Lord, who absolutely makes it with his people, in which he is merciful to their unrighteousness, which is not possible in any conditional covenant; that the gospel of Christ is the gospel of salvation, but not of condemnation, and therefore belongs to the new covenant exclusively, but not to the old covenant in any respect; that in the new covenant grace only reigns through righteousness by our Lord Jesus Christ, and all his saved and obedient followers are under this reign of grace; that all obedience unto Christ is in the gospel of salvation, which is “the gospel of the grace of God;” and that therefore all christian obedience and all salvation in the gospel of Christ is by grace, “not of works,” is certainly most clearly established, and all who are saved by grace should freely agree here also. This would both establish fellowship in the gospel and restore peace. Nothing but this ever has made gospel fellowship and peace, or ever can. All the divisions that have ever troubled the people of the Lord’s new covenant of grace, have been brought upon them by teachers among them of perverse things, who have denied and opposed these divine truths of the gospel of Christ, and those perverters of the gospel are responsible for such hurtful things, as the Scriptures show, and the Lord judges them and pronounces a woe upon them.
From the apostles of the Lord until now, the entire history of his new covenant people shows the same lamentable fact, that whenever any would-be leaders have risen up among them who have ambitiously labored to make some innovation upon the gospel of salvation by grace alone from first to last, and have opposed the sufficiency of our Lord’s grace in all the work and way of salvation, they have always sowed discord and made confusion and trouble among the people of God; and always those leaders in some new thing have in the end of their heady and high-minded career left or gone out from the people of grace, and have “fallen from grace,” as Paul said of them. That is, they have left the covenant of grace, have fallen away from the doctrine of grace, and have invariably turned aside to some sort of conditional doctrines. All of these conditional doctrines, from the largest to the smallest, are opposed to grace and deny its power to save in some way. For it is a significant fact in all the parties who have gone away from the people of the new covenant into any principle or teaching of conditionalism in salvation, that, in some way or other, they deny the power and efficacy and sufficiency of the grace of God, and hence they never fail to introduce and urge upon the people some other principle and way of salvation besides grace; and it is sure to be something of themselves, or that “depends upon themselves,” which they in their ideas of self-ability persuade themselves, and as many more as they can, is a safer and better way of salvation, in some sort or part, than to rely on and trust in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to save them. This is a fair statement of “conditional time salvation,” as also of every other principle of conditional salvation from sin and all else that we need to be saved from. To one who believes and trusts in and looks to grace alone for all salvation, yea, salvation unto righteousness and obedience and every good work, the belief in this conditional salvation, which “depends upon ourselves,” seems incredible and astounding; and so it is to one who truly realizes his sinful infirmities and weakness and failures, as Paul confesses with deep emotion in the seventh chapter of Romans. And though Paul labored more abundantly in the gospel than all the other apostles, he humbly says, “Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Now, therefore, since the inspired apostle denied that his faithful and devoted obedience to Christ and more abundant labors in preaching the gospel “depended upon himself,” but attributed it all to the grace of God which was with him, and says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain,” we are safe in holding fast to the grace of God in Christ as the successful power that leads to all loyal and loving and acceptable obedience unto Christ, and in refusing to accept any other doctrine, which denies this sufficiency of grace, as every kind of conditionalism does. To his brethren in Christ Paul says, (“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” This is the true source of obedient power in all who are thus disarmed of everything that exalteth itself, and are thus through the mighty power of God happily brought to the obedience of Christ. And this “mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds “of error and opposition is infinitely better and more blessed in securing obedience to Christ than it is possible for any conditions of dependence upon ourselves to be. And so the one and only sufficient cause for the exhortation to obedience to Christ in the gospel, in showing forth or working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, is given in the wonderful and blessed words, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” So all the salvation that is ever worked out in all gospel obedience, and by all the saved in Christ Jesus, is because of the power and grace of God in the heart, working in us both the willing mind and the might or power to do. This is present salvation, and it is of God through his Spirit and by his grace. Therefore it is not dependent upon conditions to be performed by our own will and power, but we ourselves are ever dependent upon God. It does seem that all who know the grace of God in truth would agree upon this, and have no controversy, but it is sadly evident that all Baptists do not. If they did, then none would derisively speak of grace as not sufficient to make us obedient to Christ, neither would they presume to say there is another principle and way of salvation than the grace of God, as James Arminius and all his followers since have urged, a way which they call “conditional salvation.” This conditional salvation, whether applied to present or future salvation, denies that grace itself saves us, as to that part of salvation which is conditional, for it is clearly evident that so far as the grace of God saves us, our salvation is not conditional upon our pare, and cannot “depend upon ourselves,” as all conditionalism holds; for the moment we admit that we are saved by grace, we must also confess that, so far from salvation depending upon us, we are dependent upon grace for salvation. It is passing strange that any believer in Christ will deny this, and contend for a principle of salvation which is an enemy to grace, as is all conditionalism in salvation. Have our conditional Baptists paused long enough to see the unavoidable sequence of denying that our salvation now in time is by grace? for when they make this denial, and say it is conditional upon our part, and depends upon ourselves, they thereby deny that the Lord Jesus Christ saves us in time, for it is by him that grace reigns, and reigns through righteousness, and this is unto obedience to Christ most surely, because righteousness is obedience. It is a shocking and fearful thing, therefore, to deny that the reigning and righteous grace of Christ saves us in time, for it is equal to saying that it is safer and better to depend upon ourselves and our optionary conditional works to save us from all the consequences that we need to be saved from all the days of our lives, than it is to look to and rely upon Christ and his grace to save us. Conditionalism denies Christ. Faithful Paul would say to brethren who hold to a conditional and therefore legal principle of salvation, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” That is, in Christ neither the Jew availeth anything, nor the Gentile, “but a new creature,” says Paul again. So here in Christ is a new creation, corresponding to the Lord’s new covenant, in which Christ and his grace reign supreme, and is all in all. Therefore, says Paul, “Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Here then is the source and only enabling cause of spiritual good works, for those who perform them are God’s workmanship, and he hath new-created them in Christ unto this very end, good works, and foreordained that we should walk in them; and it is so, for God worketh in them by his Spirit of grace and love, making them willing in the day of Christ’s power, and strengthening them with might by his Spirit in the inner and new man, so that they do testify of and work out and walk in their own salvation, which is in Christ and of him, and they do so with fear and trembling, which is not voluntary or self-caused. For salvation is their own, their gracious inheritance in Christ, with whom they are joint-heirs as his brethren and the children of God in his Son. All this new and spiritual creation and salvation and good works of faith and love is in Christ Jesus, and it actively springs up in his members, and brethren from the Spirit of life in him; therefore it is of the operation of God, and is by his free favor or grace, “according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” Thus the infallible oracles of God most clearly show that all goodness and righteousness, in the children of God, as manifested or worked out by them, in their obedience to Christ, are by the effective reign of grace in them, the active springing up in them of Christ’s life and love and obedience to God the Father, and all this is the blessed effect and fruit and manifestation of salvation. Salvation, therefore, in all that salvation means and is, is of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the grace of God, and it all is the fruit of the Spirit, as Paul testifies in Gal. v. Therefore it is neither legal nor conditional, nor of works, nor does it “depend upon us,” as conditionalism teaches, but we ourselves are continually dependent upon “the grace of God that bringeth salvation.” So, being thus saved by grace, we are prepared and ordained unto good works, and savingly and lovingly and actively and willingly brought into heart-given obedience to Christ. Now, therefore, this is the obedience of both love to God and faith in Jesus, in whom only is salvation; and Paul calls this obedience the work of faith and labor of love in Christ Jesus. He speaks of all goodness and righteousness, faith and love, patience and ‘hope, as in Christ Jesus. Without these gifts of God in his Son, and inwrought fruit of the Spirit in our new heart, there is not and cannot be any true obedience to Christ, for all else is carnal and unclean, selfish and unholy, and not pleasing to God. “For whatsoever is not of faith is sin,” and without faith it is impossible to please God. Well, the faith of the Son of God is not conditional on our part, for “it is the gift of God;” therefore the obedience of faith, which worketh by love and purifieth the heart, cannot be conditional, but it is the springing up of the water of life in us which Christ gives us, flowing out in delightful service to the Lord, the gracious Giver of all our salvation and blessings. He gave us the new heart to love the Lord, also the power of faith to believe on Christ unto salvation, out of which arises all christian obedience. And since neither love nor faith are conditional, but free bestowments of God’s grace, so neither is the loving service and obedience of faith conditional, but it is the free tribute of the heart in the unselfish sacrifice of honor and praise to the God of all grace and comfort. In Romans iv, Paul speaks of the righteousness of faith, and testifies that faith is one with grace, saying, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed.” He thus shows that all the righteousness and blessing of faith is by grace, and that it is grace only that makes the promise and blessing of God sure to the heirs of salvation All know that whatever is conditional is not sure, but very uncertain or insecure, because it depends upon weak and fallible man. But faith belongs to the sure mercy and grace of God in Christ, and out of faith in the believer arises the only true obedience to Christ.
Christian obedience, therefore, is the obedience of reigning grace and faith and love in the heart of the child of God, and these are the unconditional gifts and blessings of the Lord’s new covenant; therefore all the spiritual blessings of God flow to his covenant children from the divine fountain of his abounding grace, and are as unmerited and free as grace itself. And so all the rewards and blessings that the children of God ever receive in their loving service and obedience of faith are the rewards of grace. In view of this precious truth, Paul testifies that God hath blessed all the chosen and called and faithful in Christ with all spiritual blessings in Christ before the world was, unto the God-glorifying end that they should be holy and blameless before him in love. This makes all spiritual blessings as free and unconditional as Christ himself, and therefore absolutely the blessings of saving grace.
Crawfordsville, Ind., March 6, 1900. | 2019-04-25T20:15:33Z | http://asweetsavor.info/edb/obedience.html |
All you Lu-fans ought to know that Scott's latest project -- This Diminishing West -- has just released their first full-length track online! The demo song is called 'Nine Years Of Tunneling' and is currently posted on their MySpace page.
So... what were you doing on this day 10-years ago? A decade!? I'll give you a moment to think about it> Sitting at home washing your hair? Desperately searching for reruns of Punky Brewster? How about crying to yourself because your folks wouldn't let you go to a show in Seattle, WA? The rest of you, perhaps, were with us -- Old Lincoln High School in Wallingford, USA -- for the original "Final Performance" of Poor Old Lu.
For those of you who have the CD of this show, "In Their Final Performance" -- and no you can't have a refund! -- it doesn't quite recreate the 'magic', if you will, of that evening. Poor Old Lu played for over 2 hours, 20+ songs, and even included an "acoustic set" mid-way through. We were also joined by several "special guests" including Jeremy Enigk, MG the Visionary!, and other backup musicians. It was a great time with many friends.
"What's going on with the Lu guys now", you ask?
Many of you know, of course, that Aaron has been very busy recording and producing many great, great projects. Personally, I think that Aaron is getting better with each album that he works on. Good stuff!
Also, you ought to have heard of Fair by now - the new band featuring Aaron and Nick. If you haven't heard their album yet, please stop what you're doing, go and buy it, listen to it 5 times, and then come back to finish reading this page. Oh yeah... it's really good!
Jesse has been busy as well - including many groups that he plays with. Perhaps you've seen him at a show lately? He's still living in upstate New York - far, far away from the rest of us - but we still talk to him on a fairly regular basis. He's no stranger!!
Lastly (but not leastly), what has Scott been doing? Well, it's high time that we let you know that he has been working on a new project. The band is called This Diminishing West and they are working some demo recordings that they hope to release in December. You can find some updates from Eric, their bass player, here on their MySpace page. What does it sound like? When are they going to play? We're not even going to go there. In the meantime, here is a sample clip of one of their songs, "These Emotions Will Move You, Son". Enjoy.
Thanks for reading. We will talk to you soon.
On a totally different note, you may be interested in knowing what Jesse has been up to! Is your curiosity piqued? Yes? No? Either way... move that mouse this direction and click this link to check out Jesse's new studio, The Illuminata, located in Dansville, New York. Very cool building, nice gear, and so on. If you're interested in booking some time with Jesse and the gang, please email him - [email protected]. Got it? Good.
Friends and fans.... the store is now closed.
POOR OLD LU MERCHANDISE SALE STARTING TODAY!
If you've been waiting for the right time to purchase some uber-groovy Poor Old Lu swag, now is that time! We're looking to liquidate the remainder of our inventory, including: t-shirts, posters, glossies, and stickers. Everything is at least 50% off and all prices now *include* shipping! Get two t-shirts for only $10, six stickers for only $2, and on and on. Act fast, though, 'cause when this stuff is gone we're closing down the store!
A quick (and shameless) plug for Aaron's new CD, Lackluster. Released on Tooth & Nail Records February 10th, this new CD is actually a compilation of previously released material from Aaron's first 3 albums -- with one new song, Pillbox. The rest of the tracks aren't entirely old either as some have been remixed and a few parts even re-recorded. Other songs on this album include: Really Something, Solace, and What Sorry Could Be.
Never heard Aaron's solo stuff? Do it now. You'll dig it! Been a fan for years? Grab a copy and give it to a friend. Spread the joy.
Aaron... has been busy recording, engineering, producing, and so on. His most recent project have been the sophomore releases of Kutless (BEC) and Demon Hunter (Solid State). Both albums will be released in the coming months. Also, it appears that Aaron is working on some new solo material and will release an album on Tooth & Nail... when he gets some free time! Aaron and his wife, Karina, celebrated their 10-year anniversary earlier this year! Their son, Elliot, is now 9 years old.
Jesse... is now back in New York! He and his family moved back in November and will pick up where they left off. We're sad to have them so far away again, but that's how things go. Jesse has also been drumming quite a bit. Most recently he laid down drum tracks for the new Demon Hunter album "Summer of Darkness". He has also been seen drumming for Serene and The Lashes. You can catch Jesse (and the rest of the Demon Hunter guys) in their great music video "Infected" via MTV2's website or on www.demonhunter.net. A new video is scheduled for early 2004. Jesse is also working on a new album for The World Inside -- perhaps a mid 2004 release. Lastly, Jesse is working for a non-profit record label called Six World Records. Cool stuff. Jesse and his wife, Amanda, have two daughters -- Mirabelle and Gretta.
Nick... has been busy with his day job in commercial real estate. He also rocks the flock on bass for the worship band at our church every Sunday morning! Nick has also been playing bass in the studio for various projects *and* will likely be on Aaron's next solo project. Lastly (and in family news), Nick and his wife, Jen, will be celebrating their 9-year anniversary this coming May! They have two children, Ethan (4) and Josiah (1 1/2).
Scott... is pretty much doing the same old stuff. During the day, he works as a network administrator. The other portion of his "work" is in leading the high school youth ministry and college groups at his church, City Calvary Chapel, where Aaron and Nick also attend. He can also be found leading worship for both groups (and occasionally the Sunday morning service). The rest of his time is spent at home with his family and in keeping the house from falling down. Scott and his wife, Sam, will celebrate their 9 year anniversary in June. They also have three kids: Sebastian (6), Trinity (3), and Brighton (8 mos).
Thank you, friends, for your prayers and words of encouragement. Our little boy, Brighton, is doing extremely well. We were able to hold him for the first time on Friday evening. As of yesterday he started taking breast milk. He has been active, alert, and healthy. All we can say is... PRAISE JESUS! There is no great explanation for all of this with medical science -- it is purely the hand and grace of God. Brighton is still in the Infant ICU, but we're hoping that he might be able to come home later this week.
A small picture of our little miracle baby. Thank you again, friends.
Please pray for us, friends.
I (Scott) took my wife into the hospital on Sunday afternoon to check on our soon-to-be-born baby who was significantly less active than he had been. Although his pulse seemed fine, the doctors felt that he was in distress and ordered an emergency c-section. A few minutes later, our baby boy, Brighton Thomas Hunter, was born, though not breathing. The doctors quickly resuscitated him. It looks as if he had major blood loss inside the womb, thus lacking much needed oxygen as well. If we had waited even just 2 or 3 more hours, he certainly would not have survived.
Unfortunately, we are not out of the woods yet. He has at the Children's Hospital Infant Intensive Care Unit (here in Seattle) where he is in very stable condition, but we are unsure of any damage that may have occurred. He is moving around, opening his eyes, and is responding to our voices, but still has a ways to go. Our friends and family have been very supportive in this extremely difficult time. Please pray for Brighton's full recovery and for strength for my wife and me.
There are a number of reasons, my friends, for this update: 1) We would all like to thank you for your prayers for little Gretta Sprinkle. She is back at home, safe and sound with her parents. She is doing much better. 2) I was thoroughly chastised via email by one fan for the lack of updates. Alas, my apologies cannot suffice. 3) We are at war, my friends. Whether you agree with this action or not, it is at hand. Please keep this country and our soldiers in your prayers.
There is no major news on the Lu front. We're hoping to get a couple of shows scheduled. More on that as we know more on that.
Please keep little Gretta Sprinkle, Jesse & Amanda's youngest daughter, in your prayers as she is in the hospital right now fighting a respitory infection and may also need heart surgery. Please pray for her safe recovery and for peace for the rest of the family.
Poor Old Lu would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you draw nearer to Him.
Thank you to everyone who attended our CD Release Party, and to all of those who attended in spirit. We had a great time -- truly! Our set was 17 songs long, including 5 tracks off of the new album, "I Am No Good" (from 'Sin'), and "A Forest" by the Cure, to name a few. Josh Tillman opened, followed by Seven Head Division -- and they did a great job. Hopefully we'll have some sound bites to post in the near future, if the recording came out well. We'll let everyone know, of course. We'd also like to thank the Paradox, Tooth & Nail, and all of our friends for their help!
In site news, we've added the "Poor Old Lu - The Waiting Room" poster to our online store page. It's very cool... so grab one while you can! Also, we now have more sizes available in our t-shirts, so see if we have the right fit for you!
Friends, family and all.... join us this evening for a time of music and celebration.
The Poor Old Lu CD Release Party starts at 8PM. We're poised to do our very best... bringing out some of the old material (songs, that is) as well as the new "Waiting Room" stuff. This should be a show that any and every Lu fan could enjoy! We're certainly looking forward to it. Also, joining us will be our good friends, Seven Head Division. You'll love 'em.
Seattle, WA. 8PM. The Paradox.
Well, my friends, the day has arrived. September 24th, 2002 (today), is the release of Poor Old Lu's latest album, The Waiting Room. It has been a long time in coming, but I think you'll find it well worth the wait. This album was most certainly a labor of love as we toiled for many months to get it finished -- in the studio, out of the studio, and back in. The finished product is new, familiar, strange, and completely Poor Old Lu. Also, the artwork is beautiful thanks to our friends at Tooth & Nail. We are happy to finally release "The Waiting Room". Enjoy.
Here are a few links to purchase the CD online.
We hope to eventually have our CDs available from *our* online section, but it might be a few weeks. In the meantime RUN OUT AND GRAB THE NEW ALBUM WHEREVER YOU CAN!!!
This is a big day, so I'll leave you to mull over today's events. Take care.
We played Portico (formerly TomFest) this past weekend and had a great time! There was a good crowd and a good vibe... and everyone (except for a praying mantis -- long story) had a great time. Next up on the Poor Old Shows roster, of course, is our CD Release Party. We'll be playing on Friday, October 4th, at The Paradox -- the same location as our March 2001 show! Joining us will be our friends from Seven Head Division -- a great group from upstate New York -- and another artist/band to de decided (no solicitations, please). Please click here to get more information on the show *and* to purchase tickets online... 'cause this baby is gonna be packed!
Oh, yeah... we also have an album coming out in less than 3 weeks! That's right, folks -- less than 3 weeks! Can you believe it? Our latest project, The Waiting Room, will be released (and should be in stores) on Tuesday, September 24th, put out by Tooth & Nail Records. Those who've heard it thus far have loved it, so hopefully that is indicative of how well it will be received. We'll find out soon, I suppose.
Ummm...that's it for now, I guess. Talk to you soon.
Finally, we've got the Portico (formerly TomFest) show coming up in about two weeks. That should be a great time. Also, we've tentatively scheduled our CD release party for Friday, October 4th, at the Paradox in Seattle. We'll post more information when we have more information (and when tickets go on sale). That is going to be a great, great time. Don't miss it!
We have a few changes/additions to the website to announce. First of all, there is now some information about our new album, The Waiting Room, that will be released on September 24th. Check it out! Second, I've updated the "Store: @shows" and "Store:online" pages to reflect most of our new merch. The pages are nearly identical now, but you can get an idea of what we've got available. We don't have a good purchasing system in place, but if you can pay via Paypal, then go ahead and browse the merch, pick out some stuff, add it up (+ shipping), and send payment to "[email protected]". Contact me if you have further questions. Lastly, I've finally made *something* out of the "Audio:mp3s" page! There is basically a sampling from each of our albums (and a few extra), so please give it a look-see and download to your heart's content!
As far as upcoming shows are concerned, we will be playing at Portico (formerly TomFest) next month, so check it out. We will also post the information for our CD Release Party when we have it -- sometime in late September.
First of all, THANK YOU EVERYONE for all of your great t-shirt entries for the contest! We were surprised to have received so many entries... and so many great designs! Alas, we had to choose just one design. The final winner is.... Trilisa! Check out her winning design here. Her design was drawn by hand, scanned in, and emailed to us and we especially liked it for its simplicity. She will, of course, get many great prizes from the Lu guys! Also, her t-shirt will join 3 other designs that will be offered at our upcoming shows. Great job, Trilisa -- thanks!!!
Speaking of Cornerstone, we will have a promo CD featuring Poor Old Lu & Serene for sale at our booth! This limited edition 4-song CD features two songs from the upcoming Poor Old Lu album, "The Waiting Room", and two great tracks from our friends, Serene. It will also feature some really groovy full-color artwork! It'll cost about $5 and might only be available at Cornerstone, so get 'em while you can!
Lastly, it's just about time for another clip from the new album, ain't it?! Here's a snippet from a new song called "Today". Prepare yourself... it's mellow and (dare I say) pretty?!?! Enjoy.
That's all for now..... but we'll be keeping in touch!!!
On another note, we're looking for some great designs for some new-Lu t-shirts! We have several shows coming up this summer that definitely call for new shirts, stickers, and whatever else. We're calling on our faithful Lusers to design something great that we'll make into a t-shirt!
- That new shirt will be at our upcoming shows!
- Contest ends on June 1st.
What is the title of the album? We've chosen the name "The Waiting Room". This could change, I suppose, but that's unlikely. When will the album be out? We don't have a firm street date yet, but it should be out by Cornerstone -- so early July at the latest. How many songs will be on the album? We're not sure of the exact number, but you should expect 11 or 12 new songs! What does the new stuff sound like? Hmmm. We're probably the worst people to ask, since we're so close to the whole thing, but it probably sounds closest to the sound we had on "8th Wonder" -- though totally new and totally Lu. Where are you guys recording at? As we've mentioned in the past, this album is being recorded and mixed at Compound Recording in Seattle -- the studio that Aaron manages/engineers/produces at. Can we hear something off of the new album? I'm glad that you asked! We have a link to one of the new tracks, "Now". This clip is only a rough mix, so it will likely change a bit before the album comes out, but it shows how things are shaping up.
Take care, all -- and God Bless!
I'll post some samples as I get 'em.
It has been nearly two months since the last update and, unfortunately, I don't have much to report! The album is coming along, be it ever so slowly, but it will get done. When we have the (updated) release date, I will let everyone know... 'cause I'd like to know myself! In the meantime, you can pickup a copy of Tooth & Nail's "Happy Christmas Vol 3" album featuring Poor Old Lu, Aaron Sprinkle and many others. All in all, a nice compilation.
Besides that there isn't much to say. If you have some free time, then take a moment to stop by the Poor Old Lu Message Board (hosted at CCMChat).
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from us all.
1) A reminder: ...we have a show coming up this Friday, October 5th, at the Liquid Lounge (at the EMP) in Seattle. As part of the Northwest Passage 2001 music event, Tooth & Nail is the featured label with a few of their local bands. The lineup is: Coy, Poor Old Lu and Ambitious Career Woman. It starts at 9:00PM, it's in the Liquid Lounge and it's absolutely FREE! Oh, and one other thing... it's 21 and over *only*. I know, I know... our hordes of underage fans will be very upset, but we can do nothing about it. For the rest of you, come hang out with us for an evening! Go here for more info (scroll down to the October 5th headline).
2) Some good friends, Debbie and Trilisa, have posted some very nice pictures of Poor Old Lu from recent shows. Since we're so incredibly bad at taking/posting pictures, this may be the best way to get 'em. Visit those sites (and let 'em know you like 'em): Debbie's 1, 2 or Trilisa's. Thanks to both of you!
4) Lastly, Tooth & Nail is releasing their newest holiday collection, Happy Christmas Vol. 3, featuring Poor Old Lu and Aaron Sprinkle (among many others), very soon. We've posted a short clip of Poor Old Lu's track, 'What Child Is This?'. Download the .mp3 here.
The album is coming along, of course, albeit slowly. It seems that the release date is being pushed back, which may *really* upset some of you. Why is that, you ask? Well... it's for a few reasons. First of all, with Jesse in New York the writing process is much more difficult. We're hoping to have the drums laid down for all of the songs this week! After that, Nick, Aaron and I can work fervently on our parts. Secondly, we really want to give this album the time that it deserves. The folks at Tooth & Nail are more interested in a *great* album than just getting an album out quick. So are we. We believe strongly that this album will not only be "up to Lu quality", but the best album we've ever done. To that end, we want to devote more time to the entire process. As clips become available, we will post them here... I promise!
What can be said, my friends.... very little, yet so much. We, of course, send our deepest prayers to those who have been so tragically moved by the recent events in our country. We pray that Jesus Christ would be lifted up and glorified through this all. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen.
On a more positive note, we have a show coming up shortly in the Seattle area. Have you heard of the EMP? Well... that's where we're going to be playing on Friday, October 5th. As part of the Northwest Passage 2001 music event, Tooth & Nail is featured on that evening with a few of their local bands... we would be included, of course. The other bands are Coy and Ambitious Career Woman. It starts at 9:00PM, it's in the Liquid Lounge and it's absolutely FREE! Be there if you can, ok? Go here for more info (scroll down to the October 5th headline).
Take care, all -- and keep in prayer.
Errr............ I've done it again.
Two months since the last update... sorry 'bout that, folks. So, "what's going on" you ask? A bit, actually. We just got back from the Purple Door Fest in Pennsylvania. Very cool. Though I mocked their "mountain", as they say, it was really a great time. Cool place. Good weather. Great people. Fun show. Etc, etc, etc.. I also wanted to thank the staff at the Purple Door Fest -- they were some of the most pleasant people we've ever dealt with at a music festival! Thanks, all. Also, thanks to all the fans who supported us there (and put up with our lame jokes and such) -- the show was really great!
Lastly, you'll notice that we have NO shows posted on our website. That's because we have NO shows scheduled. I realize that everyone would like us to be playing shows in their living rooms RIGHT NOW, but we just can't do it! :) Seriously, though, we are using all our spare time to write and record. After the album is completed we will talk about new shows, but we cannot schedule any until then!
My... it HAS been awhile, hasn't it?!
I would like to apologize as always (I do that a lot, don't I?) for not updating as regularly as I should. What's my excuse, you ask? No excuse. Just busy (and lazy). After the shows we took some time off to just relax and gather ourselves once again. Lately we've been practicing for the upcoming Cornerstone shows.... next week! We have (2) sets out there. The first set is on Tooth&Nail Day (Tuesday, July 3rd @ 9:15PM), and the second set is during the day at the Indoor Stage (Thursday, July 5th @ 2PM). Strangely enough, the second set is the exact place (and almost exact time) as the very first Cornerstone show that we ever had... way back in 1994!!! Oh, the memories.
What else are we up to? Well.... Aaron is finishing up his next album. Jesse just released a double-disc (kinda... it's The World Inside and Seven Head Division... two albums on one disc!). Nick has been playing with Aaron during his live shows, and I've been doing the usual -- family, youth group and work. Oh, we've been writing songs too! Yes, yes -- we've been writing songs. It's a strange thing, actually, because none of us have written songs like this in a long time. It's going to take some time for us to figure it all out. To be honest, this album is going to come together much differently than our previous projects... partially because it has been so long, but also because we're so far apart. I trust that it will come out great, just different than before. That's ok.
In the meantime... we're getting ready for Cornerstone, TomFest and the PurpleDoorFest (later on in August). See you at the shows!!!
Thank you, all. The shows were great!
Need a recap? Last Saturday, March 31st, PoorOldLu got together for (2) shows, and again for (1) show down in Olympia on Sunday, April 1st. Saturday's 2PM show was, of course, a bit nerve-wracking after "4 1/2 Years" (inside joke), but it was really great fun. It didn't take us long to get the old energy back. About 350 people crammed in to the Paradox to hear Yellow Second open up with a great set, then kindly waded through our own 15-song set, complete with two songs we've never played -- our own "Weeds That Grow Around My Feet", and Adam Again's "No Regrets". Good Fun. Saturday's 9PM show was also very cool. We were, of course, extremely tired, but I think it still had great energy. A few more than 350 people (again) crammed in to hear Wes Dando's set, which was great, and then our own 16-song set (we played Army Guy!), which was almost exactly the same as the 2PM show.... sorry, we've only rehearsed a limited amount of songs at this point. :) The last show of the weekend took place in Olympia, at Calvary Chapel. Less people, but for a Sunday evening it was very good. We probably played better at that show (technically), though it didn't have the vibe of the Paradox shows. That's OK. Probably the best thing about this weekend was getting to see so many people -- and to hang-out and talk. We signed some stuff, took pictures, etc.. Really a great time! Thanks again, everyone, for making this last weekend so memorable!
Tomorrow is the day, my friends. After 4 1/2 years, PoorOldLu is doing another show.... or three. We've spent fairly considerable time planning this show, doing what we can to make sure that everyone who *really* wants to be there CAN be there. We think the venue, though small, will contribute to a great atmosphere for this much awaited event. We've also put time and energy into making the sure that the product (shirts, etc.) are up to Lu quality! Lastly, we've been practicing our tails off to be prepared to play these shows! Though we certainly haven't practiced as much as many bands do, for the usual PoorOldLu routine we've practiced quite a bit! Needless to say, we want to sound good, have fun, and make these shows memorable......... I think they will be. Go here for all the show info, and go here for the info on the product. We'll see you there!
Some of you may have noticed some downtime for the PoorOldLu site here. I apologize for that, but there was little that could be done. The line provider for my DSL service, Northpoint, filed for bankruptcy, and, of course, my DSL went off-line. I pushed the pages to another line *pretty* quickly, but there may be some residue issues. Also, the e-mail has been temperamental, so if you have troubles e-mailing us temporarily, that's why. I hope to have all the issues worked out soon..... but my home DSL service is another issue entirely. Sniff.
Well... the day looms nearer and nearer. Is the excitement too much for you? Can you hardly contain yourself? Hopefully no one is THAT bad off, but it should be a great time.
The 2nd show on March 31st is also selling very well! Both shows should be very packed and very crazy, not to mention the Olympia show on April 1st (no, it's not a joke)! Go here for all the show info! As always, check out TicketWeb for online sales for the 2PM Paradox show ( the 9PM show is sold out, of course).
As promised, we have posted pictures and info online for our merchandise and such, that is, what we'll have at the upcoming shows. Check out the STORE:@shows page for all that goodness. The pictures are small and stuff, so go ahead and click 'em for a larger version! Need a brief run-down? We'll have (3) different shirts there, (2) of them being limited edition. We'll also have a limited edition run of the official poster, each hand-signed by the band and numbered individually! Crazy. Lastly, we'll have some brand new stickers for your "sticking" enjoyment... errr..... something like that.
We look forward to seeing you all........... very soon.
Nothing much to say at this point, just keep in mind that we've added a 2nd show to our March 31st date! That makes a 2PM 'Matinee' show & a 9PM 'Original' show. Check out TicketWeb for online sales for the 2PM (and the 9PM show is sold out, of course).
We've also added the info for (3) other shows: (1) for an April 1st show in Olympia, WA (yes, the day after our March 31st shows), and (2) dates at this year's Cornerstone festival. We will be playing during the Tooth&Nail Day *and* on the Indoor Stage. Should be great! Check out all those dates on the shows page, dig?
Lastly, we've gotten a lot of people asking about guaranteed tickets to the March 31st shows. Unfortunately, we cannot help people out much with this. The 9PM show, as many of you know, has sold very well online. So much so, in fact, that the online sales had to be cancelled so that some door sales would be possible. Because of this we added the 2PM show that same day. The online sales for the 2PM show are still up and online (for now). Door sales will be possible for that show as well. We, of course, want *everyone* to get into both shows, but it just won't work. I would personally like to apologize to all of you who have had a difficult time arranging tickets, etc.. A bigger venue would've been a wise idea, we realize, but we didn't expect such an overwhelming turnout!
"What?" you ask? By popular request, we have added a 2nd show to our March 31st date! That's right!!! We now have a 2PM 'Matinee' show & a 9PM 'Original' show. Why is this? Because the original show sold so fast, so quickly that we were really leaving a lot of people out in the cold... literally. With the matinee show, everyone *should* be able to get in somewhere! As of right now, the 9PM show is no longer being sold on the web, but some tickets can be purchased at the door! Also, the 2PM 'matinee' show is available for online ticket sales... check out TicketWeb for that.
- Those who purchased tickets online for the 9PM, March 31st show will get in for sure.
- A number of people who arrive at the door for the 9PM show will be let in as well, many will not.
- Those who purchase tickets online for the 2PM 'matinee' show will get in for sure.
- Assuming the 2PM show doesn't sell too quickly online (it may), most people should be able to get in at the door.
All you people out there are absolutely horrible! NO ONE bothered to mention that the PoorOldLu site looks atrocious in Netscape! YUCK!!! I loaded up Netscape today to test out another side project, and decided to check out PoorOldLu.com -- and to my surprise........... OUCH!! In any case, now I know and I'll try to fix as much as I can. Unfortunately, I'm very happy with the design and I don't want to mess with it too much.
There is another issue with the nav bar menu: on Macs the top (flash) nav says "loading..." until you refresh the page once more. Not sure why this happens, and I've never seen it on any PC running Internet Explorer, but nonetheless it exists. I'll do what I can.... any ideas would be helpful!
For those of you who don't know yet, we had a fairly major earthquake in the Northwest today... centered just about 40 - 50 miles south of Seattle (or so)... and it registered around 6.8! The question on everyone's' minds, of course... is Poor Old Lu ok?! (just kidding) But we are fine. I (Scott) was with my family at the time, in the Seattle Aquarium essentially underwater with just concrete, pilings and lots of water and fish above us. A horrible place to be. Jesse was recording a guitar track for his upcoming album over at Aaron's house when it happened, so it was all captured on audio! Check out that wacky earthquake madness (on MP3) right here! (hint: turn it up loud!) Nick, I guess, was at work, but I imagine he's just fine. Meanwhile, California has the rain and Seattle has the sun and earthquakes. Crazy, man, crazy.
Also, we have some upcoming shows planned (aside from TheParadox, which is no longer selling online tickets, as I understand, only walk-up tickets for the night of the show) including two shows at Cornerstone (Tooth & Nail Day + a normal C-stone show) and the TomFest (somewhat pending). We will be supporting the new album with some shows around the U.S., but ARE NOT SCHEDULING NEW SHOWS at this time. I know that a lot of people would like us to play in their area, but we're just not ready to schedule any shows or dates. When we are ready, however, we will post it right here on the site!
Lastly, please continue to check out the PoorOldRadio - it's always a fun thing. Liner notes are coming... slowly. In the meantime, check out the cool notes we have for Mindsize and Eighth Wonder! Fun.
We're just doing our thing... trying to get ready for the March 31st show at TheParadox. Be there. Also, I've been making some updates to our website here, so dig it! First of all, you'll notice that there are now some pictures on the images:band page -- kinda cool. I'm working on getting more... it just takes time. Speaking of... please send those pictures in if you have 'em (read below)! Also, I've started adding liner notes to the lyrics... slowly. Mindsize and Eighth Wonder should have 'em all. Fun reading and such. Lastly, PoorOldRadio is online and pushin' out the wacky beats! Go check it out, why dontcha!?!
By the way... if you have any "technical" issues with PoorOldLu.com, please e-mail me at [email protected] and let me know -- I'll try to fix it (if I can).
So... "what's going on with Lu?" ... that seems to be the great question these days. Well, it's basically as we wrote earlier -- we're doing a new album, we'll be playing some shows, and the site has been redesigned for your viewing pleasure! The plans for the show at TheParadox are coming along well (note: ticket sales have been *extremely* good, so keep that in mind), and we're still trying to schedule everything else. We'll have the shows page updated as soon as we have more info. Also, I've (Scott) been writing liner notes for all of our albums *and* all of our songs. They're not posted just yet, but I hope to have at least some of them up there soon. What are they for? Just notes on the backgrounds to the songs, recording details, stories, whatever *and* insights into the lyrics! Cool reading type stuff.
- .jpg (jpeg) files only, please.
- please, no more than (5) pictures per e-mail... 'cause things get crazy!
I'm going to try to post every picture I get, but that's not reasonable. Also, I'll do my best to give everyone credit (somewhere) for their picture(s), so please make sure to let me know who you are. This'll be a nice way to get cool pictures up on the site for EVERYONE to see!
Thanks, all, we love you!
Well, folks, here's where it starts... the beginning of a new look and feel for the PoorOldLu website! Crazy, eh?! The *original* Lu website came online in 1997, about 7months after the Final Performance show (go figure). There hasn't been a whole lotta need to redesign the site until now, I suppose. For starters, the site is in need of a serious makeover. Secondly, were looking at a new album sometime this year! Yep, that's right... a NEW album. What's that mean? New songs? Yep. Some shows? Yep. Does this mean that PoorOldLu is back together? Not really. It's not our intention to keep things going necessarily. We feel strongly about putting out a new album *and* we know that it's only sensible to play some shows in support of the new album. When? Where? We can't really say right now. It looks like Cornerstone is a for sure thing this summer, so you can almost bank on that. We plan on having other shows afterward around the country, but we don't know where, and we don't know when. As of this time, we have a show booked at TheParadox in Seattle for Saturday, March 31st. Go here for more show info. E-mailing us to figure out further show info is pretty fruitless at this point... 'cause we just don't know. Sorry. What about this new album? Well... we *have* started practicing/writing, if that means anything to you. We are just about to sign a contract with Tooth&Nail records for one album (and potentially more, who knows). They have been very supportive of what we'd like to do. They've given us time to write, which is very nice. All in all, they've been good to work with!
So what's next, right? It's hard to say. We're going to continue writing new songs... but more slowly than usual. Why? 'Cause we want this album to be good. Also, with Jesse (and family) in New York still, it can be difficult. As far as new shows go, just keep your eyes peeled. Also, keep checking the shows page... we'll have updates there (as we figure it all out)! | 2019-04-25T08:11:54Z | http://pooroldlu.com/home_newsarchive.htm |
It is a great honor for me to attend these meetings for the first time as Governor representing Papua New Guinea.
Much has happened in Papua New Guinea over the past decade, which has been a period of construction and consolidation since our independence in 1975. Our economic progress has been largely determined by external forces. Because we are a small open economy, these outside influences are particularly important to us.
A healthy world economy injects vigor and life into all its members. The reverse is also true. It is crucial that recent improvements in the international dialogue on the world economy be sustained. Better policy coordination by the industrial countries is essential.
The developing countries have suffered as world demand has fallen and world commodity and metals prices have remained depressed. Most developing countries have experienced very poor growth performances in recent years.
We are still feeling the pinch in many areas. Prices for coffee, copra, cocoa, and palm oil, which are all very important exports for Papua New Guinea and for many other developing countries, have been consistently depressed in the recent past. This makes life difficult for the bulk of our population who are dependent upon agricultural production. Papua New Guinea has the good fortune to have some diversity in primary exports and to some extent has remained insulated by continuing buoyant gold prices and improved copper prices over the course of 1987.
It now seems clear that we cannot expect a recovery by the industrial countries to bring demand for all primary commodities back to previous levels. The demand functions of the industrial countries are continually changing as new goods and substitute products enter the marketplace. Developing countries need to be able to adapt quickly to changing technology and world circumstances if they are to progress.
Optical fibers and other innovations have cut the industrial demand for copper, and growing supplies of vegetable oils—particularly soya bean and palm—have limited the recovery of coconut product prices. Many other products have suffered a similar fate and for similar reasons. In Papua New Guinea we have been diversifying our export base and exploring avenues for the introduction of new industries.
During the late 1970s and 1980s, some developing countries responded to declining demand for their traditional exports by adopting the easy option of borrowing to fill the growing income gap rather than by cutting back on imports and generally restraining expenditure. It was believed that if enough money and capital were pumped in, then these economies would somehow magically grow. Now, the repercussions of those over-optimistic days are clearly evident in the debt service ratios of various developing member countries. The world economy must live with the consequences as many developing countries face the unenviable task of lifting themselves out of their indebtedness and persistently low growth rates. Responsibility for the success of these efforts rests with all members of the world economy.
The benefits of any industrial growth continue to be diminished by the onset of the “new protectionism.” The record of the 1980s is of growing levels of protection, especially nontariff barriers and increased recourse to sector-specific bilateral arrangements. There are many areas of major controversy. Agricultural support schemes in the EEC, Japan, and the United States are causing major problems for all countries, as are a host of other restrictions in critical areas such as clothing, footwear, automobiles, and other manufactured goods. We will have the usual amount of nonsense spoken at these meetings by countries which practice protection while preaching free trade.
Papua New Guinea firmly supports the general liberalization of trade. The ongoing GATT talks and the role of the international organizations are crucial for several reasons. The talks must call to task those industrial countries that have failed to honor their obligations under the Tokyo Round to free trade in manufactured goods. The talks must also continue the process of reducing restrictions on agricultural trade. Finally, the talks must make some progress on freeing up trade in services. There has been some progress, but much of the developed world has failed to implement promises made in the Tokyo Round. We are frustrated that the talks are allowed to drag on for too long. Why cannot we decide on such issues quickly?
Let me now turn to questions of aid and resource flows. There appears to be a growing reluctance on the part of many donors to fulfill the old goal of contributing 0.7 percent of their GNP to the developing world. This goal seems to have been forsaken, even though it is still written into the political manifestos of many of the political parties currently in government around the world. Increasing resource flows to the developing world remains of crucial importance.
There are real constraints on our ability to pursue an effective restructuring and growth program without adequate availability of development assistance. Our traditional and generous neighbor, Australia, is going through difficult economic times and has unilaterally breached the aid agreement between our two countries. The uncertainty that is created by wealthy nations has been attacked for years in forums such as this, because of the difficulties it causes for good planning in the developing world.
We live in a turbulent world in which we are frequently buffeted by the ebbs and flows of world trade, capital markets, and the policies of industrial countries. This volatility causes instability and uncertainty in the system. Investors are hesitant and afraid to take risks. Government budgets and plans are formulated on uncertain forecasts of expected export receipts and domestic demand. Amid this muddle of uncertainties, it is important that other sources of income and assistance, such as aid and trade flows, be kept as stable and predictable as possible. There is no argument for tying aid flows to the vagaries of trade cycles in the developed countries.
Direct aid is not the only concern. The international institutions also have obligations and an important role to play. We are concerned at the trend toward decreased resource flows between the developed and developing worlds. We view with alarm forecasts that suggest major institutions such as the Bank and the Fund will shortly reach the stage at which they drain more resources from the developing world than they send to it. We face a very dangerous and conflict-ridden future if this trend is not significantly reversed. The institutions must be provided with adequate resources and their policies must be realigned to allow speedy and productive use of these resources. Increased lending by the Bank to a level of at least $60 billion over the period 1987–89 is crucial.
The problems I have outlined in relation to growth, trade, commodity prices, aid, and resource flows are of significant concern to the developing world. We all continue to hope that the coming years will provide a period of hesitant recovery in the world economy, the speed of which will depend on the policies we all pursue.
The lower oil prices, lower inflation, declining interest rates, and currency realignments of 1985 and 1986 still provide a potential base for sustainable growth. However, continued problems in the U.S. economy remain of fundamental concern. We would all be assisted by better policy coordination and more appropriate policymaking in the United States, Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Western Europe.
Let me now discuss the role of the Bank and the Fund in the current world climate and especially their role in my own region of the world. While we have valued the services of the Bank and the Fund, the policies of both organizations have not always been conducive to our needs as a small Pacific state. The international organizations and those highly privileged and highly paid individuals who work for them must develop greater vision in formulating and implementing development strategies. The capacity for complex theorizing on global, regional, and sectoral issues must be converted into greater understanding of the realities of development at the level of nations and individuals.
With regard to the Fund, many in the Pacific continue to be disappointed that technical assistance previously provided to central banks is being phased out. For many countries that take a prudent approach to managing their balance of payments, the provision of technical personnel has been one of the few contributions the Fund has been able to make. In Papua New Guinea, we have been waiting in vain for some years for the filling of several key positions in our Central Meeting, and thought we had an understanding for the early provision of assistance. We are very disappointed that absolutely nothing has happened in the past year.
Other Fund issues of general concern to the developing world include better surveillance and coordination of the rich countries; more positive approaches to conditionality and cross-conditionality; and increased resource flows to the developing world combined with better access to concessional facilities for the small states. . . .
Let me conclude on an optimistic note. Appropriate policies in the key industrial countries, matched by relevant policy mixes in the developing countries and meaningful levels of assistance from the major international institutions, can see us all move to a higher plane over the next year. Let us all strive for that aim, for the betterment of all mankind.
I join my colleagues in congratulating the staff and the management of the Bank and the Fund on presenting encouraging reports of successful operations in a turbulent year.
Last year we experienced a change in the stewardship of both the Bretton Woods institutions. Mr. Conable had, of course, assumed leadership of the World Bank before the Annual Meetings in September 1986, and we had the opportunity of welcoming and congratulating him. We were, however, still troubled with the question of filling the vacuum created by the decision of Mr. de Larosière to retire. I am glad that we were able to entrust the responsibility of guiding the destiny of the Fund at a critical stage in the global financial situation to Mr. Michel Camdessus—a man with a keen insight into the financial issues of our times and a sympathetic understanding of the problems faced by developing countries. I offer my heartiest congratulations to him and welcome him with sincere assurance of all constructive support.
The performance during the preceding year inspires confidence in the quality of leadership shown by the new team in both the Bank and the Fund. The lucid presentation of global economic issues and the role being played by the Bank and the Fund in meeting these problems outlined in the opening speeches by the President of the Bank and the Managing Director of the Fund provide an excellent starting point for our deliberations. The inaugural address by Mr. Reagan, the President of the United States, was deeply inspiring. His determination to resist protectionism was indeed most encouraging.
It should be a matter of primary concern for all of us that the pace of the world economy has slowed down further. In 1986 the growth rate in the major industrial countries came down to 2.7 percent. In fact, in the final quarter, the rate was only modestly above 2 percent.
It is unfortunate that the leading industrial nations of the world have so far not been able to coordinate their efforts toward generating a growth momentum commensurate with the potential of their economies. Not all nations have participated in the efforts to sustain recovery. The world economic climate was particularly favorable for such an effort in 1986 and even in the early part of 1987. The terms of trade moved substantially in favor of the developed industrial countries, giving them a massive transfer of resources at the cost of poverty-stricken nations in the world. With supporting policies in industrial countries, this major reverse transfer of resources should have strengthened the global recovery. The progress of the world economy in the fight against inflation also offers considerable scope for accelerating the pace of development with stability. The persistent high rate of unemployment and idle capacity in at least some of the powerful economies of the world creates a moral obligation on us to resist the risk of a further slowdown in economic activity.
The imperative need is to ensure greater international coordination of economic policies. We can all benefit from an intensified awareness in the developed industrial nations of the impact of their economic policies, not only on world economic trends but particularly on the adjustment efforts of the developing countries. Political will is essential to reduce fiscal and balance of payments deficits, thus enhancing the prospects of sustained growth in the world economy and expansion of world trade unhindered by protectionist pressures. Countries with persistent surpluses have a greater obligation to play a more positive role. They need to initiate structural shifts not only in the pattern of domestic demand but also in expanding the transfer of resources to the developing countries.
It appears that the entire burden of adjustment is being placed on the exchange rate mechanism. This has given rise to increasing volatility in exchange markets, with adverse consequences for the development of world trade in a liberal framework. The journey from the Plaza accord to the Louvre accord signifies a major shift from an excessive reliance on exchange rates as the only adjustment mechanism. I hope that with the passage of time there will be a greater appreciation of the full implications of this important accord in the essential area of international policy coordination; and also that the necessary political will would be forthcoming to back the accord fully as a comprehensive practical policy. The measures adopted by European finance ministers in mid-September to strengthen their cooperation under the European Monetary System signify progress in the same direction.
The work done by the Fund staff in developing the use of key indicators of economic performance and policies is expected to play an important role in strengthening such policy coordination, while making Fund surveillance effective. I hope we will be able to effectively combine a flexible exchange rate system with policy cooperation, imparting stability and steady growth.
For the future, the World Development Report has projected a high scenario based on growth in industrial economies of more than 4 percent. This offers a realistic target, which can be seriously pursued. Such growth in the world economy is essential to ease the tensions attached to the process of adjustment both in the developed and developing countries.
This would no doubt require a bold collective attempt by the leaders of the world economy. Many nations would need to pursue policies that might be painful and politically unpopular. It is, however, important to express the hope that the major industrial nations would seek to follow policies designed to manage the world economy in a manner that enables it to realize its full potential.
The developing countries have always received advice on carrying out difficult and painful adjustments, however high the cost in terms of strains on fragile political institutions and also in terms of human suffering. The developed countries have been above such constructive advice because they are not formally borrowers from the international institutions. The time has come to realize that the developing countries may not be able to carry out adjustment programs against the background of slow growth in the level of world economic activity and shrinking world trade.
If the present policies continue with the resultant growth rates of 2–2.5 percent, there are serious dangers that the solution to the debt problem will prove elusive and a large number of low-income countries, particularly in Africa, may sink deeper into poverty. Above all, the slowdown in world trade, with growing imbalances, may strengthen the protectionist sentiments.
The volume of world merchandise trade rose by about 3.5 percent in 1986. Trade expansion prospects were consequently limited for a large number of developing countries. At the same time, declines in primary commodity prices, mainly stemming from weak demand, severely impaired the terms of trade of developing countries. By early 1987, real commodity prices had fallen to a level 25 percent below the previous low point reached in 1982. The more recent trends indicate partial recovery, but do not signify a basic change in the longer-term picture. I am happy to note that the Development Committee has also agreed to stress the importance of raising global economic activity by an improvement in the policies of industrial countries. This would improve the climate for the developing countries.
Developing countries have made remarkable efforts toward formulating and implementing adjustment policies, despite an unfavorable world climate and often without adequate support by way of external resources. The growth rate has improved in a number of countries. Most remarkable has been the re-emergence of moderate growth in Africa during 1985 and 1986, although per capita incomes on average have continued to decline. The successful pursuit of adjustment and development goals by a number of African nations has begun to modify the economic landscape in the region. The encouraging performance in Asia is a source of comfort for the world economy, as it offers the remarkable prospect of half the human race moving away from poverty. Pakistan has made its modest contribution to this great Asian drama by attaining close to 7 percent growth, not only during fiscal 1987 but on average for the past ten years. . . .
The Fund was less active [than the Bank] during the year, as reflected in the amount of fresh purchase of currencies by members. In fact, because of the magnitude of repurchases, outstanding Fund credit to members declined by SDR 3 billion. The number of stand-by and extended arrangements at the end of 1986–87 was lower than in most recent years. This decline in Fund activity in a year when the need for Fund assistance in the developing countries, combined with the desire to institute reasonable adjustment programs, was at a high level requires a deeper analysis. Apart from the self-congratulatory argument that a number of countries have successfully carried out adjustment and no longer require assistance and the argument of despair that some of the countries are in arrears, we should ask ourselves why a number of developing countries have been unable to agree on the arrangements with the Fund. It is possible that some flexibility in approach to accommodate sociopolitical realities, while maintaining smooth adjustment over the medium period, could enable a number of developing countries that wish to pursue corrective policies to use Fund resources and ease their progress.
Last year, when the Fund initiated the structural adjustment facility to recycle the funds originally made available under the Trust Fund, the move was generally welcomed and hopes were raised. However, so far only 15 countries have made use of funds available under this facility. The fact that, despite the concessional terms of the facility, only a small number have availed themselves of it suggests that the conditionality attached to the facility and the comprehensive three-year program required are too restrictive. I am glad that the Interim Committee has pointed out the need “to consider whether the Fund’s policies regarding conditionality need to be re-examined in light of changes in the conditions facing member countries since the last comprehensive review in 1978–79.” We will watch developments in this area with great interest.
The sharply reduced flow of resources to the developing countries, uncertain export prospects, and the slowdown in economic activity in industrial countries have again brought to the fore the question of a fresh allocation of SDRs. The SDR has not assumed a major role in the international monetary system mainly because only SDR 21.4 billion has been allocated since the inception of the scheme, and no allocation has been made since 1981. The original objective of making the SDR the principal reserve asset remains as elusive as ever. The question of a fresh allocation of the SDR has been engaging the attention of the Executive Board of the Fund. While a majority of Executive Directors have favored a new allocation, sufficient support needed for a decision has not emerged. There is no doubt that the SDR can play an important role in providing unconditional liquidity, which would lead to growth without the negative effect of import compression. What is now required is not further technical analysis of the SDR allocation but sufficient political will among industrial countries to tap this source to make additional liquidity available to developing countries. Once the decision to make a fresh allocation of SDRs is taken, a suitable mechanism can be devised to improve the distribution of SDRs, keeping in view the needs of member countries for additional liquidity.
The world monetary and fiscal system based on the Bank and the Fund faces a set of new challenges today. The system has served us well because of its capability to reform itself and face new situations. My remarks are intended to keep this process alive. I am confident that we can evolve an approach designed to maintain stable growth with full and active participation of the developing countries.
It is my privilege to deliver the statement on behalf of Guyana and the Commonwealth Caribbean members of the Fund. May I take this opportunity also to congratulate Mr. Camdessus on his appointment to the post of Managing Director of the Fund. All the members of the Caribbean Group wish you a successful tenure. We are all aware, of course, that in your success lie the hopes of all of us as members of this organization.
At the level of nation states and national economies, certain principles, now widely accepted, have begun to guide approaches to many fundamental problems, such as indebtedness and poverty. Among the most important of such principles is that of shared responsibility and equity. Unhappily, no similar principles inform international practice. There is, no doubt, widespread recognition of the phenomenon of the interdependence of all elements of the global economy. The recognition is, however, not translated into balanced or symmetrical international economic management. This lacuna is reflected in the contradictions evident in the world economy today and leads to rates of growth and paths of adjustment that are less smooth and less rapid than would otherwise be realizable.
— noncomplementary monetary and financial policies among the industrial countries.
— a weak transfer of growth to the poorer countries.
In other words, the intention of improving global economic performance by means of extensive structural adjustment and harmonious coordinated economic policies still remains to be realized. There are signs of recognition by the industrial countries of this dichotomy and we are heartened by the recent commitment of these countries to policy coordination and cooperation embodied in the Louvre accord and the conclusions of the Venice summit. We trust that this commitment will soon be reflected in practical terms in, for example, realistic exchange rate policies, complemented by the commitment to an open trading system, and policies of the surplus countries consistent with the adjustment efforts of the deficit economies.
— noncompulsory surveillance of developed country policies, giving rise to disharmonious policies by the major economies at a time when coordination is needed to overcome recession.
Thus, between debtor and debtor, creditor and debtor, and creditor and creditor, different and unsystematic policy prescriptions are now commonplace.
For this reason, we should like to recommend to the members of the World Bank and the Fund the initiative on debt recently formulated by the Caribbean Community and welcomed by the Commonwealth Ministers of Finance. The specifics of this initiative were outlined to this gathering by the Minister of Finance and Prime Minister of Jamaica. Let it suffice for me to say, therefore, that this initiative is intended to treat the question of indebtedness in a comprehensive sense, starting with the identification, in terms of objective economic criteria, of all the debt-distressed countries. The common and specific responsibilities and options open to creditors and debtors are identified in the context of global needs.
For these reasons, although we endorse the proposal emanating from the Governor for the United Kingdom, Mr. Nigel Lawson, and the action already taken by Canada, for example, we insist on the need for symmetry and comprehensive treatment of the issue. As we search for such a workable solution to this crisis, let us not lose sight of the need for additionality of resources to the low- and middle-income countries. A solution needs to involve the timely provision of resources and in the context of agreed structural adjustment programs. This could have a catalytic effect on productive capacity, thus stimulating exports, generating employment opportunities, and returning these countries to a state of creditworthiness.
The Fund’s traditional facilities, namely, the stand-by arrangement, the extended Fund facility (EFF), and the compensatory financing facility (CFF), together with the recent structural adjustment facility (SAF), which is open to eligible countries on softer repayment terms and with a more medium-term focus for adjustment, provide avenues of financing for countries in difficulty. It is therefore essential that access limits to these facilities are not reduced. For this reason, we were heartened to learn that the Interim Committee endorsed the proposal to continue into 1988 the enlarged access to the Fund’s resources. We wholeheartedly agree with the Managing Director who, in summarizing the deliberations on this subject, expressed the view that the maintenance of the access limits would signal that the Fund would continue its role in promoting a cooperative solution to the debt problem. A reduction in access would indeed send the wrong signal to international markets.
The Ninth General Review of Quotas should be approached bearing in mind the need for the Fund to have readily available resources with which to lubricate an expanding world economy. Reliance on borrowed resources should be kept to a minimum in order to avoid the costs that have to be borne by the countries that have to resort to Fund financing.
The industrial countries have already agreed at Venice to a “significant” increase in the SAF. The Managing Director of the Fund has called for a tripling of resources to be made available to the SAF. The additional SDR 6 billion are to be contributed by a range of donors, particularly surplus countries such as Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany. This proposal is most welcome and we support the early formulation of, and agreement on, the modalities of this increase. The need for this action is made especially urgent by the fact that these resources will allow that facility to be substituted for stand-by arrangements in many low-income developing countries. We regret that at the recently concluded meeting of the Interim Committee, no consensus could be reached on either the size or the modalities of operation of the facility.
The Fund must remain cognizant of its surveillance role in relation to both major and minor countries as is identified in its charter. The Fund appears to be powerless to obtain appropriate policy responses from the major industrial countries which are not currently using its resources. The time is opportune, however, for the Fund to exercise a harmonious influence on the policies of the industrial countries.
Another controversial area or issue of concern pertains to the impact of loan conditionality in relation to the use of Fund resources. There is a widespread view, most recently voiced by the Commonwealth Finance Ministers, for example, that the effectiveness and appropriateness of conditionality need to be reviewed. In this context, the time permitted for adjustment, the allowances made for contingencies, the flexibility employed with respect to the range of policy options or instruments, and the impact of demand-management measures on country growth all need to be carefully assessed in the light of the experience over the last ten years.
We welcome the signal contained in the Managing Director’s address at these Annual Meetings to the effect that the Fund would be prepared to conduct a comprehensive review of the use and efficacy of conditionality. In this task, consideration should be given to more extensive use of the “contingent conditionality” so innovatively designed for the Mexican case in 1986. This approach commends itself most strongly when one bears in mind the inadequacy of the analytical tools and predictive devices currently employed by all practitioners in this area.
The question of an allocation of SDRs for the next basic period remains an unresolved item on the agenda of the Interim Committee. Despite the evidence submitted by the staff of the need to supplement global liquidity through the provision of unconditional reserves, a few major countries remain to be convinced on the subject. The Group of Twenty-Four in its communiqué has again requested a substantial new SDR allocation, the magnitude of which is to be consistent with the need to keep the growth of international reserves in line with the projected growth of imports.
I should also like to emphasize the need to ensure the integrity of the Fund’s compensatory financing facility as a source of finance for temporary export shortfalls; in particular, more effective and greater access under the facility, and the desirability of providing CFF drawings on concessional terms to low-income countries.
The Governments of the Commonwealth Caribbean countries are of the view that these are the most important issues facing the Fund and its members today. The proposals which we have outlined or embraced in this statement are intended to strengthen the process, as well as the role of the Fund in global adjustment and growth. This is imperative if the full potential of the world’s current productive capacity and organizational arrangements is to be realized.
We therefore recommend these initiatives to you.
It is a particular pleasure for me to address to you, and to all participants at this year’s Meetings of the Bank and the Fund, my cordial greetings and my best wishes for the success of these important international organizations. At the same time, I assure you of our resolve to join the efforts being made to solve the complex and at times—let us be frank—contradictory problems that confront economic, financial, and monetary activities throughout the world.
The Annual Meetings give me the opportunity and the honor of presenting, on behalf of the President of Romania, His Excellency Nicolae Ceausescu, some considerations and proposals with respect to some of the major problems of international economic and financial life.
These Meetings are taking place at a time when the world economic situation continues to worsen, affecting all countries, particularly the developing countries. Recently, protectionism and discriminatory practices have intensified, particularly with respect to the export of manufactured goods by the developing countries, while at the same time the prices of raw materials have declined.
The signs of recession in the world economy have been felt with varying intensity, owing to deep-seated contradictions brought about by the anachronism of the existing economic order and by the reappearance of old economic dominations and subordinations in new forms.
The overwhelming external debt burden of the developing countries remains a major problem in the world today. As a result of the present recession, the level of external debt has only deepened the crisis, heightened economic instability, and limited the scope for economic development and progress in the developing countries. This is the underlying reason for the widening gap between developed and developing countries, as well as for other adverse effects on mankind.
Particularly acute is the problem of interest rates, which were unusually high at the beginning of the 1980s. Although they have declined in nominal terms, real interest rates are still excessively high in relation to the borrowing countries’ diminished debt repayment capacity.
Deeply aware of the need for a new approach to all international political and economic problems, our country is in favor of finding new and radical solutions that are in keeping with the seriousness of the present situation and with the responsibility of all people and all countries to create a better and a decent world. Convinced of the need to achieve these goals, our President has over the years launched many efforts to help eliminate underdevelopment and establish a new international economic order.
In line with its concern, Romania placed an item called “The Foreign Debt Crisis and Development” on the agenda of the Forty-Second General Assembly of the United Nations. At the same time, it proposed that the world organization call upon all developed creditor countries, international banks, and lending agencies, including the IMF and the World Bank, to declare a moratorium for at least five years on repayments on all loans to developing countries. Romania also proposed that the UN General Assembly call upon all countries to halt protectionism, discrimination, and quota setting in trade and to adhere strictly to the GATT’s most-favored-nation clause.
The Romanian position presented to the Bank and the Fund at these Annual Meetings is shaped by these same concerns. Our goal is to improve the effectiveness of the Bank and the Fund, and we call on them to make fundamental changes in their policies and practices. The Bank and the Fund should develop the capacity to play a catalytic role in the complex process of preparing for and promoting a new, equitable, and democratic financial and exchange system that can genuinely support the developing countries’ efforts to achieve progress. Obviously, this calls for far-reaching measures.
—For credits already extended and committed by the IMF and the IBRD, the annual interest rate should be limited to a maximum of 5 percent.
—For new credits to be extended by the IMF and the IBRD, the annual interest rate should be 4 percent. Such a level could ensure that the return on each project financed in this way would generate enough resources to service principal and interest payments as well as some net income for the borrowing country.
Moreover, a separate solution governing trade relations should be found, based on agreements between the parties.
—The IBRD should give up the arbitrary and unjust practice of unfairly increasing foreign debt through the so-called exchange adjustment. Credits extended by the IBRD should be repaid at the same value and in the same currency structure initially agreed upon, without supplementary amounts being required.
—The IMF and the IBRD should adopt a resolution with respect to the extension of all credit repayments by at least ten years, so that through the alleviation of the external debt burden the necessary financial resources for the progress of the developing countries should be ensured.
—For the funds already borrowed by the IMF and the IBRD to create credit resources, a decision should be adopted in order to limit the interest rate to 5 percent annually. For future borrowings, the IMF and the IBRD should pay an interest rate not higher than 4 percent.
At the same time, the IMF and the IBRD should undertake measures to reduce their own expenditures, rationalize their actions, and obtain profits of a maximum of 0.5 percent.
—The IMF and the IBRD should democratize their whole activity, so that their developing member countries should play a greater role in the taking of measures and decision making.
The proposals and the considerations of Romania, and of the President of our country, fully illustrate its spirit of commitment to international efforts aimed at solving the problems of the present world recession.
We are living at a time when profound changes are needed, and for this reason we must adopt novel approaches in order to solve these problems once and for all. Considering our present and future aims, such changes are actually in the interest not only of the developing countries but of the developed countries also.
We feel that in this way the IMF and the IBRD could accomplish their original task better and become models of policy promotion for the economic and social progress of their member countries and play an active role in maintaining the stability of the world economy and of the financial and exchange system. All these countries will appreciate what we began and what we achieved, and their appreciation will be based on an improvement in the world economy as a whole, as well as an improvement in individual countries, particularly developing countries.
I am confident that we shall be able to understand what we have to do now and in the future and that we shall be able to summon the strength to overcome the obstacles to radical changes in existing ideas and practices.
It gives me great pleasure to speak not only on behalf of Solomon Islands but also on behalf of three other small-island developing member countries of our constituency, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa.
We face special problems in the management of our economies. Terms of trade continue to decline for those countries dependent on sales of a few primary commodities. The International Monetary Fund pointed out in its recent report on exchange and trade restrictions that, whereas restrictive practices have generally been reduced during the past year in the developing countries, they have actually been on the increase in the industrial countries. This aggravates the already serious plight of our fragile, commodity-exporting economies. We acknowledge our own responsibility to follow sound economic and financial policies. But adoption by the other countries of policies harmful to our interests places an excessive load on our ability to adjust to adverse external circumstances. Even as we adopt adjustment measures and face the ensuing political and social pressures, any benefits that might be expected are reduced or nullified by factors beyond our control.
A sustained improvement in world economic growth will not be possible without greater financial flows from the developed to the developing countries. Negative net transfers were recorded for 1985 and 1986, and the United Nations forecasts a continuation of these trends during the next few years. This runs squarely against the spirit of cooperation envisaged at Bretton Woods; in addition, this trend does not reflect the aims of the Development Committee, whose full title, let us recall, is the Joint Ministerial Committee of the Boards of Governors of the Bank and the Fund on the Transfer of Real Resources to Developing Countries.
We welcome the Lawson initiative, which envisages transforming loans into outright grants, rescheduling to allow much longer repayment and grace periods, and renegotiating interest rates. These measures will need to be supplemented by increased flows of official aid, as well as by the substantial increase being sought by the Managing Director for the Fund’s structural adjustment facility. Amid the flood of exhortations to us to effect structural adjustment, it seems absurd that major donors should be holding back from supporting the structural adjustment facility, one of the most useful ideas to emerge in recent years and the one most likely to be of use to the smallest member countries. We are pleased, therefore, to see signs yesterday in Secretary Baker’s speech that the United States is still looking to play a positive role in both the Bank and the Fund. . . .
With regard to the Fund, a substantial increase in quotas is long overdue. The Ninth General Review should be delayed on no account. It should take special account of the needs of small member contries, whose economies are extremely open, vulnerable to external shocks, and handicapped by the very small access to Fund resources resulting from the current quota and access formulas.
At these meetings last year, we drew attention to the cutting back of technical assistance provided by the Fund. For many of us, the provision of such assistance is the major benefit derived from membership. Technical assistance accounts for a only a very small percentage of total Fund expenditure; yet it is of vital importance to countries that have not yet had time to educate and train specialists. We urge the Fund to maintain existing levels of technical assistance. At the same time, we record our appreciation of the training facilities made available by the Bank and the Fund in economic and financial management. Such training benefits us greatly, and it is important that our real access to it be maintained.
Finally, I extend to the Chairman our appreciation for his conduct of these meetings and to Mr. Camdessus we offer our congratulations on his appointment as Managing Director and our hopes that his term of office will be an active and fruitful one for all of us.
I am happy to be here, in the midst of distinguished colleagues and friends, to present the views of His Majesty’s Government on the international economic issues and the national economic situation.
Before presenting our views on these issues, we would like to express our appreciation to Mr. Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, for his inspiring inaugural address and for his support for the Bank and the Fund. I would like to join others in extending our warm welcome to the new Managing Director of the Fund, Mr. Michel Camdessus. We wish him every success in his new and challenging job.
Since our last meeting, the performance of the world economy has been far from satisfactory. It is indeed disconcerting to note that the slowdown in economic activities noted during the fall of last year has continued well into the current year. Despite positive developments, such as a decline in the petroleum prices and an easing up in interest rates, the world economy could not register a much needed faster rate of economic growth. Protectionist policies, along with large imbalances in trade and budgetary situations of industrial countries, have more than offset the benefits of these positive developments.
The economic performance of both industrial and developing countries in this period weakened more than initially anticipated. Although industrial countries have succeeded in reducing the rate of inflation, the persistent imbalances in the trade and budgetary situations more than offset the benefits. Instead, it has led to a situation of higher unemployment and lower economic growth in these countries.
The protectionist policies adopted by industrial countries have caused a sharp decline in the export price of developing countries, thereby deteriorating sharply their terms of trade. The situation was further worsened due to a sharp decline in resource availability and the transfer of resources to these countries. This has not only hindered the process of development in developing countries but also aggravated their debt problem. Because these countries have limited access to capital markets, financing from the bilateral and multilateral agencies is crucial in sustaining their efforts toward growth and development. In this context, the role played by the Bank and the Fund assumes vital significance. Moreover, the lending of the Bank and the Fund has a catalytic role in inspiring confidence among other lenders. . . .
At a time of increasing resource requirements by developing countries in their effort to develop, the decline in the flow of official development assistance from bilateral and multilateral resources in real terms in 1986 concerns us very much. The decline in the flow of resources from multilateral sources is significant in real terms, while the flow from bilateral sources has remained virtually stagnant since 1985. We would, therefore, like to urge donors to increase the flow of resources to meet the widening gap in the resource availability in developing countries. It is all the more necessary due to economic adjustment and stabilization programs that have been initiated by several developing countries in recent years.
We are happy to note that the Development Committee addressed the important issue of revitalizing growth in the developing countries and emphasized the strong role to be played by the Bank and the Fund in expanding flows of finance to the developing countries by supporting a substantial increase in the Bank’s capital base. We also welcome the strong endorsement made by the Interim Committee on the initiatives of the Fund to increase the lending program under its structural adjustment facility (SAF). . . .
We appreciate the establishment of the structural adjustment facility by the Fund. It would supplement the efforts of the Bank in supporting the adjustment programs of the developing countries. In this context, we welcome the support expressed by the industrial countries to the proposal of the Managing Director of the Fund for a substantial increase in the size of the SAF. We hope negotiations regarding the increase would be completed by the end of 1987 and the conditionalities attached to its use would be less stringent, so that a large number of needy low-income countries will be in a position to benefit from the facility.
In view of the uncertainties surrounding the world economy and the worsening of payments difficulties, there is a need for the continuation of the enlarged access policy and an increase in the present access limits. Because of low commodity prices, the amount under the compensatory financing facility (CFF) should be approved with less conditionality, especially in the upper tranche.
We believe that there is an urgent need for a substantial increase in the quotas under the Ninth General Review. An adequate increase in quotas would enable the Fund to deal more effectively with any disruptive shocks in the world economy arising from persistent debt problems. In this regard, we support the view of the Group of Twenty-Four that the quotas be fixed on the basis of particular circumstances and financing needs, including some form of poverty index for the low-income countries.
With regard to SDR allocations, a substantial allocation of SDRs would promote economic recovery and would not be inflationary. Such allocations would help meet long-term global need for reserves, thereby supplementing international liquidity. We share the views put forward by other developing countries that the unconditional character of SDR allocations should be maintained and that a link should be established between SDR allocation and development finance.
I would now like to review in brief the macroeconomic management and development performance of Nepal in the fiscal year 1986/87. Following the adoption of the economic adjustment program in 1986, the economy witnessed positive developments in various sectors in fiscal 1986/87. However, in spite of a significant growth in the industrial sector, a drought-induced decline in agricultural production has slowed down GDP growth in 1986/87. Even though investment in irrigation has expanded rapidly over the years, Nepal’s agriculture is still greatly influenced by weather conditions.
Despite a large shortfall in foodgrain production, the measures undertaken to improve supply management helped to contain inflation. The average inflation rate in 1986 came down to 13.3 percent from 15.9 percent in 1985/86. On the domestic resource mobilization front, the Government has had great success in 1986/87. Revenue grew by 29 percent, and in terms of GDP the share went up from 9.3 percent in 1985/86 to 10.7 percent in 1986/87. Growth in regular expenditure was reduced to 14 percent in 1986/87 from 23 percent in the previous year. Similarly, development expenditure in the year increased by 22 percent, compared with 13 percent in 1985/86. The performance in the monetary sector had also been satisfactory. In 1986/87, the money supply grew by 16.9 percent, compared with 28.3 percent in the previous year. The success in containing money supply growth was largely due to tight credit policy. Growth in domestic credit was 14 percent in 1986/87, compared with 29 percent in 1985/86.
On the external front, the current account deficit widened further, mainly because exports remained stagnant and imports increased considerably. The sluggish performance in the export sector was partly due to poor performance in the agriculture sector. However, increased earnings from tourism and foreign aid disbursements enabled the country to maintain a favorable position in the balance of payments.
In order to attain sustained economic growth, we implemented a structural adjustment program in 1985/86. To meet the resource requirements in this process, we have recently entered into an agreement with the World Bank for a structural adjustment loan (SAL). Negotiations with the Fund for use of the structural adjustment facility have been completed. These resources will provide us much needed support in our endeavor to achieve sustained growth in the economy.
I would like to take this opportunity to express sincere appreciation to the staff and management of the Bank and the Fund for their efforts in helping Nepal in its process of adjustment and growth, which as urged by His Majesty, King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, is intended to provide his people with the basic minimum needs of food, clothes, shelter, education, health, and security by the year 2000.
We have already prepared an action plan for this purpose. We are very much aware that our ability to successfully implement the basic needs program depends on increasing the level of investments in various sectors and subsectors and on improving investment efficiency. For this, we are making concerted efforts toward mobilizing larger domestic resources and adopting a system of program budgeting and monitoring. However, the efforts made in the domestic front will not be sufficient in our endeavor. Therefore, we need more generous cooperation from the donors and multilateral agencies in the years ahead. . . .
Finally, I would like to express our appreciation to the people and the Government of the United States for the warm hospitality extended to us. May I also express our grateful thanks to the management and staff of the Bank and the Fund for the excellent arrangements made for the meeting.
I wish to join the other speakers before me in congratulating the new Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Michel Camdessus, on the assumption of his position of great responsibility. I wish him all success.
I am struck by the unanimity in the expressions of urgent concern by scores of Governors from developing countries as we discuss the international debt crisis and its management. This urgent concern is evoked by years of unmitigated adjustment, halfheartedly supported—if at all—by the institutions and agencies with whom coresponsibility is supposed to be shared, and by a deepening sense of frustration over the reverse flow of resources from capital-starved developing countries to industrial countries and multilateral institutions.
If, except for the numbers, not a few of the statements made in these Meetings sound like last year’s speeches, it is because last year’s exigencies remain unrealized—indeed, they have since been intensified in substance and urgency. World output growth, a sluggish 3.2 percent in 1986, is expected to drop further to 2.8 percent in 1987. Neither the U.S. economic engine, itself held back by persistent record-setting fiscal deficits, nor those of Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany seem to be in a suitable position to accelerate activity through the rest of 1987. Already the depreciating dollar has added 12 percentage points to the external debt/exports ratios of the more heavily indebted countries. Interest rates, never really fully down in real terms, have begun to rise again, threatening, with each percentage increase, to impose an additional $3 billion to the net negative transfers of these economies on account of debt owed to commercial banks alone. The perverse flow of resources from the developing to the developed countries is now estimated for 1986 at $29 billion. Interpreted in terms of import capability and growth potential, these developments augur only deterioration or, at best, stagnation for these countries in 1987.
In the meantime, whatever strengthened export capabilities our countries have succeeded in developing have been permitted limited impact on the markets. On one hand, active subsidization of high-cost production in agriculture among the major participants, as in sugar and vegetable oils, continues to depress prices for these commodities. On the other hand, protectionist barriers prevent the full play of market forces in manufactured goods.
The financing which is supposed to underpin the current orthodoxy of adjustment with growth has not meaningfully materialized. Concessional flows declined in real terms in 1986. Paris Club creditors have not—except in very few cases—heeded calls for some debt relief, even for the most severely distressed debtor countries. Two years after Secretary Baker’s initiative was first proposed, World Bank lending appears, more than ever in all its 40 years, constrained by capital inadequacy. The Fund, for its part, remains unable and unwilling to allocate SDRs anew in spite of strong recommendations to do so from its own staff and a majority of the Board. In 1986, the commercial banks lent $3.1 billion to the 15 heavily indebted developing countries cited in the Baker initiative, but received about $6.6 billion from them over the same time period—a net transfer to them of $3.5 billion. Moreover, partly by withdrawing from net lending as well as charging market interest rates on loans rated by the market at less than face value, the major banks have since reduced their exposure to these countries from 200 percent of their capital to 120 percent today.
This is the global environment with which the Philippines, like other developing countries, has to contend in its struggle for recovery and growth in a democratic context. It is difficult to justify that at the very time when the Philippines must rebuild an economy devastated by the depredations of a corrupt dictator, and with our high levels of poverty and unemployment, we had to transfer to our official and private creditors in the past two years $3 billion more than we received. It has made more difficult the task of restructuring our economy and implementing the growth-oriented reforms so necessary for political and economic viability. The recent traumatic events in my country—a general transport strike, a coup attempt, and stepped-up insurgency attacks—demonstrate the urgent need to put great priority on programs that will meet the needs of our people. We must seek more effective ways of fulfilling international obligations without neglecting our people’s needs. Because the National Government had to make a net transfer in 1987 of $700 million to its creditors, we have had to make do with less resources. This has left an overburdened populace more vulnerable to the importuning of extremist elements from both the left and the right. The resulting political and social instability has further impeded economic recovery.
When the Aquino Government came to power, President Aquino stressed that a real growth rate of 6½ percent annually for the next five years would be required in order for Filipinos merely to regain by 1991 real per capita income levels of 1981. The Philippine recovery has since begun, but at a rate which is as yet insufficient to meet even this modest target.
The Baker initiative is stalled. If the debtor countries that took the Baker initiative to heart and built their hopes on it now exhibit evidence of adjustment fatigue, it is because of their perception that the international response from commercial banks and the major creditor countries has been, at best, fainthearted.
Let me stress that Secretary Baker’s insight—if not his initiative—remains relevant to this day. The two necessary conditions for recovery and sustainable economic growth are domestic structural reforms and external cooperation. The former is needed to ensure that the country’s resources are used efficiently. The latter is needed to ensure that the appropriate amount of resources is available. There is no lack of ideas grounded in this principle among both official and private sectors. What has been lacking, rather, is consensus on several corollaries to this principle, which are needed in the current situation.
First, and perhaps foremost, is the recognition that the burden of adjustment—to date borne largely by the more heavily indebted countries—must be shared.
Second, adequate safeguards must be established that would insulate debtor economies as much from the effects of unfavorable movements in interest rates and commodity prices as from trade protectionism. In this connection, interest rate caps and automatic rescheduling provisions that would offset negative net transfers deserve serious consideration. Moreover, the Fund compensatory financing facility might be modified to cover interest rate changes as well.
Third, balance must be restored between official and private finance. It is clear that prompt action is needed to authorize a sizable general increase in the capital of the World Bank, with a stipulation for a higher paid-in portion and, thereby, some concessionality in lending terms. The Fund quota review must be completed and the structural adjustment facility augmented.
Fourth, new methods to reduce the debt burden should be included as realistic options in all rescheduling negotiations—methods such as interest capitalization, export-earnings-linked payments, debt conversion, and even debt forgiveness. This is a view that has been put forth by several ministers and which we endorse.
Fifth, the possibility of establishing new facilities under the World Bank or the Fund to facilitate the conversion of debt to new financial instruments which would reduce the debt burden should be urgently examined. Meanwhile, to address the net transfer problem as quickly as possible, more emphasis should be placed on policy-based and structural adjustment loans than has heretofore been done.
Sixth, and finally, the regulatory and tax authorities of creditor countries should adopt policies to accommodate reasonable measures designed to alleviate inordinate burdens associated with debt and debt service. . . .
After four years of painful adjustment in the Philippines and a half generation of lost economic development, the social substructure of my country, as with others similarly burdened, cannot endure future years of further deterioration in standards of living. One way or another, a more lasting solution must emerge. The challenge hurled to us is that of ensuring through cooperative action that this solution is an orderly one and reflects practical wisdom and equity long denied. Though the hour is late, it remains my hope that this is still possible.
Mr. Chairman, please accept my sincere congratulations on your election as Chairman of these Annual Meetings.
I am indeed very delighted to represent the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan at these Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the Bank and the Fund.
First of all, I would like to extend my appreciation and thanks to the management of the Bank and the Fund for the excellent arrangements made for the efficient conduct of these Meetings.
The international economic situation continued to be grim during the last year. The deceleration in international economic activities and growth; the continued, and recently intensified, protectionist policies of the Western industrial countries; and the inequitable trade relations resulting from these policies further deteriorated the terms of trade of the developing countries. Consequently, the export earnings of the developing countries have seriously declined, while their debt service payments on foreign loans have substantially increased.
Furthermore, lending to developing countries has fallen and their balance of payments deficits have greatly increased. As the figures show, the debt burden of the developing countries has reached the staggering level of more than $1,000 billion, and the burden of servicing the debt is as high as more than $110 billion per annum, imposing severe difficulties on developing countries to meet their debt service obligations.
The decline of multilateral concessional flows for development, the insecurity and insufficiency of food supplies, and the harshening of the conditionality of financial and technical assistance have all seriously undermined the efforts of the developing countries, particularly the least-developed ones, to achieve growth in their economies and to ensure the promotion of social and economic development. It is very discomfiting, indeed, to realize that, for the first time in many decades, the per capita gross domestic product of many developing countries has declined.
Apparently, most of the current economic problems facing developing countries result from the financial constraints of the present international economic and financial order. There is a vital need to restructure the monetary and financial system so as to enable the developing countries to adjust their balance of payments deficits without resorting to measures that are immensely harmful to their growth. Furthermore, the present insufficient representation of developing countries in the decision-making processes of international financial institutions should be rectified.
Due to the impact of dismal international economic developments and conditions, the economic state of low-income, least-developed countries has become even more distressing.
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, as a free, independent, non-aligned, and peace-loving country, has achieved great and astounding successes in the social, economic, and political realms since its inception, in spite of conspiracies, sabotage, economic restrictions, and depredations against our people, as well as the involvement of our country in an undeclared war imposed from abroad. However, the positive and constructive changes that have taken place in the recent past have been especially significant.
The most remarkable achievement in the social and political life of our society was the declaration of the national reconciliation policy by the leadership of the country at the beginning of 1987. Despite the obstacles created by some neighboring countries, the number of repatriates to Afghanistan is increasing day by day. The needed facilities and assistance are being provided to them by the Government. The policy of national reconciliation, extended further recently, is now successfully moving forward, paving the way for the cessation of bloodshed, ensuring peace and tranquility in Afghanistan, and making possible a more rapid pace of economic development of the country.
The process of the first, genuine democratic elections to local organizations of administrative power has acquired new dynamism with the participation of representatives of different strata of the people, including the opposition and those who have laid down their arms.
As a great step forward toward the realization of a humanistic policy of national reconciliation, the draft of the new constitution has been completed and published in the media to seek public opinion and criticism. The main objectives of the new draft constitution are the consolidation of independence, national sovereignty, and defense of the territorial integrity of the country, as well as the strengthening of reconciliation and national unity, keeping in view the objective realities, traditions, and customs of the people. The new constitution will ensure the democratic and equal rights of all the people in Afghanistan, without any discrimination and in accordance with the accepted and credible international rules and agreements, including the Declaration of Human Rights.
The recently drafted constitution, as well as the newly promulgated Law of the Political Parties, allows the activities of political parties in the framework of a multiparty system, which stresses the equality of political parties.
Now, we have reached the second year of implementing the first long-term socioeconomic program after the April Revolution of 1978, which ensures growth in all spheres of the national economy, including the private sector, and the elevation of the material and cultural standard of all the citizens, especially the working people. According to this plan, the gross national product of the country will increase by 25 percent by the end of the plan period.
The results of the first year of implementation of the main aspects of the socioeconomic development plan of the country for 1986–91 show that considerable growth has been achieved in the national economy. The gross national product of the country grew 5.2 percent during the previous year; the gross domestic product increased by 3.3 percent; and the national income indicated a growth of 3.5 percent.
Of course, the extensive impartial economic assistance given by friendly countries has greatly contributed to the implementation of various development projects vital for the improvement of the economy.
In the current fiscal year practical steps have been taken in the spheres of education, public health, and construction of residential houses; and other social services aimed at elevating the living standard and culture of the Afghan people are envisaged.
To improve the living conditions of government employees, free distribution of two coupon items, flour or wheat and edible oil, and 50 percent increases in food allowance of workers and civil service personnel were put into effect.
In the current year’s state budget, ample funds were allocated and are now being effectively utilized for receiving repatriates and rendering necessary assistance to them.
The Government has all along followed a policy of encouraging private sector investment. In line with this policy, the first nationwide conference of national entrepreneurs and the private sector was held last April under the auspices of the leadership of Afghanistan. In the course of the conference, it was made clear that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan had undertaken significant practical measures to create a more favorable climate for secure operation and expansion of the private sector and joint ventures, including foreign investment.
Steps have also been taken to maintain a mutually beneficial relation between the Government and the private sector, and facilities, such as bank credits on easy terms, have been provided for national traders. Further, the Government has guaranteed more aid to private institutions by founding financial, technical, and legal bases for private institutions and factories and by rehabilitating defunct establishments.
Our country is a low-income, landlocked, least-developed country. Development of the national economy, especially the weaker segments of the society, as envisaged in the first five-year socioeconomic plan of our postrevolution era, necessitates external assistance on a large scale. It is deeply regretted that, in spite of our dire need for concessional assistance, the Western countries and also some of the international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, have withdrawn their assistance, going to the extent of even disallowing drawing on loans sanctioned earlier and suspending disbursements for ongoing projects on which substantial progress had been made. Obviously, the decisions in this regard have been taken not on economic, but on political, considerations.
On behalf of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, a landlocked and least-developed country, our delegation appeals to these international financial institutions, particularly the World Bank, to take a more reasonable stance toward Afghanistan and to resume their lending activities to our development projects, keeping in view their obligations under the Articles of Agreement, which require them to distribute aid solely on the basis of economic criteria and the actual developmental needs of developing countries. Moreover, we request that these international financial organizations take into consideration in their decisions the resolutions of the UN General Assembly and UNCTAD, which specifically call upon them to implement concrete measures for solving the problems of the least-developed nations, especially landlocked countries.
To conclude, I wish the Bank and the Fund every success in their development-oriented operations in the years ahead.
The world economy has experienced another difficult year, although there have been some positive developments.
There has been welcome, though overdue, progress in reducing the U.S. budget deficit this past year. Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany have taken measures to expand domestic demand in their economies. External imbalances have shown some signs of improvement, and inflation remains subdued. Policy coordination among major industrial countries has been enhanced. Economic growth in the major countries is likely to be somewhat stronger in the short term than was previously thought.
Despite these developments, we still face some major problems. External imbalances among the major countries remain large. It is encouraging that there appears to be broader recognition of the fact that serious internal imbalances are the major source of these divergences in external positions. That recognition must be translated into corrective actions. This is all the more urgent as the strength of protectionist forces appears to be growing, rather than receding. All of this, of course, aggravates the continuing severe economic and financial problems of most developing nations.
The correction of external imbalances will take time and concerted policy action by all nations, particularly by the major industrial countries. The United States, through its large current account deficit, is absorbing much of the savings generated by countries with external surpluses. Continued reduction of the U.S. budget deficit is required to release resources for export growth and import replacement. It is crucial that progress be made in reducing the U.S. trade deficit, without resort to protectionism, and President Reagan’s commitment in this regard was most reassuring.
However, actions by the United States alone will not be sufficient to strengthen world economic growth. Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany need to maintain domestic demand growth at a pace which produces further correction of their external surpluses and to remove measures which unduly encourage savings and distort investment.
In the absence of such policy action, exchange rates and interest rates will have to carry the full burden of adjustment of external imbalances. It is widely agreed that reliance on these latter policy instruments will not only be inadequate to the task but will also involve costs in terms of slower growth, reduced trading opportunities, and higher debt-servicing costs for developing countries.
The need for adjustment is by no means confined to macroeconomic policy. Microeconomic adjustment is equally critical to improved economic efficiency and enhanced growth in output and employment.
The freeing of international trade is the single most effective means of promoting structural change and improving medium-term prospects for growth in both developed and developing countries. Open trade policies are important for all countries, but particularly for indebted developing countries. Stagnating export earnings have contributed heavily to the intensification of debt problems. The Fund staff’s latest assessment of the world economic outlook informs us that the greater than expected deterioration in the debt position of non-oil developing countries in recent years is largely explained by poor export prices. A number of factors have contributed to this situation, but it is clear that these countries must be given the opportunity to improve their trade performance if they are to reduce their external debt. In particular, increased market access and the removal of both protection and subsidization of agricultural products would considerably enhance growth prospects. In short, the resolution of the debt problem requires a freer international trading system.
The Uruguay Round offers an opportunity to make major advances in trade liberalization. Yet, over the last six months there has been further movement toward agricultural policies which artificially boost farm production in industrial countries, lower developing country agricultural exports, and depress commodity prices. These developments must be reversed at once. Industrial countries must abide fully by their standstill and rollback commitments and achieve early results in the Uruguay Round, with widespread reform of agricultural policies as a key element.
Of course, the problems of developing countries do not all lie at the door of the industrial countries. Developing countries themselves must implement disciplined, outward-looking economic policies. While the record remains uneven, substantial adjustment has taken place in a number of cases—with encouraging results. Further efforts are required in this direction.
Where these efforts are forthcoming, they should be supported by suitable transfers of resources. We would expect that where developing countries pursue appropriate policies, the commercial banks would be willing to make additional resources available.
The special problems of debt-distressed countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, have been a particular focus of our Meetings this year. We all wish to see the Bank and the Fund actively engaged in the development of solutions to these problems. Our task is to devise means of doing so which pay proper regard to the respective roles of the two institutions. . . .
The Fund … can play an increased role in assisting developing countries, although we would not wish to see the Fund depart too far from its intended primary role. The Fund has continued to be responsive to the changing demands upon its resources, and the Managing Director has put forward an important new initiative for expanding the resources of the structural adjustment facility. While this proposal has been widely welcomed, greater efforts are required to clarify the modalities of its implementation and thereby to facilitate final decisions on national contributions.
Australia, as a potential contributor to the enhancement, will participate in these further efforts. While we have not taken a final position on the matter, one significant advantage that we can see in using the Fund’s General Resources Account as the conduit for contributions is that it would enable official reserves to be used for this purpose. Certainly, if the Trust Fund concept were to be used, security and liquidity of contributions would need to be ensured. We also think that account should be taken of the balance of payments positions of potential contributors in the determination of contributions.
Australia acknowledges the need for the Fund’s resources to grow with a growing world economy. We support an early and substantial increase in quotas under the Ninth General Review. In the interim, the current access limits should be maintained in 1988. We remain of the view that the case for a new SDR allocation remains to be demonstrated.
A number of proposals for debt relief for the poorest debt-distressed countries are under consideration. Some of these include attractive features, such as conversion of official development assistance loans to grants and increased private direct foreign investment, which we support. In fact, Australia’s official development assistance has been provided wholly in grant form for decades. Some other aspects of these proposals, such as interest rate relief on trade-related debt, could also be an appropriate form of bilateral concessional assistance to low-income debtor countries. We do not believe, however, that it would be appropriate for such relief to be extended to other countries.
While the problems of sub-Saharan Africa are acute, we must not lose sight of the pressing development problems in other regions. They must receive a fair share of available resources. I draw particular attention to the problems of the small Pacific island countries. They have special requirements for financial and technical assistance and we would like to see a more active involvement in the region by the World Bank.
The Bank and the Fund continue to play an important role in the world economy. However, we should not expect too much of them. The vast majority of international financial activity is and should be transacted through nonofficial institutions. Development depends largely on the world economic and trade environment.
I will end by returning to one important theme. We are moving into a time when microeconomic adjustment toward increased market efficiency is receiving ever greater emphasis. It is of the utmost importance that short-sighted protectionist sentiment does not cut across efforts to improve living standards throughout the world. Together we must take early action to liberalize international trade, so that we can deal effectively with the economic and financial problems which beset us.
In evaluating the situation of the world economy and its development over the past year, I find little ground for complacency. On the contrary, we are confronted with a number of issues that have presumably become more urgent and more difficult to solve in the recent past.
There are those among us who consider the growth rates in the industrial countries to be quite satisfactory. Nevertheless, these growth rates are not sufficient to reduce the unbearably high levels of unemployment that exist in most European countries. At the same time, the economic situation of many developing countries has deteriorated even further. Though some exporters of manufactured goods have done well, most exporters of commodities have been hit hard by the adverse effects of the weak economic climate in the industrial countries. In many developing countries this has led to a further reduction of already low per capita incomes.
We all realize that the economic performance of the industrial countries is of prime importance to the developing countries. Here, again, the large industrial countries are those whose actions determine the whole picture. What we really need at this critical juncture is a clear signal from the larger industrial countries that they intend to do more about their own adjustment. This implies above all further action on the U.S. fiscal deficit. Also, the Fund’s World Economic Outlook has shown that further efforts by Japan and Germany to stimulate growth and domestic demand would cost these countries only a small rise in inflation and a slowing down of an already largely completed process of fiscal consolidation. But at the same time such moves would help reduce the protracted current account imbalances, improve the dismal unemployment situation, increase the export markets for developing and industrial countries alike, and help ward off the rising tide of protectionist pressures worldwide.
Although most policymakers are aware of the current and medium-term problems, there is always the danger of complacent or passive attitudes, notwithstanding the magnitude of the issues at stake. But in an environment of increasingly interdependent economies, only an active approach by all countries can solve these problems. My country, for one, has tried to define its role in the international adjustment process in an active way by decisively addressing the issue of the lingering fiscal imbalance.
In this connection, let me describe recent developments and the present direction of economic policy in Austria. Largely because of an ever-increasing burden of debt and interest payments, the room to maneuver fiscal policy for stimulating domestic demand and improving the structure of the economy has almost disappeared. In order to recoup the lost margin of action, the new Austrian coalition government has introduced a number of deficit-cutting measures which will culminate in the implementation of a budget consolidation package in fiscal year 1987/88. The estimated results of these policy moves predict fiscal year 1986/87 outcomes that are right on track and an impact of the fiscal year 1987/88 package lying well within the targets of the coalition’s budget agreement. The Government has thus kept the political initiative, for this determined fiscal policy stance is broadly accepted by the public. In addition, we assume that the positive effects of these policies on business expectations will be further reinforced by the complementary tax reform currently under review.
It is essential to combat all attempts to increase protectionism, not only to avoid a trade war among industrial countries but also to permit the heavily indebted developing countries to earn the necessary foreign exchange to service their debts. Five years ago we were confronted with what in the meantime has been named the debt crisis.
Since then, we have been successful in preventing a collapse of world finances. We have, however, not been successful in finding a viable solution for servicing, let alone repaying, the debts of many heavily indebted countries. We have time and again postponed even a debate on long-term solutions for these countries and for their creditors. It is high time that we start thinking about such solutions and start acting accordingly. Although some debtor countries have undertaken sizable adjustments of their domestic and external sectors, the results so far have been mixed. The few success stories have often been achieved at the price of drastic contractions of domestic demand and imports. Exports have not been forthcoming to the extent hoped for.
Reduction of domestic demand means reduction of per capita income. And these reductions are usually in countries where per capita incomes are pitiful to begin with. In the future we will have to develop policies that are much more oriented toward growth in these countries if we want to avoid insurmountable resistance to policy reform. This is all the more important because some of the countries we are speaking of have only recently shifted their political system to democratic forms. It would be more than tragic if these new democracies were to fail because they did not get sufficient support and encouragement from the countries that are always willing to champion democracy in their verbal declarations.
With regard to the impact of industrial countries’ economic policy on developing countries, I firmly believe that the reduction of import barriers is the most important assistance that industrial countries not only should provide, but by moral standards, are obliged to offer to developing countries. Besides opening markets for their products, these countries will, however, also require outright technical as well as financial support for their economic and social systems. The development of an adequate education and health system as well as investments in productive sectors can only be accomplished with external financing. The funds provided by donor governments as well as the World Bank and other multilateral organizations will hardly suffice to meet developing countries’ needs. Private capital flows will be necessary, particularly for financing investments in productive sectors, where the transfer of know-how is usually connected with direct investment. In this context, I would like to welcome the many creative initiatives of the International Finance Corporation.
Austria endorses the concepts developed by the Bank and the Fund to enhance support for countries with the lowest incomes. I would, however, like to add a word of caution with regard to these concepts. There are still formidable questions to be addressed before an enhancement of the structural adjustment facility (SAF) will be possible. Not least among these are the problems some countries face if the SAF-related assets cannot be counted as reserves. Finally, I would like to emphasize that it would be rather difficult to get parliamentary approval for an SAF enlargement in which the largest industrial country of the world, the United States, does not participate. . . .
It goes without saying that, based on our understanding of the role of the Fund, we are in favor of expediting the Ninth General Review of Quotas and of applying to it the well-tested quota formula used in the Eighth Quota Review.
Timely and efficient implementation of the quota increase will help reduce the Fund’s growing reliance on borrowed resources and restore quota additions to their role as the normal way of financing the Fund’s operations and meeting its goals in the global adjustment process.
In view of the task of the Fund in the international monetary system, we believe that a further allocation of SDRs would be in accordance with the principles and purpose of the Fund. At the same time, realism requires us to point out that several improvements in the usability and liquidity of this reserve asset should be made to increase its attractiveness to monetary authorities and prevent the allocations from being deposited right back with the Fund as soon as they are received.
In concluding, let me assure you once more of Austria’s strong interest in the Bretton Woods institutions, which we expect to play a leading role in assisting developing countries in the design as well as implementation of appropriate economic and social policies to improve the living conditions of the population of these countries. This role can only be fulfilled successfully if the Bretton Woods institutions are equipped with adequate resources of their own and are able to mobilize other financiers.
On behalf of the Fiji delegation I wish to record our appreciation for the arrangements made for this Meeting. We join other delegations in conveying to you, Mr. Chairman, our congratulations and thank also the Managing Director of the Fund and the President of the Bank for their continuing efforts in promoting the objectives of their respective institutions.
We note that the world economic situation remains uncertain, despite commendable efforts on the part of the major industrial countries to coordinate their macroeconomic policies. It is of concern, however, that the growth prospects of developing countries could be adversely affected by restrictions on market access to the industrial countries. Restrictive trade practices can only lead to stagnation, and it is in our mutual interest that such restrictions be removed.
We would urge improved coordination in the economic policies being pursued by the major industrial countries in an effort to ensure orderly growth in the world economy and particularly to stabilize exchange rates.
We see benefits in the use of the indicator approach, as adopted in the recent World Economic Outlook. Further work needs to be done in this regard to refine the indicators and to ensure their consistent use by the industrial countries. Without the full cooperation of these countries, the exercise cannot be effective. Given the central role of the Bank and the Fund in the promotion of economic growth and stability, it is imperative that both institutions be provided with increased resources, so that they may fulfill the roles expected of them.
We support the Ninth Review of Quotas for the Fund, and we request that quota resources be doubled and that the necessary action be expedited. . . .
We welcome the decision by the Interim Committee to maintain access limits under the enlarged access policy. Unfortunately, the guidelines on access have been applied in a very restrictive way, with the result that actual access remains far below the limits. We would urge that a more liberal application of the guidelines be pursued, so that the recent negative net flow of funds from the developing countries to the Fund could be reversed. We note that the Fund’s Executive Board is to review access under the compensatory financing facility (CFF). The low conditionality and the access limits under the CFF should be retained. An allocation of SDRs and the access limits under the SDRs should also be resumed, so that part of the liquidity needs of developing countries with limited access to capital markets can be satisfied through this means. We regard it as important to respect the multilateral character of the Bank and the Fund. These institutions should not be dominated by any country or group of countries. . . .
Finally, we would note that a significant part of our discussions have focused on the poorest countries and those burdened by crippling debt. This we fully understand and appreciate. Indeed, we support the measures being proposed for alleviating the problems faced by these two groups of countries. We would, however, wish to draw attention to another group of countries—small, middle-income countries such as Fiji—which are neither overburdened by debt nor qualify to be categorized as the poorest. Such countries, many of which are numbered among the developing island and landlocked states, having pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, now find themselves disadvantaged in terms of concessional finance or reduced aid flows. In such circumstances, sustaining the small gains made is proving extremely difficult. We would ask that our needs and our concerns also be addressed, lest by their neglect a new generation of problems confronts us in the foreseeable future. The stark reality of our interdependence behooves us all to cooperate fully in the search for peace, progress, and stability. My Government remains committed to playing our part in that search.
On behalf of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and of the Lao delegation, I wish to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on being appointed to preside over the Forty-Second Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. I am firmly convinced that our Meetings, under your chairmanship, will unfold in an atmosphere of understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation.
I take this opportunity to express our delegation’s thanks to the President of the World Bank, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and their staffs for all the efforts they have devoted toward ensuring the successful organization and smooth running of our Meetings, and I also wish to thank the Government of the host country for the facilities it has made available to us.
Our Meetings open this year at a time when the international economic situation is both difficult and complex. As both the Bank and the Fund have stressed in their reports, the world economic scene is characterized by a slowing down of economic activities in the industrial countries. The problems of a deficit trade balance, a decline in commodity and agricultural prices, intensified protectionist measures on the part of the industrial countries, inadequate external financing for the developing countries, climbing real interest rates, the developing country debt, and exchange rate instability continue to be matters of concern for the developing countries, and in particular for the poorest among them. All these problems serve to heighten the uncertainties weighing on world economic growth.
With a view to solving these problems efficiently, the industrial countries will need to coordinate their macroeconomic policies, install a mutual surveillance system, and make their markets more accessible to the products of the developing countries. In addition, they, as well as the multilateral finance agencies, will need to attempt to expand their base for providing assistance and financing to the developing countries.
I should now like to report on the way the economic situation in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has been developing, and the results accomplished.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic, which belongs to the group of least-developed countries, has, since its creation on December 2, 1975, had to face up to many natural difficulties, and at the same time cope with subversion and sabotage on the part of the enemies of the new regime.
In recent years, we have unceasingly devoted all our efforts to agricultural production, and we have basically achieved self-sufficiency in food. This year, however, we have experienced prolonged drought, which has seriously affected our harvests. Despite all our efforts, we anticipate a poor harvest, particularly in the mountainous regions where slash-and-burn farming is practiced.
To ensure accomplishment of the objectives of the Second Five-Year Plan (1986–90), the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has prepared and is gradually implementing its new system of economic management. But in terms of financing, and despite the fact that we have mobilized all our domestic resources, external financing in the form of grants or concessional lending will be necessary.
With respect to the policy of the Bank and the Fund, I should like to express our point of view on the following issues.
Our delegation believes that an increase in the capital of the Bank and the Fund is imperative to enable them to meet the financing needs of the developing countries. . . .
We ask the two institutions to continue to play their respective roles as multilaterals, to continue to perform their catalytic and surveillance functions, to consider the possibility of easing loan conditions, and to facilitate repayment for the most indebted countries.
We support the policy of our two institutions on the promotion of structural and sectoral reform programs within the framework of the structural adjustment facility.
At this point, we should like to congratulate the leaders of the Bank and the Fund for the successes already obtained, and we wish them continued success in the future.
In conclusion, allow me to express the gratitude of the Lao people and Government for the financial assistance that the Bank and the Fund have provided to help us in our work of national reconstruction.
We wish the greatest success to the work of these Annual Meetings.
The very elaborate and thoughtful remarks made by the Managing Director of the Fund, Mr. Camdessus, and the President of the World Bank, Mr. Conable, at the beginning of our gathering have clearly shown that against a background of cautious optimism there remain a number of important issues of worldwide concern that have yet to be settled.
During the past year, we have been confronted on several occasions with downward revisions of growth estimates in world output and trade, so that expectations for a stronger revival of the world economy have not been fully met. This is all the more surprising since our expectations were largely based on the rightful assumption that the adjustment of relative prices and the successful fight against inflation, as well as reduced interest rates, would significantly bolster a resurgence of activity.
We all know, though, that the world economy needs stronger activity. For most industrial countries, stronger activity is needed to help reduce unemployment, a scourge that continues to haunt many governments, especially in Europe. For some other countries, which have not yet adjusted their fiscal and financial balances, it is an equally important requisite for achieving those objectives. And for all of them, stronger activity would greatly facilitate and speed up the restructuring process of their economies—a statement for which Luxembourg bears good witness.
Stronger growth of world output and demand is all the more needed for the indebted developing countries that, as a consequence of falling oil and commodity prices, have been exposed to large shortfalls in export revenues at a moment when international lending to them has been scaled back and net reflow of funds has become a hard reality. Low demand and the constraints on financial resources in the industrial countries have forced the developing countries to reduce imports drastically. This reduced import capacity is threatening to spill back into the industrial economies and to impair their ability to support their own internal adjustment with export growth.
International debt and adjustment problems are thus closely interrelated, and only a cooperative approach can lead to satisfactory solutions. Otherwise, there is a real danger that the present recovery—albeit relatively weak but ongoing—will be crushed between the unsustainability of the imbalances on which it is founded and the deflationary effects of their inevitable correction.
The authorities of the major countries are aware of such a danger, and I welcome their endeavors to agree on commonly accepted policies and measures aimed at restoring balances and promoting growth. In this respect, the United States should continue to focus on a reduction of its fiscal and trade imbalances; Japan should continue to foster domestic demand and to open up its markets; and European countries should complete their fiscal adjustment and structural reforms.
Against this setting of broadly accepted objectives, the Louvre accord on exchange rate stabilization was undoubtedly a very helpful agreement, whose spirit ought to be pursued in future negotiations.
World trade should not be hampered further by new restrictive practices, and existing trade barriers should be dismantled as far and as soon as possible. I therefore encourage all those engaged in the present trade negotiations to work effectively to achieve open and free markets. The alleviation of the international debt situation depends essentially on better trade prospects.
I am in a fairly satisfactory position to judge the importance for a country of ensuring freedom of trade and, I may add, of capital movements. Indeed, Luxembourg has traditionally been a country free of any restrictive practices in its economic and financial relations with the rest of the world, and historically the benefits of such a policy have largely outweighed its costs. Thus, the far-reaching restructuring of the Luxembourg economy, by which, on a macroeconomic level, the decay of the steel sector was compensated for by the rise and growth of an international financial center, could only happen because there were no restrictions on cross-border transactions.
Now the Luxembourg economy continues to grow at a steady, although moderate, pace. Helped by a favorable environment, most economic variables have been brought to or kept at satisfactory levels: inflation is subdued, unemployment is very low, the current account is largely positive, and the fiscal budget is balanced. This situation permits the Government to continue its restructuring policy and to consolidate its fiscal position. Diversification among and within economic sectors is a key objective in the restructuring process, and fostering business competitiveness is one of the main objectives of ongoing fiscal reforms.
Turning back to international cooperation, I would like to make a few remarks on the role of the Bank and the Fund in the present world economic context. I alluded earlier to the importance for the world economy of countries’ adopting a cooperative approach in order to eliminate existing imbalances and promote growth. The Fund, which shares those goals, remains the international institution that is in the best position to offer effective assistance in reaching these goals.
Indeed, the Fund has always shown that it is capable of generating innovative ideas and creating new mechanisms that are substantial contributions to the solution of international economic and monetary problems. This innovative function of the Fund, which is basically an intellectual one, is one of its most valuable assets.
In this respect, an important innovation is the introduction and the use of objective economic indicators to monitor the surveillance of the major economies. The Fund is to be commended for giving concrete shape to this idea, and the countries concerned are to be encouraged to devise common policies along the lines suggested by the use of the indicators.
With regard to the debt strategy, the Fund’s present role is basically the right one, although it may need reinforcement in certain areas. Radical solutions to the debt problem, such as merely forgiving the indebted countries some part of their debt, would produce only limited short-term gains to the countries receiving relief. In the long run, it would probably exclude them from access to the financial markets for years to come, thereby increasing rather than reducing the risk that they would default on their later repayment obligations. More realistic solutions, such as the debt-for-equity swaps and other innovative proposals, might, however, be considered under the aegis of the Bretton Woods institutions and might be applied case by case. The only viable alternative overall, though, seems to be the continuation of the growth-oriented strategy, with the understanding that its success depends crucially on sustained growth policies in the industrial countries, on free trade, and on a strengthening of the Fund’s lending role.
Now, more than ever, the indebted developing countries, for their part, must continue to work in a structural framework, focusing on those policies that promise to improve their internal growth prospects by increasing domestic savings and domestic absorption capacity and thus gradually reducing their reliance on external borrowing and traditional export markets.
In this context, the proposal by the Managing Director of the Fund, as endorsed by the Venice summit, to increase substantially the structural adjustment facility (SAF) is to be welcomed as an appropriate contribution to the present debt strategy. With regard to the financing of the increased SAF, alternative financing proposals, such as the conditional use of an additional SDR allocation, might also be considered if there were reluctance to appropriate budgetary resources.
The Fund’s lending role should not be impaired at present by a reduction of access limits, either under the enlarged access policy or under the special facilities; a reduction would give the wrong signals to the debtor community at a time when the Fund is committing itself to strengthening its role. However, a progressive phasing out of the enlarged access policy could possibly be considered in the context of a substantial quota increase under the Ninth Review.
A new quota increase would also enable the Fund to depart from borrowed resources as a means of financing its programs and resort again to quota subscriptions, which are its normal way of financing. Luxembourg fully supports a quota increase and has asked the Fund for an individual calculation of its quota to bring it in line with the relative position of Luxembourg in the world economy.
Cooperation between the Bank and the Fund has been hailed by many as a very important element of the overall debt and development strategy. The rationale for such cooperation lies in the tight link between balance of payments adjustment on the one hand and adjustment of domestic economies on the other. I can only reiterate that cooperation between our two institutions should continue and be reinforced.
I also welcome the proposals made to alleviate the debt situation of the poorest countries, notably in sub-Saharan Africa, which are undertaking effective adjustment programs with the assistance of the Bank and the Fund, by reducing the interest burden and extending maturities and grace periods. . . .
The world economic and financial system faces very difficult challenges, which can be met only with a coherent strategy along the lines designed by the President of the Bank and the Managing Director of the Fund. The Luxembourg Government, therefore, fully supports the Bretton Woods institutions in their most important tasks.
It is my honor and pleasure to address you for the first time as my country’s representative at these Forty-Second Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as well as to welcome Mr. Camdessus as the Fund’s new Managing Director. I would have wished that the circumstances in which we meet had been somewhat more propitious. Recent reports, however, seem to indicate that the world economy is at present steering a precarious course between the Scylla of resurgent inflation and the Charybdis of renewed recession. In fact, it has been noted that, in some industrial countries and in some markets, prices have been gradually creeping upward again. The outlook is further clouded by the dangers of currency instability arising from the wide imbalances within and between the world’s major industrial countries. The persistent surpluses of some major economies, together with the as yet unresolved problem of the heavily indebted developing countries, continue to exert a deflationary bias, which threatens to plunge the world once more into recession. This possibility could be accentuated by a further sharp decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, which could intensify inflationary pressures and protectionist sentiment in the world’s largest economy.
There is not much that small countries, like the one I represent, can do in the face of such dangers, except to batten down the hatches and brace ourselves against possible rough weather. The main responsibility for dealing with a situation that is potentially dangerous, especially for small developing nations, rests on the large economies, on whose performance the fortunes of the rest of the world depend. At the same time, we expect the Bank and the Fund to do their part by alleviating the burden on the weak indebted countries by anticipating the problems of others and, above all, by exercising “firm surveillance” on the leading economies, in accordance with the Fund’s Articles of Agreement.
For the Bank and the Fund to be able to perform their functions efficiently, however, it is essential that they should be provided with adequate resources. In this regard, it is pertinent to point out that the ratio of Fund quotas to world trade has declined from some 12 percent in 1965 to less than 6 percent in 1986. It is essential, therefore, that the forthcoming Ninth General Review of Quotas should provide for a substantial increase. SDR allocations should also be resumed as soon as possible, if we are to move any closer to the as yet distant goal of making the SDR the principal reserve asset in the international monetary system. . . .
Looking on the brighter side of things, there have been some gradual but continuing improvements in the international economic environment. There has been a slow but positive evolution in the mechanisms of multilateral cooperation: the Plaza agreement of September 1985 and the more recent Louvre accord on exchange rates for the major currencies; the Baker plan on debt; the securing of an expanded IDA replenishment; the establishment of the structural adjustment facility (SAF) at the Fund; and the adoption of the UN Program of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development, as well as the launching of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the GATT. Worthy of special mention also are Mr. Camdessus’ efforts to secure a significant increase in the resources of the SAF so as to enable the Fund to better assist the world’s poorest and hardest pressed countries.
While these developments and initiatives are welcome, we feel that, in view of the seriousness and the magnitude of the problems besetting the global economy, much more needs to be done. For instance, macroeconomic policy coordination among the leading industrial countries has so far largely involved a limited exercise in exchange rate management through central bank intervention on the foreign exchange markets, without sufficient action being taken to correct the fundamental imbalances that are the underlying cause of exchange rate instability. Such exercises alone will not alter the trend toward slower growth and growing protectionism and are ultimately doomed to failure even with regard to their own limited objective.
As for the strategy that has been adopted to tackle the debt problem, this is a combination of debtor adjustment, rescheduling, growing external financial flows, and improving the international economic environment. But failure in the last two threatens the strategy. Finally, while many developing countries are being (rightly) urged to diversify their economies—usually away from dependence on commodity exports—the success of this strategy hinges critically on protectionist measures being brought to a definite standstill, particularly in the industrial countries. Indeed, little progress is possible unless protectionism is reversed in the context of the current round of multilateral trade negotiations. Otherwise, many developing countries will find themselves in the same predicament as my country did when, while striving to move away from dependence on the British military establishment, its newly established textile industry came up against quota restrictions imposed on its exports by some industrial countries.
In fact, the importance of rolling back the protectionist tide cannot be overstressed. But here, too, it is the strong countries that should take the lead. For how can the weak developing countries be expected to do without limited protection for their fledgling industries when the world’s largest industrial countries, by protectionist measures, have created one of the greatest and most costly economic paradoxes of our times, namely, huge agricultural surpluses.
The newly elected Government of Malta, which I have the honor to represent here, believes, however, that protectionism is not only wrong; it is also ultimately counterproductive, since it leads to the misallocation of resources. For this reason, while my Government will continue to help industries in their initial stages or those which are encountering difficulties of a temporary nature, it has indicated its intention gradually to remove protection when it becomes clear that an industry is not viable in the long run. In any event, my Government has made it clear that protection will not be open-ended, for it wants to attract investment to those industries which are truly competitive, with sound prospects of securing, holding, and adapting to export markets. Such industries would, we hope, prepare Malta for entry, eventually, into the European Economic Community. To this end, the main thrust of my Government’s economic strategy—which we intend to be largely private sector oriented—will be directed to the mobilization of human resources and to investment in those industries, such as high-technology industries and offshore financial services, which we believe are well suited to the facilities and economic environment our country can provide. But for this strategy to succeed—and we believe it is the only strategy that can put our country on the path to self-sustaining long-term growth—we do need the cooperation of other countries and international financial institutions.
This brings me to a point that I believe to be of great importance not only to Malta but also to many other small states that make up a substantial proportion of the membership of the Bank and the Fund. These countries often project an image of relative economic affluence, which may conceal the vulnerability of their economic base. This vulnerability arises from their sheer smallness and openness, their often total lack of natural resources, and the fact that many of them are islands or are otherwise disadvantaged. Because of their small size, the needs of such countries, on a global scale, could not be very great. Yet because their problems are not adequately reflected in the traditional criteria of per capita income and balance of payments need, they are often denied access to the facilities of the Bank and the Fund, or at least are denied access on concessional terms. Malta, for instance, does not even qualify for World Bank loans. For these reasons, I would like to appeal to the Bank and the Fund to reconsider the current criteria for access to their facilities and the terms on which such access is granted, so as to take into account the special problems of small countries like Malta.
The fact that these institutions have become more flexible in their approach over the years gives us hope that our call will not fall on deaf ears.
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Paraguay, which it is my honor to represent, I am pleased to extend most cordial greetings and warmest regards to the Chairman of the Meetings, to the President and authorities of the World Bank and its affiliates, to the Managing Director and Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, and to the Governors and delegates of the member countries and other participating organizations.
I would also like to wish Mr. Michel Camdessus success and wisdom in carrying out his important functions as head of the Fund.
As we join in these discussions attended by such prominent leaders working with the important issue of development, we are once again convinced of the leadership and qualifications of the Bank and the Fund in approaching the arduous common task of identifying solutions to the difficult world economic situation.
As always, a substantial proportion of our days here together will be devoted to the search for formulas and points of agreement that will make it possible to strengthen and bring closer together the economic positions taken by our countries as regards the goals of prosperity, social justice, liberty, and equal opportunity to which we aspire and to which the aims and resources of our two institutions are devoted.
As an eloquent demonstration of shared aspirations, and also as an expression of the need to achieve the political will to fulfill them, at the last Annual Meetings and repeatedly at previous Meetings we have discussed a similar list of issues concerning the role of the Fund that are of great interest and concern to the majority of Governors.
As in the past, initiatives and actions which should harmoniously and resolutely move our countries toward achieving an atmosphere and conditions conducive to recovery—in which each can achieve its own goals and fulfill its own intentions in the economic sphere and in the interest of social welfare without affecting or posing obstacles to other countries—are urgent and important issues today.
As an effective means of stimulating growth, we would like to see greater efforts made to promote widespread and vigorous world trade. Given the persistence and worsening of sizable current account imbalances and the slow progress made in dismantling structural rigidities, it is fitting for the industrial countries to seek appropriate and immediate corrections; however, they must avoid opting for any form of protectionism even as they work decisively to achieve a real reduction of interest rates.
The elimination of fiscal deficits, the expansion of domestic demand, and faster growth in the developed economies with a view to stimulating investment and improving trade continue to be factors that are decisive as regards ensuring and increasing growth in, and enhancing the competitiveness of, our countries in their capacity as exporters of primary products.
The smaller export volumes and continuing price drops for exportable primary commodities accentuate the disproportion between the debt and foreign exchange incomes even as they exert pressure on exchange rates, thereby adversely affecting the adjustment burden.
We would like to call your attention to and cite the views expressed by former Managing Director Jacques de Larosière with respect to debt strategy and debt management: “Creditor countries must not ask debtors to adopt outward-looking policy reforms and to honor their heavy debt service obligations and simultaneously handicap their ability to do so.” In the knowledge that the debt crisis can only be overcome by means of a strategy for action based on economic growth, we take note of the importance of implementing policies and making efforts that entail equitable sharing of burdens by debtors and creditors alike. One anticipated result would be that export competitiveness and efficiency would come to depend more on the efforts of the developing countries themselves, and not, as at present, almost exclusively on domestic political decisions reached by the industrial countries.
These reflections on the external framework do not rule out, and indeed they underline, the complementarity required in the application of the effective growth-oriented stabilization policies to be pursued by the developing countries.
It is in this context that the Government of Paraguay has made a renewed effort and, step by step, posted successes in its endeavor definitively to achieve both an economic takeoff and social progress. Noteworthy are the introduction and steady refinement of recently adopted economic measures aimed at increasing production; rationalizing public spending while according priority to investment in infrastructure; balancing the external accounts; bringing inflation under control; reducing the public sector deficit; protecting and increasing wage levels; and improving employment levels.
After two years of continuous growth in gross domestic product (up 3.1 percent in 1984 and 4 percent in 1985), the projected targets were not met in 1986, when our economy registered no growth of any kind, although the introduction of significant exchange rate measures and steps to enhance efficiency allow us to estimate 1987 growth at 4 percent so long as the gradual rise in the prices of the major export commodities continues.
In the fiscal area, the Central Administration’s finances have been maintained at a level such that it has been possible to finance 90 percent of aggregate expenditure by current revenues. In these circumstances, no current account deficit has been posted by the Central Administration in 1986 or the current year, and only moderate use has been made of domestic public credit.
Owing to its weaker reserves position, the persistence of unfavorable terms of trade, and the effects of not subjecting the country to strong debt service pressures, Paraguay has found itself obligated to substantially limit external financing, although it has pressed ahead with efforts involving existing lines of credit as well as with actions associated with infrastructure projects and productive sector development projects now under way.
In the foreign trade area, there has once again been a deficit, which has been influenced by low world market prices for the major export commodities and by certain restrictions applied by the countries that purchase primary products. Exports in 1986 were down 10 percent from the 1985 level but are expected to increase in value terms in the current year. At the same time, 1986 imports increased by 12 percent over the previous year, resulting in a balance of payments deficit.
We remain confident that international cooperation will continue to become stronger, resulting in timely and effective measures to promote economic equilibrium and well-being, especially through positive resource flows together with measures and instruments which, in harmony and along with domestic efforts, will promote and facilitate sustained growth in the developing countries.
In conclusion, my country’s delegation would like to thank the people and Government of the United States of America for their hospitality and for their support for the successful conduct of these discussions. | 2019-04-25T18:06:16Z | https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/IMF015/23886-9781475560626/23886-9781475560626/ch07.xml |
The spread of agriculture into Europe and the ancestry of the first European farmers have been subjects of debate and controversy among geneticists, archaeologists, linguists and anthropologists. Debates have centred on the extent to which the transition was associated with the active migration of people as opposed to the diffusion of cultural practices. Recent studies have shown that patterns of human cranial shape variation can be employed as a reliable proxy for the neutral genetic relationships of human populations.
Here, we employ measurements of Mesolithic (hunter-gatherers) and Neolithic (farmers) crania from Southwest Asia and Europe to test several alternative population dispersal and hunter-farmer gene-flow models. We base our alternative hypothetical models on a null evolutionary model of isolation-by-geographic and temporal distance. Partial Mantel tests were used to assess the congruence between craniometric distance and each of the geographic model matrices, while controlling for temporal distance. Our results demonstrate that the craniometric data fit a model of continuous dispersal of people (and their genes) from Southwest Asia to Europe significantly better than a null model of cultural diffusion.
Therefore, this study does not support the assertion that farming in Europe solely involved the adoption of technologies and ideas from Southwest Asia by indigenous Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Moreover, the results highlight the utility of craniometric data for assessing patterns of past population dispersal and gene flow.
Copyright: © 2009 Pinhasi et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The debate over the origins of agriculture in Europe has mainly centred on two demographic models. The demic diffusion model (also known as the wave of advance) suggests a progressive dispersal of Southwest (SW) Asian Neolithic farmers into Europe –. This process involved region-specific and variable degrees of admixture between the incoming farmers and the local Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Alternatively, a cultural diffusion model suggests that agricultural knowledge and technologies diffused from SW Asia into Europe but without a significant demographic expansion of SW Asian farmers , . Various intermediate scenarios have also been proposed. Some suggest diffusion as the main underlying mechanism involved (e.g. ), while others argue that early European agriculture was developed independently by indigenous Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-forager populations with no diffusion of either knowledge or people from the core SW Asian regions .
The first mathematical analysis of chronometric archaeological data on early Neolithic European cultures demonstrated a southeast-northwest (SE-NW) temporal cline across Europe . A re-assessment of the wave of advance model using a much larger data set and calculating the probability of various hypothetical centers of agricultural origin provided further support for the observed clinal pattern . While this cline suggested that agriculture spread across Europe in a SE-NW fashion, the archaeological data alone cannot detect whether this is the outcome of a demic diffusion, cultural diffusion, or a palimpsest of complex demographic and historical processes. Subsequent genetic studies of classical allelic markers using principal components analysis (PCA) reported a similar SE-NW clinal pattern observed when plotting the major component of variation . It has been demonstrated that PCA analyses of spatially correlated genetic data can produce highly structured results which are mathematical artifacts that do not necessarily reflect underlying historical migration and dispersal events . However, partial correlations of classical genetic, temporal, and geographic matrices have also found support for the demic diffusion model and hence imply that in this specific case, the clinal pattern is not artefactual but rather produced by demographic historical processes.
Studies of nuclear DNA polymorphisms , , autosomal microsatellite loci and various sets of DNA markers all confirm a substantial contribution of Southwest Asian populations to the European gene pool and report similar SE-NW clines across Europe. In contrast, analyses of mtDNA haplogroups – suggest a pre-Neolithic coalescence date and a limited contribution of SW Asian Neolithic farmers (∼20%) to the European gene pool. Studies of Y-chromosome markers provide conflicting results. Semino et al. estimate a contribution of ∼22% from SW Asian farmers, which is in close agreement with the figures provided for mtDNA haplogroups. However, a recent reassessment using a different methodological protocol report an average contribution of SW Asian farmers to the European gene pool of between 50 and 65%. Studies of biallelic Y-chromosome polymorphisms report clines that are in agreement with the demic diffusion model .
Employing modern European genetics to assess the nature of the spread of farming from SW Asia into Europe is inherently problematic for several reasons: the size and representativeness of modern samples may not match those of the actual populations affected; observed patterns of genetic variation could be explained by several different evolutionary scenarios ; any modern gene genealogy may not portray Neolithic and post-Neolithic population history unless founder effects eliminated pre-existing polymorphisms , and molecular coalescence dates of geographically patterned lineages do not necessarily correspond to the timing of arrival of a genetic variant in that region . While ancient DNA studies allow for the direct comparison of archaeological and modern populations, they are also limited by constraining factors such as small and unrepresentative samples, limited authenticity methods, and contamination –. The analysis of ancient mtDNA sequences, extracted and amplified from 24 Neolithic central European specimens, points to a genetic discontinuity between these early farmers and current European populations . The discontinuity is attributed to a negligible genetic contribution of Southwest Asian farmers to the modern European gene pool and hence supports the cultural diffusion model. In contrast, a more recent paleogenetic study of Neolithic samples from the Iberian peninsula indicates long-term genetic continuity in this region since the Neolithic. These results suggest a heterogeneous Neolithic dispersal into Europe, which possibly involved acculturation in Central Europe and demic diffusion along the Mediterranean coast . These conflicting results indicate that paleogenetic studies are, as yet, not extensive enough to provide conclusive results regarding the genetic contribution of SW Asian farmers to the European gene pool.
In contrast, the availability of extensive samples of Mesolithic and Neolithic skulls from SW Asia and Europe provide a unique opportunity to assess the biological relationship between pre-farming and early farming populations. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that human cranial shape variation is largely congruent with an evolutionary model of neutral expectation (e.g., –). Therefore, patterns of human cranial shape covariation can be employed successfully as a proxy for neutral genetic evidence of past population history , . Thus, we use this empirical relationship between craniometric and neutral genetic variation to test several alternative hypotheses of population change in Europe associated with the spread of farming from SW Asia.
Competing hypotheses regarding the nature of the spread of farming were tested using a Mantel matrix correlation approach , and an extensive craniometric dataset representing Mesolithic and early Neolithic SW Asian and European populations (Table S1). These OTUs (operational taxonomic units) represent the best available craniometric data for Mesolithic and early Neolithic populations in these regions (Figure 1). In contrast with previous studies of this kind , , we do not use arbitrary values (0, 0.5, 1 etc.) to quantify the hypothesised morphological distances between OTUs in our alternative model matrices. Rather, we create a null model based upon evolutionary expectations of cranial differentiation according to the principles of isolation-by-geographic and temporal distance (Figure 2). This is based on the observation that there is a strong correspondence between geographic distance and genetic distance in humans for neutrally evolving markers such as microsatellites . Therefore, in the absence of non-neutral forces such as natural selection or directional long-range dispersal, the expected neutral pattern of craniometric diversity would correlate with geographic distance, once the effect of temporal distance is controlled for . In turn, all alternative models are variations of the null model reflecting different hypothesised scenarios (see Materials and Methods). We conduct a series of partial Mantel tests to assess the congruence between craniometric distance and each of the geographic model matrices, while controlling for temporal distance. We particularly chose to focus on the neolithization process in those European regions which preceded the further spread of agriculture into the northern and western parts after 5000 cal. BC , , . The null model (Figure 2a) reflects the expected pattern of morphological distance between populations if the expansion of farming was largely an indigenous process involving minimal or no dispersal from SW Asia. We then test 5 alternative hypothesized scenarios (models 2 to 6) in order to determine: (1) the extent to which the transition to farming in Europe was the result of demic diffusion of SW Asian farmers; (2) whether the process involved single or continuous dispersals; (3) whether the dispersal origin of the SW Asian farmers was more likely located in the Southern Levant or Anatolia; and (4) the extent to which a demic diffusion process also entailed admixture with indigenous European Late Mesolithic populations. In each model, the distances between OTUs were modified according to the expected variation in gene flow between OTUs (see Methods section). In order to assess the effect of employing different geographic distances, dispersal events (i.e., models 3–6) were each modeled three times; as a decrease in geographic distance between the affected OTUs, of 500, 1000, or 1500 km per migration event. Similarly, limited gene flow (model 2) was modeled as an increase in geographic distance of 500, 1000 or 1500 km between the relevant OTUs (Figure 2b).
Figure 1. Map showing geographic distribution of all OTUs.
Dispersal models involving the active migration of people from SW Asia take two basic forms. Once-off single dispersals from either Anatolia (brown arrow) or the Levant (orange arrows), or continuous dispersal models whereby active population migration continued from southeastern Europe into central Europe (blue arrows). CD = Continuous dispersal, IBD = Isolation-by-distance (null), LGF = Limited gene flow.
Figure 2. Two-dimensional representation of the null model of isolation-by-geographic and temporal distance.
The horizontal axis represents the distance between all OTUs and OTU1 (Natufian) in km. The vertical axis represents the chronological distribution of the OTUs in average years B.P. A. The null model expects all OTUs to be related to each other according to their distribution in space, once time is corrected for (dashed lines). B. The LGF model (solid lines) is a variant of the null model, which expects decreased gene flow between contemporaneous Mesolithic (OTUs 9, 10 and 12) and Neolithic (OTUs 4, 5, 6 and 7) populations as a result of cultural barriers imposed by the adoption of agricultural practices.
Figure 3 plots the first two principal co-ordinates of the craniometric distance matrix. The OTUs do not group according to any particular geographic or temporal pattern on the first or second principal co-ordinates. However, the first principal co-ordinate separates the archaeologically defined Neolithic OTUs from OTUs designated as Mesolithic plus the Natufian. Therefore, the principal co-ordinate analysis suggests that Neolithic and Mesolithic populations are biologically differentiated.
Figure 3. Plot of the first two principal co-ordinates illustrating OTU affinity patterns based on craniometric data.
The major axis of variation (horizontal axis, 34.9% variance) shows a clear distinction between all archaeologically defined Neolithic OTUS (green, brown and black circle symbols) and all Mesolithic OTUS (purple and red symbols) plus the Natufian (black triangle). Second axis = 18.7% variance.
The results of the partial correlations (Table 1) show that the null model was not significantly correlated with the craniometric distance matrix, once temporal variation was controlled for. The null model reflects the degree of differentiation we would expect amongst OTUs under a model of pure cultural diffusion. Of the alternative scenarios modelled, all variants of the continuous dispersal models were significantly correlated with the craniometric data, regardless of whether the dispersals were modelled as originating in Anatolia or in the Levant, and regardless of which geographic parameter was employed to model dispersal (500, 1000 or 1500 km). In contrast, no model of a single dispersal from SW Asia was significantly correlated with the craniometric data. There was some support for a hypothesis of biological change due to a restriction on gene flow between contiguous Mesolithic and Neolithic populations, but only when this barrier was modelled to be relatively strong (i.e., increase of 1000 or 1500 km). These results support a model of demic dispersal from the Near East, as opposed to a model of pure cultural diffusion or sporadic single dispersal events.
Table 1. Partial Mantel test results are given as correlation coefficients (r-values) with p-values in parentheses.
The results of the Dow-Cheverud tests (Table 2) mirror those of the partial Mantel tests in showing that the continuous dispersal models and the model of restricted gene flow between Mesolithic and Neolithic populations are significantly more likely than the null model (Table 2, left column). In the comparison of pairs of alternative models, the Dow-Cheverud results also show that there is no statistical difference between dispersal models originating in Anatolia or the Levant (i.e., SD Levant = SD Anatolia; CD Levant = CD Anatolia). The results also show that models of continuous dispersal (i.e., CD Anatolia, CD Levant) fit the craniometric data significantly better than single dispersal models (i.e., SD Anatolia, SD Levant). Moreover, a continuous dispersal model from the Levant is significantly more likely than a model of restricted gene flow between Mesolithic and Neolithic populations when distances of 500 km and 1000 km are assumed (see Table 2, right column).
Table 2. The Dow-Cheverud test results (p1Z scores and p-values in parentheses) for comparisons of alternative models against the null model (left column) plus comparisons of several alternative models (right column).
The results of both the partial Mantel and the Dow-Cheverud tests indicate that the Neolithic and Mesolithic craniometric patterns better fit a model which includes the active dispersal of people (and their genes) from SW Asia, when compared with a neutral model where no such migration(s) occurs. Similarly, modelling the initial spread of farming as once-off single migrations does not explain the craniometric pattern better than the null model of cultural diffusion. Even allowing for a decrease in contact between exogenous farmers and indigenous hunter-gatherers (i.e., the LGF model) does not account for the craniometric affinity pattern as well as a model of continuous dispersal from SE Asia. Currat & Excoffier demonstrated using a series of genetic simulations that even a small percent of genetic admixture between hunters and farmers would result in an extensive amount of pre-Neolithic contribution to the current European gene pool. Our null model of cultural diffusion allows for admixture between Mesolithic and Neolithic populations living contemporaneously under a model of isolation-by-distance. However, the results show that it is more likely that the arrival of farming in Europe was accompanied by the active dispersal of people from SW Asia, which created a barrier to gene flow between hunters and farmers during the period of co-existence. We, therefore, do not rule out some gene flow between hunters and farmers but argue that the craniometric data does not support strong admixture between Neolithic and Mesolithic populations.
Our analysis could not resolve the question of the origin of the dispersal process or its most probable timing. A previous craniometric study indicates that its centre of origin may have been central Anatolia, while spatial interpolations of the radiocarbon chronometric Neolithic record suggest a centre of origin in the Levant . However, both regions fall within the primary core region in which agricultural societies first emerged more than three millennia prior to the emergence of farming in SE Europe , . Recent archaeological research suggests that the diffusion of agriculture from the core region into SE Europe occurred in several waves. The earliest occurred during the early pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB) circ. cal. 8550-8150 BC, and involved the maritime colonization of Cyprus , and possibly Crete and the Peloponnese . A probable second dispersal is associated with the appearance and diffusion of the Fikirtepe Culture (cal. BC 6450- 5900 ), which is characterized by dark surfaced monochrome pottery in sites in western Anatolia, eastern Thrace, and possibly further west into the Balkans . A third dispersal occurred a few centuries later and involved the appearance of burnished red pottery, the use of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic vessels, clay figurines, and other stylistic characteristics. During this dispersal hundreds of new Neolithic sites appear in western Anatolia and the Balkans . Despite the overall uniformity in artefacts and domesticated crops and livestock which were part of the “Neolithic package”, archaeological research reveals some stylistic variations suggesting continuous endemic population movements and trade within and between these regions . These movements would have involved extensive gene flow along the dispersal route from Anatolia to SE Europe.
In conclusion, our results indicate that the craniometric data best fit a model of continuous demic diffusion into SE and Central Europe from the SE Asian core region in which agricultural societies first emerged. These results are in agreement with most genetic studies which report a considerable genetic contribution of SW Asian farmers to the modern European gene pool , , , , , . We found no strong support for significant admixture between contemporaneous Mesolithic and Neolithic populations, or for an indigenous adoption of agriculture by Mesolithic populations as has been proposed by some archaeologists (e.g., , ) and geneticists (e.g., , , ).
Our results illustrate the utility of craniometric data for assessing past population history and highlight the importance of testing hypotheses within a population genetics framework. Our study does not deny or contradict models that propose the existence of regional variability in Europe. In the northern and northwestern regions of Europe the transition to agriculture was possibly more complex and gradual, entailing a larger degree of genetic contribution from indigenous populations , . In fact, the evidence amassed from a number of regional case studies indicate that the Neolithic transition process probably involved various demographic and biogeographic mechanisms such as leapfrog colonization, jump dispersals, range expansions, and folk migrations (cf. various contributions in ). Future model-bound and simulation analyses of craniometric and genetic data from a wider geographic range will shed more light on these issues. However, our results do not support the assertion that the initial spread of agriculture into Europe proceeded purely as a cultural diffusion event, but instead involved the active dispersal of people from SW Asia.
We utilise a set of 116 Mesolithic/Epipalaeolithic and 165 Early Neolithic crania from SW Asia and Europe. These were divided into 15 operational taxonomic units [OTUs] (cf. , Figure 1, Table S1), each comprising at least 10 individuals. These OTUs represent samples from biological populations that are defined according to their archaeological, spatial and temporal contexts (Table S1). In all cases, an OTU comprises specimens from a single major archaeological phase. Whenever possible, we construct OTUs using specimens from a single site (e.g., Çatal Höyük, Oleni Ostrov) or specimens from a well defined phase in a given region (e.g., Linienbandkeramik (LBK) East). Sampling was constrained by uneven spatial, temporal and archaeological representativeness of certain phases – for example the Aceramic (Pre-Pottery) sample from the Near East – yet this dataset comprises the best available cranial samples whose archaeological contexts and skeletal preservation facilitate their inclusion in these OTUs. The 15 OTUs provide a secure dataset for testing the contribution of SW Asian early Neolithic farmers to the southeastern and central European gene pool.
The craniometric data comprised 15 standard calliper measurements (see Table S2) taken on samples of skulls representing each of the 15 OTUs described in Table S1. Given the fragmentary nature of many of these archaeological specimens, some of the data were missing from the initial database. Only individual skulls with data present for at least 70% (i.e., 10 measurements) of all measurements were included in the analysis . Missing data were estimated in SPSS v.16, within-sexes and within-OTUs, using a multiple linear regression algorithm. These data were adjusted for individual differences in isometric scaling by dividing each cranial variable by the geometric mean of all variables for that individual , . Craniometric distance matrices were generated in RMET 5.0, software written by John Relethford to perform population genetics analysis using quantitative phenotypic traits ). Hence, multivariate biological D-matrices (based on a phenotypic analogue of Wright's Fst) were calculated under the assumption that population phenotypic variances are proportional to genetic variances , .
Null: The null model is the expected pattern of morphological distance between OTUs if the expansion of farming was largely an acculturation event (Figure 2a).
LGF (limited gene flow): As in the null model, farming expands under the parameters of cultural but not genetic diffusion, but this cultural shift causes biological change due to a restriction of gene flow between culturally ‘Neolithic’ and ‘Mesolithic’ OTUs living contemporaneously in Europe (Figure 2b).
SD Anatolia (Single dispersal from Anatolia): There was a single human migration from Anatolia (Çatal Höyük) into southeastern Europe, followed by cultural diffusion into central Europe (Figure 1).
SD Levant (Single dispersal from Levant): There was a single human migration of Aceramic populations (Levant) into southeastern Europe, followed by cultural diffusion into central Europe (Figure 1).
CD Anatolia (Continuous dispersal from Anatolia): There was a human migration from Anatolia (Çatal Höyük) into southeastern Europe, followed by further human migrations into central Europe (Figure 1).
CD Levant (Continuous dispersal from Levant): There was a human migration from the Levant into southeastern Europe, followed by further human migrations into central Europe (Figure 1).
Geographic distances between all OTUs were calculated in kilometres as great circle distances based on the haversine , . Hence, the distance (D) between two points specified by latitudinal (α1, δ1) and longitudinal (α2, δ2) co-ordinates with a central angle of θ between the two points was computed as: Where hav (θ) = sin2 +cos δ1 cos δ2 sin2 and R = radius of earth (6,371 km).
As several OTUs were comprised of pooled specimens from different sites (Table S1), all pairwise geographic distances were rounded to the nearest 500 km. Where several sites were combined to create a single OTU, the average geographic coordinate was taken. Temporal distances were calculated, on a pairwise basis between all OTUs, as the square root of the squared differences between chronological estimates provided in Table S1. Table S3 provides the geographic and temporal distance matrices employed in the partial Mantel tests.
In order to tests the hypothetical scenarios described in the text, the null model was altered to create seven alternative model matrices, reflecting different migration and/or gene flow processes. The LGF model differs from the null model in assuming that the adoption of Neolithic practices by some European OTUs (4, 5, 6 and 7) caused a barrier to gene flow between these populations and contemporaneous un-acculturated Mesolithic populations (9, 10 and 12). Therefore, the biological distances between OTUs (4–7 and 9, 10 and 12) are modelled as lengthened by either 500, 1000 or 1500 km compared with the ‘null’ distances. In the Single Dispersal (SD) models, farming is spread by a once-off migration of people from Anatolia (OTU 3) or the Levant (OTU2) into Europe thereby decreasing the distances between these OTUs and OTUs 4–7 by either 500, 1000 or 1500 km. The Continuous Dispersal (CD) models hypothesises the spread of farming to result from the dispersal of people from Anatolia (OTU 3) or the Levant (OTU2) into Europe and then the repeated dispersal of people from SE to Central Europe according to Figure 2. This results in a decrease in distance of either 500, 1000 or 1500 km between all pairs of OTUs 3,4,5,6 and 7.
The correlations between the craniometric, geographic and temporal matrices were compared statistically using Mantel matrix correlations . As with a standard Pearson correlation, coefficients (r-values) range from −1 (perfect negative correlation) to +1 (perfect positive correlation). However, because matrix elements cannot be considered independent, significance (p-values) was assigned through a randomisation test, where the observed matrix correlation was assessed against a distribution of correlations obtained by 9999 random permutations of the rows and columns of the matrices , . The basic Mantel test allows for the comparison of two matrices (X and Y). However, a partial Mantel test can be performed to control for a third matrix (Z). This is achieved by regressing the elements of X and Y onto Z, and using the residuals from the regressions as the input for a standard Mantel test . Here, we employed partial Mantel correlations to assess the fit of the craniometric data to the six alternative models based on a null model of geographic distance, while correcting for temporal distance. Bonferroni correction was applied to the partial Mantel tests, thereby lowering the accepted α-level to 0.017 , . Partial Mantel tests were performed in PASSaGE 1.1, freely available from Michael Rosenberg (www.passagesoftware.net).
In order to determine whether or not any of the six alternative model matrices differed significantly in their congruence with the craniometric distance matrix, a series of Dow-Cheverud tests were performed. Here, the null hypothesis is that the correlation of A (craniometric distance matrix) and B (Model 1) is equal to the correlation of A and C (Model 2). If the null hypothesis is rejected (p≤0.05), then one model is significantly more likely than the other. In order to control for temporal distance, each of the model matrices and the craniometric distance matrix were regressed onto the temporal distance matrix, and the resultant residual matrices were used as input for the Dow-Cheverud tests. All comparisons were performed in R, employing a code written by the lab of C.C. Roseman. As discussed in detail by Konigsberg , all matrix comparisons (Mantel and Dow-Cheverud tests) assume that the biological affinity matrices are known without error. Given that the biological matrices employed here were generated from relatively small samples (10–31 crania per OTU) there is an error inherent to the estimation of the biological relationships between OTUs. Therefore, we add the caveat that all significance values associated with Mantel and Dow-Cheverud tests reported here are minimum values.
Archaeological samples employed to construct the operational taxonomic units (OTUs).
Null model matrices of geographic distance (km; lower triangle) and temporal distance (years; upper triangle).
We wish to thank Stephen Lycett, Tim Weaver, Lyle Konigsberg and an anonymous reviewer for constructive comments which helped improve this manuscript. Data were kindly provided by Winfried Heneke. Software was kindly made available by John Relethford (RMET) and Charles Roseman and Mark Grabowski (R code for Dow-Cheverud tests).
Conceived and designed the experiments: RP NvCT. Performed the experiments: RP NvCT. Analyzed the data: RP NvCT. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: RP NvCT. Wrote the paper: RP NvCT. Collected the data: RP.
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A method for generating a presentation of an advertisement image for display on a display screen, comprising: subdividing a map image into a plurality of geographic regions; associating the advertisement image with a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest being one of the plurality of geographic regions; receiving a signal selecting the region-of-interest; and, applying a lens to the map image to produce the presentation, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image, the presentation including a view of the advertisement image.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/741,445, filed Dec. 2, 2005, and incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to the field of computer graphics processing, and more specifically, to a method and system for generating and adjusting detail-in-context lenses for display in detail-in-context data presentations for applications including geographically-based and time-based online advertising.
Moderm computer graphics systems, including virtual environment systems, are used for numerous applications such as mapping, navigation, flight training, surveillance, and even playing computer games. In general, these applications are launched by the computer graphics system's operating system upon selection by a user from a menu or other graphical user interface (“GUI”). A GUI is used to convey information to and receive commands from users and generally includes a variety of GUI objects or controls, including icons, toolbars, drop-down menus, text, dialog boxes, buttons, and the like. A user typically interacts with a GUI by using a pointing device (e.g., a mouse) to position a pointer or cursor over an object and “clicking” on the object.
Now, the growth of the Internet and online map presentation technologies has resulted in broad availability of online and interactive presentation of maps and geographically relevant photographic images. Online geographic data presentations such as maps and images also present new opportunities for online advertising. However, the screen real estate problem referred to above often limits these opportunities.
A need therefore exists for an improved method and system for generating and adjusting detailed views of selected information within the context of surrounding information presented on the display of a computer graphics system. Accordingly, a solution that addresses, at least in part, the above and other shortcomings is desired.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for generating a presentation of an advertisement image for display on a display screen, comprising: subdividing a map image into a plurality of geographic regions; associating the advertisement image with a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest being one of the plurality of geographic regions; receiving a signal selecting the region-of-interest; and, applying a lens to the map image to produce the presentation, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image, the presentation including a view of the advertisement image.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for generating a presentation of an advertisement image for display on a display screen, comprising: subdividing a map image into a plurality of geographic regions; associating the advertisement image with a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest being one of the plurality of geographic regions; receiving a signal selecting the region-of-interest; and, combining a first view of the map image and a second view of the advertisement to produce the presentation.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for distributing rights to include an advertisement image with a map image for display on a display screen, comprising: subdividing the map image into a plurality of geographic regions; receiving an offer to purchase rights to associate the advertisement image with a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest being one of the plurality of geographic regions; and, if the offer is acceptable, associating the advertisement image with the region-of-interest; wherein when the map image is presented on the display screen and when the region-of-interest is selected, the advertisement image is combined with the map image to produce a presentation for display on the display screen.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating operations of modules within the memory of a data processing system for generating a presentation of an advertisement image for display on a display screen, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
A recent solution to this problem is the application of “detail-in-context” presentation techniques. Detail-in-context is the magnification of a particular region-of-interest (the “focal region” or “detail”) in a data presentation while preserving visibility of the surrounding information (the “context”). This technique has applicability to the display of large surface area media (e.g. digital maps) on computer screens of variable size including graphics workstations, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), and cell phones.
In general, detail-in-context data presentations are characterized by magnification of areas of an image where detail is desired, in combination with compression of a restricted range of areas of the remaining information (i.e. the context), the result typically giving the appearance of a lens having been applied to the display surface. Using the techniques described by Carpendale, points in a representation are displaced in three dimensions and a perspective projection is used to display the points on a two-dimensional presentation display. Thus, when a lens is applied to a two-dimensional continuous surface representation, for example, the resulting presentation appears to be three-dimensional. In other words, the lens transformation appears to have stretched the continuous surface in a third dimension. In EPS graphics technology, a two-dimensional visual representation is placed onto a surface; this surface is placed in three-dimensional space; the surface, containing the representation, is viewed through perspective projection; and the surface is manipulated to effect the reorganization of image details. The presentation transformation is separated into two steps: surface manipulation or distortion and perspective projection.
FIG. 1 is a graphical representation illustrating the geometry 100 for constructing a three-dimensional (“3D”) perspective viewing frustum 220, relative to an x, y, z coordinate system, in accordance with elastic presentation space (EPS) graphics technology and an embodiment of the invention. In EPS technology, detail-in-context views of two-dimensional (“2D”) visual representations are created with sight-line aligned distortions of a 2D information presentation surface within a 3D perspective viewing frustum 220. In EPS, magnification of regions-of-interest and the accompanying compression of the contextual region to accommodate this change in scale are produced by the movement of regions of the surface towards the viewpoint (“VP”) 240 located at the apex of the pyramidal shape 220 containing the frustum. The process of projecting these transformed layouts via a perspective projection results in a new 2D layout which includes the zoomed and compressed regions. The use of the third dimension and perspective distortion to provide magnification in EPS provides a meaningful metaphor for the process of distorting the information presentation surface. The 3D manipulation of the information presentation surface in such a system is an intermediate step in the process of creating a new 2D layout of the information.
FIG. 2 is a graphical representation illustrating the geometry 200 of a presentation in accordance with EPS graphics technology and an embodiment of the invention. EPS graphics technology employs viewer-aligned perspective projections to produce detail-in-context presentations in a reference view plane 201 which may be viewed on a display. Undistorted 2D data points are located in a base plane 210 of a 3D perspective viewing volume or frustum 220 which is defined by extreme rays 221 and 222 and the base plane 210. The VP 240 is generally located above the centre point of the base plane 210 and reference view plane (“RVP”) 201. Points in the base plane 210 are displaced upward onto a distorted surface or “lens” 230 which is defined by a general 3D distortion function (i.e., a detail-in-context distortion basis function). The direction of the perspective projection corresponding to the distorted surface 230 is indicated by the line FPo-FP 231 drawn from a point FPo 232 in the base plane 210 through the point FP 233 which corresponds to the focal point, focus, or focal region 233 of the distorted surface 230. Typically, the perspective projection has a direction 231 that is viewer-aligned (i.e., the points FPo 232, FP 233, and VP 240 are collinear).
EPS is applicable to multidimensional data and is well suited to implementation on a computer for dynamic detail-in-context display on an electronic display surface such as a monitor. In the case of two dimensional data, EPS is typically characterized by magnification of areas of an image where detail is desired 233, in combination with compression of a restricted range of areas of the remaining information (i.e., the context) 234, the end result typically giving the appearance of a lens 230 having been applied to the display surface. The areas of the lens 230 where compression occurs may be referred to as the “shoulder” 234 of the lens 230. The area of the representation transformed by the lens may be referred to as the “lensed area”. The lensed area thus includes the focal region 233 and the shoulder region 234. Typically, the distorted surface, distortion function, or lens 230 provides a continuous or smooth transition from the base plane 210 through the shoulder region 234 to the focal region 233 as shown in FIG. 2. However, of course, the distorted surface, distortion function, or lens 230 may have a number of different shapes (e.g., truncated pyramid, etc.). To reiterate, the source image or representation to be viewed is located in the base plane 210. Magnification 233 and compression 234 are achieved through elevating elements of the source image relative to the base plane 210, and then projecting the resultant distorted surface onto the reference view plane 201. EPS performs detail-in-context presentation of n-dimensional data through the use of a procedure wherein the data is mapped into a region in an (n+1) dimensional space, manipulated through perspective projections in the (n+1) dimensional space, and then finally transformed back into n-dimensional space for presentation. EPS has numerous advantages over conventional zoom, pan, and scroll technologies, including the capability of preserving the visibility of information outside 210, 234 the local region of interest 233.
For example, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in two dimensions, EPS can be implemented through the projection of an image onto a reference plane 201 in the following manner. The source image or representation is located on a base plane 210, and those regions of interest 233 of the image for which magnification is desired are elevated so as to move them closer to a reference plane situated between the reference viewpoint 240 and the reference view plane 201. Magnification of the focal region 233 closest to the RVP 201 varies inversely with distance from the RVP 201. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, compression of regions 234 outside the focal region 233 is a function of both distance from the RVP 201, and the gradient of the function (i.e., the shoulder function or drop-off function) describing the vertical distance from the RVP 201 with respect to the horizontal distance from the focal region 233. The resultant combination of magnification 233 and compression 234 of the image as seen from the reference viewpoint 240 results in a lens-like effect similar to that of a magnifying glass applied to the image. Hence, the various functions used to vary the magnification and compression of the source image via vertical displacement from the basal plane 210 are described as lenses, lens types, or lens functions. Lens functions that describe basic lens types with point and circular focal regions, as well as certain more complex lenses and advanced capabilities such as folding, have previously been described by Carpendale.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a data processing system 300 adapted to implement an embodiment of the invention. The data processing system 300 is suitable for generating, displaying, and adjusting detail-in-context lens presentations in conjunction with a detail-in-context graphical user interface (“GUI”) 400, as described below. The data processing system 300 includes an input device 310, a central processing unit (“CPU”) 320, memory 330, a display 340, and an interface device 350. The input device 310 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch sensitive surface or screen, a position tracking device, an eye tracking device, or a similar device. The CPU 320 may include dedicated coprocessors and memory devices. The memory 330 may include RAM, ROM, databases, or disk devices. The display 340 may include a computer screen, terminal device, a touch sensitive display surface or screen, or a hardcopy producing output device such as a printer or plotter. And, the interface device 350 may include an interface to a network (not shown) such as the Internet and/or another wired or wireless network. Thus, the data processing system 300 may be linked to other data processing systems (not shown) by a network (not shown). For example, the data processing system 300 may be a client and/or server in a client/server system. The data processing system 300 has stored therein data representing sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method described herein to be performed. Of course, the data processing system 300 may contain additional software and hardware a description of which is not necessary for understanding the invention.
Thus, the data processing system 300 includes computer executable programmed instructions for directing the system 300 to implement the embodiments of the present invention. The programmed instructions may be embodied in one or more hardware or software modules 331 resident in the memory 330 of the data processing system 300. Alternatively, the programmed instructions may be embodied on a computer readable medium (such as a CD disk or floppy disk) which may be used for transporting the programmed instructions to the memory 330 of the data processing system 300. Alternatively, the programmed instructions may be embedded in a computer-readable signal or signal-bearing medium that is uploaded to a network by a vendor or supplier of the programmed instructions, and this signal-bearing medium may be downloaded through an interface (e.g., 350) to the data processing system 300 from the network by end users or potential buyers.
As mentioned, detail-in-context presentations of data using techniques such as pliable surfaces, as described by Carpendale, are useful in presenting large amounts of information on limited-size display surfaces. Detail-in-context views allow magnification of a particular region-of-interest (e.g., the focal region) 233 in a data presentation while preserving visibility of the surrounding information 210. In the following, a GUI 400 is described having lens control elements that can be implemented in software (and/or hardware) and applied to the control of detail-in-context data presentations. The software (and/or hardware) can be loaded into and run by the data processing system 300 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 is a partial screen capture illustrating a GUI 400 having lens control elements for user interaction with detail-in-context data presentations in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Detail-in-context data presentations are characterized by magnification of areas of an image where detail is desired, in combination with compression of a restricted range of areas of the remaining information (i.e. the context), the end result typically giving the appearance of a lens having been applied to the display screen surface. This lens 410 includes a “focal region” 420 having high magnification, a surrounding “shoulder region” 430 where information is typically visibly compressed, and a “base” 412 surrounding the shoulder region 430 and defining the extent of the lens 410. In FIG. 4, the lens 410 is shown with a circular shaped base 412 (or outline) and with a focal region 420 lying near the center of the lens 410. However, the lens 410 and focal region 420 may have any desired shape. As mentioned above, the base of the lens 412 may be coextensive with the focal region 420.
Moreover, the cursor 401 provides a visual cue indicating the nature of an available lens control element. As such, the cursor 401 will generally change in form by simply pointing to a different lens control icon 450, 412, 411,421, 481, 482, 491, 492, 440. For example, when resizing the base 412 of a lens 410 using a corner handle 491, the cursor 401 will change form to a resize icon 490 once it is pointed at (i.e., positioned over) the corner handle 491. The cursor 401 will remain in the form of the resize icon 490 until the cursor 401 has been moved away from the corner handle 491.
Lateral movement of a lens 410 is provided by the move lens control element of the GUI 400. This functionality is accomplished by the user first selecting the lens 410 through a point and click operation. Then, the user points to a point within the lens 410 that is other than a point lying on a lens control icon 450, 412, 411, 421, 481, 482, 491, 492, 440. When the cursor 401 is so located, a move icon 460 is displayed over the lens 410 to replace the cursor 401 or may be displayed in combination with the cursor 401. The move icon 460 not only informs the user that the lens 410 may be moved, but also provides the user with indications as to what movement operations are possible for the selected lens 410. For example, the move icon 460 may include arrowheads indicating up, down, left, and right motion. Next, the lens 410 is moved by a click and drag operation in which the user clicks and drags the lens 410 to the desired position on the screen 340 and then releases the mouse button 310. The lens 410 is locked in its new position until a further pickup and move operation is performed.
Resizing of the base 412 (or outline) of a lens 410 is provided by the resize base lens control element of the GUI. After the lens 410 is selected, a bounding rectangle icon 411 is displayed surrounding the base 412. For a rectangular shaped base 412, the bounding rectangle icon 411 may be coextensive with the perimeter of the base 412. The bounding rectangle 411 includes handles 491, 492. These handles 491, 492 can be used to stretch the base 412 taller or shorter, wider or narrower, or proportionally larger or smaller. The corner handles 491 will keep the proportions the same while changing the size. The middle handles (not shown) will make the base 412 taller or shorter, wider or narrower. Resizing the base 412 by the corner handles 491 will keep the base 412 in proportion. Resizing the base 412 by the middle handles will change the proportions of the base 412. That is, the middle handles change the aspect ratio of the base 412 (i.e., the ratio between the height and the width of the bounding rectangle 411 of the base 412). When a user points at a handle 491 with the cursor 401 a resize icon 490 may be displayed over the handle 491 to replace the cursor 401 or may be displayed in combination with the cursor 401. The resize icon 490 not only informs the user that the handle 491 may be selected, but also provides the user with indications as to the resizing operations that are possible with the selected handle. For example, the resize icon 490 for a corner handle 491 may include arrows indicating proportional resizing. The resize icon (not shown) for a middle handle may include arrows indicating width resizing or height resizing. After pointing at the desired handle 491 the user would click and drag the handle 491 until the desired shape and size for the base 412 is reached. Once the desired shape and size are reached, the user would release the mouse button 310. The base 412 of the lens 410 is then locked in its new size and shape until a further base resize operation is performed.
Resizing of the focal region 420 of a lens 410 is provided by the resize focus lens control 30 element of the GUI. After the lens 410 is selected, a bounding rectangle icon 421 is displayed surrounding the focal region 420. For a rectangular shaped focal region 420, the bounding rectangle icon 421 may be coextensive with the perimeter of the focal region 420. The bounding rectangle 421 includes handles 481, 482. These handles 481, 482 can be used to stretch the focal region 420 taller or shorter, wider or narrower, or proportionally larger or smaller. The corner handles 481 will keep the proportions the same while changing the size. The middle handles 482 will make the focal region 420 taller or shorter, wider or narrower. Resizing the focal region 420 by the corner handles 481 will keep the focal region 420 in proportion. Resizing the focal region 420 by the middle handles 482 will change the proportions of the focal region 420. That is, the middle handles 482 change the aspect ratio of the focal region 420 (i.e., the ratio between the height and the width of the bounding rectangle 421 of the focal region 420). When a user points at a handle 481, 482 with the cursor 401 a resize icon 480 may be displayed over the handle 481, 482 to replace the cursor 401 or may be displayed in combination with the cursor 401. The resize icon 480 not only informs the user that a handle 481, 482 may be selected, but also provides the user with indications as to the resizing operations that are possible with the selected handle. For example, the resize icon 480 for a corner handle 481 may include arrows indicating proportional resizing. The resize icon 480 for a middle handle 482 may include arrows indicating width resizing or height resizing. After pointing at the desired handle 481, 482, the user would click and drag the handle 481, 482 until the desired shape and size for the focal region 420 is reached. Once the desired shape and size are reached, the user would release the mouse button 310. The focal region 420 is then locked in its new size and shape until a further focus resize operation is performed.
Folding of the focal region 420 of a lens 410 is provided by the fold control element of the GUI. In general, control of the degree and direction of folding (i.e., skewing of the viewer aligned vector 231 as described by Carpendale) is accomplished by a click and drag operation on a point 471, other than a handle 481, 482, on the bounding rectangle 421 surrounding the focal region 420. The direction of folding is determined by the direction in which the point 471 is dragged. The degree of folding is determined by the magnitude of the translation of the cursor 401 during the drag. In general, the direction and degree of folding corresponds to the relative displacement of the focus 420 with respect to the lens base 410. In other words, and referring to FIG. 2, the direction and degree of folding corresponds to the displacement of the point FP 233 relative to the point FPo 232, where the vector joining the points FPo 232 and FP 233 defines the viewer aligned vector 231. In particular, after the lens 410 is selected, a bounding rectangle icon 421 is displayed surrounding the focal region 420. The bounding rectangle 421 includes handles 481, 482. When a user points at a point 471, other than a handle 481, 482, on the bounding rectangle 421 surrounding the focal region 420 with the cursor 401, a fold icon 470 may be displayed over the point 471 to replace the cursor 401 or may be displayed in combination with the cursor 401. The fold icon 470 not only informs the user that a point 471 on the bounding rectangle 421 may be selected, but also provides the user with indications as to what fold operations are possible. For example, the fold icon 470 may include arrowheads indicating up, down, left, and right motion. By choosing a point 471, other than a handle 481, 482, on the bounding rectangle 421 a user may control the degree and direction of folding. To control the direction of folding, the user would click on the point 471 and drag in the desired direction of folding. To control the degree of folding, the user would drag to a greater or lesser degree in the desired direction of folding. Once the desired direction and degree of folding is reached, the user would release the mouse button 310. The lens 410 is then locked with the selected fold until a further fold operation is performed.
Magnification of the lens 410 is provided by the magnify lens control element of the GUI. After the lens 410 is selected, the magnify control is presented to the user as a slide bar icon 440 near or adjacent to the lens 410 and typically to one side of the lens 410. Sliding the bar 441 of the slide bar 440 results in a proportional change in the magnification of the lens 410. The slide bar 440 not only informs the user that magnification of the lens 410 may be selected, but also provides the user with an indication as to what level of magnification is possible. The slide bar 440 includes a bar 441 that may be slid up and down, or left and right, to adjust and indicate the level of magnification. To control the level of magnification, the user would click on the bar 441 of the slide bar 440 and drag in the direction of desired magnification level. Once the desired level of magnification is reached, the user would release the mouse button 310. The lens 410 is then locked with the selected magnification until a further magnification operation is performed. In general, the focal region 420 is an area of the lens 410 having constant magnification (i.e., if the focal region is a plane). Again referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, magnification of the focal region 420, 233 varies inversely with the distance from the focal region 420, 233 to the reference view plane (RVP) 201. Magnification of areas lying in the shoulder region 430 of the lens 410 also varies inversely with their distance from the RVP 201. Thus, magnification of areas lying in the shoulder region 430 will range from unity at the base 412 to the level of magnification of the focal region 420.
Advantageously, a user may choose to hide one or more lens control icons 450, 412, 411, 421, 481, 482, 491, 492, 440, 495 shown in FIG. 4 from view so as not to impede the user's view of the image within the lens 410. This may be helpful, for example, during an editing or move operation. A user may select this option through means such as a menu, toolbar, or lens property dialog box.
In addition, the GUI 400 maintains a record of control element operations such that the user may restore pre-operation presentations. This record of operations may be accessed by or presented to the user through “Undo” and “Redo” icons 497,498, through a pull-down operation history menu (not shown), or through a toolbar.
Thus, detail-in-context data viewing techniques allow a user to view multiple levels of detail or resolution on one display 340. The appearance of the data display or presentation is that of one or more virtual lenses showing detail 233 within the context of a larger area view 210. Using multiple lenses in detail-in-context data presentations may be used to compare two regions-of-interest at the same time. Folding enhances this comparison by allowing the user to pull the regions-of-interest closer together. Moreover, using detail-in-context technology, a region-of-interest can be magnified to pixel level resolution, or to any level of detail available from the source information, for in-depth review. The digital images may include graphic images, maps, photographic images, or text documents, and the source information may be in raster, vector, or text form.
In operation, the data processing system 300 employs EPS techniques with an input device 310 and GUI 400 for selecting objects or regions-of-interest for detailed display to a user on a display screen 340. Data representing an original image or representation is received by the CPU 320 of the data processing system 300. Using EPS techniques, the CPU 320 processes the data in accordance with instructions received from the user via an input device 310 and GUI 400 to produce a detail-in-context presentation. The presentation is presented to the user on a display screen 340. It will be understood that the CPU 320 may apply a transformation to the shoulder region 430 surrounding the focal region 420 to affect blending or folding in accordance with EPS techniques. For example, the transformation may map the focal region 420 and/or shoulder region 430 to a predefined lens surface 230, defined by a transformation or distortion function and having a variety of shapes, using EPS techniques. Or, the lens 410 may be simply coextensive with the region-of-interest or focal region 420.
Advantageously, by using a detail-in-context lens 410 to select an object or region-of-interest for detailed information gathering, a user can view a large area (i.e., outside the extent of the lens 410) while focusing in on a smaller area (or within the focal region 420 of the lens 410) surrounding the selected object or region-of-interest. This makes it possible for a user to accurately gather detailed information without losing visibility or context of the portion of the original image surrounding the selected object or region-of-interest.
Now, the growth of the Internet and online map presentation technologies has resulted in broad availability of online and interactive presentation of maps and geographically relevant photographic images. Online geographic data presentations such as maps and images also present new opportunities for online advertising. According to one embodiment of the invention, a method and system for the presentation and sale of online advertisements is provided wherein the sale of advertisements has a geospatial and/or temporal basis. Embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, sale via an auction or bidding system of specific advertisement space for a predetermined region, wherein the presentation of the advertisement occurs when that region is later viewed by a user, and wherein the content of the advertisement is not necessarily semantically related to that region. Another aspect of the invention pertains to the use of detail-in-context “lenses”(described above) to define a user's geospatial area or region-of-interest such that a particular advertisement may be selected based on the advertiser having previously contracted to have the advertisement appear during the presentation of the area or region-of-interest.
FIG. 5 is a partial screen capture illustrating an online map and advertisement presentation 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 5, an advertiser pays to have an advertisement 510 appear when a user later views a region or area 520 (shown as hatched in FIG. 5) on a map 530. According to one embodiment, prior to the user seeing this presentation 500, persons or corporations (i.e., advertisers) wishing to purchase space for advertisement presentation purchase from an advertising host or vendor the right or service of having a specific advertisement 510 appear when a given geographic region (i.e., a region-of-interest) or area 520 on a map 530 is later viewed, either in whole or in part, by a user on the user's display screen 340. Then, when the user later views the area or region 520, the advertisement 510 is presented in the presentation 500. According to one embodiment, the advertisement 510 may appear in a separate advertisement view or window 540 as shown in FIG. 5. According to another embodiment, the advertisement 510 may be presented using a window, overlay, or transparency (not shown) over the map 530 in the map view or window 550. According to another embodiment, other means of advertisement presentation may be used.
According to one embodiment, the user is provided with the ability to view the map 530 using a detail-in-context lens 410 or an inset magnifier. In this embodiment, the advertisement 510 may be presented when the user moves the lens 410 or magnifier over any part of the specified area or region 520. According to one embodiment, the advertisement 510 may be presented in a separate viewing area, view, or window 540 adjacent to the map 530. According to another embodiment, the advertisement 510 may be presented adjacent to, or overlaid on, the lens 410 in the map view or window 550.
According to one embodiment, an advertising vendor or host may sell advertising services (e.g., 510) to one or more advertisers for one or more geographic areas or regions (e.g., 520). In this embodiment, a map such as a world map or country map (e.g., 530) may be subdivided into a grid 560 and advertising services may be sold for presenting advertisements (e.g., 510) with respect to each unit 561 of the grid 560. According to another embodiment, the advertising vendor may sell advertising services on the basis of coverage of a specific (or predetermined) geographic area such as a city, state, province, or country (e.g., Canada 570, the United States 571, etc.). According to another embodiment, the advertising services offered for sale may be sold on a temporal as well as a geographic basis. For example, an advertiser may purchase from the advertising vendor an advertising service providing for the display of a particular advertisement (e.g., 510) for a particular period of time (e.g., a prime Internet usage period, a weekday, a month, etc.). The advertising services would pertain to a particular geographic area or region (e.g., 520, 561, 570, 571) and appropriate advertisements (e.g., 510) would be presented when a user (i.e., a customer of the advertiser) views the particular geographic area or region (i.e., a region-of-interest to the user). When the user views the particular geographic area or region, the advertisement(s) 510 may be presented to the user either in a main map view or window 550 or when the extent 412 of a detail-in-context lens 410 or an inset magnifier presented to the user on the user's display screen 340 intersects (or is positioned over) that area or region 520, 561, 570, 571.
One of the business considerations with respect to the above is the pricing to be charged for the presentation of advertisements 510 associated with a particular area 520. For example, one would expect that a particular geographic region such as a major city or country (e.g., the United States 571) would have more frequent user traffic and hence would be of more value to advertisers than a remote region such as Antarctica. As such, according to one embodiment, advertising services may be sold on a per-view basis. According to another embodiment, advertising services may be sold through an auction process in which the right to have an advertisement appear when the user views a particular region is won by the highest bidder for that region. In this case, a per view price may also be charged after the right to present an advertisement is purchased via auction.
According to one embodiment, the displayed advertisement image 510 may change with scale. That is, if the scale of the map image 530 changes or is adjusted, a different advertisement image 510 may be presented (i.e., one with different content), with rights to regions at specific presentation scales having previously been sold to advertisers.
Thus, embodiments of the present invention, as described above, may be considered as methods for the sale of “virtual real estate” for advertising purposes, wherein the real estate of the globe (or a given portion of the globe) is subdivided (e.g., 560) and sold based on the presentation of specific advertisements (e.g., 510) when a predetermined geographic region (e.g., 520, 561) is viewed by a user in whole or in part in a main map view or window 550, or in a detail-in-context lens 410, or in an inset magnifier.
The above described method may be summarized with the aid of a flowchart. FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating operations 600 of modules 331 within the memory 330 of a data processing system 300 for generating a presentation 500 of an advertisement image 510 for display on a display screen 340, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
At step 601, the operations 600 start.
At step 602, a map image 530 is subdivided into a plurality of geographic regions (e.g., 560).
At step 603, the advertisement image 510 is associated with a region-of-interest (e.g., 520), the region-of-interest 520 being one of the plurality of geographic regions 560.
At step 604, a signal is received (e.g., by a user moving a lens 410, etc.) selecting the region-of-interest 520.
At step 605, applying a lens 410 to the map image 530 to produce the presentation 500, the lens 410 having a focal region 420 with a magnification for the region-of-interest 520 at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region 430 where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image 530, the presentation 500 including a view (e.g., 540) of the advertisement image 510.
At step 606, the operations 600 end.
The method may further include displaying the presentation 500 on the display screen 340. The lens 410 may be an inset magnifier having a focal region 420 but no shoulder region 430. The view of the advertisement image 510 may be a window 540 for the advertisement image. The window 540 for the advertisement image may be presented adjacent to a window 550 for the map image. The view of the advertisement image 510 may be presented over a portion of the map image. The portion of the map image may be adjacent to the lens 410. The view of the advertisement image 510 may be presented within the lens 410. The step of applying may include displacing the map image 530 onto the lens 410 to produce a displaced image and projecting the displaced image onto a plane 201 in a direction 231 aligned with a viewpoint 240 for the region-of-interest 520. The method may further include receiving one or more signals to adjust the focal region 420 through a graphical user interface (“GUI”) 400 having means for adjusting at least one of a size of the focal region 481, 482, a shape of the focal region 481, 482, and the magnification 440, 441. And, a scale of the map image 530 may be adjustable and content of the advertisement image 510 may change when the scale is adjusted.
In particular, the sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method described herein to be performed by the data processing system 300 can be contained in a data carrier product according to one embodiment of the invention. This data carrier product can be loaded into and run by the data processing system 300. In addition, the sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method described herein to be performed by the data processing system 300 can be contained in a computer software product according to one embodiment of the invention. This computer software product can be loaded into and run by the data processing system 300. Moreover, the sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method described herein to be performed by the data processing system 300 can be contained in an integrated circuit product (e.g., a hardware module or modules) which may include a coprocessor or memory according to one embodiment of the invention. This integrated circuit product can be installed in the data processing system 300.
applying a lens to the map image to produce the presentation, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image, the presentation including a view of the advertisement image.
2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising displaying the presentation on the display screen.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the lens is an inset magnifier having a focal region but no shoulder region.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the view of the advertisement image is a window for the advertisement image.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the window for the advertisement image is presented adjacent to a window for the map image.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the view of the advertisement image is presented over a portion of the map image.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the portion of the map image is adjacent to the lens.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the view of the advertisement image is presented within the lens.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the applying includes displacing the map image onto the lens to produce a displaced image and projecting the displaced image onto a plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.
10. The method of claim 1 and further comprising receiving one or more signals to adjust the focal region through a graphical user interface (“GUI”) having means for adjusting at least one of a size of the focal region, a shape of the focal region, and the magnification.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein a scale of the map image is adjustable and wherein content of the advertisement image changes when the scale is adjusted.
combining a first view of the map image and a second view of the advertisement to produce the presentation.
13. The method of claim 12 and further comprising displaying the presentation on the display screen.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first view is a first window for the map image and the second view is a second window for the advertisement image.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the second window for the advertisement image is presented adjacent to the first window for the map image.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein the second view of the advertisement image is presented over a portion of the map image in the first view.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the portion of the map image is adjacent to the region-of-interest.
18. The method of claim 12 wherein the second view of the advertisement image is presented within the region-of-interest.
19. The method of claim 12 and further comprising applying a lens to the map image to produce the second view, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the lens is an inset magnifier having a focal region but no shoulder region.
21. The method of claim 19 wherein the applying includes displacing the map image onto the lens to produce a displaced image and projecting the displaced image onto a plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.
22. The method of claim 19 and further comprising receiving one or more signals to adjust the focal region through a graphical user interface (“GUI”) having means for adjusting at least one of a size of the focal region, a shape of the focal region, and the magnification.
23. The method of claim 12 wherein a scale of the map image is adjustable and wherein content of the advertisement image changes when the scale is adjusted.
if the offer is acceptable, associating the advertisement image with the region-of-interest; wherein when the map image is presented on the display screen and when the region-of-interest is selected, the advertisement image is combined with the map image to produce a presentation for display on the display screen.
25. The method of claim 24 and further comprising establishing a price for the rights to associate the advertisement image with the region-of-interest.
26. The method of claim 25 and further comprising determining the price based on popularity of the region-of-interest.
27. The method of claim 26 and further comprising determining the popularity of the region-of-interest from a distance from a predetermined location in the map image.
28. The method of claim 27 where the predetermined location includes one or more of a city, a state, a country, and a continent.
29. The method of claim 25 and further comprising determining the price based on a time period when the presentation is to be displayed.
30. The method of claim 25 and further comprising determining the price based on a scale at which the presentation is to be displayed.
31. The method of claim 24 wherein the offer is received through an auction.
32. The method of claim 31 wherein the auction is an online auction.
33. The method of claim 24 wherein the presentation is displayed on the display screen.
34. The method of claim 24 wherein the presentation is produced by combining a first view of the map image and a second view of the advertisement.
35. The method of claim 34 wherein the first view is a first window for the map image and the second view is a second window for the advertisement image.
36. The method of claim 35 wherein the second window for the advertisement image is presented adjacent to the first window for the map image.
37. The method of claim 34 wherein the second view of the advertisement image is presented over a portion of the map image in the first view.
38. The method of claim 37 wherein the portion of the map image is adjacent to the region-of-interest.
39. The method of claim 34 wherein the second view of the advertisement image is presented within the region-of-interest.
40. The method of claim 34 wherein the second view is produced by applying a lens to the map image, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image.
41. The method of claim 40 wherein the lens is an inset magnifier having a focal region but no shoulder region.
42. The method of claim 40 wherein the applying includes displacing the map image onto the lens to produce a displaced image and projecting the displaced image onto a plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.
43. The method of claim 40 wherein the focal region is adjusted by receiving one or more signals to adjust the focal region through a graphical user interface (“GUI”) having means for adjusting at least one of a size of the focal region, a shape of the focal region, and the magnification.
44. The method of claim 24 wherein a scale of the map image is adjustable and wherein content of the advertisement image changes when the scale is adjusted. | 2019-04-22T15:42:22Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070165050A1/en |
Inappropriate cleaning and coating treatments are a major cause of damage to historic masonry buildings. While either or both treatments may be appropriate in some cases, they can be very destructive to historic masonry if they are not selected carefully.
Historic masonry, as considered here, includes stone, brick, architectural terra cotta, cast stone, concrete and concrete block. It is frequently cleaned because cleaning is equated with improvement. Cleaning may sometimes be followed by the application of a water-repellent coating. However, unless these procedures are carried out under the guidance and supervision of an architectural conservator, they may result in irrevocable damage to the historic resource.
The brief is intended to help develop sensitivity to the qualities of historic masonry that makes it so special, and to assist historic building owners and property managers in working cooperatively with architects, architectural conservators, and contractors. Although specifically intended for historic buildings, the information is applicable to all masonry buildings. This publication updates and expands Preservation Brief 1: The Cleaning and Waterproof Coating of Masonry Buildings. The brief is not meant to be a cleaning manual or a guide for preparing specifications. Rather, it provides general information to raise awareness of the many factors involved in selecting cleaning and water-repellent treatments for historic masonry buildings.
The hazy appearance of a portion of the brick is caused by a residue resulting from cleaning. This film occurred in spite of thorough rinsing. Test patches such as this should always be allowed to weather prior to continuing with the cleaning.
1) Reasons for cleaning. First, it is important to determine whether it is appropriate to clean the masonry. The objective of cleaning a historic masonry building must be considered carefully before arriving at a decision to clean. There are several major reasons for cleaning a historic masonry building: improve the appearance of the building by removing unattractive dirt or soiling materials, or non-historic paint from the masonry; retard deterioration by removing soiling materials that may be damaging the masonry; or provide a clean surface to accurately match repointing mortars or patching compounds, or to conduct a condition survey of the masonry.
2) Identify what is to be removed. The general nature and source of dirt or soiling material on a building must be identified to remove it in the gentlest means possible--that is, in the most effective, yet least harmful, manner. Soot and smoke, for example, require a different cleaning agent to remove than oil stains or metallic stains. Other common cleaning problems include biological growth such as mold or mildew, and organic matter such as the tendrils left on masonry after removal of ivy.
3) Consider the historic appearance of the building. If the proposed cleaning is to remove paint, it is important in each case to learn whether or not unpainted masonry is historically appropriate. And, it is necessary to consider why the building was painted. Was it to cover bad repointing or unmatched repairs? Was the building painted to protect soft brick or to conceal deteriorating stone? Or, was painted masonry simply a fashionable treatment in a particular historic period? Many buildings were painted at the time of construction or shortly thereafter; retention of the paint, therefore, may be more appropriate historically than removing it. And, if the building appears to have been painted for a long time, it is also important to think about whether the paint is part of the character of the historic building and if it has acquired significance over time.
4) Consider the practicalities of cleaning or paint removal. Some gypsum or sulfate crusts may have become integral with the stone and, if cleaning could result in removing some of the stone surface, it may be preferable not to clean. Even where unpainted masonry is appropriate, the retention of the paint may be more practical than removal in terms of long range preservation of the masonry. In some cases, however, removal of the paint may be desirable. For example, the old paint layers may have built up to such an extent that removal is necessary to ensure a sound surface to which the new paint will adhere.
5) Study the masonry. Although not always necessary, in some instances it can be beneficial to have the coating or paint type, color, and layering on the masonry researched before attempting its removal. Analysis of the nature of the soiling or of the paint to be removed from the masonry, as well as guidance on the appropriate cleaning method, may be provided by professional consultants, including architectural conservators, conservation scientists, and preservation architects. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), local historic district commissions, architectural review boards, and preservation-oriented websites may also be able to supply useful information on masonry cleaning techniques.
The decorative trim on this brick building is architectural terra-cotta intended to simulate the limestone foundation.
Any cleaning method should be tested before using it on historic masonry.
The construction of the building must be considered when developing a cleaning program because inappropriate cleaning can have a deleterious effect on the masonry as well as on other building materials. The masonry material or materials must be correctly identified. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish one type of stone from another; for example, certain sandstones can be easily confused with limestone. Or, what appears to be natural stone may not be stone at all, but cast stone or concrete. Historically, cast stone and architectural terra cotta were frequently used in combination with natural stone, especially for trim elements or on upper stories of a building where, from a distance, these substitute materials looked like real stone. Other features on historic buildings that appear to be stone, such as decorative cornices, entablatures and window hoods, may not even be masonry, but metal.
1) Identify prior treatments. Previous treatments of the building and its surroundings should be researched and building maintenance records should be obtained, if available. Sometimes if streaked or spotty areas do not seem to get cleaner following an initial cleaning, closer inspection and analysis may be warranted. The discoloration may turn out not to be dirt but the remnant of a water-repellent coating applied long ago which has darkened the surface of the masonry over time. Successful removal may require testing several cleaning agents to find something that will dissolve and remove the coating. Complete removal may not always be possible. Repairs may have been stained to match a dirty building, and cleaning may make these differences apparent. De-icing salts used near the building that have dissolved can migrate into the masonry. Cleaning may draw the salts to the surface, where they will appear as efflorescence (a powdery, white substance), which may require a second treatment to be removed. Allowances for dealing with such unknown factors, any of which can be a potential problem, should be included when investigating cleaning methods and materials. Just as more than one kind of masonry on a historic building may necessitate multiple cleaning approaches, unknown conditions that are encountered may also require additional cleaning treatments.
2) Choose the appropriate cleaner. The importance of testing cleaning methods and materials cannot be over emphasized. Applying the wrong cleaning agents to historic masonry can have disastrous results. Acidic cleaners can be extremely damaging to acid-sensitive stones, such as marble and limestone, resulting in etching and dissolution of these stones. Other kinds of masonry can also be damaged by incompatible cleaning agents, or even by cleaning agents that are usually compatible.
There are also numerous kinds of sandstone, each with a considerably different geological composition. While an acid-based cleaner may be safely used on some sandstones, others are acid-sensitive and can be severely etched or dissolved by an acid cleaner. Some sandstones contain water-soluble minerals and can be eroded by water cleaning. And, even if the stone type is correctly identified, stones, as well as some bricks, may contain unexpected impurities, such as iron particles, that may react negatively with a particular cleaning agent and result in staining. Thorough understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the masonry will help avoid the inadvertent selection of damaging cleaning agents.
Water: Water methods soften the dirt or soiling material and rinse the deposits from the masonry surface.
Chemical: Chemical cleaners react with dirt, soiling material or paint to effect their removal, after which the cleaning effluent is rinsed off the masonry surface with water.
Abrasive: Abrasive methods include blasting with grit, and the use of grinders and sanding discs, all of which mechanically remove the dirt, soiling material or paint (and, usually, some of the masonry surface). Abrasive cleaning is also often followed with a water rinse.
Laser cleaning, although not discussed here in detail, is another technique that is used sometimes by conservators to clean small areas of historic masonry. It can be quite effective for cleaning limited areas, but it is expensive and generally not practical for most historic masonry cleaning projects.
There are essentially four kinds of water-based methods: 1) soaking; 2) pressure water washing; 3) water washing supplemented with non-ionic detergent; and 4) steam, or hot-pressurized water cleaning. Once water cleaning has been completed, it is often necessary to follow up with a water rinse to wash off the loosened soiling material from the masonry.
Soaking. Prolonged spraying or misting with water is particularly effective for cleaning limestone and marble. It is also a good method for removing heavy accumulations of soot, sulfate crusts or gypsum crusts that tend to form in protected areas of a building not regularly washed by rain. Water is distributed to lengths of punctured hose or pipe with non-ferrous fittings hung from moveable scaffolding or a swing stage that continuously mists the surface of the masonry with a very fine spray. A timed on-off spray is another approach to using this cleaning technique. After one area has been cleaned, the apparatus is moved on to another. Soaking is often used in combination with water washing and is also followed by a final water rinse. Soaking is a very slow method--it may take several days or a week--but it is a very gentle method to use on historic masonry.
Low-to-medium-pressure steam (hot-pressurized water washing) is a gentle method of softening heavy soiling deposits and cleaning historic marble.
Water washing. Washing with low-pressure or medium-pressure water is probably one of the most commonly used methods for removing dirt or other pollutant soiling from historic masonry buildings. Starting with a very low pressure (100 psi or below), even using a garden hose, and progressing as needed to slightly higher pressure--generally no higher than 300-400 psi--is always the recommended way to begin. Scrubbing with natural bristle or synthetic bristle brushes--never metal which can abrade the surface and leave metal particles that can stain the masonry--can help in cleaning areas of the masonry that are especially dirty.
Water washing with detergents. Non-ionic detergents--which are not the same as soaps--are synthetic organic compounds that are especially effective in removing oily soil. (Examples of some of the numerous proprietary non-ionic detergents include Igepal by GAF, Tergitol by Union Carbide and Triton by Rohm & Haas.) Thus, the addition of a non-ionic detergent, or surfactant, to a low- or medium-pressure water wash can be a useful aid in the cleaning process. (A non-ionic detergent, unlike most household detergents, does not leave a solid, visible residue on the masonry.) Adding a non-ionic detergent and scrubbing with a natural bristle or synthetic bristle brush can facilitate cleaning textured or intricately carved masonry. This should be followed with a final water rinse.
Steam/hot-pressurized water cleaning. Steam cleaning is actually low-pressure hot water washing because the steam condenses almost immediately upon leaving the hose. This is a gentle and effective method for cleaning stone and particularly for acid-sensitive stones. Steam can be especially useful in removing built-up soiling deposits and dried-up plant materials, such as ivy disks and tendrils. It can also be an efficient means of cleaning carved stone details and, because it does not generate a lot of liquid water, it can sometimes be appropriate to use for cleaning interior masonry.
Potential hazards of water cleaning. Despite the fact that water-based methods are generally the most gentle, even they can be damaging to historic masonry. Before beginning a water cleaning project, it is important to make sure that all mortar joints are sound and that the building is watertight. Otherwise water can seep through the walls to the interior, resulting in rusting metal anchors and stained and ruined plaster.
Chemical cleaners, generally in the form of proprietary products, are another material frequently used to clean historic masonry. They can remove dirt, as well as paint and other coatings, metallic and plant stains, and graffiti. Chemical cleaners used to remove dirt and soiling include acids, alkalis and organic compounds. Acidic cleaners, of course, should not be used on masonry that is acid sensitive. Paint removers are alkaline, based on organic solvents or other chemicals.
More than one application of the cleaner may be necessary, and it is always a good practice to test the product manufacturers recommendations concerning dilution rates and dwell times. Because each cleaning situation is unique, dilution rates and dwell times can vary considerably. The masonry surface may be scrubbed lightly with natural or synthetic bristle brushes prior to rinsing. After rinsing, pH strips should be applied to the surface to ensure that the masonry has been neutralized completely.
Acidic cleaners. Acid-based cleaning products may be used on non-acid sensitive masonry, which generally includes: granite, most sandstones, slate, unglazed brick and unglazed architectural terra cotta, cast stone and concrete. Most commercial acidic cleaners are composed primarily of hydrofluoric acid, and often include some phosphoric acid to prevent rust-like stains from developing on the masonry after the cleaning. Acid cleaners are applied to the pre-wet masonry which should be kept wet while the acid is allowed to "work", and then removed with a water wash.
Alkaline cleaners. Alkaline cleaners should be used on acid-sensitive masonry, including: limestone, polished and unpolished marble, calcareous sandstone, glazed brick and glazed architectural terra cotta, and polished granite. (Alkaline cleaners may also be used sometimes on masonry materials that are not acid sensitive--after testing, of course--but they may not be as effective as they are on acid-sensitive masonry.) Alkaline cleaning products consist primarily of two ingredients: a non-ionic detergent or surfactant; and an alkali, such as potassium hydroxide or ammonium hydroxide. Like acidic cleaners, alkaline products are usually applied to pre-wet masonry, allowed to dwell, and then rinsed off with water. (Longer dwell times may be necessary with alkaline cleaners than with acidic cleaners.) Two additional steps are required to remove alkaline cleaners after the initial rinse. First the masonry is given a slightly acidic wash--often with acetic acid--to neutralize it, and then it is rinsed again with water.
Removing paint and some other coatings, stains and graffiti can best be accomplished with alkaline paint removers, organic solvent paint removers, or other cleaning compounds. The removal of layers of paint from a masonry surface usually involves applying the remover either by brush, roller or spraying, followed by a thorough water wash. As with any chemical cleaning, the manufacturers recommendations regarding application procedures should always be tested before beginning work.
Alkaline paint removers. These are usually of much the same composition as other alkaline cleaners, containing potassium or ammonium hydroxide, or trisodium phosphate. They are used to remove oil, latex and acrylic paints, and are effective for removing multiple layers of paint. Alkaline cleaners may also remove some acrylic water-repellent coatings. As with other alkaline cleaners, both an acidic neutralizing wash and a final water rinse are generally required following the use of alkaline paint removers.
Organic solvent paint removers. The formulation of organic solvent paint removers varies and may include a combination of solvents, including methylene chloride, methanol, acetone, xylene and toluene.
Other paint removers and cleaners. Other cleaning compounds that can be used to remove paint and some painted graffiti from historic masonry include paint removers based on N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), or on petroleum-based compounds. Removing stains, whether they are industrial (smoke, soot, grease or tar), metallic (iron or copper), or biological (plant and fungal) in origin, depends on carefully matching the type of remover to the type of stain. Successful removal of stains from historic masonry often requires the application of a number of different removers before the right one is found. The removal of layers of paint from a masonry surface is usually accomplished by applying the remover either by brush, roller or spraying, followed by a thorough water wash.
Potential hazards of chemical cleaning. Since most chemical cleaning methods involve water, they have many of the potential problems of plain water cleaning. Like water methods, they should not be used in cold weather because of the possibility of freezing. Chemical cleaning should never be undertaken in temperatures below 40 degrees F (4 degrees C), and generally not below 50 degrees F. In addition, many chemical cleaners simply do not work in cold temperatures. Both acidic and alkaline cleaners can be dangerous to cleaning operators, and clearly, there are environmental concerns associated with the use of chemical cleaners.
If not carefully chosen, chemical cleaners can react adversely with many types of masonry. Obviously, acidic cleaners should not be used on acid-sensitive materials; however, it is not always clear exactly what the composition is of any stone or other masonry material. For, this reason, testing the cleaner on an inconspicuous spot on the building is always necessary. While certain acid-based cleaners may be appropriate if used as directed on a particular type of masonry, if left too long or if not adequately rinsed from the masonry they can have a negative effect. For example, hydrofluoric acid can etch masonry leaving a hazy residue (whitish deposits of silica or calcium fluoride salts) on the surface. While this efflorescence may usually be removed by a second cleaning--although it is likely to be expensive and time-consuming--hydrofluoric acid can also leave calcium fluoride salts or a colloidal silica deposit on masonry which may be impossible to remove. Other acids, particularly hydrochloric (muriatic) acid, which is very powerful, should not be used on historic masonry, because it can dissolve lime-based mortar, damage brick and some stones, and leave chloride deposits on the masonry.
The iron stain on this granite post may be removed by applying a commercial rust-removal product in a poultice.
Graffiti and stains, which have penetrated into the masonry, often are best removed by using a poultice. A poultice consists of an absorbent material or clay powder (such as kaolin or fullers earth, or even shredded paper or paper towels), mixed with a liquid (a solvent or other remover) to form a paste which is applied to the stain. The poultice is kept moist and left on the stain as long as necessary for it to draw the stain out of the masonry. As it dries, the paste absorbs the staining material so that it is not re-deposited on the masonry surface.
Generally, abrasive cleaning methods are not appropriate for use on historic masonry buildings. Abrasive cleaning methods are just that--abrasive. Grit blasters, grinders, and sanding discs all operate by abrading the dirt or paint off the surface of the masonry, rather than reacting with the dirt and the masonry which is how water and chemical methods work. Since the abrasives do not differentiate between the dirt and the masonry, they can also remove the outer surface of the masonry at the same time, and result in permanently damaging the masonry. Brick, architectural terra cotta, soft stone, detailed carvings, and polished surfaces, are especially susceptible to physical and aesthetic damage by abrasive methods. Brick and architectural terra cotta are fired products which have a smooth, glazed surface which can be removed by abrasive blasting or grinding. Abrasively-cleaned masonry is damaged aesthetically as well as physically, and it has a rough surface which tends to hold dirt and the roughness will make future cleaning more difficult. Abrasive cleaning processes can also increase the likelihood of subsurface cracking of the masonry. Abrasion of carved details causes a rounding of sharp corners and other loss of delicate features, while abrasion of polished surfaces removes the polished finish of stone.
Sandblasting has permanently damaged this brick wall.
Abrasive Blasting. Blasting with abrasive grit or another abrasive material is the most frequently used abrasive method. Sandblasting is most commonly associated with abrasive cleaning. Finely ground silica or glass powder, glass beads, ground garnet, powdered walnut and other ground nut shells, grain hulls, aluminum oxide, plastic particles and even tiny pieces of sponge, are just a few of the other materials that have also been used for abrasive cleaning. Although abrasive blasting is not an appropriate method of cleaning historic masonry, it can be safely used to clean some materials. Finely-powdered walnut shells are commonly used for cleaning monumental bronze sculpture, and skilled conservators clean delicate museum objects and finely detailed, carved stone features with very small, micro-abrasive units using aluminum oxide.
A number of current approaches to abrasive blasting rely on materials that are not usually thought of as abrasive, and not as commonly associated with traditional abrasive grit cleaning. Some patented abrasive cleaning processes--one dry, one wet--use finely-ground glass powder intended to "erase" or remove dirt and surface soiling only, but not paint or stains. Cleaning with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is another patented process. Baking soda blasting is being used in some communities as a means of quick graffiti removal. However, it should not be used on historic masonry which it can easily abrade and can permanently "etch" the graffiti into the stone; it can also leave potentially damaging salts in the stone which cannot be removed. Most of these abrasive grits may be used either dry or wet, although dry grit tends to be used more frequently.
Grinders and Sanding Disks. Grinding the masonry surface with mechanical grinders and sanding disks is another means of abrasive cleaning that should not be used on historic masonry. Like abrasive blasting, grinders and disks do not really clean masonry but instead grind away and abrasively remove and, thus, damage the masonry surface itself rather than remove just the soiling material.
The iron anchor shown here originally was hidden from view. An increase in volume due to rusting created internal pressures on the stone and brick, causing spalling. Careful study of the building construction can result in the identification of these potential problem areas and they can be taken into consideration while planning a cleaning project.
Testing cleaning methods. In order to determine the gentlest means possible, several cleaning methods or materials may have to be tested prior to selecting the best one to use on the building. Testing should always begin with the gentlest and least invasive method proceeding gradually, if necessary, to more complicated methods, or a combination of methods. All too often simple methods, such as a low-pressure water wash, are not even considered, yet they frequently are effective, safe, and not expensive. Water of slightly higher pressure or with a non-ionic detergent additive also may be effective. It is worth repeating that these methods should always be tested prior to considering harsher methods; they are safer for the building and the environment, often safer for the applicator, and relatively inexpensive.
Environmental considerations. The potential effect of any method proposed for cleaning historic masonry should be evaluated carefully. Chemical cleaners and paint removers may damage trees, shrubs, grass, and plants. A plan must be provided for environmentally safe removal and disposal of the cleaning materials and the rinsing effluent before beginning the cleaning project. Authorities from the local regulatory agency--usually under the jurisdiction of the federal or state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--should be consulted prior to beginning a cleaning project, especially if it involves anything more than plain water washing. This advance planning will ensure that the cleaning effluent or run-off, which is the combination of the cleaning agent and the substance removed from the masonry, is handled and disposed of in an environmentally sound and legal manner. Some alkaline and acidic cleaners can be neutralized so that they can be safely discharged into storm sewers. However, most solvent-based cleaners cannot be neutralized and are categorized as pollutants, and must be disposed of by a licensed transport, storage and disposal facility. Thus, it is always advisable to consult with the appropriate agencies before starting to clean to ensure that the project progresses smoothly and is not interrupted by a stop-work order because a required permit was not obtained in advance.
The lower floors of this historic brick and architectural terra-cotta building have been covered during chemical cleaning to protect pedestrians and vehicular traffic from potentially harmful overspray.
Safety considerations. Possible health dangers of each method selected for the cleaning project must be considered before selecting a cleaning method to avoid harm to the cleaning applicators, and the necessary precautions must be taken. The precautions listed in Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that are provided with chemical products should always be followed. Protective clothing, respirators, hearing and face shields, and gloves must be provided to workers to be worn at all times. Acidic and alkaline chemical cleaners in both liquid and vapor forms can also cause serious injury to passers-by.
It may be necessary to schedule cleaning at night or weekends if the building is located in a busy urban area to reduce the potential danger of chemical overspray to pedestrians. Cleaning during non-business hours will allow HVAC systems to be turned off and vents to be covered to prevent dangerous chemical fumes from entering the building which will also ensure the safety of the buildings occupants. Abrasive and mechanical methods produce dust which can pose a serious health hazard, particularly if the abrasive or the masonry contains silica.
To begin with, it is important to understand that waterproof coatings and water-repellent coatings are not the same. Although these terms are frequently interchanged and commonly confused with one another, they are completely different materials. Water-repellent coatings -- often referred to incorrectly as "sealers," but which do not or should not "seal"-- are intended to keep liquid water from penetrating the surface but to allow water vapor to enter and leave, or pass through, the surface of the masonry. Water-repellent coatings are generally transparent, or clear, although once applied some may darken or discolor certain types of masonry while others may give it a glossy or shiny appearance. Waterproof coatings seal the surface from liquid water and from water vapor. They are usually opaque, or pigmented, and include bituminous coatings and some elastomeric paints and coatings.
This clear coating has failed and is pulling off pieces of the stone as it peels.
Water-repellent coatings are formulated to be vapor permeable, or "breathable." They do not seal the surface completely to water vapor so it can enter the masonry wall as well as leave the wall. While the first water-repellent coatings to be developed were primarily acrylic or silicone resins in organic solvents, now most water-repellent coatings are water-based and formulated from modified siloxanes, silanes and other alkoxysilanes, or metallic stearates. While some of these products are shipped from the factory ready to use, other water-borne water repellents must be diluted at the job site.
Unlike earlier water-repellent coatings which tended to form a "film" on the masonry surface, modern water-repellent coatings actually penetrate into the masonry substrate slightly and, generally, are almost invisible if properly applied to the masonry. They are also more vapor permeable than the old coatings, yet they still reduce the vapor permeability of the masonry. Once inside the wall, water vapor can condense at cold spots producing liquid water which, unlike water vapor, cannot escape through a water-repellent coating. The liquid water within the wall, whether from condensation, leaking gutters, or other sources, can cause considerable damage.
Improper cleaning methods may have been responsible for the formation of efflorescence on this brick.
Anti-graffiti or barrier coatings are another type of clear coating--although barrier coatings can also be pigmented--that may be applied to exterior masonry, but they are not formulated primarily as water repellents. The purpose of these coatings is to make it harder for graffiti to stick to a masonry surface and, thus, easier to clean. But, like water-repellent coatings, in most cases the application of anti-graffiti coatings is generally not recommended for historic masonry buildings. These coatings are often quite shiny which can greatly alter the appearance of a historic masonry surface, and they are not always effective. Generally, other ways of discouraging graffiti, such as improved lighting, can be more effective than a coating. However, the application of anti-graffiti coatings may be appropriate in some instances on vulnerable areas of historic masonry buildings which are frequent targets of graffiti that are located in out-of-the-way places where constant surveillance is not possible.
A well-planned cleaning project is an essential step in preserving, rehabilitating or restoring a historic masonry building. Proper cleaning methods and coating treatments, when determined necessary for the preservation of the masonry, can enhance the aesthetic character as well as the structural stability of a historic building.
Removing years of accumulated dirt, pollutant crusts, stains, graffiti or paint, if done with appropriate caution, can extend the life and longevity of the historic resource. Cleaning that is carelessly or insensitively prescribed or carried out by inexperienced workers can have the opposite of the intended effect. It may scar the masonry permanently, and may actually result in hastening deterioration by introducing harmful residual chemicals and salts into the masonry or causing surface loss. Using the wrong cleaning method or using the right method incorrectly, applying the wrong kind of coating or applying a coating that is not needed can result in serious damage, both physically and aesthetically, to a historic masonry building.
Cleaning a historic masonry building should always be done using the gentlest means possible that will clean, but not damage the building. It should always be taken into consideration before applying a water-repellent coating or a waterproof coating to a historic masonry building whether it is really necessary and whether it is in the best interest of preserving the building. | 2019-04-25T03:50:55Z | http://www.oldhouseweb.com/how-to-advice/assessing-cleaning-and-water-repellent-treatments-for-historic-masonry-buildings.shtml |
We are now in a position to study one of the pivotal doctrines of the Ancient Wisdom, the doctrine of reincarnation. Our view of it will be clearer and more in congruity with natural order, if we look at it as universal in principle, and then consider the special case of the reincarnation of the human soul.
In studying it, this special case is generally wrenched from its place in natural order, and is considered as a dislocated fragment, greatly to its detriment. For all evolution consists of an evolving life, passing from form to form as it evolves, and storing up in itself the experiences gained through the forms ; the reincarnation of the human soul is not the introduction of a new principle into evolution, but the adaptation of the universal principle to meet the conditions rendered necessary by the individualisation of the continuously evolving life.
"With the acceptance of the doctrine of evolution, old forms of thought crumbled ; new ideas everywhere arose to take the place of worn-out dogmas ; and we now have the spectacle of a general intellectual movement in directions strangely parallel with Oriental philosophy. The unprecedented rapidity and multiformity of scientific progress during the last fifty years could not have failed to provoke an equally unprecedented intellectual quickening among the non-scientific. "
"That the highest and most complex organisms have been developed from the lowest and simplest ; that a single physical basis of life is the substance of the whole living world ; that no line of separation can be drawn between the animal and vegetable ; that the difference between life and non-life is only a difference of degree, not of kind ; that matter is not less incomprehensible than mind, while both are but varying manifestations of one and the same unknown reality – these have already become the commonplaces of the new philosophy."
"After the first recognition even by theology of physical evolution, it was easy to predict that the recognition of psychical evolution could not be indefinitely delayed ; for the barrier erected by old dogma to keep men from looking backward had been broken down. And today for the student of scientific psychology the idea of pre-existence passes out of the realm of theory into the realm of fact, proving the Buddhist explanation of the universal mystery quite as plausible as any other."
"None but very hasty thinkers,’ wrote the late Professor Huxley, ‘will reject it on the ground of inherent absurdity. Like the doctrine of evolution itself, that of transmigration has its roots in the world of reality ; and it may claim such support as the great argument from analogy is capable of supplying." (Evolution and Ethics, p. 61, ed. 1894 – Kokoro, Hints and Echoes of Japanese Inner Life, by Lafcadio Hearn, pp. 237-39 london, 1896)."
Let us consider the Monad of form, Âtma-Buddhi. In this Monad, the outbreathed life of the LOGOS, lie hidden all the divine powers, but, as we have seen, they are latent, not manifest and functioning. They are to be gradually aroused by external impacts, it being of the very nature of life to vibrate in answer to vibrations that play upon it.
As all possibilities of vibrations exist in the Monad, any vibration touching it will arouse its corresponding vibratory powers, and in this way one force after another will pass from the latent to the active state. (From the static to the kinetic condition, the physicist would say.) Herein lies the secret of evolution ; the environment acts on the form of the living creature – and all things, be it remembered, live – and this action, transmitted through the enveloping form to the life, the Monad, within it, arouses responsive vibrations which thrill outwards from the Monad through the form, throwing its particles, in turn, into vibrations, and rearranging them into a shape corresponding, or adapted, to the initial impact.
This is the action and reaction between the environment and the organism, which have been recognised by all biologists, and which are considered by some as giving a sufficient mechanical explanation of evolution. Their patient and careful observation of these actions and reactions yields, however, no explanation why the organism should thus react to stimuli, and the Ancient Wisdom is needed to unveil the secret of evolution, by pointing to the Self in the heart of all forms, the hidden mainspring of all the movements of nature.
Having grasped this fundamental idea of a life containing the possibility of responding to every vibration that can reach it from the external universe, the actual response being gradually drawn forth by the play upon it of external forces, the next fundamental idea to be grasped is that of the continuity of life and forms.
Science groups these facts under the name of the law of heredity, and its observations on the transmission of form are worthy of attention, and are illuminative of the workings of Nature in the phenomenal world. But it must be remembered that it applies only to the building of the physical body, into which enter the materials provided by the parents.
Her more hidden workings, those workings of life without which form could not be, have received no attention, not being susceptible of physical observation, and this gap can only be filled by the teachings of the Ancient Wisdom, given by Those who of old used superphysical powers of observation, and verifiable gradually by every pupil who studies patiently in Their schools.
experiences obtained by its incasings in form ; for when the form perishes, the life has the record of those experiences in the increased energies aroused by them, and is ready to pour itself into the new forms derived from the old, carrying with it this accumulated store.
While it was in the previous form, it played through it, adapting it to express each newly awakened energy; the form hands on these adaptations, inwrought into its substance, to the separated part of itself that we speak of as its offspring, which, beings of its substance, must needs have the peculiarities of that substance; the life pours itself into that offspring with all its awakened powers, and moulds it yet further ; and so on and on.
Modern science is proving more and more clearly that heredity plays an ever-decreasing part in the evolution of the higher creatures, that mental and moral qualities are not transmitted from parents to offspring, and that the higher qualities the more patent is this fact ‘ the child of the genius is oft-times a dolt; commonplace parents give birth to a genius.
A continuing substratum there must be, in which mental and moral qualities inhere, in order that they may increase, else would Nature, in this most important department of her work, show erratic uncaused production instead of orderly continuity. On this science is dumb, but the Ancient Wisdom teaches that this continuing substratum is the Monad, which is the receptacle of all results, the storehouse in which all experiences are garnered as increasingly active powers.
These two principles firmly grasped – of the Monad with potentialities becoming powers, and of the continuity of the life form – we can proceed to the continuity of life and form – we can proceed to study their working out in detail, and we shall find that they solve many of the perplexing problems of modern science, as well as the yet more heart-searching problems confronted by the philanthropist and the sage.
Let us start by considering the monad as it is first subjected to the impacts from the formless levels of the mental plane, the very beginning of the evolution of form. Its first faint responsive thrillings draw round it some of the matter of that plane, and we have the gradual evolution of the first elemental kingdom, already mentioned. (See chapter IV, on "The Mental Plane").
Each of these types has its own colouring of characteristics, and this colouring persists throughout the aeonian cycle of its evolution, affecting all the series of living things that are animated by it. Now begins the process of subdivision in each of these types, that will be carried on, subdividing and ever subdividing, until the individual is reached.
The currents set up by the commencing outward-going energies of the Monad – to follow one line of evolution will suffice ; the other six are like unto it in principle – have but brief form-life, yet whatever experience can be gained through them is represented by an increasedly responsive life in the Monad who is their source and cause ; as this responsive life consists of vibrations that are often incongruous with each other, a tendency towards separation is set up within the Monad, the harmoniously vibrating forces grouping themselves together for, as it were, concerted action, until various sub-Monads, if the epithet may for a moment be allowed, are formed, alike in their main characteristics, but differing in details, like shades of the same colour.
These become, by impacts from the lower levels of the mental plane, the Monads of the second elemental kingdom, belonging to the form region of that plane, and the process continues, the Monad ever adding to its power to respond, each Monad being the inspiring life of countless forms, through which it receives vibrations, and, as the forms disintegrate, constantly vivifying new forms ; the process of subdivision also continues from the cause already described.
Each Monad thus continually incarnates itself in forms, and garners within itself as awakened powers all the results obtained through the forms it animates. We may well regard these Monads as the souls of groups of forms; and as evolution proceeds, these forms show more and more attributes, the attributes being the powers of the monadic group-soul manifested through the forms in which it is incarnated.
The innumerable sub-Monads of this second elemental kingdom presently reach a stage of evolution at which they begin to respond to the vibrations of astral matter, and they begin to act on the astral plane, becoming the Monads of the third elemental kingdom, and repeating in this grosser world all the processes already accomplished on the mental plane.
They become more and more numerous as monadic group-souls, showing more and more diversity in detail, the number of forms animated by each becoming less as the specialised characteristics become more and more marked.
Meanwhile, it may be said in passing, the ever-flowing stream of life from the LOGOS supplies new Monads of form on the higher levels, so that the evolution proceeds continuously, and as the more-evolved Monads incarnate in the lower worlds their place is taken by the newly emerged Monads in the higher.
By this ever-repeated process of the reincarnation of the Monads, or Monadic group-soul, in the astral world, their evolution proceeds, until they are ready to respond to the impacts upon them from physical matter. When we remember that the ultimate atoms of each plane have their sphere-walls composed of the coarsest matter of the plane immediately above it, it is easy to see how the Monads become responsive to impacts from one plane after another.
forms composed of the coarsest materials of the material plane, it would become susceptible to vibrations of astral atomic matter ; and, when incarnated in forms of the coarsest astral matter, it would similarly become responsive to atomic physical ether, the sphere-walls of which are constituted of the grossest astral materials.
and the specialisation has now reached a high degree. These Monadic group-souls are sometimes called in their totality the mineral Monad or the Monad incarnating in the mineral kingdom.
objects, with which every observer is familiar.
The monadic group-souls in the vegetable kingdom undergo division and subdivision with increasing rapidity, in consequence of the still greater variety of impacts to which they are subjected, the evolution of families, generations, and species being due to this invisible subdivision.
When any genus, with its generic monadic group-soul, is subjected to very varying conditions, i.e., when the forms connected with it receive very different impacts, a fresh tendency to subdivide is set up in the Monad, and various species are evolved, each having its own specific group-soul.
the sequence impresses itself by continual repetition, the recurrence of one leads to the dim expectation of its oft-repeated successor. Nature evolves no quality suddenly, and these are the first faint adumbrations of what will later be memory and anticipation.
others. It is the antithesis of the "acute.") It must be remembered that the Monad has drawn round itself materials of the planes through which it has descended, and hence is able to contact impacts, from those planes, the strongest and those most nearly allied to the grossest forms of matter being the first to make themselves felt.
the ensouling Monad – are another of the "pairs of opposites," the play of which arouses the recognition of difference, which is the root alike of all sensation, and later of all thought. Thus by their repeated plant-reincarnations the monadic group-souls in the vegetable kingdom evolve, until those that ensoul the highest members of the kingdom are ready for the next step.
This step carries them into the animal kingdom, and here they slowly evolve in their physical and astral vehicles a very distinct personality. The animal, being free to move about, subjects itself to a greater variety of conditions than can be experienced by the plant, rooted to a single spot, and this variety, as ever, promotes differentiation.
The monadic group-soul, however, which animates a number of wild animals of the same species or subspecies, while it receives a great variety of impacts, since they are for the most part repeated continually and are shared by all the members of the group, differentiates but slowly.
These impacts aid in the development of the physical and astral bodies, and through them the monadic group-soul gathers much experience. When the form of a member of the group perishes, the experience gathered through that form is accumulated in the monadic group-soul, and may be said to colour it ; the slightly increased life of the monadic group-soul, poured into all the forms which compose its group, shares among all the experiences of the perished form, and in this way continually repeated experiences, stored up in the monadic group-soul, appear as instincts, "accumulated hereditary experiences" in the new forms.
unprepared and only bewilders them.
As animals come under the influence of man, the monadic group-souls evolves with greatly increased rapidity, and, from causes similar to those which affect plants under domestication, subdivision of the incarnating life is more readily brought about. Personality evolves and becomes more and more strongly marked ; in the earlier stages it may almost be said to be compound – a whole flock of wild creatures will act as though moved by a single personality, so completely are the forms dominated by the common soul, it, in turn, being affected by the impulse from the external world.
Domesticated animals of the higher types, the elephants, the horse, the cat, the dog, show a more individualised personality – two dogs, for instance, may act very differently under the impact of the same circumstances. The monadic group-soul incarnates in a decreasing number of forms as it gradually approaches the point at which complete individualisation will be reached. The desire-body, or Kâmic vehicle, becomes considerably developed, and persists for some time after the death of the physical body, leading an independent existence in Kâmaloka. At last the decreasing number of forms animated by a monadic group-soul comes down to unity, and it animates a succession of single forms – a condition differing from human reincarnation only by the absence of Manas, with its causal and mental bodies.
The mental matter brought down by the monadic group-souls begins to be susceptible to impacts from the mental plane, and the animal is then ready to receive the third great outpouring of the life of the LOGOS – the tabernacle is ready for the reception of the human Monad.
The human Monad is, as we have seen, triple in its nature, its three aspects being denominated, respectively, the Spirit, the spiritual Soul, and the human Soul, Âtma-Buddhi-Manas. Doubtless, in the course of eons of evolution, the upwardly evolving Monad of form might have unfolded Manas by progressive growth, but both in the human race in the past, and in the animals of the present, such has not been the course of Nature.
When the house was ready the tenant was sent down ; from the higher planes of being the âtmic life descended, veiling itself in Buddhi, as a golden thread ; and its third aspect, Manas, showing itself in the higher levels of the formless world of the mental plane, germinal Manas within the form was fructified, and the embryonic causal body was formed by the union. This is the individualisation of the spirit, the incasing of it in form, and this spirit incased in the causal body is the soul, the individual, the real man. This is his birth hour; for though his essence be eternal, unborn and undying, his birth in time as an individual is definite.
Âtma-Buddhi-Manas, needed for the formation of the embryonic soul.
that received its infant souls in the way just described. As this race evolved, the human tabernacles improved, and myriads of souls that were awaiting the opportunity of incarnation, that they might continue their evolution, took birth among its children.
embryonic souls of the bulk of humanity, and the mature souls of the great Teachers.
These child-souls, by reason of their more evolved intelligence, formed the leading types of the ancient world, the classes higher in mentality, and therefore in the power of acquiring knowledge, that dominated the masses of less developed men in antiquity.
may in historic records, and we may find lofty intelligence and debased ignorance side by side, and the occult records, carrying us backwards, tell a similar story of the early millennia of humanity.
Nor should this distress us, as though some had been unduly favoured and others unduly burdened for the struggle of life. The loftiest soul had its childhood and its infancy, albeit in previous worlds, where other souls were as high above it as others are below it now ; the lowest soul shall climb to where our highest are standing, and souls yet unborn shall occupy its present place in evolution.
folly demands that all souls shall occupy the same stage of evolution at the same time, and cries "Unjust!" if the demand be not fulfilled.
human tabernacle, and the one that descended into that tabernacle, and whose lowest aspect was the human soul.
of our universe. The second ray, as it entered into the human tabernacle, blended with the first, merely adding to it fresh energy and brilliance, and the human Monad, as a unit, began its mighty task of unfolding the higher powers in man of that divine Life whence it came.
strong desire-nature had its will with the soul, whirling it along the road of its own passions and appetites, and dashing up against it all the furious waves of its own uncontrolled animality.
at all. And, in order to awaken this perception in the as yet unthinking soul, strong and violent contrasts had to strike upon it, so as to force differences upon it – blow after blow of riotous pleasure, blow after blow of crushing pain.
The external world hammered on the soul through the desire nature, till perceptions began to be slowly made, and, after countless repetitions, to be registered. The little gains made in each life were stored up by the Thinker, as we have already seen, and thus slow progress was made.
when two or more of these mental images were drawn together, and some inference, however elementary, was made from them. That inference was the beginning of reasoning, the germ of all the systems of logic which the intellect of man has since evolved or assimilated. These inferences would at first all be made in the service of the desire-nature, for the increasing of pleasure, the lessening of pain ; but each one would increase the activity of the mental body, and would stimulate it into more ready functioning.
evolution, which retains the soul in the lower stages after he has learned the lessons they have to teach, which tends to the mastery of the lower nature over the higher, and assimilates man to the brute he should be outgrowing instead of to the God he should be evolving.
or bitter, whether his delight was in harmony or in conflict with the law. Let us take an obvious example, the taking of pleasant food, and see how infant man might learn therefrom the presence of a natural law. At the first taking, his hunger was appeased, his taste was gratified, and only pleasure resulted from the experience, for his action was in harmony with law. On another occasion, desiring to increase pleasure, he ate overmuch and suffered in consequence, for he transgressed against the law. A confusing experience to the dawning intelligence, how the pleasurable became painful by excess.
Over and over again he would be led by desire into excess, and each time he would experience the painful consequences, until at last he learned moderation, i.e., he learned to conform his bodily acts in this respect to physical law; for he found that there were conditions which affected him and which he could not control, and that only by observing them could physical happiness be insured.
I have said that the growth in these early days was very slow, for there was but the dawning of mental action, and when the man left his physical body at death he passed most of his time in Kâmaloka, sleeping through a brief devachanic period of unconscious assimilation of any minute mental experience not yet sufficiently developed for the active heavenly life that lay before him after many days.
would be the accumulation of physical experiences, shown as racial and family characteristics without the continuity of physical plasm.
Souls without a past behind them, springing suddenly into existence, out of nothing, with marked mental and moral peculiarities, are a conception as monstrous as would be the corresponding conception of babies suddenly appearing from nowhere, unrelated to anybody, but showing marked racial and family types.
Neither man nor his physical vehicle is uncaused, or caused by the direct power of the LOGOS ; here, as in so many other cases, the invisible things are clearly seen by their analogy with the visible, the visible being, in very truth, nothing more than the images, the reflections, of things unseen.
Without a continuity in the physical plasm, there would be no means for the evolution of physical peculiarities ; without the continuity of the intelligence, there would be no means for the evolution of mental and moral qualities. In both cases, without continuity, evolution would be stopped at its first stage, and the world would be a chaos of infinite and isolated beginnings instead of a cosmos continually becoming.
We must not omit to notice that in these early days much variety is caused in the type and in the nature of individual progress by the environment which surrounds the individual. Ultimately all the souls have to develop all their powers, but the order in which these powers are developed depends on the circumstances amid which the soul is placed. Climate, the fertility or sterility of nature, the life of the mountain or of the plain, of the inland forest or the ocean shore – these things and countless others will call into activity one set or another of the awakening mental energies.
"contemplative" powers of the soul, the active outward-going energies, or the quiet inward-turned musing faculties. The perfected soul possesses all, but the soul in the making must develop them successively, and thus arises another cause of the immense variety found among human beings.
For again, it must be remembered that human evolution is individual. In a group informed by a single monadic group-soul the same instincts will be found in all, for the receptacle of the experiences is that monadic group-soul, and it pours its life into all forms dependent upon it.
But each man has his own physical vehicle and one only at a time, and the receptacle of all experiences is the causal body, which pours its life into its one physical vehicle, and can affect no other physical vehicle, being connected with none other. Hence we find differences separating individual men greater, than the ever separated, closely allied animals, and hence also the evolution of qualities cannot be studied in men in the mass, but only in the continuing individual. The lack of power to make such a study leaves science unable to explain why some men tower above their fellows, intellectual and moral giants, unable to trace the intellectual evolution of a Shankarâchârya or a Pythagoras, the moral evolution of a Buddha or of a Christ.
Let us now consider the factors in reincarnation, as a clear understanding of these is necessary for the explanation of some of the difficulties – such as the alleged loss of memory – which are felt by those unfamiliar with the idea. We have seen that man, during his passage through physical death, Kâmaloka and Devachan, loses one after the other, his various bodies, the physical, the astral, and the mental. These are all disintegrated, and their particles remix with the materials of their several planes. The connection of the man with the physical vehicle is entirely broken off and done with ; but the astral and mental bodies hand on to the man himself, to the Thinker, the germs of the faculties and qualities resulting from the activities of the earth-life, and these are stored within the causal body, the seeds of his next astral and mental bodies.
At this stage, then, only the man himself is left, the labourer who has brought his harvest home, and has lived upon it till it is all worked up into himself. The dawn of a new life begins, and he must go forth again to his labour until the even.
The new life begins by the vivifying of the mental germs, and they draw upon the materials of the lower mental levels, till a mental body has grown up from them that represents exactly the mental stage of the man, expressing all his mental faculties as organs ; the experiences of the past do not exist as mental images in this new body; as mental images they perished when the old mind-body perished, and only their essence, their effects on faculty, remain ; they were the food of the mind, the materials which it wove into powers, and in the new body they reappear as powers, they determine its materials, and they form its organs. When the man, the Thinker, has thus clothed himself with a new body for his coming life on the lower mental levels, he proceeds, by vivifying the astral germs, to provide himself with an astral body for his life on the astral plane.
This, again, exactly represents his desire-nature, faithfully reproducing the qualities he evolved in the past, as the seed reproduces its parent tree. Thus the man stands, fully equipped for his next incarnation, the only memory of these events of his past being in the causal body, in his own enduring form, the one body that passes on from life to life.
Meanwhile, action external to himself is being taken to provide him with a physical body suitable for the expression of his qualities. In past lives he has made ties with, contracted liabilities towards, other human beings, and some of these will partly determine his place of birth and his family. – ( This and the following causes determining the outward circumstances of the new life will be fully explained in Chapter IX, on "Karma".) He has been a source of happiness or of unhappiness to others ; this is a factor in determining the conditions of his coming life. His desire-nature is well disciplined, or unregulated and riotous ; this will be taken into account in the physical heredity of the new body. He has cultivated certain mental powers, such as the artistic ; this must be considered, as here again physical heredity is an important factor where delicacy of nervous organisation and tactile sensibility are required.
And so on, in endless variety. The man may, certainly will, have in him many incongruous characteristics, so that only some can find expression in any one body that could be provided, and a group of his powers suitable for simultaneous expression must be selected. All this is done by certain mighty spiritual Intelligences,( Spoken of by H.P.Blavatsky in the Secret Doctrine. They are the Lipika, the Keepers of the kârmic records, and the Mahârâjas, who direct the practical working out of the decrees of the Lipika.) - often spoken of as the Lords of Karma, because it is their function to superintend the working out of causes continually set going by thoughts, desires, and actions. They hold the threads of destiny which each man has woven, and guide the reincarnating man to the environment determined by his past, unconsciously self-chosen through his past life.
The race, the nation, the family, being thus determined, what may be called the mould of the physical body – suitable for the expression of the man’s qualities, and for the working out of the causes he has set going – is given by these great Ones, and the new etheric double, a copy of this, is built within the mother’s womb by the agency of an elemental, the thought of the Karmic Lords being its motive power.
The dense body is built into the etheric double molecule by molecule, following it exactly, and here physical heredity has full sway in the materials provided.
Further, the thoughts and passions of surrounding people, especially of the continually present father and mother, influence the building elemental in its work, the individuals with whom the incarnating man had formed ties in the past thus affecting the physical conditions growing up for his new life on earth.
At a very early stage the new astral body comes into connection with the new etheric double, and exercises considerable influence over its formation, and through it the mental body works upon the nervous organisation, preparing it to become a suitable instrument for its own expression in the future. This influence commenced in ante natal life – so that when a child is born its brain-formation reveals the extent and balance of its mental and moral qualities – is continued after birth, and this building of brain and nerves, and their correlation to the astral and mental bodies, go on till the seventh year of childhood, at which age the connection between the man and his physical vehicle is complete, and he may be said to work through it henceforth more than upon it.
the astral world. These phenomena generally vanish as the Thinker begins to work effectively through the physical vehicle, and the dreamy child becomes the commonplace boy or girl, oftentimes much to the relief of the bewildered parents, ignorant of the cause of their child’s "queerness."
Most children have at least a touch of this "queerness," but they quickly learn to hide away their fancies and visions from their unsympathetic elders, fearful of blame for "telling stories," or of what the child dreads far more – ridicule.
achievement, they would be more patient with, more responsive to, the confused prattlings of the little ones, trying to translate into the difficult medium of unaccustomed words the elusive touches of which they are conscious, and which they try to catch and retain. Reincarnation, believed in and understood, would relieve child life of its most pathetic aspect, the unaided struggle of the soul to gain control over its new vehicles, and to connect itself fully with its densest body without losing power to impress the rarer ones in a way that would enable them to convey to the denser their own more subtle vibrations.
minds the clearest conviction of the truth of reincarnation.
associated with pleasure, when those objects are not present, the germs of memory and of mental initiative thus making their appearance. This first rough division of the external world is followed by the more complex idea of the bearing of quantity on pleasure and pain, already referred to.
and his actions are guided from outside, by the impacts that reach him from the external world, or at furthest by the promptings of his appetites and passions, craving gratification. He will throw away anything for an immediate satisfaction, however necessary the thing may be for his future well being; the need of the moment overpowers every other consideration. Of human souls in thisembryonic condition, numerous examples can be found in books of travel, and the necessity for many lives will be impressed on the mind of any one who studies the mental condition of the least evolved savages, and compares it with the mental condition of even average humanity among ourselves.
Needless to say that the moral capacity is no more evolved than the mental; the idea of good and evil has not yet been conceived. Not is it possible to convey to the quite undeveloped mind even elementary notion of either good or bad. Good and pleasant are to it interchangeable terms, as in the well-known case of the Australian savage mentioned by Charles Darwin. Pressed by hunger, the man speared the nearest living creature that could serve as food, and this happened to be his wife; a European remonstrated with him on the wickedness of his deed, but failed to make any impression; for from the reproach that to eat his wife was very, very bad he only deduced the inference that the stranger thought she had proved nasty of indigestible, and he put him right by smiling peacefully as he patted himself after his meal, and declaring in a satisfied way, "She is very good."
Measure in thought the moral distance between that man and St. Francis of Assisi, and it will be seen that there must either be evolution of souls as there is evolution of bodies, or else in the realm of the soul there must be constant miracle, dislocated creations.
There are two paths along either of which man may gradually emerge from this embryonic mental condition. He may be directly ruled and controlled by men far more evolved than himself, or he may be left slowly to grow unaided. The latter case would imply the passage of uncounted millennia, for, without example and without discipline, left to the changing impacts of external objects, and to friction with other men as undeveloped as himself, the inner energies could be but very slowly aroused.
As a matter of fact, man has evolved by the road of direct precept and example and of enforced discipline. We have already seen that when the bulk of the average humanity received the spark which brought the Thinker into being, there were some of the greater Sons if Mind who incarnated as Teachers, and that there was also a long succession of lesser Sons of Mind, at various stages of evolution, who came into incarnation as the crest-wave of the advancing tide of humanity.
These ruled the less evolved, under the beneficent sway of the great Teachers, and the compelled obedience to elementary rules of right living – very elementary at first, in truth – much hastened the development of mental and moral faculties in the embryonic souls. Apart from all other records the gigantic remains of civilizations that have long since disappeared – evidencing great engineering skill, and intellectual conceptions far beyond anything possible by the mass of the then infant humanity – suffice to prove that there were present on earth men with minds that were capable of greatly planning and greatly executing.
again to follow the vehement promptings of desire, when he found, over and over again, that the gratification demanded was associated in his mind with the subsequent happening of suffering.
mind grew more active by the conflict, and was stirred into livelier functioning. The conflict, in fact, marked the transition to the second great stage.
hither and thither; in the middle of his evolution, desire and will are in continual conflict, and victory lies sometimes with the one, sometimes with the other; at the end of his evolution desire has died, and will rules with unopposed, unchallenged sway.
Until the Thinker, is sufficiently developed to see directly, will is guided by him through the reason; and as the reason can draw its conclusions only from its stock of mental images – its experiences – and that stock is limited, the will constantly commands mistaken actions. The suffering which flows from these mistaken actions increases the stock of mental images, and thus gives the reason an increased store from which to draw its conclusions. Thus progress is made and wisdom is born.
the lower mind are in full course of evolution, conflict is the normal condition, conflict between the rule of sensations and the rule of reason.
from countless wills, each one left free to determine its own course.
all the results of his choice, be they delightful or grievous. Presently he will freely reject the objects whose possession ultimately causes him pain; he will no longer desire them when he has experienced to the full that their possession ends in sorrow.
Let him struggle to hold the pleasure and avoid the pain, he will none the less be ground between the stones of law, and the lesson will be repeated any number of times found necessary; reincarnation offers us many lives as are needed by the most sluggish learner. Slowly desire for an object that brings suffering in its train will die, and when the thing offers itself in all its attractive glamour it will be rejected, not by compulsion but by free choice.
It is no longer desirable, it has lost its power. Thus with thing after thing; choice more and more runs in harmony with law. "There are many roads of error; the road of truth is one"; when all the paths of error have been trodden, when all have been found to end in suffering, the choice to walk in the way of truth is unswerving, because based on knowledge. The lower kingdoms work harmoniously, compelled by law; man’s kingdom is a chaos of conflicting wills, fighting against, rebelling against law; presently there evolves from it a nobler unity, a harmonious choice of voluntary obedience, an obedience that, being voluntary, based on knowledge and on memory of the results of disobedience, is stable and can be drawn aside by no temptation. Ignorant, inexperienced, man would always have been in danger of falling; as a God, knowing good and evil by experience, his choice of the good is raised forever beyond possibility of change.
Will in the domain of morality is generally entitled conscience, and it is subject to the same difficulties in this domain as in its other activities. So long as actions are in question which have been done over and over again, of which the consequences are familiar either to the reason or to the Thinker himself, the conscience speaks quickly and firmly. But when unfamiliar problems arise as to the working out of which experience is silent, conscience cannot speak with certainty; it has but a hesitating answer from the reason, which can draw only a doubtful inference, and the Thinker cannot speak if his experience does not include the circumstances that have now arisen.
Hence conscience often decides wrongly; that is, the will, failing clear direction from either the reason or the intuition, guides action amiss. Nor can we leave out of consideration the influences which play upon the mind from without, from the thought-forms of others, of friends, of the family, of the community, of the nation. (Chapter 11, "The Astral Plane.") These all surround and penetrate the mind with their own atmosphere, distorting the appearance of everything, and throwing all things our of proportion. Thus influenced, the reason often does not even judge calmly from its own experience, but draws false conclusions as it studies its materials through a distorting medium.
The evolution of moral faculties is very largely stimulated by the affections, animal and selfish as these are during the infancy of the Thinker. The laws of morality are laid down by the enlightened reason, discerning the laws by which Nature moves, and bringing human conduct into consonance with the Divine Will.
But the impulse to obey these laws, when no outer force compels, has its roots in love, in that hidden divinity in man which seeks to pour itself out to give itself to others. Morality begins in the infant Thinker when he is first moved by love to wife, to child, to friend, to do some action that serves the loved one without any thought of gain to himself thereby. It is the first conquest over the lower nature, the complete subjugation of which is the achievement of moral perfection.
purify than to create love, and this is why "the sinners" have been said by great Teachers to be nearer to the kingdom of heaven than the Pharisees and Scribes.
The third great stage of consciousness sees the development of the higher intellectual powers; the mind no longer dwells entirely on mental images obtained from sensations, no longer reasons on purely concrete objects, nor is concerned with the attributes which differentiate one from another. The Thinker having learned clearly to discriminate between objects by dwelling upon their unlikenesses, now begins to group them together by some attribute which appears in a number of objects otherwise dissimilar and makes a link between them.
He draws out, abstracts, his common attribute, and sets all objects that posses it, apart from the rest which are without it; and in this way he evolves the power of recognising identity amid diversity, a step toward the much later recognition of the One underlying the man, he thus classifies all that is around him, developing the synthetic faculty, and learning to construct as well as analyse. Presently he takes another step, and conceives of the common property as an idea, apart from all the objects in which it appears, and thus constructs a higher kind of mental image of a concrete object – the image of an idea that has no phenomenal existence in the worlds of form, but which exists on the higher levels of the mental plane, and affords material on which the Thinker himself can work.
The lower mind reaches the abstract idea by reason, and in thus doing accomplishes its loftiest flight, touching the threshold of the formless world, and dimly seeing that which lies beyond. The Thinker sees these ideas, and lives among them habitually, and when the power of abstract reasoning is developed and exercised the Thinker is becoming effective in his own world, and is beginning his life of active functioning in his own sphere.
Such men care little for the life of the senses, care little for external observation, or for mental application to images of external objects; their powers are indrawn, and no longer rush outwards in the search for satisfaction.
They dwell calmly within themselves, engrossed with the problems of philosophy, with the deepest aspects of life and thought, seeking to understand causes rather than troubling themselves with effects, and approaching nearer and nearer to the recognition of the One that underlies all the diversities of external Nature.
In the fourth stage of consciousness that One is seen, and with the transcending the barrier set up by the intellect the consciousness spreads out to embrace the world, seeing all things in itself and as parts of itself, and seeing itself as a ray of the LOGOS, and therefore as one with Him. Where is then the Thinker?
He has become Consciousness, and, while the spiritual Soul can at will use any of his lower vehicles, he is no longer limited to their use, nor needs them for this full and conscious life. Then is compulsory reincarnation over and the man has destroyed death; he has verily achieved immortality. Then has he become "a pillar in the temple of God and shall go out no more."
To complete this part of our study, we need to understand the successive quickenings of the vehicles of consciousness, the bringing them one by one into activity as the harmonious instruments of the human Soul.
physical body, all impacts from the outer world may reach him.
dense physical body, is the first one to be brought into harmonious working order; the brain and the nervous system have to be elaborated and to be rendered delicately responsive to every thrill which is within their gamut of vibratory power. In the early stages, while the physical dense body is composed of the grosser kinds of matter, this gamut is extremely limited, and the physical organ of the mind can respond only to the slowest vibrations sent down.
It answers far more promptly, as is natural, to the impacts from the external world caused by objects similar in materials to itself. Its quickening as a vehicle of consciousness consists in its being made responsive to the vibrations that are initiated from within, and the rapidity of this quickening depends on the co-operation of the lower nature with the higher, its loyal subordination of itself in the service of its inner ruler.
When after many, many life-periods, it dawns upon the lower nature that it exists for the sake of the soul, that all its value depends on the help it can bring to the soul, that it can win immortality only by merging itself in the soul, then its evolution proceeds in giant strides. Before this, the evolution has been unconscious; at first, the gratification of the lower nature was the object of life, and, while this was a necessary preliminary for calling out the energies of the Thinker, it did nothing directly to render the body a vehicle of consciousness; the direct working upon it begins when the life of the man establishes its centre in the mental body, and when thought commences to dominate sensation.
spoken of above, has come, then active co-operation in performing this function sets in. The personality begins deliberately to discipline itself, and to set the permanent interests of the immortal individual above its own transient gratifications.
from throwing up its own useless disjointed images, made by past impressions.
capable of responding to them, and the physical body thus becomes more and more entirely a vehicle of consciousness, delicately responsive to all the thrills of thought and keenly sensitive to the vibrations sent outwards by the Thinker.
within. It function in truth is not to serve as a vehicle of mental-consciousness, but as a vehicle of Prâna, of specialised life-force, and its dislocation from the denser particles to which it conveys the life-currents is therefore disturbing and mischievous.
the objects which give rise to those impressions.
vehicle of consciousness comes completely under his control, and life on the astral plane is as natural and as familiar as life on the physical.
The third vehicle of consciousness, the mental body, is rarely, if ever, vivified for independent action without the direct instruction of a teacher, and its functioning belongs to the life of the disciple at the present stage of human evolution. (See Chapter XI, "Man’s Ascent"). As we have already seen, it is rearranged for separate functioning (See Chapter IV, "The Mental Plane"), on the mental plane, and here again experience and training are needed ere it comes fully under its owner’s control. A fact – common to all these three vehicles of consciousness, but more apt to mislead perhaps in the subtler than in the denser, because it is generally forgotten in their case, while it is so obvious that it is remembered in the denser – is that they are subject to evolution, and that with their higher evolution their powers to receive and to respond to vibrations increase.
How many more shades of a colour are seen by a trained eye than by an untrained. How many overtones are heard by a trained ear, where the untrained hears only the single fundamental note. As the physical senses grow more keen the world becomes fuller and fuller, and where the peasant is conscious only his furrow and his plough, the cultured mind is conscious of hedgerow flower and quivering aspen, of rapturous melody down-dropping from the skylark and the whirring of tiny wings through the adjoining wood, of the scudding of rabbits under the curled fronds of the bracken, and the squirrels playing with each other through the branches of the beeches, of all the gracious movements of wild things, of all the fragrant odours of filed and woodland, of all the changing glories of the cloud-flecked sky, and of all the chasing lights and shadows on the hills. Both the peasant and the cultured have eyes, both have brains, but of what differing powers of observation, of what differing powers to receive impressions.
Thus also in other worlds. As the as the astral and mental bodies begin to function as separate vehicles of consciousness, they are in, as it were, the peasant stage of receptivity, and only fragments of the astral and mental worlds, with their strange and elusive phenomena, make their way into consciousness; but they evolve rapidly, embracing more and more, and conveying to consciousness a more and more accurate reflection of its environment. Here, as everywhere else, we have to remember that our knowledge is not the limit of Nature’s powers, and that in the astral and mental worlds, as in the physical, we are still children, picking up a few shells cast up by the waves, while the treasures hid in the ocean are still unexplored.
memory of his own past and can trace his growth through the long succession of his incarnate and excarnate lives, but he can also roam at will through the storied past of the earth, and learn the weighty lessons of world-experience, studying the hidden laws that guide evolution and the deep secrets of life hidden in the bosom of Nature.
compassionate, but no longer wrung with helpless pain. Strength and calm and wisdom come to those who are using the causal body as a vehicle of consciousness, and who behold with opened eyes the glory of the Good law.
When the buddhic body is quickened as a vehicle of consciousness the man enters into the bliss of non-separateness, and knows in full and vivid realisation his unity with all that is.
As the predominant element of consciousness in the causal body is knowledge, and ultimately wisdom, so the predominant element of consciousness in the buddhic body is bliss and love.
The serenity of wisdom chiefly marks the one, while the tenderest compassion streams forth inexhaustibly from the other; when to these is added the godlike and unruffled strength that marks the functioning of Âtma, then humanity is crowned with divinity, and the God-man is manifest in all the plenitude of his power, of his wisdom, of his love.
discipleship is reached, ( See Chapter XI, "Man’s Ascent"), and then the duties to be discharged depend on the needs of the time.
planes, as much of his work can be accomplished only in them; but the conveying of knowledge of that work to the physical vehicle, which is in no way concerned in it, is a matter of no importance and the conveyance or non-conveyance is generally determined by the effect that the one course or the other would have on the efficiency of his work on the physical plane.
The strain on the physical body when the higher consciousness compels it to vibrate responsively is very great, at the present stage of evolution, and unless the external circumstances are very favourable this strain is apt to cause nervous disturbance, hyper-sensitiveness with its attendant evils.
preserving the sensitive physical vehicle from the rough usage and clamour of ordinary life.
turmoil and vicissitudes of external life ; the habit of quiet meditation on lofty topics, turning the mind away from the objects of the senses, and from the mental images arising from them, and fixing it on higher things ; the cessation of hurry, especially of that restless, excitable hurry of the mind, which keeps the brain continually at work and flying from one subject to another ; the genuine love for the things of the higher world, that makes them more attractive than the objects of the lower, so that the mind rests contentedly in their companionship as in that of a well-loved friend.
sympathy, helpfulness to others, with indifference to troubles and pleasures affecting himself, and he must cultivate courage, steadfastness, and devotion.
devotion; this concentration means the firm fixing of the mind on one single point, without wandering, and without yielding to any distraction caused by external objects, by the activity of the senses, or by that of the mind itself.
It must be braced up to an unswerving steadiness and fixity, until gradually it will learn so to withdraw its attention form the outer world and from the body that the senses will remain quiet and still, while the mind is intensely alive with all its energies drawn inwards to be launched at a single point of thought, the highest to which it can attain.
gross body ‘in a body of light’ which obeys his slightest thought and serves as a beautiful and perfect instrument for carrying out his will. In this he is free of the subtle worlds, but will need to train his faculties long and carefully for reliable work under the new conditions.
"Freedom from the body may be obtained in other ways; by the rapt intensity of devotion or by special methods that may be imparted by a great teacher to his disciple.
Those who have grasped the main ideas sketched in the foregoing pages will feel that these ideas are in themselves the strongest proof that reincarnation is a fact in nature. It is necessary in order that the vast evolution implied in the phrase, " the evolution of the soul," may be accomplished. The only alternative – putting aside for the moment the materialistic idea that the soul is only the aggregate of the vibrations of a particular kind of physical matter – is that each soul is a new creation, made when a babe is born, and stamped with virtuous or with vicious tendencies, endowed with ability or with stupidity, by the arbitrary whim of the creative power.
circumstances environing him and the character stamped upon him.
mercy – a veritable pandemonium, irrational and unmeaning.
And this chaos is supposed to be the higher part of the cosmos, in the lower regions of which are manifested all the orderly and beautiful workings of a law that ever evolves higher and more complex form from the lower and the simpler, that obviously "makes for righteousness," for harmony and for beauty.
said for the contention that further worlds are needed for the evolution of souls beyond the infant stage.
also for advanced souls, should be paid only one flying visit by souls at every stage of development, all the rest of their evolution being carried on in worlds similar to this, equally able to afford all the conditions needed to evolve the souls of different stages of evolution, as we find them to be when they are born here.
each plays its own part as a field for certain stages of evolution.
learned and mastered the lessons of our own world has to teach.
reincarnation of men – all of whom belong to a single species – from the reincarnation of monadic group-souls in the lower kingdoms.
capacities. Savages are often splendid in physical development and with large cranial contents, but how different their minds from that of a philosopher or saint!
If high mental and moral qualities are regarded as the accumulated results of civilised living, then we are confronted with the fact that the ablest men of the present are over-topped by the intellectual giants of the past, and that none of our own day reaches the moral altitude of some historical saints.
Further, we have to consider that genius has neither parent nor child; that it appears suddenly and not as the apex of a gradually improving family, and is itself generally sterile, or, if a child be born to it, it is a child of the body, not of the mind.
Still more significantly, a musical genius is for the most part born in a musical family, because that form of genius needs for its manifestation a nervous organisation of a peculiar kind, and nervous organisation falls under the law of heredity. But how often in such a family its object seems over when it has provided a body for a genius, and it then flickers out and vanishes in a few generations into the obscurity of average humanity. Where are the descendants of Bach, of Beethoven, of Mozart, of Mendelssohn, equal to their sires? Truly genius does not descend from father to son, like the family types of the Stuart and the Bourbon.
mathematics, book-keeping, French, Italian, turning and telescope-making and delighting in Oriental literature.
At fourteen he was to be placed under private tuition with a boy a year and a half younger, but, the tutor first engaged failing to arrive, Young taught the other boy. (Life of Dr. Thomas Young, by G. Peacock, D.D.). Sir William Rowan Hamilton showed power even more precocious. He began to learn Hebrew when he was barely three, and "at the age of seven he was pronounced by one of the Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin, to have shown a greater knowledge of the language than many candidates for a fellowship. At the age of thirteen he had acquired considerable knowledge of at least thirteen languages.
Among these, besides the classical and the modern European languages, were included Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindustani, and even Malay….. He wrote, at the age of fourteen, a complimentary letter to the Persian Ambassador, who happened to visit Dublin; and the latter said that he had not thought there was a man in Britain who could have written such a document in the Persian language.
A relative of his says: "I remember him a little boy of six, when he would answer a difficult mathematical question, and run off gaily to his little cart.
At twelve he engaged Colburn, the American ‘calculating boy,’ who was then being exhibited as a curiosity in Dublin, and he had not always the worst of the encounter." When he was eighteen, Dr. Brinkley (Royal Astronomer of Ireland) said of him in 1823: "This young man, I do not say will be, but is, the first mathematician of his age." "At college his career was perhaps unexampled.
Among a number of competitors of more than ordinary merit, he was first in every subject, and at every examination. (North British Review, September 1866).
Let the thoughtful student compare these boys with a semi-idiot, or even with an average lad, note how, starting with these advantages, they become leaders of thought, and then ask himself whether such souls have no past behind them.
Family likenesses are generally explained as being due to the "law of heredity," but differences in mental and in moral character are continually found within a family circle, and these are left unexplained. Reincarnation explains the likenesses by the fact that a soul in taking birth is directed to a family which provides by its physical heredity a body suitable to express his characteristics; and it explains the unlikenesses by attaching the mental and moral character to the individual himself, while showing that ties set up in the past have led him to take birth in connection with some other individual of that family. (See Chapter IX, on "Karma").
A "matter of significance in connection with twins is that during infancy they will often be indistinguishable from each other, even to the keen eye of the mother and of nurse; whereas, later in life, when Manas has been working on his physical encasement, he will have so modified it that the physical likeness lessens and the differences of character stamp themselves on the mobile features." [ Reincarnation by Annie Besant, ] Physical likeness with mental and moral unlikeness seems to imply the meeting of two different lines of causation.
The striking dissimilarity found to exist between people of about equal intellectual power in assimilating particular kinds of knowledge is another "pointer" to reincarnation. A truth is recognised at once by one, while the other fails to grasp it even after long and careful observation. Yet the very opposite may be the case when another truth is presented to them, and it may be seen by the second and missed by the first. "Two students are attracted to Theosophy and begin to study it, at a year’s end one is familiar with its main conceptions and can apply them, while the other is struggling in a maze. To the one each principle seemed familiar on presentation ; to the other new, unintelligible, strange.
first time.[ Reincarnation by annie Besant, ] " So also ordinary intuition is "merely recognition of a fact familiar in a past life, though met with for the first time in the present," another sign of the road along which the individual has traveled in the past.
The main difficulty with many people in the reception of the doctrine of reincarnation is their own absence of memory of their past. Yet they are every day familiar with the fact that they have forgotten very much even of their lives in their present bodies, and that the early years of childhood are blurred and those of infancy a blank. They must also know that events of the past which have entirely slipped out of their normal consciousness are yet hidden away in dark caves of memory and ban be brought out again vividly in some forms of disease or under the influence of mesmerism.
the past lives stored up our of reach of the physical consciousness. It is all with the Thinker, who alone persists from life to life; he has the whole book of memory within his reach, for he is the only " I " that has passed through all the experiences recorded therein.
owner; it lies in the absorption of the present body in its present environment, in its coarse unresponsiveness to the delicate thrills in which alone the soul can speak. Those who would remember the past must not have their interests centred in the present, and they must purify and refine the body till it is able to receive impressions from the subtler spheres.
loves of today. Death fades into its proper place as a mere incident in life, a change from one scene to another, like a journey that separates bodies but cannot sunder friend from friend. The links of the present are found to be part of a golden chain that stretches backwards, and the future can be faced with a glad security in the thought that these links will endure through days to come, and form part of that unbroken chain.
Now and then we find children who have brought over a memory of their immediate past, for the most part when they have died in childhood and are reborn almost immediately. In the West such cases are rarer than in the East, because in the West the first words of such a child would be met with disbelief, and he would quickly lose faith in his own memories. In the East, where belief in reincarnation is almost universal, the child’s remembrances are listened to, and where the opportunity serves they have been verified.
There is another important point with respect to memory that will repay consideration. The memory of past events remains, as we have seen, with the Thinker only, but the results of those events embodied in faculties are at the service of the lower man.
study arrive at some conclusion – a conclusion very likely to be vitiated by the overlooking of some important factor, and reached long after the need for decision had passed.
All the events, trivial and important, of some hundreds of lives would form a rather unwieldy and chaotic mass for reference in an emergency that demanded a swift action. The far more effective plan of Nature leaves to the Thinker the memory of the events, provides a long period of excarnate existence for the mental body, during which all events are tabulated and compared and their results are classified; then these results are embodied as faculties, and these faculties form the next mental body of the Thinker.
In this way, the enlarged and improved faculties are available for immediate use, and, the faculties of the past being in them, a decision can be come to, in accordance with those results and without any delay. The clear quick insight and prompt judgment are nothing else than the outcome of past experiences, moulded into an effective form for use; they are surely more useful instruments than would be a mass of unassimilated experiences, out of which the relevant ones would have to be selected and compared, and from which inferences would have to be drawn, on each separate occasion on which a choice arises.
From all these lines of thought, however, the mind turns back to rest on the fundamental necessity for reincarnation if life is to be made intelligible, and if injustice and cruelty are not to mock the helplessness of man. With reincarnation man is a dignified, immortal being, evolving towards a divinely glorious end; without it, he is a tossing straw on the stream of chance circumstances , irresponsible for his character, for his actions, for his destiny.
With it, he may look forward with fearless hope, however low in the scale of evolution he may be today, for he is on the ladder to divinity, and the climbing to its summit is only a question of time; without it, he has no reasonable ground of assurance as to progress in the future, nor indeed any reasonable ground of assurance in a future at all. Why should a creature without a past look forward to a future?He may be a mere bubble on the ocean of time. Flung into the world from non-entity, with qualities of good or evil, attached to him without reason or desert, why should he strive to make the best of them? Will not his future, if he have one, be as isolated, as uncaused, as unrelated as his present? In dropping reincarnation from its beliefs, the modern world has deprived God of His justice and has bereft man of his security; he may be "lucky" or "unlucky" but the strength and dignity conferred by reliance on a changeless law are rent away from him, and he is left tossing helplessly on an un-navigable ocean of life. | 2019-04-25T08:54:41Z | http://www.aardvarktheosophy.co.uk/reincarnation.htm |
Keywords: Isc1p; Tor1p; Sch9p; oxidative stress; chronological aging, mitochondrial function, ROS, ceramide.
Please cite this article as: Vitor Teixeira, Tânia C. Medeiros, Rita Vilaça, Pedro Moradas-Ferreira, and Vítor Costa (2014). Reduced TORC1 signaling abolishes mitochondrial dysfunctions and shortened chronological lifespan of Isc1p-deficient cells. Microbial Cell 1(1): 21-36.
The target of rapamycin (TOR) is an important signaling pathway on a hierarchical network of interacting pathways regulating central biological processes, such as cell growth, stress response and aging. Several lines of evidence suggest a functional link between TOR signaling and sphingolipid metabolism. Here, we report that the TORC1-Sch9p pathway is activated in cells lacking Isc1p, the yeast orthologue of mammalian neutral sphingomyelinase 2. The deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 abolishes the premature aging, oxidative stress sensitivity and mitochondrial dysfunctions displayed by isc1Δ cells and this is correlated with the suppression of the autophagic flux defect exhibited by the mutant strain. The protective effect of TOR1 deletion, as opposed to that of SCH9 deletion, is not associated with the attenuation of Hog1p hyperphosphorylation, which was previously implicated in isc1Δ phenotypes. Our data support a model in which Isc1p regulates mitochondrial function and chronological lifespan in yeast through the TORC1-Sch9p pathway although Isc1p and TORC1 also seem to act through independent pathways, as isc1Δtor1Δ phenotypes are intermediate to those displayed by isc1Δ and tor1Δ cells. We also provide evidence that TORC1 downstream effectors, the type 2A protein phosphatase Sit4p and the AGC protein kinase Sch9p, integrate nutrient and stress signals from TORC1 with ceramide signaling derived from Isc1p to regulate mitochondrial function and lifespan in yeast. Overall, our results show that TORC1-Sch9p axis is deregulated in Isc1p-deficient cells, contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction, enhanced oxidative stress sensitivity and premature aging of isc1Δ cells.
Sphingolipids are ubiquitous structural components of eukaryotic cell membranes, and their bioactive metabolites (sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, ceramide, ceramide-1‑phosphate and lyso-sphingomyelin) are known to act as second messengers in the regulation of signaling pathways ,,,,,. Sphingosine (and related sphingoid bases) and ceramide are involved in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton organization, endocytosis, degradation of nutrient permeases, apoptosis, cell senescence and cell cycle arrest whereas sphingosine-1-phosphate plays a key role in proliferation, mitogenesis, cell migration, cell survival and inflammation (in higher eukaryotes) . Thus, subtle variations on the relative amounts of sphingosine-1-phosphate and sphingosine/ceramide are expected to determine cell fate in response to environmental or metabolic stresses. The importance of sphingolipids is recognized by the fact that sphingolipid signaling is implicated in the pathobiology of cancer and other human diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, microbial infections, neurological and immune dysfunctions ,,,,.
Sphingolipids metabolism and their route of synthesis are highly conserved from yeast to mammalian cells. Studies using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have served in many ways to foster our understanding of sphingolipid dynamics and their role in the regulation of cell cycle, cell integrity, endocytosis, cytoskeleton dynamics and protein turnover ,. Additionally, sphingolipids have been implicated in the regulation of stress responses and longevity. For instance, yeast mutants lacking Ydc1p (dihydroceramidase) are characterized by increased chronological lifespan (CLS) whereas the overexpression of YDC1 triggers mitochondria and vacuolar fragmentation, apoptosis and accelerated aging in yeast . Genes involved in sphingolipid metabolism (LAG1, YPC1, YSR3, IPT1, and LCB5) show variable expression in senescent and apoptotic cells . More recently, it was shown that the downregulation of sphingolipid synthesis increases yeast CLS in part due to a reduction in long-chain bases (LCBs) mediated activation of Sch9p, the yeast homologue of mammalian ribosomal S6K protein kinase . Furthermore, ceramide synthase (Lag1p) and LCB kinase (Lcb4p) activities decrease upon entry into the stationary phase, leading to a large increase in the levels of LCBs .
We have previously demonstrated that Isc1p, the yeast orthologue of mammalian neutral sphingomyelinase-2 (nSMase2) responsible for the hydrolysis of complex inositol phosphosphingolipids to produce ceramide, is implicated in oxidative stress resistance and CLS in yeast. Isc1p-deficient cells display shortened CLS, oxidative stress sensitivity and impaired redox and iron homeostasis . Analogous to the role of ceramide and ceramide-activated protein phosphatases in regulating mammalian cell apoptosis, Isc1p acts upstream of Sit4p, the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase related to type 2A protein phosphatases (PP2A) in yeast. Indeed, SIT4 deletion restores mitochondrial function of isc1Δ cells, increasing oxidative stress resistance and extending CLS . The activation of the HOG (High Osmolarity Glycerol) pathway is also deleterious for isc1Δ cells since ceramide signaling increases the phosphorylation of the Hog1p mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the disruption of HOG1 attenuates the phenotypes of Isc1p-deficient cells .
Recent studies also link ceramide to other important signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cell growth and survival, namely the TOR (Target of Rapamycin) pathway. This pathway is highly conserved among organisms, ranging from flies, nematodes, protozoa alongside with mammals ,,,,,. In S. cerevisiae, the TOR pathway is controlled by two Ser/Thr protein kinases, Tor1p and Tor2p, which assemble into two protein complexes with distinct subunit composition and regulatory roles ,,. The rapamycin-sensitive TOR complex 1 (TORC1) contains either Tor1p or Tor2p and is mostly associated with the regulation of cell growth (nutrient sensing), autophagy, ribosomal and protein turnover and cell proliferation ,. The TOR complex 2 (TORC2) contains Tor2p, but not Tor1p, mediates the proper maintenance of the cell cytoskeleton and regulates ceramide biosynthesis by an Ypk2p-dependent mechanism . Furthermore, TORC2 indirectly modulates Isc1p turnover through the phosphorylation and activation of Slm1p and Slm2p .
The TORC1 pathway has also been linked to mitochondrial function and yeast CLS ,. In fact, the deletion of TOR1 or pharmacological inhibition of TORC1 with rapamycin extends CLS in yeast and other organisms ,,. TORC1 is active during early stages of growth and represses the induction of stress responses and entry into the stationary phase, in part by inhibiting the Rim15p protein kinase and consequently the translocation of Msn2p/4p and Gis1p transcription factors into the nucleus ,. Reducing TORC1 signaling at early stages of growth extends CLS by an intrinsic mechanism involving enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential and superoxide production. This in turn induces an adaptive response that contributes to decrease ROS production in the stationary phase and promotes longevity in yeast . Moreover, reduced TORC1 signaling derepresses Rim15p and triggers the expression of genes regulated by the mitochondrial signaling pathway known as the retrograde response ,, as well as stress-related genes under the control of Msn2p/Msn4p ,.
Some authors have identified downstream targets of TORC1 involved in the regulation of stress response and aging, namely the AGC protein kinase Sch9p and the Sit4p protein phosphatase. Apart from sensing nutrient and stress signals from TORC1, both proteins also regulate CLS by integrating sphingolipid signaling. In addition to phosphorylation in the C-terminus mediated by TORC1, Sch9p is phosphorylated in a Thr570 residue in the activation loop by Pkh1/2p protein kinases, homologues of mammalian phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1), in response to LCBs ,. On the other hand, Sit4p is downregulated by TORC1 in a Tip41p/Tap42p manner , but is also activated by ceramide and functions downstream of Isc1p . How this complex network of interacting pathways regulates CLS remains poorly characterized.
In this study, we show that the activation of the TORC1-Sch9p pathway impairs oxidative stress resistance, mitochondrial function and CLS in isc1Δ cells. Consistent with TORC1 activation, the autophagic flux is decreased in isc1Δ cells. Our results suggest that Isc1p regulate mitochondrial function and yeast CLS through the TORC1-Sch9p but Isc1p and TORC1 also seem to act through independent pathways. The suppression of isc1D phenotypes by TOR1 deletion is not associated with the attenuation of Hog1p hyperphosphorylation. Our data also support a model in which TORC1 downstream effectors Sit4p and Sch9p act as physiological hubs integrating nutrient and ceramide signaling driven by Isc1p.
To assess changes in TORC1 signaling associated with Isc1p deficiency, we have monitored TORC1 activity in vivo by assessing TORC1-dependent Sch9p phosphorylation at the C-terminus .
The results show that Sch9p is hyperphosphorylated in isc1Δ mutants when compared to parental cells, indicative of increased TORC1 activity (Fig. 1A-B). Apart from TORC1, Sch9p can also be phosphorylated by Pkh1/2p in response to LCBs. Since basal levels of phytosphingosine (PHS) are increased in isc1Δ cells during aging , we also assessed the Pkh1/2p-dependent phosphorylation of Sch9p on the Thr570 residue. The results show that the levels of Sch9p-phospho-Thr570 were similar in parental and isc1Δ cells (Supplementary Fig. S1).
FIGURE 1: Isc1p-deficient cells exhibit enhanced TORC1 activity in vivo. The TORC1-dependent C-terminal phosphorylation of Sch9p was used to assess TORC1 activity in vivo.
(A) S. cerevisiae BY4741 and isc1Δ cells transformed with pJU676 (expressing SCH9-5HA) were grown in SC-medium to the exponential phase and NTCB-treated protein extracts were analyzed by immunoblotting using anti-HA antibody, as described in Materials and Methods. A representative blot out of three is shown.
(B) Quantification of band intensities was performed by densitometry. The ratio between phosphorylated and unphosphorylated Sch9p (Pi+/Pi-) is shown. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ****p<0.0001.
This led us to postulate that TORC1 activation may contribute to isc1Δ phenotypes. To test this hypothesis, we then evaluated if the deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 could abolish the premature aging and hydrogen peroxide sensitivity of isc1Δ cells. In agreement with previous reports ,,, isc1Δ cells presented a shortened CLS compared to parental cells (Fig. 2A). Although the acidification of the growth medium due to acetic acid production decreases yeast lifespan , it is unlikely that it contributes to the shortened CLS of isc1Δ cells since ISC1 deletion increases acetic acid resistance . As expected, tor1Δ and sch9Δ cells exhibited an increased lifespan (Fig. 2A). The effect of SCH9 deletion was significantly lower to that reported by other groups . This probably results from differences in the growth medium composition, in particular amino acid concentration. Indeed, sch9Δ mutants display increased lifespan when cells are grown in media supplemented with a 3.5-fold excess of amino acids but present shortened lifespan than parental cells when grown in media with 0.5-fold amino acid content . Importantly, the deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 in isc1Δ cells significantly extended the CLS of this mutant but the isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ double mutants exhibited a shorter CLS compared to that of tor1Δ and sch9Δ cells, respectively (Fig. 2A).
FIGURE 2: The deletion of TOR1 and SCH9 abolishes the shortened CLS, oxidative stress sensitivity and mitochondrial dysfunctions displayed by isc1Δ cells.
(A) S. cerevisiae BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ, sch9Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells were grown in SC-medium and kept in the medium at 26oC. The viability was determined by standard dilution plate counts and expressed as the percentage of the colony-forming units at time T in relation to T0. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments.
(B, C) Yeast cells were grown in SC-medium to the exponential phase (B) or stationary phase (48 hours after exponential phase) (C) and exposed to 1.5 mM H2O2 for 60 min (B) or 300 mM H2O2 for 30 min (C). Cell viability was determined by standard dilution plate counts and expressed as the percentage of the colony-forming units (treated cells versus untreated cells). Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ****p<0.0001. ***p<0.001.
(D) S. cerevisiae BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ, sch9Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells were grown in SC-medium to the exponential phase and then diluted to OD600=0.1. Fivefold dilution series were spotted on YPD (glucose) or YPG (glycerol) medium and cells were grown at 26oC for 4 days.
(E) Oxygen consumption rate was measured in cells grown to PDS phase, as described in Materials and Methods. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ****p<0.0001; *p<0.05.
(F) Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity was determined in cells grown to the PDS phase. Cells were lysed and enzymatic activity was measured as described in Materials and Methods. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ****p<0.0001; ***p<0.001.
To assess oxidative stress resistance, cells were grown to the exponential or early stationary phase and treated with H2O2. Consistent with published data , tor1Δ and sch9Δ cells were more resistant to oxidative stress than parental cells (Fig. 2B-C). The deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 suppressed the hydrogen peroxide sensitivity of isc1Δ cells (Fig. 2B-C). Similar results were obtained by the pharmacological inhibition of TORC1 using rapamycin (Supplementary Fig. S2). These results implicate TORC1-Sch9p activation in the premature aging and oxidative stress sensitivity of Isc1p-deficient cells.
It was previously shown that tor1Δ cells have an extended CLS in part associated with improved and better coupled mitochondrial respiration at early stages of growth, which ultimately preconditions yeast to better survive on the stationary phase . Therefore, we evaluated if the deletion of TOR1 and SCH9 could improve mitochondrial fitness of isc1Δ cells, eventually contributing to CLS extension observed in isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ double mutants. To address this hypothesis, we analyzed cell growth in medium containing glycerol, a non-fermentable carbon source, as well as oxygen consumption and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity. It was observed that the growth defect of isc1Δ cells on glycerol medium was suppressed upon the deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 (Fig. 2D). As expected, the deletion of ISC1 almost completely abolished oxygen consumption and COX activity in the post-diauxic shift (PDS; respiratory) phase (Fig. 2E-F). In tor1Δ and sch9Δ cells, both oxygen consumption and COX activity were increased when compared to parental cells. Notably, TOR1 and SCH9 disruption suppressed the defects observed in isc1Δ cells: both oxygen consumption and COX activity increased in isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells, although to levels lower than those observed in tor1Δ and sch9Δ cells, respectively (Fig. 2E-F). To assess if enhanced mitochondrial respiration coupling contributes to the lifespan extension of isc1Δ cells imposed by reduced TORC1 signaling, CLS was analyzed in cells treated with 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), which decreases mitochondrial membrane potential and uncouples electron transport from ATP synthesis. Untreated Isc1p-deficient cells exhibited a shortened CLS that was not affected by exposure to DNP (Fig. 3), providing strong evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction largely contributes to isc1Δ phenotypes. In tor1Δ mutants, DNP significantly affected cell viability (e.g., it decreased 40% in DNP-treated vs control cells aged for 2 days). However, the detrimental effect of DNP in tor1Δ mutants was lower to the observed in parental cells (in this strain, the viability of cells treated with DNP and aged for 2 days decreased 68%). This is consistent with published data showing that tor1Δ cells present better coupled respiration when compared to parental cells , and therefore are able to mount a more effective adaptive response to counteract DNP effects. The deletion of TOR1 in isc1Δ cells extended CLS (in cells untreated with DNP) and this effect appears to be correlated with an increased coupled respiration imparted by reduced TORC1 signaling since DNP treatment decreased cell viability in such conditions. The isc1Δtor1Δ double mutant presented an intermediate phenotype between parental and tor1Δ cells since, at day 2 of aging, parental, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ cells presented 32%, 60% and 40% cell viability, respectively. Taking together, we claim that improved mitochondrial fitness (increased coupled respiration) promoted by the deletion of TOR1 per se extends CLS in isc1Δ cells.
FIGURE 3: Increased mitochondrial coupled respiration imparted by reduced TORC1 signaling extends lifespan in isc1Δ cells.
S. cerevisiae BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ cells were grown in SC-medium to the PDS phase, treated with 10 µM 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP; ■) or vehicle (DMSO; ○) and kept in the medium at 26oC. The viability was determined by standard dilution plate counts and expressed as the percentage of the colony-forming units at time T in relation to T0. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments.
To get further insights into alterations in mitochondrial function operating on isc1Δ cells, we assessed the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), a parameter that has been used to monitor changes on bioenergetics and functions as a key indicator of cell health or injury . For this purpose, yeast cells were labeled with a mitochondria-specific voltage-dependent dye, 3,3-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide [DiOC6(3)], which aggregates and preferentially accumulates into functional mitochondria, and analyzed by flow cytometry (Fig. 4A). At the PDS phase, cells lacking Isc1p displayed an enhanced Δψm when compared to parental cells, which is consistent with mitochondrial hyperpolarization. In contrast, tor1Δ and sch9Δ cells had a slightly lower Δψm, which has been associated with mild mitochondrial uncoupling . Both TOR1 and SCH9 disruption in isc1Δ cells reversed the mitochondrial hyperpolarization and decreased the Δψm to values similar to those observed in the respective single mutants. This probably increases cell survival in isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells, since isc1Δ cells die by caspase-dependent apoptosis upon oxidative stress and during cell aging and mitochondrial hyperpolarization has been associated with the activation of a mitochondrial dependent apoptotic pathway, which initially involves a transient hyperpolarization followed by depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane and release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol .
FIGURE 4: The mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization and decreased autophagic flux contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction and impairment of mitochondrial dynamics in isc1Δ cells.
(A) S. cerevisiae BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ, sch9Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells were grown in SC-medium to the PDS phase, stained with the potential-sensitive dye 3,3-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide [DiOC6(3)] for 30 min and analyzed by flow cytometry. Treatment of the parental strain (BY4741) with FCCP (carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone) was used as a positive control (depolarizing event). Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ****p<0.0001; ***p<0.001; **p<0.01.
(B) Yeast cells transformed with pYX222-mtDsRed were grown to the exponential and PDS phases and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy, as described in Materials and Methods. Live cells were visualized by fluorescence microscopy. A representative experiment out of three is shown. Scale bar: 5 µm.
(C) S. cerevisiae BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ, sch9Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells carrying pRS416 GFP-ATG8 were grown to the exponential phase in SC-medium and treated with either rapamycin (200 ng/mL) or DMSO (vehicle) for 3 hours. Proteins were analyzed by immunoblotting, using anti-GFP antibody.
(D) The autophagic flux was calculated by the ratio between the free GFP signal and the sum of free GFP and GFP-Atg8p signals. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments ****p<0.0001; ***p<0.001; **p<0.01.
(E) S. cerevisiae BY4741 and isc1Δ cells carrying pRS416 GFP-ATG8 were grown to PDS phase, washed twice with water and then maintained in water. Proteins were analyzed by immunoblotting, using anti-GFP antibody.
The mitochondrial membrane potential plays a key role in the regulation of mitochondrial morphology and alterations on this parameter were demonstrated to impact on mitochondrial dynamics ,,,. To assess changes in mitochondrial network dynamics, yeast cells expressing a mitochondria-targeted DsRed protein were analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. At the exponential phase, the mitochondrial network was not yet fully developed and no significant differences were observed between the parental and isc1Δ cells (Fig. 4B). This was expected since cells are undergoing fermentative growth at this phase. However, in the PDS phase, loss of Isc1p led to the formation of a typical punctuate pattern contrasting with the tubular and well-organized network observed in healthy parental cells (Fig. 4B). This structural alteration has been associated with mitochondrial fragmentation and observed in cells undergoing apoptotic cell death. The normal tubular mitochondrial network was restored upon disruption of TOR1 or SCH9 in isc1Δ cells (Fig. 4B), suggesting that TORC1 and its downstream target Sch9p are also implicated in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics by promoting network fragmentation.
Previous studies have demonstrated that autophagy has an important role in maintaining proper mitochondrial function and dynamics since autophagy-defective mutants present severe mitochondria dysfunctions ,. In particular, the regulation of the mitochondrial membrane potential appears to be crucial to regulate autophagic flux. In addition, accumulating evidence show that defects in autophagy deregulate mitochondrial dynamics . Since isc1Δ cells present similar phenotypic features and TORC1, a negative regulator of autophagy, is activated in this mutant strain, we evaluated if these cells present autophagy defects. For this purpose, we have monitored the processing of GFP-Atg8p. Once autophagy is induced, GFP-Atg8p is recruited to drive autophagosome biogenesis and then delivered to the vacuole inside the autophagic body. Whereas Atg8p is degraded by resident vacuolar hydrolases, the GFP moiety is relatively resistant to proteolysis. Therefore, the appearance of free GFP signal is indicative of autophagy induction. To induce autophagy, yeast cells were treated with rapamycin. Under these conditions, the autophagic flux was significantly lower in Isc1p-deficient cells (35%) when compared to the parental strain (60%) (Fig. 4C-D). Notably, a slower migrating band (above free GFP) was observed in isc1Δ cells, both under basal conditions and upon rapamycin treatment (see Supplementary Fig. S3 for a longer exposure time of the Western blot). It probably results from an incomplete or aberrant processing of GFP-Atg8p, possibly due to vacuolar dysfunction (defective Pep4p-dependent proteolytic activity) or alterations in vacuolar morphology upon deletion of ISC1 . In isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ double mutants, the autophagic flux increased to values close to those observed for the respective tor1Δ and sch9Δ single mutants (Fig. 4C-D). It should be noted that rapamycin is predicted to have still some effect on tor1Δ cells because there is yet some functional TORC1 signaling. In fact, TORC1 complex is sensitive to rapamycin due to binding of FKBP-rapamycin complex to subunits of TORC1. Thus, TORC1 is functional (although with reduced activity) in tor1Δ cells since it may also contain Tor2p (which may replace Tor1p) in its composition. These results implicate TORC1 and its downstream effector, Sch9p, in the deregulation of autophagy, possibly contributing to mitochondrial network fragmentation and impairment of oxidative stress resistance and CLS in isc1Δ cells.
To provide further evidence that autophagy is impaired in isc1Δ cells, we have also monitored the autophagic flux during chronological aging. The rate of viability loss during aging of this mutant is very high when cells are grown in SC-medium (Fig. 2A). Thus, to avoid unspecific changes that may occur due to cell death, we assessed autophagy under conditions of calorie restriction (cells grown to PDS phase, washed and maintained in water overtime). We have previously shown that calorie restriction increases CLS in both isc1Δ and parental cells, but isc1Δ mutants still exhibit a premature aging phenotype . The results show that the autophagic flux increased in parental cells aged for 3-5 days, but it was significantly compromised in isc1Δ cells (Fig. 4E). Overall, the data suggests that autophagy is impaired in this mutant strain.
Apoptosis and aging has been extensively associated with enhanced ROS production ,,,. Thus, the improvement of mitochondrial function and/or antioxidant defenses may decrease mitochondrial ROS production or increase its detoxification, leading to CLS extension. To test this hypothesis, ROS levels were measured by flow cytometry using early stationary phase cells stained with dihydroethidium (DHE), a molecular probe sensitive to superoxide radicals. The results show that ROS levels were low in parental, tor1Δ and sch9Δ cells but approximately 50% of isc1Δ cells were DHE-positive (Fig. 5A). In isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ mutants, ROS levels were higher than in parental cells but significantly lower when compared to Isc1p-deficient cells (by approximately one-half), suggesting that TOR1 and SCH9 deletion increase survival in isc1Δ cells by decreasing ROS generation.
FIGURE 5: The deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 decreases ROS production, attenuates catalase A deficiency and diminishes apoptotic cell death in isc1Δ cells.
(A) S. cerevisiae BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ, sch9Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells were grown to early stationary phase (day 1 in the CLS assay), stained with the dihydroethidium (DHE) for 10 min and analyzed by flow cytometry. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ***p<0.001; **p<0.01.
(B) Yeast cells were grown to the PDS phase and catalase activity was detected in situ after non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, using the H2O2/peroxidase system, as described in Materials and Methods. A representative experiment out of three is shown.
(C) BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ cells were double stained with DiOC6(3) and PI (propidium iodide) and analyzed by flow cytometry, as described in Materials and Methods. Representative histograms are shown.
Increased ROS levels have been associated with homeostatic imbalance partially dictated by impaired cellular antioxidant defences. Hence, we hypothesized that the improvement of the mitochondrial function and dynamics in isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells may contribute to upregulate antioxidant defence mechanisms and decrease ROS levels during the aging process. It was previously shown that isc1Δ cells fail to induce CTA1 gene expression in the PDS phase and display a low activity of Cta1p , the catalase A form present in mitochondria and peroxisomes. Moreover, CTA1 overexpression partially suppresses isc1Δ phenotypes . Our results show that Cta1p activity was partially restored in isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells (Fig. 5B). In sch9Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells, Ctt1p (cytosolic catalase) activity was not detected, which is consistent with the fact that the Sch9p kinase is directly or indirectly involved in the transcriptional control of CTT1 expression in yeast . The analysis of superoxide dismutase activity did not reveal changes in Sod1p (cytosolic form) or Sod2p (mitochondrial form) activity upon the deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 in isc1Δ cells (data not shown).
To evaluate if the decrease in ROS production and enhancement of antioxidant defenses (Cta1p) contribute to decrease apoptotic cell death in isc1Δtor1Δ mutants, early stationary phase cells were labeled with DiOC6(3)/propidium iodide (PI). The analysis of yeast cells by flow cytometry allows the definition of four distinct populations: healthy cells (DiOC6(3)-positive/PI-negative), early apoptosis (DiOC6(3)-negative/PI-negative), late apoptosis (DiOC6(3)-positive/PI-positive) and necrosis (DiOC6(3)-negative/PI-positive). The results (Fig. 5C) clearly show that the large majority of parental and tor1Δ cells remained healthy whereas 62% of the isc1Δ cell population was already undergoing early (15%) or late (47%) apoptosis. In the isc1Δtor1Δ double mutant, however, a significant decrease of apoptotic markers was observed, particularly at late stages where a reduction of approximately 50% (from 47% to 24%) was detected.
The hyperactivation of the HOG signaling pathway was previously implicated in the premature aging and mitochondrial dysfunction exhibited by Isc1p-deficient cells .
Thus, we hypothesized that the suppression of isc1Δ phenotypes by TOR1 and SCH9 deletion could be associated with the modulation of the HOG pathway. To address this question, Hog1p phosphorylation was monitored by Western blotting using an anti-phospho-p38 antibody that recognizes dually phosphorylated Hog1p, the active form of this kinase ,. As illustrated in Fig. 6A, Hog1p phosphorylation was increased in isc1Δ cells when compared to parental cells. In contrast, phosphorylated Hog1p could not be detected in tor1Δ cells. Notably, Hog1p phosphorylation levels in isc1Δtor1Δ cells were even higher to those detected in isc1Δ cells, suggesting a functional interplay between the HOG and TORC1 signaling pathways in isc1Δ cells.
FIGURE 6: The deletion of TOR1 increases Hog1p phosphorylation without affecting its cytosolic localization whereas SCH9 disruption diminishes Hog1p phosphorylation in isc1Δ cells.
(A) Hog1p activation was monitored in BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ cells by immunoblotting, using anti-phospho-p38 antibody (top panel) that detects the phosphorylated form of Hog1p, or anti-Pgk1p (loading control) as primary antibodies. A representative blot out of three is shown.
(B) S. cerevisiae BY4741, isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ cells expressing the consensus Rlm1p binding sequences fused to a LacZ reporter (2xRLM1-LacZ), were grown to the exponential phase and the β-galactosidase activity was measured as described in Materials and Methods. Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ****p<0.0001; ***p<0.001; *p<0.05.
(C) Hog1p activation was monitored in BY4741, isc1Δ, sit4Δ and isc1Δsit4Δ cells by immunoblotting, as described in A. A representative blot out of three is shown.
(D) Hog1p activation was monitored in BY4741, isc1Δ, sch9Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells by immunoblotting, as described in A. BY4741 and sch9Δ cells were grown to the exponential phase and treated with either 10 μM C2-ceramide or DMSO (vehicle) for 1 h. A representative blot out of three is shown.
It was previously shown that Hog1p activation leads to its import into the nucleus where it phosphorylates the Msn2p/Msn4p, Hot1p, Sko1p and Smp1p transcription factors to promote adaptation to stress conditions ,,,,,,,. Thus, we have also monitored Hog1p cell localization by fluorescence microscopy in cells expressing Hog1p-GFP (Supplementary Fig. S4). Similarly to parental cells, Hog1p was present in the cytoplasm of isc1Δ, tor1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ mutants, implying that TORC1 may not regulate Hog1p localization. We have also evaluated the activation of the Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) pathway, since we have previously reported a Hog1p-dependent activation of Slt2p, a MAPK of the CWI pathway in isc1Δ cells . For this purpose, we monitored the activation of Rlm1p, a transcription factor regulated by Slt2p, by measuring β-galactosidase activity in cells expressing a LacZ reporter under the control of Rlm1p promoter. Consistent with the hyperactivation of Hog1p and induction of the Rlm1p-driven LacZ reporter, β-galactosidase activity was increased by 1.7- and 4.3-fold in isc1Δ and isc1Δtor1Δ cells, respectively (Fig. 6B).
It was previously shown that the protein phosphatase Sit4p is negatively regulated by TORC1 signaling but activated by ceramide . Moreover, the deletion of SIT4 suppresses isc1Δ phenotypes . Notably, Hog1p phosphorylation increased in sit4D cells and it was exacerbated in isc1Δsit4Δ cells (Fig. 6C), as observed in isc1Δtor1Δ cells (Fig. 6A). This suggests that the phosphorylation of Hog1p is regulated by a Sit4p-dependent mechanism.
Remarkably, the deletion of SCH9 decreased Hog1p phosphorylation in isc1Δ cells (Fig. 6D). It was previously reported that ceramide signaling increases Hog1p phosphorylation . Thus, we tested if Sch9p regulates the HOG pathway in response to ceramide. As previously reported, C2-ceramide treatment increased Hog1p phosphorylation in parental cells (Fig. 6D). In contrast, the deletion of SCH9 completely abolished Hog1p activation upon treatment with ceramide (Fig. 6D). These results suggest that Sch9p is acting upstream of Hog1p in response to ceramide signaling.
Overall, the results show that the deletion of TOR1 or SIT4 does not suppress isc1Δ phenotypes through the attenuation of Hog1p hyperactivation and Sch9p appears to regulate the activation of the HOG pathway in response to ceramide in Isc1p-deficient cells.
The TORC1 pathway is a well-established nutrient response pathway that modulates aging and age-related diseases . Here we provided evidence that TORC1 signaling is deregulated in cells lacking Isc1p, the yeast orthologue of mammalian neutral sphingomyelinase. Isc1p-deficient cells exhibit increased TORC1 activity, which is detrimental for this mutant. In fact, the deletion of TOR1 alleviates the premature aging, oxidative stress sensitivity and mitochondrial dysfunctions of isc1Δ cells. However, isc1Δtor1Δ cells exhibit lower resistance to oxidative stress, shortened CLS, slightly impaired mitochondrial function, and higher levels of ROS and apoptotic cell death markers compared to the tor1Δ mutant strain, suggesting that TORC1-independent mechanisms also contributes to isc1Δ phenotypes. In agreement, the overexpression of ISC1 does not suppress the rapamycin hypersensitivity of tor1Δ mutants, suggesting that Isc1p is not acting downstream of TORC1 (Supplementary Fig. S5).
Several lines of evidence suggest an intricate interplay between sphingolipid metabolism and TOR signaling. Both TORC1 and TORC2 control the biosynthesis of sphingolipids through regulation of Orm1p and Orm2p, two evolutionarily conserved integral membrane proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum ,,. However, TORC1 and TORC2 signaling seems to function independently in the regulation of sphingolipid metabolism. TORC1 negatively controls the synthesis of complex sphingolipids from ceramide via inhibition of Orm1/2p phosphorylation in a process mediated by Npr1p . TORC2 stimulates the de novo biosynthesis of sphingolipids via activation of Ypk1p, which then phosphorylates and inactivates Orm1/2p . Since Orm1/2p bind to and inhibit serine palmitoyl-coenzyme A transferase (SPT) , which catalyzes the first step in sphingolipid biosynthesis , its inactivation by a Ypk1p-dependent phosphorylation alleviates SPT inhibition and increases sphingolipid production. In addition, TORC2 stimulates ceramide biosynthesis by an Ypk2p-dependent mechanism and inhibits Isc1p activity via modulation of Slm1/2p ,.
Our data suggests a genetic interaction between ISC1 and TOR1. A recent report suggests a link between ceramide generated by mammalian acid sphingomyelinase under amino acid deprivation conditions and mTOR inactivation by a PP1/PP2A-dependent mechanism . Notably, yeast Isc1p appears to occupy a central position and may possibly act as a metabolic hub (together with ceramide synthase) in the TOR pathway to regulate ceramide dynamics, since Isc1p is functionally linked with both TORC1 and TORC2 branches. In particular, the modulation of complex sphingolipids turnover by coupling TORC1-regulated biosynthesis with Isc1p-driven hydrolysis may be important to control ceramide flux in yeast.
The molecular mechanism by which TORC1 is activated in isc1Δ cells remains to be elucidated. Nevertheless, the activation of TORC1 in Isc1p-deficient cells may be part of a homeostatic response that aims to decrease the synthesis of complex sphingolipids, since isc1Δ cells accumulate inositolphosphorylceramide (IPC) and mannosyldiinositolphosphorylceramide (M(IP)2C) , and TORC1 negatively controls their biosynthesis . However, TORC1 activation impairs mitochondrial function and oxidative stress resistance in isc1Δ cells, and TOR1 deletion suppresses isc1Δ phenotypes. Such features are in agreement with previous studies showing that TOR1 deletion regulates yeast CLS by a cell-intrinsic mechanism ,. Reduced TORC1 signaling increases mitochondrial coupling during active growth in yeast cells, eliciting an adaptive response that preconditions yeast cells to better survive in the stationary phase and promotes longevity . Furthermore, TOR1 disruption leads to an increased translation of mtDNA-encoded subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system , which is consistent with the higher oxygen consumption and COX activity observed in this study. In addition, it improves oxidative stress resistance in the stationary phase .
In the present study, we demonstrate that TORC1-driven Sch9p C-terminal phosphorylation is increased in isc1Δ cells and our results are consistent with TORC1 acting through Sch9p-associated mechanisms since the disruption of both TOR1 and SCH9 abolishes isc1Δ phenotypes. Importantly, Isc1p-deficient cells presented reduced autophagic flux, both upon treatment with rapamycin and during cell aging, which is consistent with the activation of the TORC1-Sch9p pathway. In agreement, TOR1 and SCH9 disruption reestablished the functional integrity of autophagy in isc1Δ cells and this is correlated with the restoration of mitochondrial function in the double mutants, ultimately abolishing the H2O2 hypersensitivity and premature aging exhibited by this mutant strain.
It was previously demonstrated that the accumulation of very long chain ceramide species (dihydro-C26-ceramide and phyto-C26-ceramide species) and ceramide-activation of the protein phosphatase Sit4p are also implicated in isc1Δ phenotypes . Since TORC1 negatively regulates Sit4p by promoting its association with the inhibitor Tap42p and both TOR1 and SIT4 deletions suppress isc1Δ phenotypes, we propose that Sit4p may act in parallel to TORC1 signaling, by directly sensing ceramide signals (Fig. 7).
FIGURE 7: Sit4p and Sch9p integrate nutrient and stress signaling from TORC1 with ceramide signals to regulate mitochondrial function and CLS in yeast. Cells lacking Isc1p present increased TORC1-Sch9p activity, ultimately leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased oxidative stress resistance and shortened CLS. Apart from sensing signals from TORC1, the ceramide activated protein phosphatase Sit4p and the AGC protein kinase Sch9p also integrate ceramide signaling derived from Isc1p to regulate mitochondrial function, oxidative stress resistance and chronological lifespan in yeast.
Several pieces of evidence suggest a functional link between sphingolipids, TOR signaling and the HOG pathway. The constitutive activation of Hog1p is deleterious for isc1Δ cells since the deletion of HOG1 attenuates the shortened CLS, hydrogen peroxide sensitivity and mitochondrial dysfunctions of this mutant strain . The HOG pathway is activated upon treatment of yeast cells with myriocin, an inhibitor of the de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis, and in cells with impaired synthesis of IPC . In addition, reduced TOR signaling lowers the basal activity of Hog1p in Candida albicans through the Hog1p tyrosine phosphatases Ptp2 and Ptp3 and our results show a decrease of Hog1p basal phosphorylation in the tor1Δ mutant. In this study, we demonstrate that TOR1 deletion does not suppress Hog1p hyperactivation or alter Hog1p localization in isc1Δ cells. However, our results support a more intricate interplay between the two signaling pathways in isc1Δ cells. Indeed, Hog1p phosphorylation was even increased in isc1Δtor1Δ cells in comparison to isc1Δ cells and remarkably a similar feature was also observed for both sit4Δ and isc1Δsit4Δ cells, which present extended lifespan when compared to isc1Δ or even to parental cells . We propose that the deletion of TOR1 or SIT4 either suppresses putative deleterious effects of Hog1p hyperactivation on mitochondrial function and CLS or modulates the regulatory role of Hog1p to determine cell fate in Isc1p-deficient cells. In fact, the activation of yeast Hog1p or its mammalian orthologue, p38 MAPK, has been implicated in both cell survival and cell death. For example, HOG1 deletion decreases osmotic and oxidative stress resistance and shortens CLS in yeast ,. However, the expression of constitutively active Hog1p mutant kinases or constitutive activation of the HOG pathway is lethal ,,, and hyperactivation of Hog1p is detrimental under heat stress conditions . In mammalian cells, p38 MAPK is activated during the onset of senescence ,, its inhibition moderately delays replicative senescence and its activation promotes apoptosis ,.
Remarkably, we provide significant evidence that the activation of the HOG pathway is modulated by ceramide signaling by Sch9p-dependent mechanisms, ultimately contributing to isc1Δ phenotypes. Indeed, C2-ceramide-induced Hog1p phosphorylation was suppressed by the disruption of SCH9. In addition, Hog1p phosphorylation decreased upon deletion of SCH9 in Isc1p-deficient cells. Overall, the results suggest that both proteins act in the same pathway since SCH9 (this study) and HOG1 deletions suppressed isc1Δ phenotypes. Therefore, our results points out to a model in which Sch9p integrates nutrient and stress signals from TORC1 with ceramide signaling, the latter contributing to the modulation of the Hog1p phosphorylation. Interestingly, this appears to be ceramide-specific since treatment with phytosphingosine had no effect on Hog1p phosphorylation (data not shown). It is known that Sch9p possesses a C2-domain, which is known to bind to several substrates, namely Ca2+, phospholipids, inositol polyphosphates, and intracellular proteins . Whether ceramide acts by binding directly to the C2-domain remains to be established.
In summary, our data implicate TORC1-Sch9p activation in the mitochondrial dysfunction, premature aging, oxidative stress sensitivity and impaired autophagy exhibited by isc1Δ cells. However, Isc1p and TORC1 also seem to act through independent pathways, as isc1Δtor1Δ phenotypes are intermediate to those displayed by isc1Δ and tor1Δ cells.
The lifespan extension in isc1Δ cells imparted by reduced TORC1 signaling is not associated with the attenuation of Hog1p hyperphosphorylation. Our results suggest that complex signaling interconnections involving TORC1 and its downstream effectors Sch9p and Sit4p govern the redox homeostasis and lifespan of isc1Δ cells and support a model in which both proteins act as physiological core centers integrating nutrient and stress signal from TORC1 and ceramide signaling derived from Isc1p to regulate mitochondrial function and CLS in yeast (Fig. 7).
S. cerevisiae BY4741 was the parental strain of all haploid derivatives used in this study (Table 1). Yeast cells were grown aerobically at 26°C in a gyratory shaker (at 140 r.p.m.), with a ratio of flask volume/ medium volume of 5:1. The growth media used were YPD [1% (w/v) yeast extract, 2% (w/v) bactopeptone, 2% (w/v) glucose], YPGlycerol [1% (w/v) yeast extract, 2% (w/v) bactopeptone, 4% (v/v) glycerol] or synthetic complete (SC) drop-out medium containing 2% (w/v) glucose, 0.67% yeast nitrogen base without amino acids and supplemented with appropriate amino acids (80 mg histidine L-1, 400 mg leucine L-1, 80 mg tryptophan L-1 and 80 mg uracil L-1). The tor1Δ cells were obtained by replacing TOR1 with a tor1::KanMX4 deletion cassette amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the corresponding strain available from EUROSCARF (Germany) and the following primers: Fw (GA GAATCATTACCGGCGAAA) and Rv (ACGAACACGTTTTGGTG ATG). For ISC1 disruption in tor1Δ and sch9Δ::KanMX4 cells, a deletion fragment containing LEU2 and the flanking regions of ISC1 was amplified by PCR using pRS315 and the following primers: Fw (ATTTGCGCTTTCCGTAAAAAGGGAAAAAAAGCA GATATTTAAGCAAGGATTTTCT) and Rv (TCAGTAATTTTTTTACA TATGCTAAAGAAAATCGATAATACCGCATATCGACCCTCGAGGA G). Cells were transformed by electroporation. The tor1Δ cells were selected in YPD medium containing geneticin (0.4 mg.mL-1) whereas isc1Δtor1Δ and isc1Δsch9Δ cells were selected in minimal medium lacking leucine [0.67% (w/v) yeast nitrogen base without amino acids, 2% (w/v) glucose supplemented with appropriate amino acids (40 mg histidine L-1, 40 mg uracil L-1 and 40 mg methionine L-1)]. The correct insertion of all cassettes was confirmed by PCR.
To evaluate TORC1-dependent C-terminal phosphorylation of Sch9p, BY4741 and isc1∆ cells were transformed by electroporation with pJU676 and selected in minimal medium lacking uracil. For the analysis of mitochondrial morphology, yeast cells were transformed with a plasmid expressing mitochondrial DsRed (pYX222-mtDsRed) and selected in minimal medium lacking histidine. To evaluate autophagic flux, cells were transformed by electroporation with pRS416-GFP-ATG8 and selected in minimal medium lacking uracil. For Hog1p localization assays, yeast cells were transformed with pRS416-HOG1-GFP and selected in minimal medium lacking uracil. To assess the activation of the CWI pathway by Rlm1p reporter transcriptional activity, yeast cells were transformed with pLGD312-2xRLM1-LacZ and selected in minimal medium lacking uracil. For epistatic analysis, BY4741 and tor1Δ strains were transformed with pYES2 and pYES2-ISC1 and selected in minimal medium lacking uracil.
For H2O2 resistance assay, cells were grown to the exponential phase (OD600 = 0.6) or early stationary phase (48h after exponential phase) and exposed to 1.5 mM or 300 mM H2O2 (Merck) for 60 and 30 min, respectively. The CLS assay was performed as described . For both assays, cell viability was determined by standard dilution plate counts on YPD medium containing 1.5 % (w/v) agar and expressed as the percentage of the colony-forming units after growth at 26°C for 3 days (time T vs. T0 (when viability was considered 100%) for the CLS assay; treated vs. untreated cells for H2O2 resistance). Values are mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments.
For enzyme activities, yeast cells were harvested by centrifugation for 5 min at 4,000 r.p.m. (4°C). Cells were then resuspended in 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing protease inhibitors (Complete, Mini, EDTA-free Protease Cocktail Inhibitor Tablets; Boehringer Mannhein) and phosphatase inhibitors (50 mM sodium fluoride, 5 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate). Total protein extracts were obtained by mechanical disruption through vigorous shaking of the cell suspension in the presence of glass beads for 5 min. Short pulses of 1 min were applied followed by 1 min incubation on ice. Cell debris was removed by centrifugation at 13,000 r.p.m. for 15 min and protein content was determined by the method of Lowry, using bovine serum albumin as a standard. Catalase activity was analyzed in situ, in the presence of 3,3′-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride, using the H2O2/peroxidase system . Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity was determined by measuring cytochrome c oxidation . β-galactosidase activity determination was performed as previously reported . Oxygen consumption rate was measured for 3 x 108 cells in PBS buffer (pH 7.4), using an oxygen electrode (Oxygraph, Hansatech). Data was analyzed using the Oxyg32 V2.25 software.
The mitochondrial membrane potential was measured using the potential-sensitive dye DiOC6(3). Briefly, 2×106 cells were resuspended in sample buffer [10 mM 2-(N-morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid, 0.1 mM MgCl2 and 2% (w/v) glucose, pH 6.0]. DiOC6(3) (Molecular Probes) was added to a final concentration of 1 nM. The cell suspension was then incubated for 30 min at 26°C, collected by centrifugation and washed twice with PBS. Fluorescence was measured on the FL-1 channel of a Becton Dickinson FACS Calibur Analytic Flow cytometer with excitation and emission settings of 488 nm and 515–545 nm, respectively, without compensation. For the quantification of ROS levels, 5×106 cells were resuspended in PBS and the superoxide anion sensitive probe dihydroethidium (DHE, Molecular Probes) was added to a final concentration of 5 μM. Cells were incubated for 10 min at 26°C, pelleted by centrifugation, washed twice with PBS and analyzed by flow cytometry with excitation and emission settings of 488 nm and ≥670 nm (FL-3 channel), without compensation.
For the characterization of the cell death process, cells were dually stained with DiOC6(3) (1 nM) and propidium iodide (PI, 2μg mL-1, Molecular Probes) to evaluate mitochondrial membrane polarization and the plasma membrane integrity, respectively. Cells were incubated for 30 min at 26°C and harvested as previously described. After suitable compensation, fluorescence was measured by flow cytometry at different wavelengths: excitation/emission at 488/525 nm for DiOC6(3) (FL-1 channel), and at 536/600 nm for PI (FL-3 channel). Data treatment was performed using the FlowJo software (Tree Star).
To evaluate the TORC1-dependent C-terminal phosphorylation of Sch9p, cells transformed with pJU676 (expressing SCH9-5HA) were grown in SC-medium lacking uracil to the exponential phase. NTCB-chemical fragmentation analysis was done as described . Proteins were then analyzed by SDS-PAGE using 10% polyacrylamide gels and blotted onto a nitrocellulose membrane (GE Healthcare, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom). Immunodetection was performed using rabbit anti-HA (Sigma-Aldrich) at a 1:1,000 dilution as primary antibody, goat anti-rabbit IgG-peroxidase (Sigma-Aldrich) at a 1:5,000 dilution as secondary antibody, and the Lumigen HRP chemiluminescent substrate (GE Healthcare, RPN2109, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom).
To monitor Hog1p phosphorylation, yeast cells were grown to the exponential phase and protein extracts (50 μg) were separated by SDS-PAGE and blotted onto a nitrocellulose membrane (GE Healthcare, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom). The membrane was incubated with the primary antibodies rabbit anti-phospho-p38 MAPK (Cell Signaling Technology, Denver, USA) at a 1:500 dilution or mouse anti-Pgk1p (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, USA) at a 1:30,000 dilution. Subsequently, the membrane was incubated with the secondary antibodies, anti-rabbit IgG-peroxidase (Sigma-Aldrich) at a 1:5,000 dilution, or anti-mouse IgG-peroxidase (Molecular Probes) at a 1:3,000 dilution. Immunodetection was performed as described above.
The evaluation of LCBs mediated Phk1/2-dependent phosphorylation of Sch9p was performed as described . To assess alterations in autophagic flux, cells were grown to the exponential phase in SC-medium and treated with either rapamycin (200 ng mL-1, (Sigma-Aldrich) or DMSO (vehicle, Sigma-Aldrich) for 3 hours. For CLS assay, cells were grown to the PDS phase, washed twice with water and then maintained in water overtime. Total protein extracts (30 μg) were analyzed in similar conditions as previously described. The membrane was incubated with the primary antibodies mouse anti-GFP (Roche, Basel, Switzerland) at a 1:3,000 dilution or mouse anti-Pgk1p (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, USA) at a 1:30,000 dilution. Subsequently, the membrane was incubated with the secondary antibody anti-mouse IgG-peroxidase (Molecular Probes) at a 1:3,000 dilution. Immunodetection was done as described.
For mitochondrial morphology analysis, cells transformed with pYX222-mtDsRed were grown in SC-medium lacking histidine to the exponential or PDS phase. To assess Hog1p cell localization, cells expressing Hog1p-GFP were grown in SC-medium lacking uracil to the exponential phase. Live cells were observed by fluorescence microscopy (AxioImager Z1, Carl Zeiss). Data image stacks were deconvolved by QMLE algorithm of Huygens Professional v3.0.2p1 (Scientific Volume Imaging B.V.). Maximum intensity projection was used to output final images using ImageJ 1.45v software.
Data are expressed as mean values ± SD of at least three independent experiments. Values were compared by Student’s t-test. The 0.05 probability level was chosen as the point of statistical significance throughout. Statistical analyses were carried out using GraphPad Prism Software v5.01 (GraphPad Software).
We are grateful to Dr. David E. Levin (Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston, USA), Dr. Robbie Loewith (University of Geneva, Switzerland), Dr. Francesc Posas (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain), Dr. Yusuf Hannnun (Stony Brook University, Health Science Center, Stony Brook, New York, USA) and Dr. Paula Ludovico (ICVS, Universidade do Minho, Portugal) for generously providing plasmids and other reagents used in this study and fruitful discussion. We would like to thank Catarina Leitão (AFCU, IBMC) for technical support on flow cytometry and Paula Sampaio (ALM, IBMC) for technical assistance and data treatment on fluorescence microscopy. Funding. This work was supported by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) through the program “Programa Operacional Fatores de Competitividade-COMPETE”, by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) and by "Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte)", through the projects PEST-C/SAU/LA0002/2013-FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037277 and NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000001. V.H.F.T. (SFRH/BD/72134/2010) and R.V. (SFRH/BD/48125/2008) were supported by FCT fellowships.
Reduced TORC1 signaling abolishes mitochondrial dysfunctions and shortened chronological lifespan of Isc1p-deficient cells by Vitor Teixeira et al. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. | 2019-04-19T06:58:35Z | http://microbialcell.com/researcharticles/reduced-torc1-signaling-abolishes-mitochondrial-dysfunctions-shortened-chronological-lifespan-isc1p-deficient-cells/ |
Although the human genome project has been completed for some time, the issue of the number of transcribed genes with identifiable biological functions remains unresolved. We used zebrafish as a model organism to study the functions of Ka/Ks-predicted novel human exons, which were identified from a comparative evolutionary genomics analysis.
In this study, a novel gene, designated as puf-A, was cloned and functionally characterized, and its homologs in zebrafish, mouse, and human were identified as one of the three homolog clusters which were consisted of 14 related proteins with Puf repeats. Computer modeling of human Puf-A structure and a pull-down assay for interactions with RNA targets predicted that it was a RNA-binding protein. Specifically, Puf-A contained a special six Puf-repeat domain, which constituted a unique superhelix half doughnut-shaped Puf domain with a topology similar to, but different from the conventional eight-repeat Pumilio domain. Puf-A transcripts were uniformly distributed in early embryos, but became restricted primarily to eyes and ovaries at a later stage of development. In mice, puf-A expression was detected primarily in retinal ganglion and pigmented cells. Knockdown of puf-A in zebrafish embryos resulted in microphthalmia, a small head, and abnormal primordial germ-cell (PGC) migration. The latter was confirmed by microinjecting into embryos puf-A siRNA containing nanos 3′ UTR that expressed in PGC only. The importance of Puf-A in the maturation of germline stem cells was also implicated by its unique expression in the most primitive follicles (stage I) in adult ovaries, followed by a sharp decline of expression in later stages of folliculogenesis. Taken together, our study shows that puf-A plays an important role not only in eye development, but also in PGC migration and the specification of germ cell lineage. These studies represent an exemplary implementation of a unique platform to uncover unknown function(s) of human genes and their roles in development regulation.
Copyright: © 2009 Kuo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This work was supported by grants from the National Science Council (#NSC96-3111-B-001-005) and from Academia Sinica, Taiwan. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Comparing human and mouse/rat genomic sequences, Nekrutenko et al. predicted new human protein-coding exons . This approach takes advantage of the fact that in coding regions, synonymous substitutions occur much more frequently than non-synonymous ones. They predicted 13,711 novel exons that were present in both the rodent and human genomes, but the predicted transcripts remained to be validated and their biological functions remained to be demonstrated , . When we started this study, 4,768 of the originally predicted new exons were already recognized as genes or pseudogenes, so we used the remaining 8,943 potential novel human exons to search for zebrafish orthologs in a zebrafish database (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/D_rerio/). From this in silico analysis, we found 308 potential genes that had yet no defined biological function (unpublished data). In this study, we chose a novel puf-A gene from the 308 potential genes to characterize its function in zebrafish, mouse, and human.
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become a favorite vertebrate model for genetic and developmental studies due to its attributes such as a small body size, rapid development, frequent reproductive cycles (1∼2 weeks), short maturation period (3 months), large-scale genetic screening, and easy maintenance . In addition, zebrafish mutations are usually faithful phenocopies of many human disorders .
The Puf family is an evolutionarily conserved protein family named after Pumilio (Drosophila) and FBF (Fem-3 mRNA-binding Factor, Caenorhabditis elegans). Puf proteins have been found in various organisms, including yeast, C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, Xenopus, mouse, and human, but their function is largely unclear. The first Puf protein, Pumilio, identified from Drosophila, was known to repress translation of hunchback mRNA in the posterior half of the Drosophila embryo, thereby permitting abdominal development . In addition to its role in posterior patterning of embryos, Drosophila Pumilio functions in the development of germline stem cells . Puf family members are usually identified by the presence of eight tandem Puf repeats of ∼35–39 amino acids and the repeat binds to specific sequences in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of a target mRNA.
In this study, we conducted various experiments to show that a novel puf-A gene is involved in eye and primordial germ-cell (PGC) development. Using the SMART server, we identified 14 puf-A-related proteins in human, mouse and zebrafish. We studied their phylogenetic relationships of these 14 proteins. Moreover, a computer modeling of human Puf-A predicted that it is a unique RNA-binding protein composed of six Puf repeats.
In zebrafish, the puf-A gene was found to express at a high level by RT-PCR in the eyes and ovaries, and to a lesser degree in the brain, head kidney (pronephros), and testes (Fig. 1A). Moreover, this gene was found to express at all stages of zebrafish embryo development (Fig. 1B). In situ hybridization confirmed that puf-A was ubiquitously expressed in zebrafish embryos from fertilization to early somitogenesis, but at a later stage of embryo development, its expression was restricted primarily to the eyes and optic tectum (Fig. 1C).
Figure 1. Expression of puf-A in zebrafish using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization.
(A) Gene expression in adult tissues of zebrafish was analyzed by RT-PCR and electrophoresis with puf-A primers (upper panel) or actin primers (lower panel, as the internal control). Notation: B, brain; E, eye; G, gill; H, heart; I, intestine; K, head kidney; L, liver; O, ovary; T, testis; N, negative control. (B) The puf-A gene was expressed in various stages of zebrafish embryo. C, cleavage; B, blastula; 1, 1 day post-fertilization (dpf); 2, 2 dpf; 5, 5 dpf; N, negative control. (C) Whole-mount in situ hybridization with puf-A antisense riboprobe on zebrafish embryo. The puf-A expression at 10 h post-fertilization (hpf) (tailbud stage) and 24 hpf (25-somite stage) with lateral overview. The black arrow points to the eye and the red arrow to the optic tectum. (D) Whole-mount and cryo-section in situ hybridization with a puf-A antisense riboprobe in adult ovaries. In adult ovaries, a staging series of oocyte development was characterized by the diameter of various oocytes , . Stage I, primary growth follicles (<0.1 mm); stage II, previtellogenic (0.1–0.30 mm); and stage III, vitellogenic (>0.30 mm).
In addition, in adult zebrafish ovaries, puf-A was found to be prominently expressed in early immature follicles that were small in size and nested with other developing oocytes (Fig. 1D). In general, the process of folliculogenesis could be divided into five stages, beginning with the early germline stage I (primary growth) cells that appeared in clusters, through the pre-vitellogenic stage II and the vitellogenic stage III, and ending with the mature or ovulated stages IV and V , . As shown in Fig. 1D, strong puf-A mRNA expression was noted in primitive stage I ovarian follicles that appeared spherical in shape with diameter less than 100 µm, nesting with other developing . But this expression declined sharply and became negligible in subsequent stages of oocyte development (e.g. stages II and III). The results of in situ hybridization of ovary cross-sections confirmed that puf-A mRNA expressed prominently in the cytoplasm of stage I follicles which appeared in clusters. In contrast, stage II and III ovarian follicles showed no discernible expression of the puf-A transcript (Fig. 1D). It seems that the expression of puf-A occurs when the first wave of follicles begin their process of folliculogenesis.
A full-length puf-A cDNA was cloned from RNA of zebrafish ovaries (Fig. S1). It is 2,053 bp in length and contains an open reading frame of 629 amino acids (Fig. S1). Further blasting in the NCBI and Ensembl websites demonstrated that the BAC clone #CH211-241o7 contained the full-length puf-A gene [ENSDARG00000063356 (Ensembl 44)] with 18 exons on a region of ∼18.8 kb in chromosome 10: 5,373, 938 to 5,391,448 (Fig. 2A). The cDNA/protein sequence of zebrafish Puf-A corresponds to protein LOC394185 (zgc: 66377) in the NCBI with gene ID of 394185 (accession # of protein sequences, XP_695580.2, Table 1) with an exception of five amino acid residues. At residues 558∼562, the sequence is “Glu-Arg-Phe-Ser-Arg” in Puf-A from our study (Fig. S1), but “Gly-Lys-Tyr-Lys-Met” in LOC394185 (Table 1); and this discrepancy arises from a difference in lengths of exons 16 and 17.
Figure 2. Genetic map of the puf-A locus of zebrafish, the unrooted phylogenetic tree, computer modeling of human Puf-A and its electrostatic surface representation.
(A) Genetic map of the zebrafish puf-A locus and the exon/intron structure of the puf-A transcript were constructed through blasting the puf-A cDNA sequence to the genome databases of the NCBI and Ensembl websites. The puf-A (zgc: 66377) is ENSDARG00000063356 in chromosome 10: 5,373,938 to 5,391,448 (Ensembl 44). (B) The unrooted phylogenetic tree of human (Hs), mouse (Mm) and zebrafish (Dr) Puf proteins. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the PHYLIP 3.67 package as described in Method. These Puf proteins could be grouped into three clusters: (1) the Puf-A cluster, (2) the C14orf21 cluster, and (3) the PUM1/PUM2 homolog cluster. (C) Modeling the Puf domain of human Puf-A. This model, built by MODELLER 9v3 as described in Methods, represents the corresponding Puf domain for binding with RNA (yellow). This Puf domain of Puf-A contains six Puf repeats distributed in two regions (R1 to 3 and R4 to 6; blue), and each region contains three repeats. The magenta color refers to the middle region of the Puf domain. The N and C terminal ends of this Puf domain are indicated. (D) Electrostatic surface representation of the Puf domain. The electrostatic potentials were calculated by DELPHI as described. The left panel shows the areas on the concave surface with positive potentials (blue) which interacts with RNA (yellow). The right panel represents the convex surface, where the negative potentials are shown mainly as the acidic (red) and a few hydrophobic (white) areas.
Table 1. Information on the putative Puf proteins in humans, mice, and zebrafish.
A search for Puf-A-related sequence fragments in the databases suggested that the Puf-A in zebrafish is a member of the Puf family. Each Puf protein contains a Puf domain that consists of several tandem Puf repeats of 36 amino acids , ; the Puf domain has also been known as the pumilio homolog domain . In total, we identified 14 Puf-related proteins of zebrafish, mouse, and human using the SMART server (Table 1 and Fig. 2B). A phylogenetic tree constructed using the PHYLIP package suggests that these 14 Puf proteins can be grouped into three clusters: (1) the Puf-A homolog cluster, (2) the C14orf21 homolog cluster, and (3) the PUM1/PUM2 homolog cluster (Fig. 2B).
Sequence similarities among these Puf proteins in each cluster were analyzed and categorized (Fig. 2B). In this study, the human and mouse Puf-A homologs, i.e., KIAA0020 and D19Bwg1357e in Table 1, are designated, respectively, as the human and murine Puf-A, respectively. BLASTP analysis revealed that human Puf-A shared 89% identity in the aligned 647 amino acid residues with murine Puf-A and 66% identity with zebrafish Puf-A in the aligned 621 residues. However, compared with human related proteins in the other two categories, human Puf-A and human C14orf21 showed no significant similarity and human Puf-A and Pumilio (PUM1) shared only 21% identity in the aligned 241 amino acid residues (Fig. 2B and Table 1). Similarly, human Puf-A and human PUM2 shared only 20% identity in the aligned 240 residues. Thus, members of the Puf-A cluster are similar to each other, but distinct from the members of the other two clusters. Based on the results of the phylogenetic and sequence similarity analyses, Puf-A homologs could be grouped into a single cluster (Fig. 2B).
On the other hand, within the cluster of C14orf21 homologs (Fig. 2B), human C14orf21 showed 84% identity with murine 2610027L16Rik in the aligned 581 residues and 34% identity with zebrafish LOC564287 in the aligned 619 residues. However, human C14orf21 showed no significant similarity with human Pumilio (PUM1), and human C14orf21 and human PUM2 shared only 23% identity in the aligned 140 amino acid residues. Thus, C14orf21 homologs could be grouped into a single cluster (Fig. 2B).
As to the cluster of PUM1/PUM2 homologs (Fig. 2B), human Pumilio (PUM1) and PUM2 shared 75% identity in the aligned 1,076 residues and human and mouse Pumilio (PUM1) shared 98% identity in the aligned 1,189 residues. In zebrafish, there were four Puf proteins in this cluster (Fig. 2B and Table 1) and their similarity analyses were described in Data S1. The results described above support the clustering of the homologs of PUM1 and PUM2 into one group in our phylogenetic tree analysis (Fig. 2B). The multiple sequence alignments of these 14 Puf proteins were shown in Fig. S2.
Based on the crystal 3D structure of the human Pumilio domain with 1.9 A resolution , we conducted a computer modeling of the Puf-domain for human Puf-A (KIAA0020) using its 336 amino acid residues from Asp-151 to Ile-486 (Fig. 2C). The quality of this modeling evaluated by the VADAR server showed that 100% of the residues were in the allowed regions of the Ramachandran diagram .
The computer model of human Puf-A predicted its structure to be composed of six Puf repeats, each of which constitutes a unique superhelix, half doughnut-shaped Puf domain (Fig. 2C). The six Puf repeats are distributed in two separate regions from Leu-165 to Glu-273, and from Ala-350 to Glu-460 (R1 to 3 and R4 to 6, respectively; shown in blue in Fig. 2C). These six repeats are structurally aligned with corresponding repeats of the template used in this computer modeling. Moreover, each repeat has three helices and the second helix, which is located at the inner, concave face of the model, and interacts with RNA (yellow in Fig. 2C), exhibiting characteristic features of a conventional Puf repeat .
On the other hand, the sequence from Glu-274 to Glu-349, which represents the middle region of this model (RL1 and RL2; shown in magenta in Fig. 2C), contains no typical Puf repeats identifiable by the SMART server. Detailed analysis of this model showed that this middle region possesses a length of segment close to two tandem Puf repeats (76 residues) and each of these “repeat-like” structures exhibits features of three-helix similar to a typical Puf repeat. It is concluded that this middle region mimics two Puf repeats structurally. Thus, the overall structure of Puf-A features a six-Puf-repeat domain with an intermediate region of two repeat-like segments so that it displays a topology similar to the conventional eight-repeat Pumilio homolog domain . Furthermore, this computer model of human Puf-A predicts that it is a new RNA-binding protein, distinctly different from the Pumilio domain.
In addition, the values of electrostatic potentials on the molecular surface of this model of human Puf-A were calculated. As shown in Fig. 2D, an asymmetric distribution of electrostatic potentials was noted for the Puf domain of Puf-A: its concave surface has predominately positive basic electrostatic potentials (shown in blue; left panel of Fig. 2D), presumably for RNA binding, while the convex surface in this model is acidic (red) with partly hydrophobic (white) areas (right panel). Similar properties of the electrostatic surface of this model were also observed in the crystal structure of Pumilio .
To examine the biological function of the puf-A gene, zebrafish embryos at the 1∼4 cell stage were injected with one of the two puf-A-MO antisense oligonucleotides, MO1 and MO2 (see “Materials and Methods” and Fig. S1 for locations of target). As illustrated in Fig 3A, MO1 morphants clearly showed small eyes, a small head, and brain edema at 1 and 2 dpf. Relative to the eye size of WT fish, there were significant reductions in eye size among the morphants in a dose-responsive manner (∼40% reduction with 5 ng puf-A-MO1; Fig. 3B). The puf-A-MO2 gave results similar to those of the puf-A-MO1.
Figure 3. The phenotypes of puf-A morphants in the zebrafish.
(A) Zebrafish embryos at the 1∼4-cell stage were treated with 5 ng puf-A morpholino (MO1) by microinjection. The phenotypes of the wild-type and morphants are shown in lateral view at 1, 2, 3, and 5 days post-fertilization (dpf) after treatment. Black arrows point to the eyes. (B) Various amounts of MO1 were microinjected into zebrafish embryos, and the eye size was measured at 1 or 2 dpf and compared to the eye size of control fish. The “relative eye size” was defined by the value of eye size in MOs relative to the average size of eyes in normal embryos of WT fish. The average value of eye size in normal embryos at 1dpf was considered as 1. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean. ** refer to p<0.01 Student's t-test). (C) 0, 2, 200 nM puf-A-MO1 or puf-A-MO2 were added to the puf-A generated through in vitro transcription/translation reactions. One microliter of the reaction mixture was separated on 10% SDS/PAGE, blotted, incubated with streptavidin-AP, and developed with NBT-BCIP reagents. (D) The 5 ng control- or puf-A-MO1 was used for microinjection. In addition, 200 pg of capped puf-A RNA was co-injected with puf-A-MO1 to check the specificity of MO knockdown. The “relative eye size” was defined as above. The eye size was measured at 2 dpf. Control-MO, n = 20 embryos; puf-A-MO1, n = 59; puf-A-MO1+ capped RNA, n = 65. The p value in Student's t-test for the difference between puf-A-MO and puf-A-MO+mRNA was <0.00007. (E) Transverse histological sections of zebrafish wild-type and morphant (puf-A-MO1) eyes stained with hematoxylin and eosin at 3 and 5 dpf.
In order to further demonstrate the efficiency of MO1 and MO2, in vitro transcription/translation of puf-A was performed in the presence or absence of 0∼200 nM MOs. It was shown that these MOs blocked puf-A translation in vitro, especially at high concentration (Fig. 3C). The specificity was further confirmed by the experiment in which the addition of capped puf-A RNA partially but significantly rescued the phenotype of eye size in MO-induced morphants in vivo (p value<0.00007; Fig. 3D).
Furthermore, in order to circumvent the potential issue of “off-target effects”of MOs, not only a wide range of MOs (1 to 10 ng/embryos) was used for gene knockdown experiments, but also a 5 bp mismatch puf-A (5mmMO1) was employed as a negative control for MO1. Both in vitro and in vivo analyses were performed in Fig. S3 to examine the specificity for MOs. First, the addition of various amounts (0, 2, and 200 nM) of the puf-A-5mmMO1 did not affect the transcription/translation reactions for puf-A in vitro. Secondly, for in vivo experiment, the puf-A 5′-UTR and its partial coding region were added onto pEYFP-N1 plasmid which contained CMV promoter and YFP gene to generate the ppuf-A-YFP plasmid. In vivo, approximately 31.2% of embryos injected with this ppuf-A-YFP exhibited fluorescence at 100 pg/embryo dosage (Fig. S3B). However, co-injection with MO1 totally suppressed the YFP expression; in contrast, the mismatch control, 5mmMO1, did not affect the YFP expression (Fig. S3B). It is further noted that the phenotypes of morphants injected with 5mmMO1 were also normal at 3dpf, similar to WT zebrafish (Fig. S3C).
Furthermore, an independent approach using various siRNAs was performed in order to validate the MO data. The puf-A siRNA (i.e. without nanos 3′-UTR) was shown to suppress the zebrafish puf-A expression (Fig. S4) and generate a reduction in the eye size of zebrafish embryos after microinjection (i.e. compared with eye size when injected with control siRNA 2 dpf in Fig. 4B). Therefore, both MOs and siRNA knockdown analyses suggested that these genetic tools specifically knocked down the expression of puf-A leading to eye defects in zebrafish.
Figure 4. The puf-A gene plays a role in the PGC development in zebrafish embryonic development.
(A) The vasa antisense riboprobe was used in whole-mount in situ hybridization as a marker to monitor primordial germ-cell (PGC) development in zebrafish. The vasa expression in wild-type (WT) and morphants (MO1 at 5 ng/embryo) at 16 and 20 hpf embryos in dorsal view. Anterior is to the left for 16 hpf and left bottom for 20 hpf. The morphants exhibited prominent abnormalities with either a reduction in PGC numbers (50.4%, n = 125 embryos) or abnormal patterns of migration (34.4%, n = 125) indicating the failure of PGC navigation towards their destined sites. (B) Upper: the construction of puf-A siRNA with nanos 3′ UTR, vasa expression and normal eye size in embryos 2 dpf after injection. The embryos displayed a marked reduction in PGC numbers (80.9%, n = 115 embryos) and abnormal patterns of migration (11.3%, n = 115 embryos). Middle: construction of puf-A siRNA without nanos 3′ UTR, vasa expression and small eye size in 2dpf embryos. Bottom: construction of control siRNA with nanos 3′ UTR, vasa expression and normal eye size in embryos after injection.
Several in situ markers, such as emx3 (telencephalon marker), krcx20 (rhombomere 3/5 marker), pax6a (forebrain, retina, hindbrain, spinal cord marker), mab21l1 (retina, optic tectum and hindbrain marker), mab21l2 (retina, optic tectum and hindbrain marker), rx3 (retina marker), six3b (retina/diencephalon/midbrain marker) etc were used to characterize the eye defects during embryo development. As shown in Fig. S5A, in situ hybridization showed that most brain regions were normal at 1dpf, but some regions (like optic tectum and eyes) developed abnormal defects that occurred at 2dpf. For example, six3b expressed only in ganglion cell layer of eye tissues in wild type 2dpf; but this gene expressed all over in eye tissue in morphants (Fig. S5A). Furthermore, expression of another marker, mab21l1, was found in retina, optic tectum and hindbrain. In contrast, in morphants, no mab21ll expression was found in the entire eye tissue or optic tectum (Fig. S5A). Furthermore, as shown in Fig. S5B, puf-A knockdown promoted apoptosis in eye tissues at 1dpf as compared to control. It seemed that cell death occurred prior to retinal differentiation which occurred approximately 28–30 hpf . Moreover, the other retinal differentiation markers (ath5/atoh7) were not expressed in morphants as late as 36 hpf in in situ experiments (pictures not shown), suggesting that the puf-A knockdown led to specific differentiation defects in eyes, not simply delayed development.
Subsequently, at the development stages of 3 and 5 dpf, eye sections of WT fish and morphants were further examined (Fig. 3E). In WT zebrafish, the retina comprises several layers of differentiated cells including retinal ganglion cells, the inner plexiform layer, amacrine cells, bipolars, outer plexiform layer, rods and cones, and pigmented cells. In contrast, morphants with puf-A gene knockdown exhibited features of an undifferentiated retina with loss of detailed architecture and a significant reduction in eye size. Structures such as the rod and cone layers were not concentrically organized and retinal ganglion cells and plexiform layers were not readily discernible (Fig. 3E).
During embryo development, primordial germ cells (PGC) follow a unique developmental path that is characterized by specification and migration of these cells to colonize the gonads where they differentiate into gametes. To investigate whether puf-A is involved in PGC development, the puf-A MO was used to knockdown its expression in the early stage of zebrafish embryos. In situ hybridization with zebrafish PGC-specific vasa RNA was employed as a marker , to monitor PGCs migration (Fig. 4A). It has been reported that zebrafish PGC movement began with four random clusters before 6 hpf to form two clusters that would move to either side of embryo midline by the end of the first day of development . As shown in Fig. 4 A, PGCs appeared in gonad regions as two clusters in WT embryos at the 16∼20 hpf stage. But the morphants exhibited prominent abnormalities at the same stage of development (Fig. 4 A) with either a reduction in PGC numbers (50.4%) or abnormal patterns of migration (34.4%) indicating the failure of PGC navigation towards their destined sites.
Since MO knockdown could affect various tissues in embryos, it remained unclear whether the abnormal patterns of PGC migrations were caused directly by specific knockdown of puf-A expression in PGCs. It was reported that the 3′ UTR of nanos plays critical roles in RNA stabilization and could assure specific expression of reporter gene in PGC regions , . Herein, a puf-A siRNA prepared with nanos 3′ UTR was microinjected into embryos. These embryos showed normal size head and eyes up to 2 dpf but they already displayed a marked reduction in PGC numbers (80.9%) and abnormal patterns of migration (11.3%) at 16 hpf of development; (Fig. 4B). In contrast, the puf-A siRNA (without nanos 3′ UTR) had the similar phenotypes as MO morphants with small eyes, small head, and brain edema in addition to abnormal PGC migration and reduction in PGC number (Fig. 4B). Furthermore, the control siRNA with nanos 3′-UTR exhibited normal PGC migration and normal eye size development (Fig. 4B). Thus, specific knockdown of puf-A in PGCs led to abnormal PGC development in zebrafish embryo.
The puf-A gene was identified in the mouse genome as the mouse D19Bwg1357e (Table 1). As puf-A MO knockdown led to abnormal differentiation in zebrafish eye, puf-A expression in mouse eyes was investigated. The in situ hybridization analysis showed that puf-A was expressed in retina ganglion cells of mice, and to a lesser degree, in the pigmented cells of mice as well (see arrows in Fig. 5), suggesting that the Puf-A protein may play an important role in the function of vertebrate eyes.
Figure 5. The puf-A gene was expressed in adult murine eyes.
Panels show in situ hybridization of an adult mouse eye with NBT-BCIP color reaction after hybridization with puf-A antisense and sense probes, separately. The black arrows point to puf-A expression which was probed with antisense, while mouse sense probe served as the negative control. HE staining inside the mouse sense panel shows the different retinal layers of the mouse eye. PE, pigmented epithelium; NCL, nuclear cell layer.
The biotinylated puf-A was prepared from in vitro transcription/translation) and then purified through immobilization on streptavidin magnetic beads. Afterwards, the purified biotinylated puf-A were mixed with 10 ug mRNA mixtures from embryos and ovaries. After fix and PBS wash, the residual RNA pulled down by biotinylated Puf-A was amplified, subcloned and sequenced. Using this pull-down assay, many potential RNA targets for puf-A bindings were found and listed in Table 2 with their gene IDs and symbols. We further showed that there was a reciprocal relationship for the expression of puf-A and one of its potential RNA targets, prdm1a. (Jui-Chin Chang and John Yu, unpublished observations). Therefore, these results and computer modeling predicted that puf-A is a RNA binding protein.
Table 2. The potential target RNAs identified from pull down assay with biotinylated puf-A*.
The zebrafish has become one of the top vertebrate models for genetic and developmental studies because it is highly prolific and amenable to micromanipulation and gene knockdown. In this study, the zebrafish was used as a model for analyzing the structure and functions of a novel gene, puf-A. This has proved to be an efficient strategy for a detailed analysis of the function of a gene. This approach provides an outstanding platform for understanding the functions of novel genes and their roles in controlling development of an organ or organism.
It was found that the puf-A gene was primarily expressed in the eyes and ovaries and to a lesser degree in the brain and kidneys of adult zebrafish. In the eyes of adult zebrafish and mice, the Puf-A protein was mainly expressed in retina ganglion cells. During embryogenesis, the formation of retinal neurons follows a phylogenetically conserved order, and all six retinal neuron types are generated from common multipotent progenitors, with retinal ganglion cells being the first neurons to occur , . In this study, zebrafish morphants of 3- and 5-dpf embryos showed incomplete differentiation patterns in the retina, suggesting that the Puf-A protein may have important roles in the development of retinal progenitors.
Additionally, during embryonic development, knockdown of the puf-A gene led to a reduction in the number of PGCs and their abnormal migration, suggesting that Puf-A is involved in the maintenance and migration of these primitive germ cells. The adult zebrafish ovary is a useful vertebrate model to study oocyte development and its regulation . In this study, the expression of puf-A was predominantly in stage I follicles in adult ovaries and became undetectable in stage II and III follicles during subsequent oocyte development. It was noted that the most primitive germline stem cells, oogonia, were not readily distinguishable from stage I follicles. Thus, the transition of oogonia into stage I follicles was not investigated in this study. Taken together, these findings indicated that in zebrafish Puf-A not only regulates PGC development but may also play a role in germline stem cells up to stage I follicles.
In total, 14 puf-related proteins of zebrafish, mice, and humans were identified by the SMART server. The Puf-A in this study with its newly identified roles in eyes and PGCs corresponds to the zebrafish LOC394185, mouse D19Bwg1357e, and human KIAA0020. There are three groups of Puf-related proteins: the Puf-A homolog cluster, the C14orf21 homolog cluster, and the PUM1/PUM2 homolog cluster. The Puf-A and C14orf21 homologs could be separated into two homolog clusters and the proteins of their members were similar to each other within the same cluster, but easily distinguishable from members of the other clusters. For example, the Puf-As in humans, mice, or zebrafish were similar to each other, but showed only ∼21% identity with the human Pumilio (PUM1) protein. In the PUM1/PUM2 homolog cluster, there are more than one member proteins in each animal species, especially in zebrafish (six homologous genes in the PUM1/PUM2 cluster have been annotated, but await further characterizations of their proteins).
The Puf family proteins are characterized by their tandem Puf repeats with ∼35–39 amino acids in each repeat. Each repeat consists of three α-helixes, which bind to its RNA recognition residues . A typical RNA recognition motif such as the Pumilio homolog domain usually contains eight tandem Puf repeats. Our computer modeling indicated that the Puf domain of the Puf-A homologs in humans, mice, zebrafish and yeast (data not shown) consists of six Puf repeats and the topographic characteristics predicted it to be a new RNA binding protein. Furthermore, using a pull-down assay, we had found potential RNA targets for puf-A bindings, conceivably leading to the suppression of target gene expression. In fact, Puf6p, the homolog protein of puf-A in yeast, was shown to be involved in the repression of ASH1 mRNA . This model of human Puf-A also suggested that its Puf domain exhibited a structural feature with six Puf-repeats and a middle region of the Puf domain that mimics exactly two additional Puf repeats. In addition, the asymmetric distribution of the electrostatic potentials of the amino acid side chains on the surfaces of the Puf domain of Puf-A suggests that the concave surface of the domain binds RNA, while the convex face may react with not yet identified interacting proteins such as nanos.
RNA-binding proteins play important roles in RNA-related cellular processes, including RNA splicing, export, translation, stabilization, and degradation , , . The specific RNAs bound to Puf-A are being delineated. On the other hand, the homologs of puf-A in Drosophila and C. elegans have been reported to be penguin and puf-12, respectively. The function of the penguin protein in Drosophila is still unknown, while knockdown of puf-12 via RNAi in the C. elegans caused early larval arrest and egg laying abnormalities (Egl) (http://www.wormbase.org/).
Breeding and maintenance of AB strain zebrafish, as well as collecting and staging of embryos, were done according to standard procedures . Some embryos were reared in egg water treated with 0.003% 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU) to inhibit pigmentation . Developmental times refer to hours (hpf) or days (dpf) post-fertilization.
Total RNA was extracted from zebrafish embryos and adult tissues using Tri-reagent (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA). Reverse transcription was performed using the Superscript pre-amplification system (Gibco BRL, Grand Island, NY, USA) as described in the manufacturer's instructions. The cDNA product was amplified by PCR with specific primer sets for puf-A or β-actin. The puf-A forward primer was 5′-GTTCAACAGAAAGCCGACAG-3′ and the reversed primer, 5′-CCAACATCACTTCACCTACC-3′. The β-actin forward primer was 5′- TCACACCTTCTACAACGAGCTGCG-3′ and the reversed primer, 5′- GAAGCTGTAGCCTCTCTCGGTCAG-3′. To obtain the puf-A complete cDNA, rapid amplification of 5′- and 3′-cDNA ends (5′-RACE and 3′-RACE) was performed with total RNA of the ovaries using the SMART cDNA amplification kit (Clontech Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, USA). The RACE products were subcloned into pGEM-T easy vectors (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) and sequenced. The cDNAs of puf-A full-length and puf-A without 5′-UTR region were reconstructed into pBluescript SK minus vector using the 5′- and 3′-RACE products.
Zebrafish, murine and human Puf protein sequences were retrieved from the SMART server (http://smart.embl-heidelberg.de) by the analysis of Pumilio-conserved domains in both the normal and genomic modes. Four individual sequences were found to contain the Puf domain in humans and mice. Additionally, there were six putative Puf-related proteins identified in zebrafish using the SMART server. More detailed information about these Puf proteins and their accession numbers is given in Data S1 and Table 1.
A multiple-sequence alignment for these Puf-related protein sequences was generated by CLUSTAL X2.0, using the BLOSUM series matrix . The option for a negative matrix was turned on, while the other parameters remained at the default setting. The BLASTP algorithm with the BLOSUM62 matrix, which was implemented in BLAST at NCBI, was used for the sequence similarity analysis. A phylogenetic tree of putative Puf proteins was constructed using algorithms with PHYLIP vers. 3.67 (see Data S1). The final unrooted tree diagram was prepared using DENDROSCOPE vers. 1.2.4 .
In order to model the three-dimensional (3D) structure of human Puf-A, the mGenTHREADER method of the PSIPRED server , was used for predicting secondary structures and making sequence alignments. Initially, the structural information of human Pumilio homolog domain (Protein Date Bank code: 1IB2 and 1M8Y) , was used as modeling templates. Even though the sequences of human Pumilio (PUM1) is only 21% identity with human Puf-A, the crystal structure of Pumilio homolog domain is similar to Puf-A detected by mGenTHREADER with p value<0.0001.
Then 3D structure of Puf domain in human Puf-A was constructed by MODELLER 9v3 (see Data S1). A segment of the RNA ligand from 1M8Y was assembled into the resulting model to represent the potential RNA binding site. Furthermore, the electrostatic potentials were calculated using DELPHI with default parameters setting in CHIMERA . The color spectrum mapped onto the domain surface ranged from −7 kT/e (dark red) to +7 kT/e (dark blue). Finally, 3D structural diagrams in this study were prepared using CHIMERA . The convex and concave surfaces represent the presentation of the model that had been rotated 180° about the vertical axis.
The collection and staging of embryos were performed as described. Embryos were fixed overnight at 4°C in 4% paraformaldehyde buffered with 1× phosphate-buffered saline (PFA/PBS). In addition, the ovaries and eyes were removed from zebrafish or mouse after anesthetization and decapitation, and placed in 4% PFA/PBS. After being treated with 30% sucrose, specimens were embedded in OCT. Frozen sections (7 and 10 µm thick for mouse and zebrafish, separately) were collected onto coated slides. In situ hybridization was performed using an InsituPro automated system (Intavis, Koeln, Germany). Whole-mount and section in situ hybridization were carried out using a digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled RNA probe and anti-DIG antibody conjugated with alkaline phosphatase as described previously , . After hybridization, slides were incubated with anti-DIG antibody conjugated with AP, and developed with NBT-BCIP reagents. The in situ hybridization analysis of the cryosections of adult zebrafish eyes was carried out with a zebrafish puf-A riboprobe after fluorescein (Flu) labeling. After hybridization, slides were incubated with anti-Flu-AP, and developed with FastRed reagents.
The following DIG-labeled RNA probes were prepared from linearized plasmids using the DIG RNA labeling kit (Roche, Basel, Switzerland): (1) an antisense probe of the puf-A gene prepared from KpnI-digested pBluescript SK−-puf-A (full-lengh, 2,053 bp) using T3 RNA polymerase, (2) a puf-A sense probe prepared from BamHI-digested pBluescript SK−-puf-A using T7 RNA polymerase, and (3) a vasa antisense probe prepared from XbaI-digested pBluescript SK−-vasa (a gift from Dr. Bon-chu Chung, Academia Sinica) with T7 RNA polymerase. Follicles at different stages of development were identified according to the different-sized diameters of the follicles , .
Zebrafish embryos were obtained by natural mating and MO microinjection was performed at the stage of 1∼4 cells. The puf-A-MO1 antisense oligonucleotide 5′-AATGGACCATGTGTACAGACAAACA-3′ was designed to direct against the 5′ UTR of the puf-A gene, and the puf-A-MO2 antisense oligonucleotide was 5′-TTTACCCTCCATAATGGACCATGTG-3′ that directed against the 5′ UTR and part of coding region including ATG. The 5 bp mismatch MO1 as a negative control for MO (i.e. puf-A 5mmMO1) was 5′-AATcGACgATGTGTAgAcACAAAgA-3′. Embryos positioned in an agarose injection chamber were injected with 5∼10 ng of MO in 4.6 nl using a Narishige micromanipulator and needle holder (Narishige, Tokyo, Japan). For the experiment, eye size was determined by photographing lateral views of anesthetized larvae and was normalized to the average eye size of age-matched WT fish.
An in vitro transcription/translation assay was carried out with the TNT Quick coupled reticulocyte lysate system together with the Transcend™ biotinylated lysine-tRNA (Promega), according to the manufacturer's protocol. MOs were added to the complete TNT Quick Master Mix to final concentrations of 0.1 or 10 µM and incubated at 30°C for 90 min. One microliter of this reaction mixture was resolved on 10% SDS/PAGE, and biotin-labeled lysine residues were detected on Western blots via a streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase and visualized with NBT-BCIP reagents.
Rescue experiments were performed by injecting the synthesized capped puf-A RNA with puf-A-MO1. The capped puf-A RNA that did not contain a 5′ UTR region was prepared from a pBluescript SK-plasmid after BamHI digestion using the mMessage mMachine kit (Ambion, Austin, TX, USA). For the rescue experiments, 200 pg of capped puf-A RNA was microinjected with puf-A-MO1 into zebrafish embryos, and the eye size was measured at 2 dpf.
Eyes from mouse were collected and placed in 4% paraformaldehyde. Tissue sections (3 µm thick) from paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were placed on charged slides, deparaffinized in xylene, rehydrated through graded alcohol solutions and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E).
To silence the puf-A expression in zebrafish with small interfering RNA (siRNA), the pcDNA6.2-GW/EmGFP-miR (Block-iT Pol II miR RNAi Expression Vector Kits, Invitrogen) was used to construct the puf-A siRNA plasmid according to the user manual. The region of nt1078 to 1098 for zebrafish puf-A was chosen for the engineered puf-A siRNA plasmid. The commercial pcDNA 6.2-GW/EmGFP-miR-neg control plasmid served as the “control siRNA”. In addition, the 3′ UTR fragment of nanos prepared from the PCR product of pGEM-T Easy-nanos plasmid (a gift from Dr. Bon-chu Chung) was subcloned into XhoI site of the puf-A siRNA and control siRNA plasmids, separately, to generate the plasmid with either puf-A siRNA or control siRNA containing nanos 3′ UTR. Therefore, there are four siRNA plamids: puf-A siRNA with or without nanos 3′ UTR and their two respective control plamids without puf-A.
Then, the PCR products generated from these four siRNA plasmids using forward primer (ACAAGTTTGTACAAAAAAGCAGGCT) and reverse primer (ACCACTTTGTACAAGAAAGCTGGGT), were subcloned into pGEM-T Easy vector using a TA cloning kit (Promega). Afterwards, using the mMessage mMachine kit (Ambion), the RNAs with puf-A containing either or no nanos 3′ UTR and their controls without puf-A were prepared separately. Finally, 100–200 pg of these puf-A siRNAs and control siRNAs (with or without nanos 3′ UTR) was microinjected into one-cell stage of zebrafish embryos, and the phenotypes and vasa expression were observed under microscope.
Briefly, biotinylated puf-A was prepared from in vitro transcription/translation kit using the TNT Quick coupled reticulocyte lysate system together with the Transcend™ biotinylated lysine-tRNA (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) and then purified through immobilization on streptavidin magnetic beads (Promega) with 5 times PBS wash. Afterwards, the purified biotinylated puf-A were mixed with 10ug mRNA mixtures from embryos and ovaries. After formaldehyde fix (final 1% concentration), glycine treatment (final 125mM concentration) and 5 times PBS wash, the residual RNA pulled down by biotinylated puf-A was amplified by using Full Spectrum Complete Transcriptome RNA Amplification kit (System Biosciences, Mountain View, CA, USA) as described in the manufacturer's instructions. The PCR products were subcloned into pGEM-T easy vectors (Promega) and sequenced.
cDNA nucleotide sequence of the zebrafish puf-A gene. The full-length sequence of zebrafish puf-A cDNA was identified using 5′- and 3′-RACE. The 5′-untranslated region (UTR) and 3′-UTR are shown in lowercase letters and the coding region (nucleotides 45∼1924) in uppercase letters. The stop codon is marked with an *. The deduced amino acid sequence (629 amino acids) is shown below the nucleotide sequence. At residues 558∼562, the sequence is “Glu-Arg-Phe-Ser-Arg” in bold letters. Blue arrow indicates the location of MO1 target site; black arrow refers to the MO2 target site.
Multiple sequence alignments of Puf proteins. Sequences of 14 Puf proteins of human (Hs), mouse (Mm), and zebrafish (Dr) were aligned by CLUSTAL X as described in Methods. Protein names are shown at the left of the alignment data, and the residue numbers are shown at the right side. The quality scores of alignment are represented as column graph under the ruler to indicate the level of similarity among these proteins. The color scheme for the consensus residues was applied the default settings.
The in vitro and in vivo analyses for the specificity of puf-A MO1. (A) Various amounts of puf-A-5mmMO1 (5 bp mismatch control: 0, 2, and 200 nM) were added to the in vitro transcription/translation reactions for puf-A. One microliter of the reaction mixture was separated on 10% SDS/PAGE, blotted and incubated with streptavidin-AP, followed by development with NBT-BCIP reagents.(B) For in vivo experiment, the puf-A 5′-UTR and its partial coding region were added onto pEYFP-N1 plasmid which contained CMV promoter and YFP gene to generate ppuf-A-YFP. Then 4.6 ng of the puf-A-MO1 or puf-A-5mmMO1 was co-injected to embryo with ppuf-A-YFP plasmid at 100 pg per embryo. The numbers of embryo with YFP expression were enumerated at 1dpf. As shown, 15/48 embryos injected puf-A-YFP plasmid exhibited fluorescence at 100 pg/embryo dosage, while none of the 113 embryos co-injected with the puf-A-MO1 had YFP expression. In contrast, co-injection with the mismatch control, puf-A-5mmMO1, did not affect the expression of YFP. (C) The panels showed the phenotypes of WT and morphants at 3dpf after injection with 9.2 ng of puf-A-5mmMO1 dosage.
The puf-A siRNA suppressed specifically the zebrafish puf-A expression in 3T3 cell line. The 3T3 cell line was co-transfected with pFlag-puf-A and different siRNAs. In the first line of Western blot, the siRNA was the control siRNA (pcDNA 6.2-GW/EmGFP-miR -neg control plasmid) as negative control. In the middle line, ppuf-A siRNA and in the last line, ppuf-A siRNA containing nanos 3′-UTR were used to suppress the puf-A expression. Upper panel showed the Western blot after reaction with anti-Flag antibodies, while lower panel showed Western blot for β-actin as internal control.
Expression of in situ marker genes and elevated level of apoptosis in puf-A morphants (A) The upper four panels showed normal expression of krox20 and emx3 in WT and morphants, separately, at 1dpf. The lower four panels showed the abnormal expression patterns of six3b and mab21l1 in WT and morphants at 2dpf. (B) Apoptotic cells were detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) using an In Situ Cell Death Detection kit (Roche). Embryos were fixed with 4% PFA and whole eyes at 1dpf were dissected out. Black arrows refer to the apoptotic cells in eyes of WT embryos. Acridine orange (AO) was also used to label apoptotic cells in zebrafish embryos. The average number of AO positive cells per retina in wild-type (WT, n = 8) and puf-A morphants (MO1, n = 8) at 1dpf was presented.
We thank Dr. I-Jong Wong at National Taiwan Univ. Hospital for advice concerning retinal structures. In addition, we are grateful for the assistance and excellent technical support from the Equipment Core Facility of the Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica.
Conceived and designed the experiments: MWK WHL JY. Performed the experiments: MWK SHW JCC CHC LJH HHL. Analyzed the data: MWK SHW JCC ALTY WHL JY. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: MWK SHW JCC CHC LJH HHL. Wrote the paper: MWK SHW ALTY WHL JY.
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Much like publishers, employees at the big tech monopolies can end up little more than grist.
Products & product categories come & go, but even if you build "the one" you still may lose everything in the process.
Imagine building the most successful consumer product of all time only to realize:'The iPhone is the reason I'm divorced,' Andy Grignon, a senior iPhone engineer, tells me. I heard that sentiment more than once throughout my dozens of interviews with the iPhone's key architects and engineers.'Yeah, the iPhone ruined more than a few marriages,' says another.
Microsoft is laying off thousands of salespeople.
Google colluded with competitors to sign anti-employee agreements & now they are trying to hold down labor costs with modular housing built on leased government property. They can tout innovation they bring to Africa, but at their core the tech monopolies are still largely abusive. What's telling is that these companies keep using their monopoly profits to buy more real estate near their corporate headquarters, keeping jobs there in spite of the extreme local living costs.
Making $180,000 a year can price one out of the local real estate market, requiring living in a van or a two hour commute. An $81,000 salary can require a 3 hour commute.
If you are priced out of the market by the monopoly de jour, you can always pray!
The hype surrounding transformative technology that disintermediates geography & other legacy restraints only lasts so long: "The narrative isn't the product of any single malfunction, but rather the result of overhyped marketing, deficiencies in operating with deep learning and GPUs and intensive data preparation demands."
AI is often a man standing behind a curtain.
The big tech companies are all about equality, opportunity & innovation. At some point either the jobs move to China or China-like conditions have to move to the job. No benefits, insurance cost passed onto the temp worker, etc.
That's rather unfortunate, as the people who watch the beheading videos will likely need PTSD treatment.
America really is undergoing a radical change in the structure of our political economy. And yet this revolutionary shift of power, control, and wealth has remained all but unrecognized and unstudied ... Since the 1990s, large companies have increasingly relied on temporary help to do work that formerly was performed by permanent salaried employees. These arrangements enable firms to hire and fire workers with far greater flexibility and free them from having to provide traditional benefits like unemployment insurance, health insurance, retirement plans, and paid vacations. The workers themselves go by many different names: temps, contingent workers, contractors, freelancers. But while some fit the traditional sense of what it means to be an entrepreneur or independent business owner, many, if not most, do not-precisely because they remain entirely dependent on a single power for their employment.
Dedication & devotion are important traits. Are you willing to do everything you can to go the last mile? "Lyft published a blog post praising a driver who kept picking up fares even after she went into labor and was driving to the hospital to give birth."
About 1.8 million workers were out of the labor force for "other" reasons at the beginning of this year, meaning they were not retired, in school, disabled or taking care of a loved one, according to Atlanta Federal Reserve data. Of those people, nearly half -- roughly 881,000 workers -- said in a survey that they had taken an opioid the day before, according to a study published last year by former White House economist Alan Krueger."
Creating fake cancer patients is a practical way to make sales.
That is until they stop some of the scams & view those people as no longer worth the economic cost. Those people are only dying off at a rate of about 90 people a day. Long commutes are associated with depression. And enough people are taking anti-depressants that it shows up elsewhere in the food chain.
After a few years of buildup, Obamacare kicked the scams into high gear. .... With exchange plans largely locked into paying for medically required tests, patients (and their urine) became gold mines. Some labs started offering kickbacks to treatment centers, who in turn began splitting the profits with halfway houses that would tempt clients with free rent and other services. ... Street-level patient brokers and phone room lead generators stepped up to fill the beds with strategies across the ethical spectrum, including signing addicts up for Obamacare and paying their premiums.
Google made a lot of money from that scam until it got negative PR coverage.
At the company, we're family. Once you are done washing the dishes, you can live in the garage. Just make sure you juice!
When platform monopolies dictate the roll-out of technology, there is less and less innovation, fewer places to invest, less to invent. Eventually, the rhetoric of innovation turns into DISRUPT, a quickly canceled show on MSNBC, and Juicero, a Google-backed punchline.
This moment of stagnating innovation and productivity is happening because Silicon Valley has turned its back on its most important political friend: antitrust. Instead, it's embraced what it should understand as the enemy of innovation: monopoly.
And the snowflake narrative not only relies on the "off the books" marginalized freelance employees to maintain lush benefits for the core employees, but those core employees can easily end up thrown under the bus because accusation is guilt. Uniformity of political ideology is the zenith of a just world.
Celebrate diversity in all aspects of life - except thoughtTM.
Free speech is now considered violence. Free speech has real cost. So if you disagree with someone, "people you might have to work with may simply punch you in the face" - former Google diversity expert Yonatan Zunger.
Mob rule - with a splash of violence - for the win.
Social justice is the antithesis of justice.
It is the aspie guy getting fired for not understanding the full gender "spectrum."
It is the repression of truth: "Truth equals virtue equals happiness. You cannot solve serious social problems by telling lies or punishing people who tell truth."
The recursive feedback loops & reactionary filtering are so bad that some sites promoting socialism are now being dragged to the Google gulag.
In a set of guidelines issued to Google evaluators in March, elaborated in April by Google VP of Engineering Ben Gomes, the company instructed its search evaluators to flag pages returning'conspiracy theories' or'upsetting' content unless'the query clearly indicates the user is seeking an alternative viewpoint.' The changes to the search rankings of WSWS content are consistent with such a mechanism. Users of Google will be able to find the WSWS if they specifically include'World Socialist Web Site' in their search request. But if their inquiry simply includes term such as'Trotsky,''Trotskyism,''Marxism,''socialism' or'inequality,' they will not find the site.
Every website which has a following & challenges power is considered "fake news" or "conspiracy theory" until many years later, when many of the prior "nutjob conspiracies" turn out to be accurate representations of reality.
Under its new so-called anti-fake-news program, Google algorithms have in the past few months moved socialist, anti-war, and progressive websites from previously prominent positions in Google searches to positions up to 50 search result pages from the first page, essentially removing them from the search results any searcher will see. Counterpunch, World Socialsit Website, Democracy Now, American Civil liberties Union, Wikileaks are just a few of the websites which have experienced severe reductions in their returns from Google searches.
In the meantime townhall meetings celebrating diversity will be canceled & differentiated voices will be marginalized to protect the mob from themselves.
What does the above say about tech monopolies wanting to alter the structure of society when their internal ideals are based on fundamental lies? They can't hold an internal meeting addressing sacred cows because "ultimately the loudest voices on the fringes drive the perception and reaction" but why not let them distribute swarms of animals with bacteria & see what happens? Let's make Earth a beta.
Monopoly platforms are only growing more dominant by the day.
Over the past three decades, the U.S. government has permitted corporate giants to take over an ever-increasing share of the economy. Monopoly-the ultimate enemy of free-market competition-now pervades every corner of American life ... Economic power, in fact, is more concentrated than ever: According to a study published earlier this year, half of all publicly traded companies have disappeared over the past four decades.
And you don't have to subscribe to deep state conspiracy theory in order to see the impacts.
It is no coincidence that from 2012 to 2016, Amazon, Google and Facebook's revenues increased by $137 billion and the remaining Fortune 497 revenues contracted by $97 billion.
Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook ... are all aggressively investing in video content as bandwidth is getting cheaper & they need differentiated content to drive subscription revenues. If the big players are bidding competitively to have differentiated video content that puts a bid under some premium content, but for ad-supported content the relatively high CPMs on video content might fall sharply in the years to come.
From a partner perspective, if you only get a percent of revenue that transfers all the risk onto you, how is the new Facebook video feature going to be any better than being a YouTube partner? As video becomes more widespread, won't that lower CPMs?
One publisher said its Facebook-monetized videos had an average CPM of 15 cents. A second publisher, which calculated ad rates based on video views that lasted long enough to reach the ad break, said the average CPM for its mid-rolls is 75 cents. A third publisher made roughly $500 from more than 20 million total video views on that page in September.
as a result of this increased market power, the big superstar companies have been raising their prices and cutting their wages. This has lifted profits and boosted the stock market, but it has also held down real wages, diverted more of the nation's income to business owners, and increased inequality. It has also held back productivity, since raising prices restricts economic output.
If in five years I'm just watching NFL-endorsed ESPN clips through a syndication deal with a messaging app, and Vice is just an age-skewed Viacom with better audience data, and I'm looking up the same trivia on Genius instead of Wikipedia, and'publications' are just content agencies that solve temporary optimization issues for much larger platforms, what will have been point of the last twenty years of creating things for the web?
We've been in the celebration phase all year as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Facebook take their place in the pantheon of classic American monopolists. These firms and a few others, it is now widely acknowledged, dominate everything. There is no day-part in which they do not dominate the battle for consumers' attention. There is no business safe from their ambitions. There are no industries in which their influence and encroachment are not currently being felt.
The web shifts information-based value chains to universal distribution at zero marginal cost, which shifts most of the value extraction to the attention merchants.
Those resting in the shadows of the giants will keep getting crushed: "They let big tech crawl, parse, and resell their IP, catalyzing an extraordinary transfer in wealth from the creators to the platforms."
It's why there's a management shake up at Pandora, Soundcloud laid off 40% of their staff & Vimeo canceled their subscription service before it was even launched.
Practically speaking, bypassing DRM isn't hard (Google's version of DRM was broken for six years before anyone noticed), but that doesn't matter. Even low-quality DRM gets the copyright owner the extremely profitable right to stop their customers and competitors from using their products except in the ways that the rightsholder specifies. ... for a browser to support EME, it must also license a "Content Decryption Module" (CDM). Without a CDM, video just doesn't work. All the big incumbents advocating for DRM have licenses for CDMs, but new entrants to the market will struggle to get these CDMs, and in order to get them, they have to make promises to restrict otherwise legal activities ... We're dismayed to see the W3C literally overrule the concerns of its public interest members, security experts, accessibility members and innovative startup members, putting the institution's thumb on the scales for the large incumbents that dominate the web, ensuring that dominance lasts forever.
More significantly, the GDPR extends the concept of'personal data' to bring it into line with the online world. The regulation stipulates, for example, that an online identifier, such as a device's IP address, can now be personal data. So next year, a wide range of identifiers that had hitherto lain outside the law will be regarded as personal data, reflecting changes in technology and the way organisations collect information about people. ... Facebook and Google should be OK, because they claim to have the'consent' of their users. But the data-broking crowd do not have that consent.
GDRP is less than 8 months away.
Oath's video unit, however, had begun doubling down on the type of highly shareable,'snackable' bites that people gobble up on their smartphones and Facebook feeds. ... . What frustrates her like nothing else, two people close to Couric told me, is when she encounters fans and they ask her what she's up to these days.
When content is atomized into the smallest bits & recycling is encouraged only the central network operators without editorial content costs win.
Even Reddit is pushing crappy autoplay videos for the sake of ads. There's no chance of it working for them, but they'll still try, as Google & Facebook have enviable market caps.
Video ads are good with everything!
Want to find a job? Watch some autoplay video ads on LinkedIn.
Mic laid off journalists and is pivoting to video.
It doesn't work, but why not try.
The TV networks which focused on the sort of junk short-form video content that is failing online are also seeing low ratings.
Some of the "innovative" upstart web publishers are recycling TV ads as video content to run pre-roll ads on. An ad inside an ad.
Some suggest the repackaging and reposting of ads highlights the'pivot to video' mentality many publishers now demonstrate. The push to churn out video content to feed platforms and to attract potentially lucrative video advertising is increasingly viewed as a potential solution to an increasingly challenging business model problem.
Publishers might also get paid a commission on any sales they help drive by including affiliate links alongside the videos. If these links drive users to purchase the products, then the publisher gets a cut.
Is there any chance recycling low quality infomercial styled ads as placeholder auto-play video content to run prerolls on is a sustainable business practice?
If that counts as strategic thinking in online publishing, count me as a short.
It only takes a single yes on any of those billions of ad impressions (or an accidental opt in on the negative option bundling with security updates) for the default web browser to change permanently.
There's no way Mozilla can compete with Google on economics trying to buy back an audience.
Mozilla is willing to buy influence, too - particularly in mobile, where it's so weak. One option is paying partners to distribute Firefox on their phones.'We're going to have to put money toward it,' Dixon says, but she expects it'll pay off when Mozilla can share revenue from the resulting search traffic.
They have no chance of winning when they focus on wedge issues like fake news. Much like their mobile operating system, it is a distraction. And the core economics of paying for distribution won't work either. How can Mozilla get a slice of an advertiser's ad budget through Yahoo through Bing & compete against Google's bid?
Google is willing to enter uneconomic deals to keep their monopoly power. Look no further than the $1 billion investment they made in AOL which they quickly wrote down by $726 million.
Google pays Apple $3 billion PER YEAR to be the default search provider in Safari. Verizon acquired Yahoo! for $4.48 billion. There's no chance of Yahoo! outbidding Google for default Safari search placement & if Apple liked the idea they would have bought Yahoo!. It is hard to want to take a big risk & spend billions on something that might not back out when you get paid billions to not take any risk.
Even Microsoft would be taking a big risk in making a competitive bid for the Apple search placement. Microsoft recently disclosed "Search advertising revenue increased $124 million or 8%." If $124 million is 8% then their quarterly search ad revenue is $1.674 billion. To outbid Google they would have to bid over half their total search revenues.
The monopoly platforms have remained unscathed by government regulatory efforts in the U.S. Google got so good at lobbying they made Goldman Sachs look like amateurs. It never hurts to place your lawyers in the body that (should) regulate you: "Wright left the FTC in August 2015, returning to George Mason. Just five months later, he had a new position as'of counsel' at Wilson Sonsini, Google's primary outside law firm."
Some researchers share their papers before publication and let Google give suggestions, according to thousands of pages of emails obtained by the Journal in public-records requests of more than a dozen university professors. The professors don't always reveal Google's backing in their research, and few disclosed the financial ties in subsequent articles on the same or similar topics, the Journal found. ... Google officials in Washington compiled wish lists of academic papers that included working titles, abstracts and budgets for each proposed paper-then they searched for willing authors, according to a former employee and a former Google lobbyist. ... Mr. Sokol, though, had extensive financial ties to Google, according to his emails obtained by the Journal. He was a part-time attorney at the Silicon Valley law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, which has Google as a client. The 2016 paper's co-author was also a partner at the law firm, which didn't respond to requests for comment.
in recent years, Google has become greedy about owning not just search capacities, video and maps, but also the shape of public discourse. As the Wall Street Journal recently reported, Google has recruited and cultivated law professors who support its views. And as the New York Times recently reported, it has become invested in building curriculum for our public schools, and has created political strategy to get schools to adopt its products. This year, Google is on track to spend more money than any company in America on lobbying.
Google's director of policy communications, Bob Boorstin, emailed the Rose Foundation (a major funder of Consumer Watchdog) complaining about Consumer Watchdog and asking the charity to consider "whether there might be better groups in which to place your trust and resources."
They can also, you know, blackball your media organization or outright penalize you. The more aggressive you are with monetization the more leverage they have to arbitrarily hit you if you don't play ball.
Six years ago, I was pressured to unpublish a critical piece about Google's monopolistic practices after the company got upset about it. In my case, the post stayed unpublished. I was working for Forbes at the time, and was new to my job.
As more and more of the economy become sown up by monopolistic corporations, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for entrepreneurship. ... By design, the private business corporation is geared to pursue its own interests. It's our job as citizens to structure a political economy that keeps corporations small enough to ensure that their actions never threaten the people's sovereignty over our nation.
How much control can one entity get before it becomes excessive?
Google controls upwards of 80 percent of global search-and the capital to either acquire or crush any newcomers. They are bringing us a hardly gilded age of prosperity but depressed competition, economic stagnation, and, increasingly, a chilling desire to control the national conversation.
The switch is partly related to Google's transformation from a listed public company into a business owned by a holding company. The change helps keep potential challenges in one business from spreading to another, according to Dana Hobart, a litigator with the Buchalter law firm in Los Angeles.
Isn't that an admission they should be broken up?
Early Xoogler Doug Edwards wrote: "[Larry Page] wondered how Google could become like a better version of the RIAA - not just a mediator of digital music licensing - but a marketplace for fair distribution of all forms of digitized content."
In an explosive new allegation, a renowned architect has accused Google of racketeering, saying in a lawsuit the company has a pattern of stealing trade secrets from people it first invites to collaborate. ...'It's cheaper to steal than to develop your own technology,' Buether said.'You can take it from somebody else and you have a virtually unlimited budget to fight these things in court.' ...'It's even worse than just using the proprietary information - they actually then claim ownership through patent applications,' Buether said.
Google's efforts to monopolize civil society in support of the company's balance-sheet-driven agenda is as dangerous as it is wrong. For years, we have watched as Google used its monopoly powers to hurt artists and music creators while profiting off stolen content. For years, we have warned about Google's actions that stifle the views of anyone who disagrees with its business practices, while claiming to champion free speech.
In a world where monopolies are built with mission statements like 'to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful' it makes sense to seal court documents, bury regulatory findings, or else the slogan doesn't fit as the consumer harm was obvious.
"The 160-page critique, which was supposed to remain private but was inadvertently disclosed in an open-records request, concluded that Google's 'conduct has resulted - and will result - in real harm to consumers.' " But Google was never penalized, because the political appointees overrode the staff recommendation, an action rarely taken by the FTC. The Journal pointed out that Google, whose executives donated more money to the Obama campaign than any company, had held scores of meetings at the White House between the time the staff filed its report and the ultimate decision to drop the enforcement action.
June 2006: Foundem's Google search penalty begins. Foundem starts an arduous campaign to have the penalty lifted.
September 2007: Foundem is'whitelisted' for AdWords (i.e. Google manually grants Foundem immunity from its AdWords penalty).
For many years Google has "manipulated search results to favor its own comparison-shopping service. ... Google both demotes competitors' offerings in search rankings and artificially inserts its own service in a box above all other search results, regardless of their relevance."
After losing for over a decade, on the 27th of June a win was finally delivered when the European Commission issued a manual action to negate the spam, when they fined Google €2.42 billion for abusing dominance as search engine by giving illegal advantage to own comparison shopping service.
That fine looks to be the first of multiple record-breaking fines as "Sources expect the Android fine to be substantially higher than the shopping penalty."
Quoting internal Google documents and emails, the report shows that the company created a list of rival comparison shopping sites that it would artificially lower in the general search results, even though tests showed that Google users'liked the quality of the [rival] sites' and gave negative feedback on the proposed changes. Google reworked its search algorithm at least four times, the documents show, and altered its established rating criteria before the proposed changes received'slightly positive' user feedback. ... Google's displayed prices for everyday products, such as watches, anti-wrinkle cream and wireless routers, were roughly 50 percent higher - sometimes more - than those on rival sites. A subsequent study by a consumer protection group found similar results. A study by the Financial Times also documented the higher prices.
Nonetheless, Google is appealing it. The ease with which Google quickly crafted a response was telling.
The competitors who were slaughtered by monopolistic bundling won't recover'The damage has been done. The industry is on its knees, and this is not going to put it back,' said Mr. Stables, who has decided to participate in Google's new auctions despite misgivings.'I'm sort of shocked that they've come out with this,' he added.
Google claims they'll be running their EU shopping ads as a separate company with positive profit margins & that advertisers won't be bidding against themselves if they are on multiple platforms. Anyone who believes that stuff hasn't dropped a few thousand dollars on a Flash-only website after AdWords turned on Enhanced campaigns against their wishes - charging the advertisers dollars per click to send users to a blank page which would not load.
Hell may freeze over, causing the FTC to look into Google's Android bundling similarly to how Microsoft's OS bundling was looked at.
If hell doesn't freeze over, it is likely because Google further ramped up their lobbying efforts, donating to political organizations they claim to be ideologically opposed to.
As a global corporation above & beyond borders, Google has long been against nationalism. Eric Schmidt's Hillary Clinton once wrote: "My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere."
We are writing to express our deep concerns about the European Union's aggressive and heavy-handed antitrust enforcement action against American companies. It has become increasingly clear that, rather than being grounded in a transparent legal framework, these various investigations and complaints are being driven by politics and protectionist policies that harm open-competition practices, consumers, and unfairly target American companies,.
The above nonsense was in spite of Yelp carrying a heavy load.
Yelp celebrated the victory: "Google has been found guilty of engaging in illegal conduct with the aim of promoting its vertical search services. Although the decision addresses comparison shopping services, the European Commission has also recognized that the same illegal behavior applies to other verticals, including local search."
The EU is also looking for an expert to monitor Google's algorithm. It certainly isn't hard to find areas where the home team wins.
These reporters aren't ideologues. They're just right-thinking people who lean left. Somewhere along the line, they stopped pretending to be objective about Trump. ... People don't just disagree with each other. They can't imagine how a decent caring human being could disagree with their own view of race or the minimum wage or immigration or Trump. Being a member of the virtuous tribe means not only carrying the correct card in your wallet to reassure yourself. You have to also believe that the people carrying any other card are irrational, or worse, evil. They're not people to engage in conversation with. They are barriers to be ignored or pushed aside on the virtuous path to paradise. This intolerance and inability to imagine the virtue of the other side is the road to tyranny and chaos. It dehumanizes a good chunk of humanity and that in turn justifies the worst atrocities human beings are capable of.
The WSJ, typically a right-leaning publication, is differentiating their coverage of the president from most other outlets by attempting to be somewhat neutral.
The news is fake. Even historically left-leaning people are disgusted with outlets like CNN.
"A half hour of cable news delivers enough psychic trauma for a whole year. The newspapers are talking of nothing but treason, espionage, investigations, protests." ... "Stocks are rallying because of how little faith we have in the government. The Mega Blue Chip Corporation is the new Sovereign."
In Europe publishers are aggressively leaning on regulators to try to rebalance power.
Some of this stuff is cyclical. About a decade ago the European Commission went after Microsoft for bundling Internet Explorer. Google complained about the monopolistic practices to ensure Microsoft was fined. And we've went from that to a web where Google syndicates native ads that blend into page content while directly funding robot journalism. And then Google is ranking the robot-generated crap too.
But to keep the ecosystem clean & spam free, Google is also planning to leverage their web browser to further dictate the terms of online publishing. Chrome will block autoplay audio & will automatically reroute .dev domains to https. Cutting edge developers suggest using a web browser other than Google Chrome to prevent proprietary lock in across the web.
While Google distributes their Chrome browser as unwanted bundleware, other web browsers must display uninstall links front & center when trying to gain awareness of their product using Google AdWords. Microsoft Edge is coming to Android, but without a BrowserChoice.eu screen it is unlikely most users will change their web browser as most are unaware of what a web browser even is, let alone the limitations of any of them or the tracking embedded in them.
If you are an anti-social work at home webmaster who has dual monitors it is easy to dismiss cell phones as inefficient and chalk most mobile usage up to the following.
The reality is cell phones are more powerful than they seem if you are strictly consuming rather than working.
And that is how the unstoppable quickly becomes the extinct!
Many people the world over are addicted to their cell phones to where viral game makers are self-regulating before regulators step in: "From Tuesday, users below 12 years of age will be limited to one hour of play time each day, while those aged between 12 years and 18 years will be limited to two hours a day, Tencent said."
While China is using their various tools to clamp down on Honour of Kings, Tencent is bringing the game to the west, which makes blocking VPN services (with Apple's help - they must play along or have the phones reduced to bricks) & requiring local data storage & technology transfer more important. Anything stored locally can be easily disappeared: "China's already formidable internet censors have demonstrated a new strength-the ability to delete images in one-on-one chats as they are being transmitted, making them disappear before receivers see them."
China has banned live streaming, threatened their largest domestic social networks, shut down chat bots, require extensive multimedia review: "an industry association circulated new regulations that at least two "auditors" will, with immediate effect, be required to check all audiovisual content posted online" AND they force users to install spyware on their devices.
In spite of all those restrictions, last year "Chinese consumers spent $5.5 trillion through mobile payment platforms, about 50 times more than their American counterparts." In the last quarter Baidu had ¥20.87 billion in revenues, with 72% of their revenues driven by mobile.
People can not miss that which they've never seen, thus platform socialism works. Those who doubt it will be tracked & scored accordingly.
History, as well, can be scrubbed. And insurance companies watch everything in real-time - careful what you post. The watchful eye of the Chinese pre-crime team is also looking over every move.
Last quarter Facebook had revenues of $9.164 billion, with 87% coming from mobile devices.
"We didn't have a choice to know any life without iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people." ... "Rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It's not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones." ... "Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on nonscreen activities are more likely to be happy."
"Social isolation, loneliness or living alone was each a significant factor contributing to premature death. And each one of these factors was a more significant risk factor for dying than obesity. ... No one knows precisely why loneliness is surging, threatening the lives of many millions of people, but it does seem that the burgeoning use of technology may have something to do with it. Personally, I would contend that technology may be the chief factor fueling it."
App Annie expects the global app economy to be worth $6.3 trillion by 2021.
The reason those numbers can easily sound fake & mobile can seem overblown is how highly concentrated usage has become: "over 80 percent of consumer time on mobile devices is now spent on the apps, websites and properties" of just five companies: Facebook, Google, Apple, Yelp and Bing.
eMarketer stated Google will have more mobile ad revenue than desktop ad revenue in the US this year. They also predicted Google & Facebook will consume over 2/3 of US online ad spend within 2 years.
The central network operators not only maintain an outsized share of revenues, but also maintain an outsized share of profits. When the home team gets a 30% rake of any sale it is hard for anyone else to compete. Even after buying and gutting Motorola Google bought part of HTC for $1.1 billion. The game plan has never changed: commoditize the compliment to ensure user data & most of the profits flow to Google. Put up arbitrary roadblocks for competing services while launching free parallel offerings to drive lock-in.
it's intended to create a bizarre sense of panic among marketers - "OMG, we have to be present at every possible instant someone might be looking at their phone!" - which doesn't help them think strategically or make the best use of their marketing or ad spend.
The reality is that if you don't have a relationship with a person on their desktop computer they probably don't want your mobile app either.
If you have the relationship then mobile only increases profits.
Many people attempting to build "the next mobile" will go bust, but wherever the attention flows the ads will follow.
Those with a broad & dominant tech platform can copy features from single-category devices and keep integrating them into their core products to increase user lock-in. And they can build accessories for those core devices while prohibiting the flow of data to third party devices to keep users locked into their ecosystem.
People often multi-task while using mobile devices.
This year, in-app mobile ad spend will reach $45.3 billion, up $11 billion from last year, according to eMarketer. And apps are where the money is at for mobile advertising, comprising 80 percent of all U.S. media dollars spent on mobile.
"while our phones offer convenience and diversion, they also breed anxiety. Their extraordinary usefulness gives them an unprecedented hold on our attention and vast influence over our thinking and behavior. ... Not only do our phones shape our thoughts in deep and complicated ways, but the effects persist even when we aren't using the devices. As the brain grows dependent on the technology, the research suggests, the intellect weakens. ... when people hear their phone ring but are unable to answer it, their blood pressure spikes, their pulse quickens, and their problem-solving skills decline. ... As the phone's proximity increased, brainpower decreased. ... Anticipating that information would be readily available in digital form seemed to reduce the mental effort that people made to remember it. ... people are all too quick to credit lies and half-truths spread through social media by Russian agents and other bad actors. If your phone has sapped your powers of discernment, you'll believe anything it tells you."
On desktop devices people don't accidentally misclick on ads at anywhere near the rate they fat thumb ads on mobile devices.
Desktop ad clicks convert to purchases. Mobile ad clicks convert to ad budget burned: "marketers are still seeing few shoppers purchasing on mobile. The 52% of share in traffic only has 26% share of revenue."
For the central network operators almost all the above are precisely the exact opposite.
If you look at raw stats without understanding the underlying impact, it is easy to believe the ecosystem is healthy.
However the huge number of "no click" results are demonetizing easy publisher revenues, which have traditionally helped to fund more in-depth investigative reporting. Further, much of the direct navigation which happened in the past is now being passed through brand-related search result pages. You can argue that is an increase in search traffic, or you can argue it is shifting the roll of the address bar from navigation to search.
Then if third parties go "well Google does this, so I should too" they are considered a low quality user experience and get a penalty.
31% ad coverage on mobile website is excessive / spam / low quality user experience for a publisher, while 301% coverage is reasonable for the central network operators.
Google not only displaces the result set, but also leverages their search suggestion features & algorithmic influence to alter how people search & what they search for.
Ads are getting integrated into mobile keyboards.
And when a user finally reaches the publisher's website (provided they scroll past the ads, the AMP listings, and all the other scrape-n-displace trash) then when they finally land on a publication Google will overlay other recommended articles from other sites.
That feature will eventually end up including ads in it, where publishers will get 0.00% of the revenue generated.
Remember how Google suggested publishers should make their websites faster, remove ads, remove clutter, etc. What was the point of all that? To create free real estate for Google to insert a spam unit into your website?
This wouldn't be bad if mobile were a small, fringe slice of traffic, but it is becoming the majority of traffic. And as mobile increases desktop traffic is shrinking.
Even politically biased outlets that appear to be nearly perfectly optimized for a filter bubble that promotes identity politics struggle to make the numbers work: "As a result of continued decline in direct advertising, [Salon's] total revenue in the fiscal year 2017 decreased by 34% to $4.6 million. Following the market trend, 84% of our advertising revenue in fiscal year 2017 was generated by programmatic selling. ... [Monthly unique visitors to our website saw] a decrease of 23%. We attribute the decline primarily to the changes in the algorithms used by Facebook."
we've heard complaints from users that if they click on a result and it's difficult to find the actual content, they aren't happy with the experience. Rather than scrolling down the page past a slew of ads, users want to see content right away. So sites that don't have much content"above-the-fold" can be affected by this change. If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn't have a lot of visible content above-the-fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site's initial screen real estate to ads, that's not a very good user experience. Such sites may not rank as highly going forward.
As you scroll through it, you are then given travel ads for flight options through Google Flight search, hotels through Google Hotel search and restaurants through Google Local results. Then towards the bottom of the knowledge graph card, all the way at the end in a small grayish font, you have a link to "see web results."
And amongst the good news for Expedia, there's also a bit of bad news for Expedia. The hotels are fighting Airbnb & OTAs. In travel Google is twice as big as the biggest OTA players. They keep eating more SERP real estate and adding more content behind tabs. On mobile they'll even disappear the concept of organic results.
Room previews in the search results not only means that second tier players are worth a song, but even the new growth players propped up by aggressive ad buying eventually hit a wall and see their stock crash.
As the entire ecosystem gets squeezed by middlemen and the market gets obfuscated with an incomplete selection it is ultimately consumers who lose: "Reservations made through Internet discount sites are almost always slated for our worst rooms."
"For six years, his company has been locked in a campaign on three continents to get antitrust regulators to punish Google, Yelp's larger, richer and more politically connected competitor. ... Yelp concluded that there was no better way to get Google's attention than to raise the specter of regulation. ... something [Mark Mahaney] calls the Death of Free Google. As the internet has migrated to mobile phones, Google has compensated for the smaller screen space by filling it with so many ads that users can have a hard time finding a result that hasn't been paid for."
In spite of how quick The New York Times was to dismiss Yelp, the monopoly platforms are stiffing competition & creativity while bundling fake reviews & junk features into their core platforms.
People can literally switch their name to "Loop dee Loop"
and leave you terrible, fake reviews.
Google's lack of effort & investment to clean up trash in their local services department highlights that they don't feel they need to compete on quality. Pay for core search distribution, throw an inferior service front & center, and win by default placement.
As AI advancements make fake reviews look more legit Google's lack of investment in creating a quality ecosystem will increasingly harm both consumers and businesses. Many low margin businesses will go under simply because their Google reviews are full of inaccurate trash or a competitor decided to hijack their business listing or list their business as closed.
Yelp said it investigated and found that over one hour, Google pulled images from Yelp's servers nearly 386,000 times for business listings in Google Maps, which Google exempted from its promise to not scrape content. Yelp then searched Google for 150 of the businesses from those map listings and found that for 110 of them, Google used a Yelp photo as the lead image in the businesses' listings in search results.
Stealing content & wrapping it in fake reviews is NOT putting the user first.
Facebook has their own matching parallel shifts.
The aggregate quality of mobile ad clicks is quite low. So as mobile becomes a much higher percent of total ad clicks, those who don't have scale and narrative control are reduced to taking whatever they can get. And mainstream media outlets are reduced to writing puff pieces so the brands they cover will pay to promote the stories on the main channels.
As programmatic advertising, ad blockers, unpatched Android-powered botnets & malware spread each day gets a little uglier for everyone but the central market operators. It is so bad that some of the central market operators offer surveillance apps which claim to protect user privacy! Other app makers not connected to monopoly profit streams monetize any way they can.
The narrative of growth can be sold (we are launching a new food channel, we are investing in our internal video team, we have exclusive real estate listings, and, um, we acquired a food channel) but the competition is a zero sum game with Google & Facebook eating off the publisher's plates.
That's why Time is trying to shave $400 million off their expenses & wants to sell their magazine division. Newspaper companies are selling for $1. It is also why Business Insider is no longer chasing growth & the New York Times is setting up a charitable trust.
The rise of ad blocking only accelerates the underlying desperation.
click through rate from Google search went from 5.9% (Regular) to 10.3% (AMP), and average search position went from 5.9 (Regular) to 1.7 (AMP). Since then, we have deployed AMP across fifteen of our brands and we have been very pleased with the results. Today, AMP accounts for 79% of our mobile search traffic and 36% of our total mobile visits.
the only voices promoting AMP's performance benefits are coming from inside Google. ... given how AMP pages are privileged in Google's search results, the net effect of the team's hard, earnest work comes across as a corporate-backed attempt to rewrite HTML in Google's image.
Even if you get a slight uptick in traffic from AMP, it will lead to lower quality user engagement as users are browsing across websites rather than within websites. Getting a bit more traffic but 59% fewer leads is a fail.
No amount of collaborative publisher partnerships, begging for anti-trust exemptions, or whining about Google is going to fix the problem.
"The only way publishers can address this inexorable threat is by banding together. If they open a unified front to negotiate with Google and Facebook-pushing for stronger intellectual-property protections, better support for subscription models and a fair share of revenue and data-they could build a more sustainable future for the news business. But antitrust laws make such coordination perilous. These laws, intended to prevent monopolies, are having the unintended effect of preserving and protecting Google and Facebook's dominant position."
Wasn't it the New York Times which claimed Yelp was holding an arbitrary grudge against Google?
newspapers that once delivered their journalism with their own trucks increasingly have to rely on these big online platforms to get their articles in front of people, fighting for attention alongside fake news, websites that lift their content, and cat videos.
In unrelated news, there's another round of layoffs coming at the New York Times.
And the New York Times is also setting up a nonprofit division to expand journalism while their core company focuses on something else.
Apparently Yelp does not qualify as a publisher in this instance.
The Times is backing the move for what is called an anticompetitive safe haven, in part, Mr. Thompson said, "because we care about the whole of journalism as well as about The New York Times."
Ah, whole of journalism, which, apparently, no longer includes local business coverage.
You know the slogan: "news isn't news, unless it isn't local."
The struggles are all across the media landscape. The new Boston Globe CEO lasted a half-year. The San Diego Union-Tribune resorted to using GoFundMe. The Chicago Sun-Times sold for $1. Moody's issued a negative outlook for the US newspaper sector. As the industry declines the biggest players view consolidation as the only solution.
In the fourth quarter, the reduction in marketing that occurred was almost all in the digital space. And what it reflected was a choice to cut spending from a digital standpoint where it was ineffective: where either we were serving bots as opposed to human beings, or where the placement of ads was not facilitating the equity of our brands.
Google & Facebook are extending their grip on the industry with Google launching topical feeds & Facebook wanting to control subscription management.
The initiative, dubbed Reporters and Data and Robots (RADAR), will see a team of five journalists work with Natural Language Generation software to produce over 30,000 pieces of content for local media each month.
Hopefully editors catch the subtle errors the bots make, because most of them will not be this obvious & stupid.
In a show of strength last year, Microsoft used thousands of these chips at once to translate all of English Wikipedia into Spanish-3 billion words across five million articles-in less than a tenth of a second. Next Microsoft will let its cloud customers use these chips to speed up their own AI tasks.
Voice search makes it even easier to extract the rewards without paying publishers. Throwing pennies at journalists does nothing to change this.
And that voice shift is happening fast: "By 2020 half of search will be via voice"
If Google is subsidizing robotic journalism they are thus legitimizing robotic journalism. As big publishers employ the tactic, Google ranks it.
It is almost impossible to compete economically with an entity that rewrites your work & has zero marginal cost of production.
YouTube has perhaps the worst comments on the web. Some mainstream news sites got rid of comments because they couldn't justify the cost of policing them. That in turn shifts the audience & attention stream to sites like Facebook & Twitter. Some news sites which are still leaving comments enabled rely on a Google filter, a technology Google can use on YouTube as they see fit.
Any plugins publishers use to lower their costs can later disappear. It looked like FindTheBest was doing well financially, but when it was acquired many news sites quickly found out the cost of free as they now have thousands of broken articles in their archives: "Last month, Graphiq announced that features for news publishers would no longer be available after Friday."
"Between fast-loading AMP articles from major news brands hosted in its domain, full pages of information scraped from outside sites that don't require you to visit them, basic shopping functions built into ads, YouTube, and a host of other features, the Google-verse is more of a digital walled garden than ever. ... If Google continues to choke these sites out, what incentive will there be for new ones to come along?"
That Apple does extra work to undo AMP says a lot.
Those who think the central network operators are naive to the power structure being promoted by the faux solutions are either chasing short-term goals or are incredibly masochistic.
Arbitraging brand is the core business model of the attention merchant monopoly.
we've found out that 98% of our business was coming from 22 words. So, wait, we're buying 3,200 words and 98% of the business is coming from 22 words. What are the 22 words? And they said, well, it's the word Restoration Hardware and the 21 ways to spell it wrong, okay?
Publishers buying the "speed" narrative are failing themselves. The Guardian has 11 people working on AMP integration. And what is Google doing about speed? Google shut down Google Instant search results, often displays a screen or two full of ads which mobile users have to scroll past to find the organic search results AND is testing auto-playing videos in the search results.
Facebook is also promoting fast loading & mobile-friendly pages.
To keep bleeding clicks out of the "organic" ecosystem they don't even need to have explicit malicious intent. They can run a thousand different tests every month (new vertical sitelink formats, swipable sitelinks, showing 8 sitelinks on tiny mobile devices, MOAR sitelinks, message extensions, extensions on call-only ads, price discount labels, frame 3rd party content inline, dramatically ramp up featured snippets +QnA listings, more related searches, more features in ad units, larger ad units, ad units that replace websites & charge advertisers for sending clicks from Google to Google, launch a meta-search service where they over-promote select listings, test dropping URLs from listings, put ads in the local pack, change color of source links or other elements, pop ups of search results inside search results, etc.) & keep moving toward whatever layout drives more ad clicks, keeps users on Google longer & forces businesses to buy ads for exposure, claiming they are optimizing the user experience the whole time.
They can hard-code any data type or feature, price it at free to de-fund adjacent businesses, consolidate market power, then increase rents after they have a monopoly position in the adjacent market.
And they can fund research on how to remove watermarks from images.
Why not make hosting free, get people to publish into a proprietary format & try to shift news reading onto the Google app. With enough attention & market coverage they can further extort publishers into accepting perpetually worse deals. And free analytics & business plugins which are widely adopted can have key features get pushed into the paid version. Just look at Google Analytics - its free or $150,000+/yr.
shows it near other third party images framed by Google.
How about some visually striking, yet irrelevant listings for competing brands on branded searches to force the brand ad buy. And, of course rounded card corners to eat a few more pixels, along with faint ad labeling on ads coupled with vibrant colored dots on the organic results to confuse end users into thinking the organic results are the ads.
While Google turns their search results into an adspam farm, they invite you to test showing fewer ads on your site to improve user experience. Google knows best - let them automate your ad load & ad placement.
What is the real risk of AI? Bias.
And how does Google justify their AI investments? Through driving incremental ad clicks: "The DeepMind founders understand that their power within [Alphabet], and their ability to get their way with [Alphabet CEO] Larry Page, depends on how many eyeballs and clicks and ad dollars they can claim to be driving"
No bias at all there!
SEOs who were overly reliant on the search channel were the first to notice all the above sorts of change, as it is their job to be hyper-aware of ecosystem shifts. But publishers far removed from SEO who never focused on SEO are now writing about the trends SEOs were writing about nearly a decade ago. Josh Marshall recently covered Google's awesome monopoly powers.
So let's go down the list: 1) The system for running ads, 2) the top purchaser of ads, 3) the most pervasive audience data service, 4) all search, 5) our email. ... But wait, there's more! Google also owns Chrome, the most used browser for visiting TPM.
In many cases, alternatives don't exist because no business can get a footing with a product Google lets people use for free.
Because we were forwarding to ourselves spam that other people sent to us, Google decided that the owner of the TPM url was a major spammer and blocked emails from TPM from being sent to anyone.
If the above comes across as depressing, don't worry. The search results now contain a depression diagnostic testing tool. | 2019-04-21T04:58:44Z | http://www.seobook.com/archives/2017_10.shtml |
A suitcase has first rollers mounted thereon to at least partially support the suitcase when in an upright position and to enable rolling movement of the suitcase across a surface. The first end of an arm is pivotally mounted to arigid body portion of the suitcase. Second rollers are mounted about adjacent to the second end of the arm to enable rolling movement of the suitcase across the surface.
A first link is pivotally mounted to the rigid body portion, and a second link is pivotally mounted to the first link and the arm. The arm is alternately retractable to a retracted position about adjacent to a rear panel of the suitcase, and deployable to a deployed position spaced outwardly from the rear panel. The first and second rollers cooperate to fully support the suitcase when the second rollers are deployed and the suitcase is in a rolling position. A push/pull handle is mounted on the suitcase to enable a user to roll the suitcase across the surface.
1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a container or cart equipped for rolling movement over a surface, and, more particularly, to a suitcase having retractable rollers.
2. Background Information It has become popular to mount suitcases on rollers to enable them to be rolled across a surface, such as the ground or a floor. Such suitcases are typically provided with a handle to enable the user to pull or push the case on the rollers.
One popular style of wheeled suitcase includes rollers or wheels mounted on the rear portion of the bottom of the case. The handle is mounted on the top of the rear portion of the case. When at rest, the case rests on the wheels and one or more legs. The user grips the handle and tilts the suitcase to an inclined position in order that the weight of the case is supported by the wheels and by the user's force on the handle. The case is then rolled across the surface. That type of configuration enables superior control over maneuvering of the case.
One disadvantage of that type of rolling suitcase is that when it is being pulled, at least a portion of the weight of the suitcase must be supported by the user. Another disadvantage is that luggage with two or four fixed wheels must be picked up by the user in order to negotiate a relatively large step. A two wheel dolly, for example, needs to be dragged up the step backwards, which may scratch the step.
A cart having four fixed wheels, such as a trolley or shopping cart, effectively bears the total load of all contents with the user providing sufficient force to overcome rolling resistance. Disadvantages are that carts are generally relatively heavy, and do not collapse or otherwise compact to a smaller size.
Canadian Application Serial No. 2,170,709 discloses another type of rolling suitcase in which a first pair of rollers is mounted at the junction of a rear panel and the bottom of a wall member of the suitcase. This first pair of rollers is mounted to support at least a portion of the weight of the suitcase when in the upright, or at-rest position. A single, relatively narrow bracket is hingedly attached to a rigid portion of the rear panel. A support stay is mounted between the bracket and the rear panel to enable deployment and retraction of a second pair of rollers which is located on the bracket. The support stay may be hingedly secured to the rear panel or to the bracket. A plurality of stops may be provided to enable the deployment of the second pair of rollers to various positions. Disadvantages are cost, the ease of switching between the deployed and retracted positions, and the relatively small distance between the second pair of rollers with respect to the distance between the first pair of rollers.
There remains a need for a low cost, user-friendly, compact, wheel-mounted suitcase that has superior maneuvering around barriers, in which the weight of the suitcase is entirely supported by the wheels of the case when in a pulling/pushing position.
This invention provides a rollable apparatus having alternately retractable and deployable rollers that cooperate with other rollers to support the weight of the apparatus when it is in a rolling position. When the rollable apparatus is in an at-rest, or upright, position, preferably none of the weight of such apparatus is supported by the retractable rollers and the weight is at least partially supported by the other rollers.
and handle means for effecting rolling movement of said holder apparatus across said surface.
A number of preferred refinements include the arm means may be provided with an opening, and first and second link means of the bracket means may be generally within the opening in the retracted position. The arm means and the first and second link means may be generally parallel to the rigid body portion in the retracted position.
second link means pivotally mounted to said first link means and said arm means; said arm means being alternately retractable to a retracted position adjacent to said rear panel, and deployable to a deployed position spaced outwardly from said rear panel, said second link means is generally within the opening of said arm means in the retracted position, with said arm means and said second link means forming a generally continuous area in juxtaposition to said rear panel in the retracted position; said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said container when said second roller means is deployed and said container is in a rolling position; and handle means for effecting rolling movement of said container across said surface.
- 5a -One of the first and second link means may be provided with pivot means for pivotally mounting the first and second link means; the first and second link means may include a common plane in the deployed position; and the pivot means may include a pivot line which is offset from the common plane of the first and second link means in the deployed position.
The arm means may be provided with means for engagement by a user for movement from the retracted position to the deployed position. The means for engagement may include receptacle means for engagement by a user's foot.
handle means for effecting rolling movement of said cart across said surface.
and said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said holder device when said second roller means is deployed and said holder device is in a rolling position.
said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said suitcase when said second roller means is deployed and said suitcase is in said inclined position having an angle from said surface of 50 to 60 degrees; and means for effecting rolling movement of said suitcase across said surface .
Other details and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.
Figures 15-17 are simplified side elevational views of the retraction of the roller mechanism of Figures 12-14 from the deployed, to the intermediate, and to the retracted positions, respectively; and Figure 18 is a side view of another embodiment of the suitcase and roller mechanism of the invention in the retracted position.
As employed herein, the term "container" is intended to include, but shall not be limited to, luggage, case, suitcase, and a wide range of other devices for holding objects within a volume.
As employed herein, the term "cart" is intended to include, but shall not be limited to, trolley, dolly, luggage cart, golf cart, shopping cart, baby stroller, baby carriage and a wide range of other devices for movably holding objects or small persons.
As employed herein, the term "holder apparatus" is intended to include, but shall not be limited to, container and cart.
Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a suitcase 2 including a roller mechanism 3. The suitcase 2 also includes generally parallel spaced apart front and rear panels 4 and 6, respectively. The panels 4,6 are connected about their peripheries to a wall member 8. The wall member 8 extends between the panels 4,6, thereby defining a volume. The wall member 8 has a top portion 10, a _ 'j _ bottom portion 12 positioned opposite the top portion 10, and side portions 14 (shown in Figure 2) and 16. The panels 4,6 and wall member 8 are preferably made of soft, flexible material, such as fabric. A glide fastener 18, or zipper, may be provided on the periphery of the front panel 4 for opening and closing the suitcase 2 to permit access to the volume within the suitcase 2, although any suitable closure known to those skilled in the art may be provided. The rear panel 6 includes a rigid portion 19 (shown in hidden line drawing) which is preferably made of a thermoplastic material, although any suitably rigid material may be employed.
Also referring to Figure 2, first rollers 21,22, which engage the rigid body portion 19 for support, are mounted about adjacent to the bottom portion 12 of wall member 8. The rollers 21,22 are preferably positioned at the junction of rear panel 6 and the bottom 12 of wall member 8. The rollers 21,22 are positioned to at least partially support the weight of the suitcase 2 when in the upright, or at-rest, position. In a preferred embodiment, legs 24 are provided on the front portion of the bottom 12 of wall member 8 to support the remainder of the weight of the suitcase 2 when in the upright position. The rollers 21,22 are operable to enable rolling movement of the suitcase 2 across a surface 23 when in an inclined position.
When the roller mechanism 3 is not deployed, the weight of the suitcase 2 is preferably divided between the rollers 21,22 and a push/pull handle 26. As discussed below in connection with Figure 12, the rollers of the arm 38 are preferably apart from the surface 23 when the associated container or cart (not shown) is in the upright position.
The push/pull handle 26 is preferably a rigid handle having two legs 28,30 and a gripping member 32. The handle 26 is mounted on the suitcase 2 about adjacent to the rigid body portion 19 at the top portion 10 of wall member 8.
The handle 26 is alternately retractable into and extendable out of the volume of the suitcase 2. To enable retraction and extension, the handle 26 preferably includes an extension portion and a carrier (not shown) supported by the rigid portion 19 (shown in hidden line drawing). The carrier may include a pair of tubes (not shown) to telescopically receive the legs 28,30 therein for retraction. Such a retraction and extension structure is known to those skilled in the art. The handle 26, which preferably also includes a locking mechanism (not shown) for locking the _g_ handle 26 in the retracted and one or more extended positions, may be employed by the user to effect rolling movement of the suitcase 2 across the surface 23.
The various positions, and the retractability and extendibility of the push/pull handle 26, permit the suitcase 2 to be moved by users of various heights.
The suitcase 2 may include one or more carry handles mounted on one or more surfaces thereof, such as carry handle 34 mounted on the top 10 and/or carry handle 36 mounted on the side 16 of wall member 8. The carry handles 34,36 may be employed by the user to grasp the suitcase 2 and lift it, thereby supporting the entire weight thereof. The carry handles 34,36 may be of any type known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, to permit either of the carry handles 34,36 to fully support the weight of the suitcase 2 and its contents, the top 10 and side 16 of wall member 8 are rigid.
and a bracket mechanism 42 having a pair of links 44,46. The arm 38 has a first end 48 a second end 50. The first end 48 of the arm 38 is pivotally mounted to the rigid body portion 19 by a suitable pivot mechanism, such as hinge 52. The second rollers 39,40 are mounted about adjacent to the second end 50 of the arm 38 and are positioned to enable rolling movement of the suitcase 2 across the surface 23.
(1) the rigid body portion 19 by hinge 54; and (2) the arm 38 by hinge 56. The hinge 58 pivotally mounts the first link 44 to the second link 46.
The bracket mechanism 42 is movable between a deployed position (as shown in Figures 1 and 4) in which the arm 38 is locked at an angle to the rigid body portion 19, and a retracted position (as shown in Figure 2) in which the arm 38 is in juxtaposition to the rigid body portion 19. Similarly, the arm 38 is alternately retractable to a retracted position (as shown in Figure 2) about adjacent to the rear panel 6, and deployable to a deployed position (as shown in Figures 1 and 4) spaced outwardly from the rear panel 6. In the deployed position of Figures 1 and 4, the first rollers 21,22 and the second rollers 39,40 cooperate to fully support the suitcase 2 when the second rollers 39,40 are deployed and the suitcase is in a rolling position (as shown in Figure 1). Because the weight of the suitcase 2 is fully supported (as shown in Figure 1) by the rollers 21,22 and 39,40, the user does not have to provide any support, such as a balancing force, therefor.
Accordingly, even a child could push or pull the suitcase 2.
The rollers 21,22,39,40 may be any wheel or caster of a type known to those skilled in the art. The second rollers 39,40 are preferably mounted to permit swivel movement thereof with respect to the arm 38 and, hence, may have two rotational axes which permit rolling movement of the suitcase 2 on the surface 23 of Figure 1 in a straight and/or curved path. The distance between the side portions 14,16 is about the same as the distance between the first rollers 21,22.
Preferably, in terms of improving the stability of the suitcase 2, the distance between the second rollers 39,40 is substantially the same as the distance between the first rollers 21,22 and, hence, is substantially the same as the distance between the side portions 14,16.
As shown in Figure 4, the rear panel 6 has a pair of scuff or skid bars 60 secured thereto. The skid bars 60 extend generally parallel to the pull handle 26 (shown in Figure 2) and are positioned between the top portion 10 and bottom portion 12 of wall member 8. In a preferred embodiment, the longitudinal axes of the skid bars 60 are aligned with the rollers 21,22. The skid bars 60, which are preferably made of rigid thermoplastic, may be used to assist in sliding the suitcase 2 vertically from one level to another, such as up stairs or from the floor onto a bed. The skid bars 60 present a smaller surface to the edge of a step than does the rear panel 6 and, also, have a lower coefficient of friction than does the fabric from which rear panel 6 is preferably made. Accordingly, there is less resistance to sliding movement when skid bars 60 are employed. The roller mechanism 3 preferably is compact in the retracted position of Figure 2. This large flat area of the retracted roller mechanism 3 is protected by the vertical skid bars 60 which substantially run the length of the suitcase 2.
Referring to Figures 2-4 and 18, the arm 38 has an opening 62. In the retracted position of Figures 2 and 18, the pair of links 44,46 is generally within the opening 62 of the arm 38. As shown in Figure 2, the arm 38 and the links 44,46 are preferably parallel to the rigid body portion 19 in the retracted position.
As shown in Figure 4, in the deployed position, the links 44,46 form a substantially common plane with the pivot line of the hinge 58 being parallel to the common plane. The pivot line of the hinge 58 is offset from the common plane of the links 44,46 in the deployed position. In the position, shown in Figure 3, intermediate the retracted and deployed positions, the hinge 58 facilitates the movement of the links 44,46 from the parallel position of Figures 2 and 18 to the substantially coplanar, deployed position of Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the rear panel 6 preferably has a latch 63 for latching a corresponding latch portion 64 of the arm 38.
The latch 63 alternately latches the arm 38 to the rear panel 6 in the retracted position of Figure 2, and unlatches the arm 38 from the rear panel 6 to enter the intermediate position of Figure 3 and, hence, the deployed position of Figure 4. The purpose of the latch 63 is to keep the roller mechanism 3 in the closed or retracted position.
Preferably, the latch 63 is recessed within the corresponding latch portion 64 of the arm 38 in the retracted position.
In the retracted or collapsed position of Figure 2, the roller mechanism 3 is preferably flush and flat with respect to the suitcase 2, with no protrusions, latches, or lugs to foul or catch. The roller mechanism 3 acts as a belly pan to protect the rear panel 6, thereby providing additional protection to the suitcase 2 and its contents.
The bottom 65 of the arm 38 of the roller mechanism 3 is preferably arched to reflect access from the toe of a shoe. The arched bottom receptacle 65, as discussed in greater detail below in connection with Figures 12-14, is engaged by the user's foot, for movement from the retracted position to the deployed position.
After releasing the latch 63, the user pulls up on the arm 38 until it automatically locks into the deployed position of Figure 4. Figure 4 illustrates the roller mechanism 3 almost ready for use. In the deployed or most extended position of the roller mechanism 3, the two links 44,46 have dropped down from the opening 62 and locked into place. The roller mechanism 3 is locked and will remain in this position until unlocked by the user as discussed below in connection with Figures 15-17.
Referring again to Figure 1, the roller mechanism 3 is ready for use.
The suitcase 2 has been tipped over until all four rollers 21,22,39,40 (rollers 21 and 39 are shown in Figure 4) are on the surface 23. The static loads L1,L2,L3 on the roller mechanism 3 are illustrated with a weighted container, such as the suitcase 2.
The geometry employed directs the loads L1,L2 parallel to the links 44,46 in either compression or tension. The arm 38 is in compression by the load L3. The load L3 directed through the arm 38 is preferably as straight as possible. The two links 44,46 are, in this example, in tension for maximum strength.
Figures 5-6 are simplified side elevational views of another embodiment of a suitcase 2' and a roller mechanism 3'. Except as discussed below, the suitcase 2' and roller mechanism 3' are substantially the same as the respective suitcase 2 and roller mechanism 3 of Figures 1-4 (for convenience of illustration, only part of the roller mechanism 3' is illustrated). The suitcase 2' is tipped over to a rolling position having an exemplary angle from the upright position of about 50 to 60 degrees. The suitcase includes the pair of first rollers 21,22 (only roller 21 is shown). The roller mechanism 3' includes an arm 38', similar to the arm 38 of Figure 2, which has a single roller 41. The rear panel 6' has an internal rigid body portion 19'. The end of the arm 38' is pivotally mounted to the rigid body portion 19' by a hinge 52' .
The center of balance of the suitcase 2', like the suitcase 2 of Figure 1, and most of the mass, are between the roller centerlines 66, 68. In this manner, the suitcase 2' may be pulled forward (to the left of Figure 5) without tipping forward. Furthermore, because the mass is centralized by the angle of tip, the deployed position of the roller mechanism 3', like the roller mechanism 3 of Figure 1, provides a relatively stable condition, regardless whether the suitcases 2,2' are empty, full, or full with the contents thereof either bottom heavy or top heavy.
This stable condition accommodates for rough ground, potholes, inclines, and declines in the surface 23, as well as acceleration, deceleration, and being inadvertently hit in various directions by the user and/or the surface 23.
Moreover, the suitcases 2,2' are free to be rolled, by pushing and/or pulling, without any additional static load on the user.
The suitcase 2' includes a front panel 4' , which preferably has a rigid portion, and a fold-out shelf member 70. The shelf member 70 is pivotally mounted to the front panel 4' between the bottom portion 12 and the top portion 10 of wall member 8. The shelf member 70 is pivotable between a retracted position (shown in Figure 5) about adjacent the front panel 4' and a deployed position (shown in Figure 6) which forms a shelf on the front panel 4' . The shelf supports an object, such as exemplary suitcase 72, another case, or any excess materials, substantially within the center of balance of the suitcase 2', between the roller centerlines 66, 68.
Refernng to Figures 7 and 8, a cart 74 employing the roller mechanism 3 of Figures 1-4 (for convenience of illustration, only part of the roller mechanism 3 is illustrated) is illustrated in an upright position and a rolling position, respectively. The cart 74 includes a pair of rigid panels 76,78 and a handle 80. The first panel 76 has a top portion 82 and a bottom portion 84.
pair of first rollers 21 (only one roller is shown) is mounted about adjacent to the second panel 78 and is positioned to at least partially support the cart 74 when in the upright position and to enable rolling movement of the cart 74 across the surface 23 when in the inclined position. The end 48 of the arm 38 is pivotally mounted to the first panel 76 by the hinge 52. Similarly, one end of the link 44 is pivotally mounted to the first panel 76 by the hinge 54. A pair of second rollers 39 (only one is shown) is mounted about adjacent to the second end 50 of the arm 38 and is positioned to enable rolling movement of the cart 74 across the surface 23. In a similar manner as discussed above in connection with Figures 1-4, the arm 38 is alternately retractable to the retracted position of Figure 7 adjacent to the first panel 76, and is deployable to the deployed position (shown in Figure 8) spaced outwardly from the first panel 76. In this position, the first and second rollers 21, 39 cooperate to fully support the cart 74 in the rolling position thereof. The handle 80 is mounted on the cart 74 about adjacent to the top portion 82 of the first rigid panel 76. The user employs the handle 80 to effect rolling movement, either by pushing or pulling the cart 74 across the surface 23.
Refernng to Figures 9-11, with the option of both pulling and pushing, the unique and stable balance of the roller mechanism 3, as provided by the triangulated centralization of mass, allows the exemplary suitcase 2 to be negotiated over obstacles, such as curbs 86 and 88, in the pulling and pushing conditions, respectively. The centralization of mass is displaced exponentially as the exemplary suitcase 2 is increasingly tipped over. For ground inclines and declines, the center of mass is generally constant, thereby providing suitable stability.
The two steps 86 and 88 are shown on either side of the rollers 39,21 in Figure 9 and 10, respectively. Also referring to Figure 1, if the roller mechanism 3 is pushed over a step, smaller than the step 88 of Figure 10, the loads are very similar to the static loads L1,L2,L3. The arm 38 is in compression and the links 44,46 are in tension. If, however, the roller mechanism 3 is pulled over a step, which is about no higher than the horizontal centerline of the roller 39 and smaller than the step 86 of Figure 9, then a different set of loads are imposed on the roller mechanism 3. The offset pivot line of the hinge 58 connecting the links 44,46 directs the loads at a mild offset to the links 44,46. The links 44,46 are subjected to compression because such pivot line dictates an over-center or offset condition. The links 44,46 do not return to the partially retracted position (shown in Figure 3). Instead, the links 44,46 are compressed, thereby effecting a temporary (for as long as the load from the small step is applied), unitary and relatively strong single link, which has sufficient strength to allow the roller mechanism 3 to traverse the small step.
As shown in Figure 9, the step 86 is higher than the horizontal centerline of the roller 39. In this case, the roller mechanism 3 cannot simply be bumped over the step 86 and, instead, must be lifted by the handle 26 over the step 86. In this condition, the links 44,46 preferably do not collapse or fold. The links 44,46 are subjected to compression by the pendulum effect of the weight of the roller 39 and the arm 38, and effect a unitary and relatively strong condition.
When the suitcase 2 is tipped over purposefully, as shown in Figure 11, to negotiate a relatively large step 90, the mass moves exponentially outside (as shown for convenience of reference in cross hatch in Figures 9-11) the center of mass between the roller centerlines 66,68 and creates a counterbalance to ease or lessen the static downward load required by the user to negotiate the large step 90.
Referring again to Figure 1, the links 44,46, shown in their over-center position, fold back to the partially retracted position (shown in Figure 3) if upward pressure is applied to the offset center hinge 58 that connects the links 44,46. The links 44,46 return to their over-center position (shown in Figure 1) once the upward load is relieved as long as static downward pressure, such as load L4 from the volume of the suitcase 2, has constantly been applied tv the roller mechanism 3.
and (2) the closure or retraction of a roller mechanism 92. The second rollers (only one roller is shown) are preferably apart from the surface 23 when the associated container or cart (not shown) is in the upright position of Figures 12 and 17. This obviates wear on the rollers 41 and the roller mechanism 92.
Otherwise, the roller mechanism 92 is substantially the same as the roller mechanism 3 of Figures 1-4. Only one swift movement is required by the user to effect either the deployment or retraction condition. After the latch 63 of Figures 2-4 is unlatched, the user need not bend down as subsequent user operations may be effected with one foot only.
To deploy the roller mechanism 92, the user simply hooks his foot under the bottom arch 65 (shown in Figures 2-4) of the arm 38, which preferably is shaped specifically for the crown of a shoe, although hand deployment is possible.
As shown in Figure 13, the user pulls up on the arm 38 with his foot and then lifts up and over-centers the links 44,46. The user may then tip the roller mechanism 92, and the associated container or cart (not shown), onto the deployed rollers 21,41 for use.
To close the roller mechanism 92, the roller mechanism 92, and the associated container or cart (not shown), is sat upright (as shown in Figure 15) and a swift kick is preferably applied to the hinge 58. The weight and pendulum effect of the arm 38 and rollers 41 drops the roller mechanism 92 as sequentially shown in Figures 16 and 17.
Referring to Figure 18, another embodiment of a suitcase 94 and a roller mechanism 96 is illustrated. Except as discussed below, the suitcase 94 and roller mechanism 96 are substantially the same as the respective suitcase 2 and roller mechanism 3 of Figures 1-4. As discussed above in connection with Figures 1-4, the rear panel 6 of the suitcase 2 has the rigid body portion 19. The end 48 of the arm 38 includes the hinge 52 which pivotally mounts the arm 38 to the rigid body portion 19. The embodiment of Figures 1-4 is representative of the suitcase 2 incorporating the roller mechanism 3 at the time of manufacture.
Figure 18 is representative of the suitcase 94 being retrofitted with the roller mechanism 96. When the roller mechanism 96 is installed as a retrofit, an external mounting panel 98 is also included. The mounting panel 98 is between the roller mechanism 96 and the rear panel 100 of the suitcase 94. If the suitcase 94 has a rigid rear panel 100, as shown in Figure 18, the mounting panel 98 is suitably secured to the rear panel 100 with fasteners (not shown). On the other hand, if a suitcase has a non-rigid rear panel (not shown), such as a fabric panel, then the mounting panel 98 is suitably secured to a corresponding mounting panel (not shown) positioned within the volume of such suitcase.
As shown in Figure 18, the end 48 of the arm 38 includes the hinge 52 which pivotally mounts the arm 38 to the external panel 98. The layered flat links 44,46 (shown in hidden line drawing) are positioned on top of each other within the opening 62 (shown in hidden line drawing) of the arm 38.
Preferably, the links 44,46 and rear panel 100, as well as the arm 38 and rear panel 100, have minimal or no significant airspace therebetween, and provide a relatively sturdy closed or retracted roller mechanism 96. The first link 44 is pivotally mounted to the external panel 98 by a suitable pivot mechanism, such as the hinge 54 (shown in hidden line drawing). The second link 46 is pivotally mounted to the first link 44 and the arm 38 by any suitable pivot mechanism known to those skilled in the art (shown in hidden line drawing), such as hinge 58 and/or pivot pin 102, respectively. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other equivalent roller mechanisms may be flush mounted integrally with a surface of a container or cart.
The construction of the exemplary roller mechanisms 3,3',92,96 yields benefits where such mechanisms are frequently transported by conveyor belts and the like. The construction suits preferably low cost production methods such as injection molding. Plastic materials may be employed including glass filled nylon, polyethylene, polypropelene, or other materials known to those skilled in the art.
For industrial applications, steel tubing in a welded or bolted assembly may provide suitable alternatives. For very low cost applications, natural resources such as wood may be employed. The construction of Figures 2-4, in which the arm 38 and links 44,46 resemble panels, imparts excellent torsional stiffness for loads other than those specifically described herein. For example, heavy side loads may otherwise deform a relatively slender steel tube.
It will be appreciated that the invention provides a cart or container apparatus, such as a suitcase, with retractable rollers that support the entire weight of the apparatus in a rolling position as well as the superior maneuverability of an upright wheeled apparatus that rolls in an inclined position. In addition, the apparatus may be rolled, by pushing or pulling, across a surface on the roller mechanism.
The roller mechanism may either be manufactured as part of, or retrofitted into, a variety of containers or carts to facilitate the mobility thereof.
Furthermore, a mobile cart may provide additional load carrying capacity beyond the carrying capacity of the volume of a container.
Whereas particular embodiments of the present invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous variations in the details may be made without departing from the invention as described in the appended claims.
said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said holder apparatus when said bracket means is in the deployed position; and handle means for effecting rolling movement of said holder apparatus across said surface.
2. The apparatus of Claim 1, wherein said bracket means includes first link means pivotally mounted to said rigid body portion, and second link means pivotally mounted to said first link means and said arm means.
3. The apparatus of Claim 2, wherein said first and second link means are generally within the opening of said arm means in the retracted position.
4. The apparatus of Claim 3, wherein said arm means and said first and second link means are generally parallel to said rigid body portion in the retracted position.
said first and second link means include a common plane in the deployed position; and said pivot means includes a pivot line which is offset from the common plane of said first and second link means in the deployed position.
said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said container when said second roller means is deployed and said container is in a rolling position; and handle means for effecting rolling movement of said container across said surface.
7. The container of Claim 6, wherein said second roller means includes at least one roller.
8. The container of Claim 6, wherein said second roller means includes a plurality of rollers.
9. The container of Claim 7, wherein said at least one roller is a plurality of rollers having plural rotational axes.
10. The container of Claim 6, wherein said handle means includes an alternately retractable and extendable push/pull handle.
said wall member has a second rigid body portion; and at least one carry handle is mounted on the second rigid body portion of said wall member to permit carrying of said container with its weight fully supported by said carry handle.
the top portion of said wall member includes the second rigid body portion; and said at least one carry handle is secured to the second rigid body portion.
14. The container of Claim 6, wherein said container is a suitcase; and said front panel is soft and has a periphery which includes a glide fastener for opening and closing said suitcase to permit access to said volume.
said wall member has a second rigid body portion; and said first roller means includes a pair of rollers mounted adjacent to the first rigid body portion and positioned at the junction of said rear panel and said wall member.
said first link means and the first end of said arm means are pivotally mounted to the first rigid body portion; and said front panel has a second rigid body portion and shelf means disposed on the second rigid body portion between the bottom portion and the top portion of said wall member.
17. The container of Claim 16, wherein said shelf means is pivotally mounted to the second rigid body portion of said front panel.
said shelf means is pivotable between a first position about adjacent said front panel and a second position which forms a shelf on said front panel; and said shelf supports an object substantially within said center of balance.
19. The container of Claim 6, wherein said first and second roller means include a plurality of rollers having at least one rotational axis.
20. The container of Claim 6, wherein at least one of said first and second roller means includes a plurality of rollers; and said rear panel has a plurality of skid bar means for sliding said container and protecting said generally continuous area.
21. The container of Claim 6, wherein said first and second link means are substantially coplanar in the deployed position.
22. The container of Claim 6, wherein said arm means includes means for engagement by a user for movement from the retracted position to the deployed position.
23. The container of Claim 22, wherein said means for engagement includes receptacle means for engagement by a user's foot.
24. The container of Claim 6, wherein said second roller means is apart from said surface when said container is in the upright position.
25. The container of Claim 6, wherein said rear panel has said rigid body portion; and the first end of said arm means includes hinge means for pivotally mounting said arm means to said rigid body portion of said rear panel.
27. The container of Claim 6, wherein said rear panel has latch means for alternately latching said arm means to said rear panel in the retracted position, and for unlatching said arm means from said rear panel to enter the deployed position.
said second roller means is a pair of rollers having a second distance therebetween; and said second distance is substantially the same as said first distance.
said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said cart when said second roller means is deployed and said cart is in a rolling position; and handle means for effecting rolling movement of said cart across said surface.
32. The container of Claim 6, wherein said first and second roller means cooperate to fully support said container when said second roller means is deployed and said container is in said inclined position having an angle from said surface of about 50 to 60 degrees.
said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said suitcase when said second roller means is deployed and said suitcase is in said inclined position having an angle from said surface of about 50 to 60 degrees; and means for effecting rolling movement of said suitcase across said surface.
said first and second roller means cooperating to fully support said suitcase when said second roller means is deployed and said suitcase is tipped over to a rolling position having an angle from an upright position, which is normal to said surface, of about 30 to 40 degrees; and means for effecting rolling movement of said suitcase across said surface.
US1005063A (en) * 1911-01-05 1911-10-03 Charles A Nordstrom Automatic truck.
US1203194A (en) * 1916-05-05 1916-10-31 Louis Haege Ice-truck.
NL8801617A (en) * 1988-06-24 1990-01-16 Homar Nv Suitcase frame. | 2019-04-19T03:17:51Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/CA2208102C |
A spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. Saint Herman was among the members of this Mission.
Saint Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth, and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg.
At the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him.
When Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. Physicians to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy.
For five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. He came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. He wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” He praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent.
Father Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman.
As a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. A school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. But by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) Before this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians.
Spruce Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here.
Father Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students.
His clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. In this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things.
On the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. If for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested.
The Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held).
Father Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial.
“I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Father Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself.
The Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. He himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. He also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words.
“Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. Having heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. I, looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25).
This woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova.
Yanovsky writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. Furthermore, I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. We conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. From his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman; he is my true benefactor.
“In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. It was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov.
Yanovsky writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. His face was pale and covered with wrinkles. His eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, and on his head there were a few gray hairs. His voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” Yanovsky relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder.
In order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand.
Not desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. The Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman.
Once an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept.
Many great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host).
Herman dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God.
In the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted.
On Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day.
At the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg.
Father Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains.
Once, the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line.
The Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time.
“After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven.
“Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Herman.
The time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th).
Those sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror.
One evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds.
In 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman, then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman.
O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us!
The Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3).
When the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord “sent them two by two before His face” (Luke 10:1).
After the Ascension of the Savior, Saint Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14). From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by Saint Andrew the First-Called.
The Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasea, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three year journey of the Apostle Andrew, Saint Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. According to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel.
Once, pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. When Saint Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. Another time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them.
The Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease to enlighten his countrymen with the light of Christ’s teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ.
The Jewish High Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgment before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem.
The impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. Using the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. After these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin and stoned.
When Saint Matthias was already dead, the Jews, to hide their malefaction, cut off his head as an enemy of Caesar. (According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified, and indicate that he instead died at Colchis.) The Apostle Matthias received the martyr’s crown of glory in the year 63.
The Martyr Anthony, a native of the city of Alexandria, was a Christian. For his confession of faith they tied him to a tree and tore at his body with iron hooks, and then sentenced him to burning. Standing in the fire, he calmly exhorted those standing about to toil not for the body but for the soul in aspiring towards God. After the fire flared up, the body of the saint remained unharmed. The time of his death is unknown.
Saint Psoi was a disciple of Saint Pachomius the Great (May 15) and lived during the fourth century in the Egyptian desert.
The Martyrs Julian, Marcian, John, James, Alexius, Demetrius, Photius, Peter, Leontius, Maria the Patrician, the Protospatharios (“Sword-Captain”) Gregory and Others suffered for holy icons in the year 730 under the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741). The emperor deposed the holy Patriarch Germanus (715-730) from the patriarchal throne and sent him off to prison, raising up onto the patriarchal throne the iconoclast Athanasius (730-753).
By decree of the emperor, all icons were to be confiscated from homes and churches and then destroyed. At Constantinople from the time of the holy Emperor Constantine the Great (324-337) there was over the so-called “Copper Gates” a wonderworking icon of the Savior, made of copper.
The emperor and heretical Patriarch Anastasius gave orders to seize this icon. The gathered crowd became outraged at this sacrilege. In the crowd was the Patrician Maria, a woman of illustrious family, who with many others rushed to the ladder and pulled it from the wall to keep the soldier from touching the icon. The ladder came down, and the soldier standing on it fell to his death. This occurred on January 19, 730. The Protospatherios (“Sword-Captain”) Gregory and the nun Saint Theodosia (May 29) also took part in the defense of the icon.
Learning of this, the emperor executed a multitude of the faithful, the names of whom are known only to the Lord. The Protospatherios Gregory also received a martyr’s death. Some of the Orthodox are known, however: Julian, Marcian, John, James, Alexius, Demetrius, Leontius, Photius and Peter, who were locked up in prison and kept there for about eight months, each day receiving 500 blows. In these torments they remained alive by the power of Christ and bravely endured their sufferings.
By order of the emperor they were burned with a red-hot iron and their heads cut off. Saint Maria the Patrician, who had not been locked up in prison, learning about the executions, voluntarily accepted a martyr’s death. The bodies of the martyrs were buried in a coastal area near the church of the holy Martyr Theodore, and were discovered incorrupt 139 years later.
Saint Macarius of Oredezhsk was a disciple of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). He pursued asceticism at the River Oredezha at Lake Ladoga, where he founded a monastery. He died in the year 1532.
The holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk) was born in Poland sometime in 1860s, and received the name Jacob at his Baptism. Very little is known of his early life or where he was born, but in the period between the First and the Second World Wars he was a monk at Saint Onuphrios Monastery in Jabłeczna. At his tonsure he received the monastic name Ignatius.
Father Ignatius was one of the oldest monks in the monastery, and he fulfilled the obedience of ringing the bells for church services.
In September of 1939, the monastery buildings were occupied by German soldiers, and they confiscated the monastery’s food supplies and livestock. In spite of this, the monks did not close the monastery, but wrote a letter of protest to the commander of the occupying army. This no effect whatsoever upon the Germans.
On the night of August 9-10, 1942 the guards set fire to the monastery, destroying the inner section. The monks fled from the buildings and gathered in the courtyard. The Germans would not allow the fire to be put out, and they threatened to shoot the monks.
A few of the monks were able to escape, but Saint Ignatius ran to the bell tower and began ringing the bell to warn the residents of the area of the danger. He was attacked and beaten to death by some of the soldiers.
Residents of Jabłeczna arrived at the monastery to help, and they were also detained. The Germans forced the monks to dig graves, and then they shot everyone in the courtyard. There were no survivors. Saint Ignatius was buried in the monastery cemetery, but his holy relics were later transferred to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Saint Ignatius is regarded as one of the martyrs of Chelm and Podlasie. He is commemorated on August 9, the date of his martyrdom, and on March 20, the date of his glorification by the Orthodox Church of Poland in 2003. | 2019-04-23T00:26:27Z | https://oca.org/saints/all-lives/2019/08/09/102242-afterfeast-of-the-transfiguration-of-our-lord |
What Should be in a Car Survival Kit?
An emergency can arise anytime you are on the road. You could be in an accident, stranded on an isolated stretch because of a roadblock from a fallen tree, or stuck because of a flat tire.
For this reason, it is always important for every car owner to keep a roadside emergency kit in their vehicle, so you are prepared for any eventuality.
Although the roadside emergency kit is a critical necessity, several car owners don’t give much thought to keeping even a basic emergency kit in their cars.
If you are in an emergency, your roadside survival kit could literally be the difference between life and death.
Is a Basic Emergency Kit Enough?
A simple readymade roadside emergency kit is better than not having anything on hand. However, the smarter thing to do would be to supplement your basic emergency kit and customize it to your needs.
So, for example, if you have a medical condition or a family member has a certain medical requirement, you would want to carry medication or a piece of health equipment such as an inhaler.
Making sure your emergency kit includes that specific item is important, especially in an emergency. You also need to consider the climatic conditions in your location and the roads you drive on when putting together your roadside emergency kit.
To help you get started, here is our list of absolute essentials that should go into a roadside emergency kit. You can always expand your kit based on individual needs.
First aid kit – in addition to regular items, don’t forget to include prescribed medication for you or your family members.
Tools and items for flat tires – a spare tire, a patch kit, a lug wrench, a jack, and compressed air.
Food items like granola or energy bars that are nonperishable.
List of emergency contacts (family, medical professionals, friends) in case of an accident.
LED flares, regular flares, or reflectors.
Jumper cables or portable, lithium-ion battery with jumper cables.
Tool kit – pocket knife, screwdrivers, an adjustable wrench, pliers.
Hand-crank weather radio with cell phone charging.
Spray bottle with washer fluid.
Once you are done collecting all the items you require for your roadside emergency kit, it is time to store them in your car.
Stock the survival or emergency items and the tools and equipment separately. You can use normal cardboard boxes or place them in a backpack or any other kind of container unit that suits you.
Make sure you clearly mark both containers/bags and store them in a location that is easily accessible both for you and family members during an emergency.
Now that your roadside emergency kit is ready, it is time to familiarize yourself with the items in the kit.
You should know what to use and how to use the tools and equipment should you face a challenging situation. Especially if roadside assistance is not available.
There are two basic things that ideally every driver should know: first, is how to change a tire and second, how to jumpstart your car. These are two of the most common situations you might face on the road.
Although roadside assistance is a boon in today’s times, you never know what situation you could face. Which is why it is a good idea to consult with a professional car technician for some advice on basic car trouble issues and emergency action if you face some of these issues.
Last but certainly not the least – make sure you take your car for regular servicing. This action could save you a lot of car trouble and help keep your car in good condition.
Reliable Car Maintenance with Professional Auto Experts!
If you are looking for professional and credible car repair service for your car, give Virginia Auto Service a call today at 602-266-0200 or schedule a visit with us online.
Arizona is a large state with a lot of natural, untouched land in and between its cities. As such, there will likely come a time when Arizona drivers find themselves on the road with nothing but nature surrounding them. While this presents us with some of the most scenic drives in the country, it can also present a problem. When you are surrounded by nothing but nature, the likelihood of encountering a deer or other animal crossing the road increases.
1. Remain alert. In other words, pay attention. Seems simple enough, yet you’d be surprised how often drivers fail to do just that. Stay off your phone and avoid other distractions. Don’t let a seemingly empty highway fool you into a false sense of security. Animals can make their way onto the road in front of your vehicle at any instant. In places where tree and grasses are thicker, they may seem to appear out of thin air with no warning.
2. Make sure you can see well at night. Most animals seem to be more active at dawn, dusk, and in the nighttime- when visibility is the most compromised for motorists. Make sure your vehicle’s windshield has no cracks that obstruct your view and that it is clean. Use your high beams to help watch for the glow of animal eyes and movement. Learn more about safe night driving practices in our blog post 15 Tips for Driving Safely at Night.
3. Take it slow. After dark, don’t drive over 70 miles per hour. When you do, you are out driving your headlights, which leaves you no reaction time if there is an obstacle in the road. In both the day and night, consider driving no faster than (or maybe slightly under) the posted speed limits, especially in areas where signs warning of animal crossing activity are posted. Slowing down may cause you to reach your destinations a little later, but that is far less inconvenient than the aftermath of a high-speed crash with an animal.
4. When the inevitable occurs. Regardless of how well prepared you are, there may come a time when you simply cannot avoid hitting the animal. If you find yourself in this situation, remain in your lane and, with a firm grip on your steering wheel, push down firmly on your brake pedal. Thankfully, most modern vehicles come with anti-lock brakes which will help you to stop quickly and help you maintain steering control. If you have the time, lay on your horn. Many animals find themselves in a headlight induced trance (you’ve heard the term “a deer in headlights”). Blasting your horn may break the trance in enough time to allow the animal to run out of harm’s way. Do not swerve to avoid the animal. Doing so could result in a more dangerous collision with another vehicle, a rock wall, or even a ditch or cliff of some sort- and could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. No one wants to hit an animal, but your safety and the safety of your passengers and other motorists must come first.
5. After the collision. For smaller animals like skunk, rabbits, or possibly fox or coyote, your vehicle will likely be fine with no problems other than shaken nerves. However, striking large animals like deer and elk may cause some severe vehicle damage and possible injury to occupants of the vehicle. If you collide with an animal and it is injured but not dead, it can become dangerous. Stay in your vehicle away from the animal and call the authorities for assistance. They will help take care of the animal in the safest and most humane way possible, as well as help you with any needs you may have. They will also file an incident report that you will need for insurance purposes.
A little preparedness and caution will help you get where you are going safely while protecting the lives of the creatures who call the Arizona wilderness home.
For your automotive repair and maintenance needs, call on the experts at Virginia Auto Service. We have been Phoenix, Arizona’s go to shop for quality, reliable automotive care for over 20 years. Call us at 602-266-0200 or schedule your next appointment online.
How Do Potholes Harm Your Vehicle?
Potholes are pesky little road hazards that can result in anything from a simple jolt to a blown tire. The pothole is the sworn enemy of your tires, and unfortunately, they won’t be going away anytime soon. If you’ve driven a vehicle, chances are you’ve encountered one at one point or another. Most of the time, once you see the pothole, it is too late to avoid it.
Potholes are holes of various shapes and sizes that appear in the roadway. Potholes are formed by the expansion and contraction of ground water under the pavement. If the groundwater has a chance to swell or freeze, it will expand taking up more room under the pavement. As such, the pavement will expand and possibly crack, weakening it. Then once the water recedes, the pavement will contract, and gaps/voids will be made on the surface underneath the pavement. Each time this happens the pavement becomes weaker. As the heavy weight of vehicles passes over these weak spots in the road they break down and the pavement becomes displaced creating a pothole.
Pay attention. The best way to protect your vehicle from pothole damage is simply to pay attention to the road before you. If you can spot them early enough you have a better chance of avoiding them. Try and avoid hitting them by swerving around them if its safe to do so. This way you can avoid all potential damage. You should leave enough space between you and the vehicles in front of you on the road so that you are better able to see the road ahead and give yourself more time to avoid them.
Be aware of water-filled potholes. It is especially important to watch for potholes that are filled with water. Water-filled potholes can be exceptionally dangerous because you have no way of knowing their depth. If you are driving on a road that is worn and damaged, you need to drive slower to minimize the damage to your vehicle when you hit a pothole.
Don’t slam on the brakes. At some point, no matter how careful you are, you will likely hit a pothole. When you do, it is important that you don’t slam on your brakes. When you hit the brakes your vehicle tilts forward putting more stress on the front suspension- the first part of the vehicle that hits the pothole. Slamming on your brakes will cause more damage to the vehicle because of the extra force.
Inspect your vehicle if you experience a considerable jolt. If you hit a pothole that is particularly jarring, you shouldn’t hesitate to immediately check for a flat tire. If your vehicle is still drivable, by all means, get on your way. However, you should pay close attention to your vehicle as all problems don’t present themselves right away. At some point, you should recheck your tires for bulges, uneven wear and other sorts of visible damage. These are usually the first signs of damage caused by a pothole. You should also pay attention to any new vibrations or the car pulling strongly in either direction. This is a sign that the pothole threw your vehicle out of alignment or damaged your steering system. If you continue to drive with such problems they could wind up causing further damage and become even more expensive to repair, so have your vehicle taken care of as soon as you notice any sign of trouble.
If you have hit a pothole you can bring your vehicle to Virginia Auto Service and we will assess the damage and get it back on the road in no time. Call us at 602-266-0200 or schedule your next appointment online.
Do You Know What to do if You are Involved in an Accident?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that, in any part of the world, there is a motor vehicle accident every 60 seconds. Which pretty much means there are nearly five and a quarter million vehicle accidents each year. When you go by these statistics, it is highly likely that there will be a time when you are involved in an accident. When it is your first auto accident, you may be unsure of just exactly what it is you are supposed to do.
The weeks, and sometimes months, following an auto accident may be very stressful. The following advice will hopefully ease some of the pressure.
The first thing you need to try and do is remain calm. It is easier said than done but take a deep breath or two then proceed with the steps below.
If neither you nor your passengers are seriously injured, and you are able to do so, you should move your vehicle out of the middle of the road. Try to move as far to the side of the road as you possibly can. If you are unable to move your vehicle make sure your hazard lights are on so that other motorists will know that your vehicle will not be moving. Remember, it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident, so don’t leave.
Put your vehicle in park and shut it off. Glance at your surroundings and make sure that it is safe to get out of your vehicle. If the road is clear, get out of the vehicle. Set out flares or safety cones if you have them.
If anyone involved in the accident appears to be injured call 911 right away. Often, pain and injuries do not become evident to a person involved in an accident for hours or even days after an accident once the adrenaline has worn off. So, even mild injuries and symptoms should be looked over by a healthcare professional.
Even in a minor accident, it is a good idea to have a police report for your records. These reports are helpful when dealing with insurance companies and other motorists. Fully cooperate with the officers but watch your language around them and avoid taking blame or blaming others. If they ask you if you are injured say that you are “not sure” rather than no. Let the officers determine the events of the crash objectively based on the evidence in front of them.
Photos are very useful in the insurance claim process. If you have a camera or phone with picture taking abilities don’t hesitate to take photos at the scene. Take pictures of any visible injuries to yourself and/or your passengers, the damage to your vehicle, the accident location, and other people involved in the accident. Be sure to stay out of the way of any police investigation while you take your photographs.
Often, injuries from an accident are not immediately evident. Many people won’t notice pain for a few days. Unless you are 100 percent positive you weren’t injured you should get medical attention either by your family doctor or at an urgent care.
Call your insurance company and start the claims process. Make sure you have all the information you gathered on hand.
Sometimes dealing with the process of an accident on your own isn’t so bad, others you may want to get help from a lawyer who specializes in this sort of thing. An attorney can protect your rights throughout the process and can help guarantee that no evidence with any value is destroyed. Insurance companies will often want to take a statement immediately after an accident, however, an attorney would advise you to wait until you have received legal advice. Having an attorney help you through the accident aftermath will help to make sure you are paid in full for any damages or injuries you sustained.
We hope you find the above advice helpful should you find yourself needing it. However, we hope even more, that you never do! You can’t control everything that happens on the road around you, but there is one thing that you can control to help keep you and other motorists safe on the road and that is performing regular auto maintenance. Having regular maintenance performed on your vehicle prevents drivability issues, reducing the chances of an accident related to a vehicle malfunction. To keep your vehicle running optimally, bring your vehicle into the experts at Virginia Auto Service. Call us at 602-266-0200 or schedule your next appointment online.
If there is one thing every driver should learn to do, it’s how to change a flat tire.
Today, with technology like cell phones, getting help in an emergency is a lot easier than it used to be, but knowing how to help yourself is still important. There is always a possibility that your phone may be dead or that you are beyond the range of service. So, even if you have roadside assistance, there may come a time when you simply must know how to change a tire yourself.
The good news is changing a flat tire really is not that challenging when you are properly prepared.
Every driver should keep a roadside emergency kit in their vehicle at all times. Among other items, the tools you’ll need for a tire change should be included.
We always stress the importance of checking your spare tire’s inflation along with your others, and when it comes time to use it you will understand why. The last thing you want when you have a flat tire is to also have a flat spare!
With a little know-how, changing a flat tire is not overly complicated. Review your owner’s manual to learn steps that may be specific to your vehicle. Also, consider practicing changing your tire at home in your driveway a few times, just to make sure you can handle it when you need to. In total, changing your tire shouldn’t take any more than 15-30 minutes.
Reduce your speed. If you are driving when you develop a flat tire, the first thing you need to do is start slowing down. Do not slam on the brakes, instead, slowly reduce your speed by gradually removing your foot from the brake.
Turn on your hazard lights. Your hazard lights, or emergency flashers, should be turned on the moment you begin slowing your speed to pull over. This helps to alert other drivers that you are likely trying to make your way off the road to pull over, allowing them to maneuver accordingly.
Pull over to a safe location. Look around you for an expanse of road that is straight and level and has a broad shoulder. If you can make it to one, a parking lot or something similar would be the ideal place to change a tire. You want the ground to be level to help prevent your car from rolling while you change it. Avoid pulling over where the road curves and choose a straight stretch so other motorists can see you more easily. Do not change your tire on a constricted shoulder where there is bound to be traffic. Stopping in too narrow a spot will increase your chances of being hit by another vehicle. Instead, move at a slow pace until you locate a spot with a wide shoulder for safety. Driving on a flat tire may increase your chance of damaging your rim, but that is preferable to endangering your life.
Engage your parking (emergency) brake. Using your parking brake will help minimize the chances of your car rolling while you are changing your flat tire.
Place the wheel wedges. Wheel wedges are to be used for your safety, again preventing the vehicle from rolling. You place the wedges either in the front of or behind your tires, depending on the location of the flat. If your flat tire is in the back of the vehicle, place the wedges in front of the tires at the front of the vehicle. If the flat is in the front of the vehicle, then place the wedges behind the back tires. If you don’t keep wheel wedges in your vehicle, large stones or bricks are a good substitute.
Take off the hubcap. Most tires have a hubcap over the lug nuts, which is more easily removed before you lift the car with a jack. Removing the hubcap using the flat side of your lug wrench works on most vehicles, however, some require another tool. Refer to your owner’s manual to learn the correct way to remove your hubcap ahead of time so you are properly prepared when the time comes.
Loosen (but don’t remove) the lug nuts. With your lug wrench, rotate the lug nuts to the left (think “lefty loosey, righty tighty”) until you notice a break in resistance- about a quarter to one half of a turn. It may be necessary to use a lot of muscle, which is just fine. Put all your weight behind it if you need to. Do not fully remove the lug nuts at this time.
Place and use your jack. Position the jack under your car’s frame next to the tire that is flat. Refer to your owner’s manual for the correct placement of the jack on your vehicle. Place the two-inch by six-inch piece of wood beneath your jack before you lift your vehicle. This will help to keep it from settling and becoming unbalanced. Doing this is exceptionally helpful on the asphalt. Once the jack is properly and safely positioned begin raising your car until the flat tire is around six inches off the ground. For your safety, do not go under the vehicle while the vehicle is raised.
Remove the lug nuts. It is at this point that you should finish removing the lug nuts. Because they have already been loosened, they will likely come loose easily by hand.
Remove the tire. Grab the flat by its tread and gently pull it until it comes off the hub. Set it down on its side to avoid having it roll away.
Place your spare tire on the hub. After the flat has been removed you can put the spare tire in place. To do this, line up the rim with the lug bolts. Gently push the tire until the lug bolts are showing through the rim.
Begin tightening the lug nuts. After the tire is placed you can begin to tighten them by hand. Tighten them as far as you can get them manually.
Begin to lower your vehicle and finish tightening the lug nuts. Using your jack, lower your car down to where the spare rests on the ground without the weight of your car resting on the tire. Then, tighten the lug nuts the rest of the way using the lug wrench. Use your whole body and tighten them as much as you can.
Finish lowering the vehicle. After the lug nuts are nice and tight, lower the vehicle the rest of the way to the ground and then remove the jack. Then, use the lug wrench on the lug nuts one more time, ensuring that they are as tight as you can get them.
Place the hubcap. If you had a hubcap to remove, now is the time to replace it, if it fits with your spare.
Pack away your tools. If your hubcap doesn’t fit on your spare place it, the wheel wedges, your jack, wrench, and flat in the trunk or other storage space of your vehicle.
Check the spare tire pressure. You want to make sure your spare is safe to drive on by checking its pressure. Mini or temporary spares usually need 60 psi. If your spare needs air, slowly drive to a gas station to fill it right away.
Fix or replace your flat tire. Don’t delay in replacing your flat tire. The temporary mini-spares aren’t made to drive at high speeds and shouldn’t be driven on for long. Cautiously drive your vehicle to a professional tire technician as soon as possible. They can determine if the tire is salvageable or if it needs to be replaced.
Having the knowledge you need to change a tire is important, however, regular maintenance can go a long way in preventing a flat in the first place. Remember to always keep your tires inflated properly, watch for tread wear, and rotate your tires per the guidelines set in your vehicle owner’s manual. You may not be able to completely prevent a flat, but these things will certainly help to extend your tire’s life.
If you have any automotive concerns, please don’t hesitate to call on the experts here at Virginia Auto Service. Call 602.266.0200 or schedule an appointment online.
Do You Use Your Hazard Lights Properly?
The lights on your vehicle are one of the only forms of communication you have with other drivers on the road. The turn signal lets other motorists know what your next move may be. Are you turning right or left? Do you need to change lanes? The brake lights let other motorists know that you are slowing or stopping and they can plan accordingly. The hazard lights are there to let others know when there is a problem, and there is a right and a wrong way to use them.
Here are some Do’s and Don’ts of hazard light usage to help you stay both legal and safe when you are on the road.
You are driving in inclement weather. When there is precipitation blurring road visibility and you turn on your hazard lights, other motorists may have a hard time determining which lane you are in or if you are changing lanes. Your headlights and taillights will suffice in bad weather. If you are worried, you should pull off the road and stop until weather conditions have improved. Remember, if you are in a dust storm to pull off to the side of the road and park your car, removing your foot from the brake and turning off all lights to avoid being hit by another vehicle.
You are in heavy traffic. It is true that hazard lights make you more visible, but heavy traffic alone is not an excuse to use them. In some vehicle’s, when your hazard lights are engaged, your turn signals are disabled, which would make it difficult for other motorists to anticipate what it is you are doing.
You are parked illegally. Contrary to popular belief, if you turn on the hazard lights on while parked illegally, it doesn’t make it legal. You need to find an appropriate place to park and avoid blocking traffic.
You can use a turn signal instead. If you have slowed to exit the road due to a car problem, don’t immediately reach for the hazards. As was stated above, turn signals are often disabled when the hazards are on and other motorists may find it difficult to know what you are doing- which could result in a crash. Wait until you are safe on the shoulder and out of traffic to engage the hazards.
You are being pulled over. When law enforcement has signaled for you to pull over, you can turn on your hazard lights to let them know that you got their signal and are following their request. Slow your speed, engage your hazard lights and pull over in a safe location.
You are changing a tire on the roadside. You should use your hazard lights when your vehicle has become a potential hazard for other motorists. If you are on the side of the road changing a tire, your hazards allow for you to be seen and help keep everyone safe.
You are broken down waiting for a tow. If this is the case your vehicle is a temporary hazard. Use your hazards to warn other motorists of your presence, especially if you cannot get your vehicle out of the line of traffic.
You are part of a funeral procession. Vehicles involved in funeral processions customarily drive with the hazard lights on, even when otherwise prohibited. Funeral processions are the one exception to most hazard light rules.
It is also important that you are aware of any hazard light laws that your state may have. Here in Arizona, hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in an emergency. For a list of other hazard light laws by state, click here.
At Virginia Auto Service, we like to help people with their vehicles and road safety in any way that we can. We hope that you find these tips for proper hazard light use helpful. Remember, if your vehicle needs service, we are your go-to in Phoenix, AZ for reliable, high-quality auto repair services. Call (602) 266-0200 or schedule an appointment online.
As drivers living in the desert climate of Phoenix, Arizona, one of our biggest fears is being locked out of our vehicles. Especially if we left something, or maybe even someone important inside. If you are worried about the possibility of becoming locked out of your vehicle or find yourself in that exact situation, there are things you can do to resolve the situation quickly and safely.
Some people will hide an extra house key under a fake rock or in a flowerpot for the times they find themselves locked out of their house. You can do the same with a spare car key. It may be a little more challenging, but it can be done. There are magnetic key cases that you can attach to the underside of your vehicle. Just remember that there is a possibility of the key holder falling off when you hit a bump, so make sure the key holder you get has a strong magnet. This is one instance when you really don’t want to buy the cheaper model. You may want to even consider one with a powerful rare earth magnet and combination lock. Make sure you attach it to a flat, clean surface and that it opens up and not down (to avoid the chance of it falling open and losing the key). Avoid obvious places to hide a key, like under the wheel well or the bumper- get creative. You could also tape a key to the vehicle behind the license plate. Some people like to carry a spare key in their wallet or pocketbook, which is a good option, as long as you don’t leave it in the car too.
OnStar offers remote door unlocking services. If you subscribe to OnStar, all you need to do is call their customer service number and give the OnStar Advisor your account number and PIN. Then they will send a signal to your vehicle that unlocks the door. Visit their website for more detailed information.
All of the plans provided by AAA come with Roadside Assistance- which helps with lockouts. There are three AAA memberships available ranging from $56-120 a year. There are other maintenance benefits as well as towing services and discounts at hotels available.
Keep a spare with someone you trust who you can call if needed to help you get into your car.
If you have given anyone a spare key to your vehicle, call them and see if they are available to bring it to you.
If a child or pet is locked in the vehicle, or you are locked out of your car in an unsafe place or situation, you can call the police and ask for help. Police have the proper tools to help you enter your vehicle. However, if there is no immediate risk involved, the police would rather you call up a locksmith or tow truck so that they can focus their attention on more urgent tasks.
It can cost a bit to call a locksmith or tow truck, usually around $100, but you will at least be able to get into your vehicle. If a child or pet is locked in the car, some locksmiths have been known to do it for free.
At Virginia Auto Service, we like to help people with their vehicles and road safety in any way that we can. The best way to prevent a lockout is by preparing for it in advance with one or more of the recommendations we have given you above. We are your go-to in Phoenix, AZ for reliable, high-quality auto repair services. Call (602) 266-0200 or schedule an appointment online.
Note: If there is a child locked in the vehicle, especially in the Arizona heat, call the police immediately. You need to remember to stay calm for your child. If they begin screaming in reaction to you, they can heat up more quickly. Do what you can to keep them calm until help arrives. If it is summer and extremely hot, you are far from help, you don’t have access to a phone, or the child is in distress, you may have to break a window. A small price to pay for the child’s life. If you need to break in, wrap your arm in a shirt or towel to keep the glass from cutting you, then find a large rock or something that will break the window. Do it as far from the child as possible to avoid cutting them.
Do You Know the Proper Way to Tow a Trailer?
One of our favorite things about living in Arizona is the fact that no matter the time of year, there is always somewhere you can camp! In the spring and summer months, Valley residents can head up North to the Mogollon Rim, Flagstaff, Show Low, or the Grand Canyon- to name just a few places. In the fall and winter, the Superstition Mountain desert area and places like Kartchner Caverns near Tucson make great camping destinations.
When traveling to the numerous camping destinations, you may be towing a travel trailer, camper, or even a fishing boat if you will be near one of the lakes. If you are going to be towing a trailer anytime soon, you may want to make sure you are up to snuff on your towing know-how. When you tow improperly, you run the risk of damaging your alignment, brakes, suspension, tires, and transmission. For this reason, we have put together the following towing tips.
Before you hitch up and hit the road, you should consult your vehicle owner’s manual to learn your towing capacity. The towing capacity is the maximum weight your vehicle can pull without causing damage or impacting safe handling capabilities. Have you ever strained your back when lifting an object that is just a bit too heavy? Something similar happens to your vehicle when you overload it. When your vehicle is pulling too much weight or something that it isn’t meant to tow, the axles, brakes, engine, transmission, and/or wheel bearings could be damaged.
When towing, you will usually depend on four major pieces of equipment: the hitch, hitch receiver, a hitch ball, and a drawbar. These components work together to keep your trailer safely connected to your vehicle. You need to make sure that your gear matches the size and weight of the load you are carrying.
Hitch- This is the piece that is attached directly to the vehicle. It is the connection between your vehicle and the trailer. There are over 10 different types of hitches. The type of hitch you will need to use depends on the type of vehicle you drive and its towing capacity. This information can be found in the owner’s manual.
Hitch receiver- This is the base for all the components and is rated for different sized loads.
Drawbar- This is a small tube that strings through the hitch receiver and attaches to the hitch ball. They come in different heights so that the trailer will follow at a level plane. Instead of dealing with the hassle of finding the right drawbar for each hitch, you can purchase one that is adjustable.
Hitch ball- These come in different sizes and can carry growing amounts of weight.
Remember, all towing gear is not created equally. The equipment you used to tow a moving trailer may not be the right size for towing your camper or boat. Refer to the manufacturer of the gear’s guide and your vehicles owner’s manual to help you choose and assemble the proper equipment.
Once the trailer is connected to your vehicle with the appropriate equipment, perform these final safety measures before you hit the road.
Use chains under the hitch for extra support. When you double-cross a set of chains under the trailer hitch side to side forming an “x” it provides more support and can prevent your trailer from bouncing into a guardrail or swerving into another vehicle should something come loose in the hitch.
Don’t forget the lights. When you tow a trailer your taillights and brake lights won’t be visible to other drivers. For this reason, trailers come with trailer signal wiring. When you connect the wires from the trailer to your vehicle they will mimic your regular taillights. Test the lights before you head out on your journey to make sure they are set up properly. Turn signals and brake lights that function properly are vital to your safety and the safety of other motorists.
Make sure the item(s) you are towing are secure. Remember, especially if you are towing an open trailer, that you will be traveling at fast speeds and things will move around and possibly fly out if not properly secured. Fasten a tarp over your load to help prevent flyaways, and to protect your stuff from the elements. Also, use bungee cords to tightly secure items that may bang around and brake inside of the trailer.
Pay close attention to your driving. When you drive with a trailer it isn’t the same as your everyday driving. When towing a trailer, you will need to accelerate, brake, turn, change lanes, and turn corners at about half the speed you usually do. Also, be prepared to stop for gas more frequently as the extra weight you are towing will decrease your fuel economy.
Know the laws. Make sure that you know the laws of towing a trailer wherever you may be traveling. At a minimum, most states require you to have working taillights and brake lights. Others, including Arizona, will require your trailer to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Care for ALL your tires. Make sure you are not only maintaining the tires of your vehicle, but those of the trailer, and your spare(s). A blowout is always potentially dangerous, but even more so when you are towing. All tires should be inflated to their recommended psi and closely monitored throughout your trip. When your tires are over or underinflated, it reduces the effectiveness of your brakes, and the trailer could sway.
Make sure your vehicle can handle the trip. Before you head out on your adventure, make sure your vehicle is up to the task of towing your boat, camper, or trailer. Worn tires, transmission problems, improper wheel alignment and existing brake problems can be dangerous on the road. The added weight of the item being towed will make it even more so. Make sure your vehicle is road trip safe before you leave.
At Virginia Auto Service, we like to help people with their vehicles and road safety in any way that we can. We hope these tips help you stay safe the next time you tow a trailer. If you need help making sure your vehicle is up to the task, we are your go-to in Phoenix, AZ for reliable, high-quality auto repair services. Call (602) 266-0200 or schedule an appointment online.
Now that school is back in session for most children in the Phoenix metropolitan area, motorists will need to start paying close attention to the roadways for school zones. School zones are meant to keep children safe as they arrive at and leave school. However, there are times when these zones are a risk for both pedestrians and motorists.
Every school year, over 55 million children across the United States head back to school. According to AAA, around 13 percent of those children are usually walking or biking to their classes. Others may pass through the school zone after exiting a bus or caregiver’s vehicle. The chaos of the busy school zone may be dangerous to children. Nancy Pullen-Seufert, associate director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School, says, “There’s a lot of activity that happens between arrival time and dismissal time that can be distracting, and that’s the piece that can make it risky for young pedestrians.” It would also seem that motorists, even those who are dropping off their most precious cargo, need a refresher course on the rules of school zone driving.
A study found that two-thirds of drivers exceed the posted speed limit during the 30-minute period before and after school. Automated photo enforcement measures discovered that 78 percent of drivers sped in school zones, and 82 percent of drivers passed a school bus illegally. A report by Safe Kids Worldwide shows that motorists often violate stop sign rules at intersections in school zones and residential neighborhoods, with 45 percent failing to come to a complete stop, 37 percent rolling through the stop sign, and seven percent failing to slow down. According to AAA, the most dangerous time for the school zone and beyond is after school from 3-4 p.m. It is during this window that more school-aged pedestrians are killed by motorists than any other time of day.
According to the most recent year for which data is available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of traffic fatalities among pedestrians age 14 and younger went down from 391 fatalities in 2002 to 230 in 2011. The downward trend is good news, however, in 2011, an estimated 11,000 pedestrians age 14 and younger were injured in traffic accidents overall.
Speed cameras, crosswalks, stop signs, flashing lights, and crossing guards can only offer so much protection for school children. Motorists need to be aware of their surroundings and follow the driving laws in the school zone.
Always expect the unexpected, especially around young children. James Solomon of the National Safety Council says, “Children run and play. They can come from anywhere.” Remain alert.
Observe the speed limit. State law, specifically Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 28-797, provides a uniform application of 15 mph school zone traffic control for elementary and middle schools (kindergarten through eighth grades) at authorized school crossings meeting certain minimum criteria. The limit near most high schools is posted no higher than 25 mph. Nancy Pullen-Seufert of the National Center for Safe Routes to School says, “The faster you are going, the more likely you are to injure a pedestrian and to injure them more seriously.” According to the NHTSA, five percent of pedestrians hit by a vehicle at 20 mph suffer a fatality. The fatality number increases to 45 percent when hit by a vehicle going 30 mph, and to 80 percent for a pedestrian hit by a vehicle traveling at 40 mph. The NHTSA goes on to state that driving faster also means longer stopping distances. For example, when you are traveling 20 mph it takes you around 69 feet to come to a complete stop. At 30 mph, it takes you 123 feet to stop, nearly double the distance.
Stay off electronic devices. Distractions, like talking on your cell phone, have been proven to reduce a driver’s reaction time. Looking away from the road for only two seconds can double your chances of crashing. Texting while driving has been proven to be as dangerous as driving drunk. Kate Carr of Safe Kids Worldwide says, “The ability to multi-task is a myth. If you are going to drive your child to school, drive your child to school. Leave the cell phone in a place where you aren’t going to be distracted.” Remain vigilant and able to navigate the school zone completely prepared to handle any situation that may arise.
Make eye contact with pedestrians. When you see a pedestrian that looks like they may want to cross the road, make eye contact with them so that you know you have been seen. “If you haven’t made eye contact with them, assume that they haven’t seen you and that they are just going to keep on going,” says Carr.
Don’t pass school buses. In all 50 states, it is illegal to pass a school bus on undivided roadways when it is stopped to load or unload children. The National Safety Council states that most children who die in a bus-related accident are pedestrians between the ages of four and seven who are either hit by the bus or motorists passing the school bus illegally. Laws will vary from state to state regarding passing a school bus on a divided roadway when the bus is traveling in the opposite direction. No matter what, all vehicles behind the bus must stop. Today, many school buses are equipped with rear cameras to catch motorists who illegally pass them.
Watch for bus warning lights. When there are yellow flashing lights on the bus that means that the bus is preparing to stop and let children on or off, and you need to give it room to do so. When the light is red it means that children are currently loading or unloading. At no time when the lights are red or yellow should you attempt to pass the bus.
Give the buses plenty of space for loading and unloading. Kids are at most risk of being hit by a car with in the 10 feet around the bus.
Take an alternate route. If you are not a parent responsible for picking up or dropping off a child, it may be best to avoid driving in a school zone altogether to avoid any frustrations.
Treat each child as if they were your own. It’s not only impatient motorists who are running late for work that are responsible for school zone accidents. Parents are just as likely to break school zone rules when they are picking up or dropping off their children. Keep in mind that even though your child has been picked up or dropped off safely, there are others still out with the possibility of being injured. Stay vigilant and follow the school zone rules and keep these children safe. You know you would want other parents to do the same for your children.
The monsoons may have been late to start this year, but once they did they sure did not disappoint.
Only a few days ago Phoenix was hit by a massive storm which resulted in storm damage and flooding over much of the area. According to AZCentral.com, the storms caused heavy street flooding, power outages and extensive flight delays at Sky Harbor International Airport. The Phoenix Zoo was even forced to close for a day following the intense storm in order to clean up the multiple trees that were downed, along with two tents that were destroyed. Thankfully no animals were injured in the storm.
These crazy weather conditions can bring on a road hazard that is dangerous for motorists- slick, water-filled roads that could result in hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning is the term that is often used to refer to the sliding or skidding of the tires of the vehicle over a wet surface. It occurs when the tire encounters more water than it can scatter. There is water pressure in the front of the wheel that pushes water under the wheel separating it from the surface of the road. Essentially, your vehicle begins to ride on top of standing water instead of the surface of the road resulting in a loss of traction. Losing traction results in a loss of braking, steering, and power control.
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible for a vehicle to hydroplane when the road is only slightly damp. Even just a light rain can mix with the oil residue on the surface of the road creating slick conditions that can make vehicles, especially those going 35 mph or more, to hydroplane. A scary, and potentially deadly, event for the driver and motorists in the surrounding area.
Slow down. Like we said above, hydroplaning is more likely to occur at speeds of 35 mph or higher. The moment rain hits your windshield, slow your speed at least five to ten miles below the speed limit. In heavier rain and/or windy conditions you may want to lower your speed even more. Avoid sudden accelerations -such as passing other motorists- as sudden increases in speed increase the risk of hydroplaning.
Keep your tires properly maintained. Tires have tread (grooves) that are designed to channel water from beneath the tire, creating greater friction with the road surface minimizing or even preventing instances of hydroplaning. When the tread is worn down you do not get as much traction and it can be very dangerous to drive on slick or bald tires. You should replace tires when needed and perform regular tire rotations. Also, keeping the tires properly inflated increases traction and can help prevent hydroplaning.
Avoid driving in outer lanes where water collects. You’ve seen it, driving around during or after a storm there are some outer lanes where water seems to accrue, which can be dangerous. When possible, avoid driving in these lanes. If you can see the standing water, then it is very likely that your vehicle will hydroplane as it drives over it.
Drive in the tracks left by the cars ahead of you. The cars ahead of you have started separating the water for you, increasing your traction and connectivity to the pavement.
Turn off cruise control. You should never use cruise control while it is raining or when you are driving on wet roads. Should you begin to hydroplane with your vehicle in cruise control it will take longer for you to disable the function and start to regain control of your car.
Avoid driving aggressively. Aggressive driving is never safe, however, in bad weather and on wet roads it becomes even more dangerous. Do not make any quick or sharp turns, avoid hard braking, and like we said above, do not speed or pass other motorists.
Unfortunately, there are times that hydroplaning will occur no matter how careful you are. These are the steps you can take to regain control if you should begin hydroplaning on a wet surface.
Remove your foot from the accelerator immediately. You should never use your brakes in response to hydroplaning. Braking suddenly can result in your vehicle skidding completely out of control.
Gently turn the steering wheel in the direction your vehicle is hydroplaning. It may seem contradictory, but doing so will realign your tires with the direction your vehicle is moving, helping you regain steering control.
Wait for reconnection. It will be obvious to you when the vehicle is past the hydroplaning situation and has reconnected with the surface of the road.
Pull over and breathe. Hydroplaning can be a scary event. Give yourself a minute to recover and collect yourself before continuing your journey. | 2019-04-24T06:49:01Z | https://automotiverepairphoenix.com/category/road-safety/ |
To provide a technology for fabricating a high image quality liquid crystal display device, a set range of a cell gap for holding a liquid crystal layer is limited in accordance with a distance of a pixel pitch in which specifically, the cell gap is set to be a distance of one tenth of the pixel pitch, whereby the high image quality liquid crystal display device with no occurrence of image display failure caused by disturbances of an electric field such as disclination, can be realized.
The present invention disclosed in the specification relates to a liquid crystal display device having pixel areas arranged in a matrix form on a same substrate, particularly to an active matrix type liquid crystal display device having semiconductor devices using semiconductor thin films. Silicon films can representatively be used as the semiconductor thin films.
In recent times, technologies for making a semiconductor device using semiconductor thin films, for example, a thin film transistor (TFT) on an inexpensive glass substrate have been rapidly developed. The reason is that demand for an active matrix type liquid crystal display device has been enhanced.
According to an active matrix type liquid crystal display device, TFTs are arranged to each of pixel areas of several tens through several millions arranged in a matrix and electric charges inputted to and outputted from respective pixel electrodes are controlled by the switching function of the TFTs.
Here, an explanation will be given of the basic structure of an active matrix type liquid crystal display device arranged with thin film transistors in reference to FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B). Firstly, FIG. 1(A) is a view showing a section cutting a liquid crystal display device illustrated by FIG. 1(B) in a direction orthogonal to a substrate. The section corresponds to a section cut by a broken line designated by a line A-A′ of FIG. 1(B).
Numeral 101 designates a substrate having transparency on which an insulating film (not illustrated) is formed. Numeral 102 designates an active layer of a TFT, numeral 103 designates a gate electrode, numeral 104 designates a data line, numeral 105 designates a drain electrode, numeral 106 designates an interlayer insulating film, numeral 107 designates a black matrix, numeral 108 designates a pixel electrode comprising a transparent conductive film and numeral 109 designates an alignment film.
The whole substrate having TFTs which comprise as described above is hereinafter referred to as an active matrix substrate. Although attention is paid to only one pixel area according to FIG. 1(A), the active matrix substrate is actually constituted by several tens through several millions of the pixel areas and drive circuits driving the pixel areas.
Meanwhile, numeral 110 designates a substrate having transparency, numeral 111 designates an opposed electrode constituted by a transparent conductive film and numeral 112 designates an alignment film. The whole substrate comprising as described above and opposed to the active matrix substrate is referred to as an opposed substrate.
After performing rubbing treatment for regulating the alignment of a liquid crystal material in later steps, the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate are pasted together as to be opposed to each other by a seal member, not illustrated.
In that case spacers, not illustrated, are interposed between the both substrates with a uniform density whereby a uniform substrate interval (referred to as cell gap) is obtained. Strictly speaking, in the case of the structure illustrated by FIG. 1(A), a distance between the alignment film 109 on the side of the active matrix substrate and the alignment film 112 on the opposed substrate is the cell gap.
The seal member serves not only as an adhesive agent for pasting the both substrates together also as a seal member for sealing a liquid crystal material between the both substrates at an image display region comprising a plurality of pixel areas.
Thus, a liquid crystal material 113 is sealed in an image display region (each of the plurality of pixel areas) as illustrated by FIG. 1(A). In this way, the active matrix type liquid crystal display device having the constitution as illustrated by FIG. 1(A) is formed.
According to the pixel area illustrated by FIG. 1(A), an image signal controlled by the thin film transistors is stored at a condenser formed between the pixel electrode 108 and the opposed electrode 111 with the liquid crystal material 113 as an insulating layer.
At this moment an electric field in correspondence with a voltage level of the image signal is formed between the pixel electrode 108 and the opposed electrode 111 in the case of an analog gray scale system. Further, various gray scales of image displays can be carried out by using the property of the liquid crystal material 113 where an optical response is varied in accordance with varying of the applied voltage.
A nematic group liquid crystal material (for example, TN (Twisted Nematic) type or STN (Super Twisted Nematic) type liquid crystal material) is generally used frequently as a liquid crystal material. According to the liquid crystal display device as illustrated by FIG. 1(A), the nematic group liquid crystal material is provided with a property where the long axis direction of the liquid crystal is substantially in parallel to the substrate (however, a pretilt angle may be provided) when the electric field is applied thereto and the long axis direction is directed to an electric field direction when the electric field is formed.
Accordingly, the long axis direction is varied in accordance with presence or absence of the electric field applied on the liquid crystal material. Thus the image display is carried out by controlling the amount of transmittance of light by the amount of variation of the long axis direction.
However, such a behavior of the liquid crystal material is a phenomenon applicable only when the direction of the electric field formed between the pixel electrode 108 and the opposed electrode 111 is in vertical to the substrate.
For example, in a region where a horizontal electric field substantially in parallel to the substrate is formed, the alignment of the liquid crystal material is disturbed whereby alignment defect is caused and desired image is not provided.
Normally, when a cell gap is provided as to be suitable for the applied voltage on the pixel electrode 108, a vertical electric field (electric field orthogonal to the substrate) is dominant. However, as the cell gap is increased, the influence of the vertical electric field is weakened whereas the influence of the horizontal electric field is strengthened.
Here, FIG. 1(B) is a view showing from the top face pixel areas where alignment defects of the liquid crystal material are caused by the influence of the electric field in the horizontal direction. Incidentally, areas except for the image display area is masked by the black matrix 107. Therefore, wirings and the like disposed below the black matrix are shown by dotted lines.
In FIG. (B), white lines formed in the image display areas (areas not masked by the black matrix 107) show disturbances of image display caused by alignment defects of the liquid crystal material, which are referred to as disclinations. These areas are under a state where abnormality occurs, different from the inherent alignment state of liquid crystal molecules.
As one cause of the occurrence of the disclination, firstly, influence of the horizontal electric field occurred by cross talk among wirings or among the thin film transistors, is pointed out.
For example, many of the disclinations, as illustrated at the upper stage of the pixel area of FIG. 1(B), were observed according to experiments by the inventors. It is conceived that the horizontal electric field is formed by a potential difference between the front end of the gate electrode 103 and a portion where a gate line 114 and a data line 104 intersect with each other.
This phenomenon is more manifested as the width of the pixel area (pixel pitch) is narrowed, that is, an inter-wiring distance is narrowed in pursuit of highly fine image display. Incidentally, the pixel pitch is defined by the short side of the pixel area.
Further, narrowing of the pixel pitch signifies relative enlargement of the cell gap and it is anticipated that the influence of the horizontal electric field will more be strengthened unless the cell gap is pertinently changed in accordance with the pixel pitch.
Other than the above-described case, there were cases where a disclination as illustrated at the lower stage of FIG. 1(B) was observed due to the disturbance in the alignment of the liquid crystal material in the vicinities of spacers 115 that are arranged for securing the cell gap.
Also, as other cause stepped differences of the pixel electrode 108 are caused at the surrounding of wirings or the thin film transistors. The problem is that the disclination occurs at the surrounding of the stepped difference when the alignment treatment is incomplete in the rubbing operation caused by the presence of the stepped difference or by a horizontal electric field caused at the side face of the stepped difference.
Almost all of the disclinations caused at the surroundings of the stepped differences are masked and hidden by the black matrix. However, only a contact portion for bringing the active layer 102 and the pixel electrode 108 into contact with each other, may not be masked by the black matrix 107 and the disclination may be observed there.
The disclinations formed at the pixel areas of the liquid crystal display device give an extremely unpleasant feeling visually such as blurring the display image as a whole, or the like.
It is a problem of the invention disclosed in the present specification to realize a liquid crystal display device for providing high quality image with no occurrence of the disclination in view of the above-described drawbacks.
As explained above, the disclination is a phenomenon that is manifested with parameters of the pixel pitch, the cell gap, the height of the stepped difference that is created at the surrounding of a thin film transistor, or the like.
Hence, the applicants conceived that there is some correlation between the pixel pitch and the cell gap and there is an allowance value of the cell gap in correspondence with the pixel pitch. Also, they conceived that there is an allowable limit also in respect of the stepped difference which gives rise to the alignment defect in the rubbing operation.
As a result of conducting many researches by the applicants by actually fabricating liquid crystal display devices, they reached to acquire the following knowledge.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display device comprising an active matrix substrate including gate lines and data lines arranged in a matrix form on the same substrate, a thin film transistor which is arranged at a pixel area surrounded by adjacent two of the gate lines and adjacent two of the data lines, and a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor, an opposed substrate comprising opposed electrodes on a surface thereof, a plurality of spacers and a liquid crystal material interposed between the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate, wherein an interval between the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate is one tenth of a pixel pitch of the pixel area or less.
For example, even if the value of the pixel pitch is changed, the allowable range of the cell gap is also changed in accordance therewith and therefore, the total scale remains unchanged. That is, when the drive voltage of the liquid crystal display device is controlled, an adverse influence is not caused in driving the liquid crystal layer.
Accordingly, the present invention is applicable without depending on the value of the pixel pitch. However, there is a limit in the adoptable value of the pixel pitch or the cell gap due to a limitation in the current technology. An explanation will be given with regard thereto by Embodiment 1.
The interval between the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate is determined by spacers interposed therebetween. Therefore, the diameter (diameter in a vertical direction to the substrate) of the plurality of spacers scattered on the active matrix substrate must be one tenth of the pixel pitch or less.
Furthermore, there are stepped differences at the surroundings of the thin film transistors or wirings owing to the structure of the active matrix substrate and therefore, the above-described interval conditions must be satisfied by a longest distance of the cell gap (cell gap at flat portions of pixel areas).
Also, the inventors found that there is a correlation also between the pixel pitch and height of the stepped difference. According to researches by the inventors, the rubbing operation is carried out with no problem if the height of the stepped difference is 0.3 μm or less, whereby a liquid crystal display device with inconsiderable influence of the horizontal electric field and with no occurrence of the disclination, can be fabricated.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device including the steps of forming an active matrix substrate including gate lines and data lines arranged in a matrix form on the same substrate, a thin film transistor which is arranged at a pixel area surrounded by adjacent two of the gate lines and adjacent two of the data lines and a pixel electrode each connected to the thin film transistor, forming an opposed substrate comprising an opposed electrode on a surface thereof, and providing a plurality of spacers and a liquid crystal material between the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate wherein said interval between the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate is one tenth of a pixel pitch of the pixel region.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device comprising the steps of forming an active matrix substrate comprising gate lines and data lines arranged in a matrix form on the same substrate, a thin film transistor which is arranged at a pixel area surrounded by adjacent two of the gate lines and adjacent two of the data lines, a drain electrode connected to the thin film transistor, an interlayer insulating film covering the drain electrode, and pixel electrode connected to each of the drain electrodes via a contact hole formed in the interlayer insulating film, forming an opposed substrate comprising an opposed electrode on a surface thereof, and providing a liquid crystal material between the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate wherein a film thicknesses of the drain electrodes is 0.3 μm or less.
FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) are views showing the constitution of a liquid crystal display device.
An explanation will be given of details of the present invention constituted as described above by embodiments described below.
With respect to Embodiment 1 an explanation will be given of details of steps of fabricating a liquid crystal display device based on the present invention. An explanation will be given of fabrication steps of a circuit TFT (Thin Film Transistor) and a pixel TFT arranged on an active matrix substrate in reference to FIGS. 2(A), 2(B), 2(C), 2(D) and 2(E) and an explanation will be given of fabrication steps (cell integration steps) of the liquid crystal display device in reference to FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), 3(C) and 3(D).
Incidentally, Embodiment 1 will be described by paying attention to mainly the correlation between the pixel pitch and the cell gap. Therefore, in Embodiment 1 the stepped difference stays at a nonproblematic level of 0.3 μm or less and an explanation thereof will not be given.
Firstly, a substrate having insulating performance, for example, a glass substrate 201 represented by Corning 7059 or Corning 1737 or the like is prepared. A silicon oxide film is formed on the glass substrate 201 by a thickness of 2000 Å as an underlayer film 202.
Next, an amorphous silicon film, not illustrated, is formed by a thickness of 500 Å. Plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process or low pressure thermal CVD process may be used as the film forming process.
When the amorphous silicon film, not illustrated, has been formed, crystallization is carried out in respect thereof by a suitable crystallizing process whereby a crystalline silicon film, not illustrated, is formed. For example, a heating treatment at around 600° C., annealing by using an excimer laser or the like is generally used.
Also, there may be adopted a means for forming the amorphous silicon film contain at least one metal element which help crystalize the amorphous silicon film in the crystallizing step. Details of the means are described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-232059 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-321339. According to the means, a silicon film having excellent crystallinity can be obtained through a heating treatment at comparatively low temperatures in a short period of time.
When the crystalline silicon film is provided by the heating treatment by the above-described means, annealing can be carried out effectively for the crystalline silicon film by using a laser or a strong light having an equivalent energy. Thereby, the crystallinity of the silicon film can significantly be improved.
Next, the provided crystalline silicon film is patterned whereby an island-like semiconductor layer 203 for constituting an active layer of a circuit TFT and an island-like semiconductor layer 204 for constituting an active layer of a pixel TFT are formed. (See FIG. 2(A)) After the active layers are formed, a silicon oxide film 205 having a thickness of 1200 Å is formed by a plasma CVD process whereby the active layers are covered. The silicon oxide film 205 functions later as a gate insulating film. Additionally, a silicon nitroxide film (for example, a compound designated by SiOXNY) or a silicon nitride film may be used in place thereof.
Next, an aluminum film 206 added with scandium by 0.2 weight % is formed by a thickness of 2500 Å through sputtering. The addition of scandium is effective in restraining occurrence of hillocks or whiskers on the surface of an aluminum film. The aluminum film 206 functions later as a gate electrode.
Incidentally, films of other metal materials, for example, Mo, Ti, Ta, Cr or the like may be used in place of the aluminum film and a film having an electric conductance such as polysilicon or a silicide group material may be used.
Next, anodic oxidation is carried out with the aluminum film 206 as an anode in an electrolysis solution. As the electrolysis solution, a solution where an ethylene glycol solution of 3% tartaric acid is neutralized by aqueous ammonia and the acidity is adjusted to pH=6.92, is used.
Also, the reaction is carried out with platinum as a cathode under conditions of a chemical treatment current of 5 mA and a voltage of 10 V.
A dense anodic oxide aluminum film, not illustrated, that is formed in this way is effective at later steps in promoting adherence thereof in respect of a photoresist. The film thickness can be controlled by controlling the voltage application time period (FIG. 2(A)).
When the state of FIG. 2(A) is provided in this way, the aluminum film 206 is patterned thereby forming a prototype of gate electrodes and data lines, not illustrated, which are to use in later steps. Further, a second anodic oxidation is carried out whereby porous anodic oxide aluminum films 207 and 208 are formed. The electrolysis solution is an aqueous solution of 3% of oxalic acid and the reaction is carried out with platinum as a cathode under conditions of the chemical treatment current of 2 through 3 mA and the voltage of 8 V (FIG. 2(B)).
At this moment the second anodic oxidation is progressed in a direction in parallel to the substrate. The length of the porous anodic oxide films 207 and 208 can be controlled by controlling the voltage application time period.
Further, the photoresist is removed by an exclusively-used remover and thereafter, a third anodic oxidation is carried out. In this case the electrolysis solution where an ethylene glycol solution of 3% tartaric acid is neutralized by aqueous ammonia and the acidity is adjusted to pH=6.92, is used. The reaction is carried out with platinum as a cathode under conditions of the chemical treatment current of 5 through 6 mA and the voltage of 100 V.
Anodic oxide films 209 and 210 formed thereby are very dense and strong. Therefore, they are effective in protecting gate electrodes 211 and 212 against damage caused by later steps such as a doping step and the like.
The strong anodic oxide films 209 and 210 are difficult to etch and therefore, an etching time period in forming a contact hole may be prolonged. Therefore, a thickness thereof is preferably 1000 Å or less.
Next, an impurity is injected to the active layers 203 and 204 by an ion doping process under a state as illustrated by FIG. 2(B). For example, when an N channel type TFT is fabricated, phosphor may be used as the impurity and when a P channel type TFT is fabricated, boron may be used as the impurity.
Although only an example of making N channel type TFTs is described in Embodiment 1, an N channel type TFT and a P channel type TFT may be formed on the same substrate by using a publicly-known technology.
Source/drain regions 213 and 214 of the circuit TFT and source/drain regions 215 and 216 of the pixel TFT are self-adjustingly formed by the ion implantation.
The porous anodic oxide aluminum films 207 and 208 are removed and the ion implantation is carried out again. The dose in this case is lower than that in the preceding ion implantation.
Low concentration impurity regions 217 and 218 and a channel forming region 221 of the circuit TFT and low concentration impurity regions 219 and 220 and a channel forming region 222 of the pixel TFT are self-adjustingly formed by the second ion implantation.
When the state illustrated by FIG. 2(C) is provided, irradiation of a laser light and a thermal annealing are successively carried out. According to Embodiment 1, the energy density of the laser light is 160 through 170 mJ/cm2 and the thermal annealing is carried out at 300 through 450° C. for 1 hour.
By this step the crystallinity of the active layers 203 and 204 damaged by the ion doping steps is improved and the ion-implanted impurity ions are activated.
Next, a silicon nitride film (may be a silicon oxide film) is formed as a first interlayer insulating film 223 by a thickness of 3000 Å through a plasma CVD process. The interlayer insulating film 223 may be of a multilayered structure.
When the first interlayer insulating film 223 has been formed, contact holes are formed at regions where electrodes and wirings are to be formed. A source wiring (may be referred to as data line) 224, a gate wiring 225 and a drain wiring 226 of the circuit TFT and a source wiring 227 and a drain electrode 228 of the pixel TFT are formed by laminated layers made of aluminum as a major component and titanium.
In this case the gate electrode 212 of the pixel TFT is integrated with a gate line, not illustrated, drawn to the outside of the pixel area and therefore, a contact hole needs not to be formed. Also, the drain electrode 228 serves later as a lead line for connecting the pixel electrode and the active layer.
Next a second interlayer insulating film 229 is formed by a thickness of 0.5 to 5 μm through a plasma CVD process. A single layer or a laminated layer comprising silicon oxide films, silicon nitride films, organic resin and the like may be used as the interlayer insulating film 229.
When an organic resin material such as polyimide or the like is used for the second interlayer insulating film 229, a larger film thickness may easily be provided and therefore, the second interlayer insulating film 229 may be provided with a function as a flattering film. That is, the stepped difference on the active matrix substrate can be made as small as possible.
When the second interlayer insulating film 229 is formed, a black matrix 230 is formed. A metal thin film such as a chromium film, a titanium film or the like or a resin material dispersed with a black pigment may be used for the black matrix 230.
When the black matrix 230 is formed on the side of the active matrix substrate, the formation is effective since the aperture ratio is not deteriorated because the masked region can be covered by a necessary minimum area of occupancy.
After formation of a third interlayer insulating film 231, a contact hole is formed by etching a portion of the second interlayer insulating film 229 over the drain electrode 228 of the pixel TFT and a pixel electrode 232 for connecting electrically to the drain electrode 228, is formed.
The active matrix substrate having the circuit TFT and the pixel TFT as illustrated by FIG. 2(E) is formed in this way. Actually, several hundred thousands of the circuit TFTs are arranged in the drive circuit region to thereby constitute CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) circuits and the like and several tens through several millions of the pixel TFTs are arranged in the pixel areas.
Incidentally, the pixel areas are designed to form at 50 μm interval of the pixel pitch in the image display region of the active matrix substrate fabricated in Embodiment 1. The pixel pitch generally differs by the use of the liquid crystal display device. For example, a liquid crystal panel used in an note personal computer is constituted by the pixel pitch of about. 110 μm. Additionally, if the pixel pitch is larger than necessary, the display image is coarsened.
Next, an explanation will be given of details of cell integration steps in reference to FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), 3(C) and 3(D). In integrating cells, the opposed transparent substrate comprising a opposite electrode and an alignment film is prepared other than the active matrix substrate formed by the above-described steps.
Incidentally, if it needs to e display an image in color, a color filter may be provided on the side of the opposed substrate although not particularly shown. It is required for the color filter to be flat, to have a uniform thickness, and to be excellent in thermal resistance and chemical proof and the like.
After the rubbing operation is finished, a seal member 306 is formed on the opposed substrate as to surround the drive circuit region and the pixel region, respectively, by a screen printing. An epoxy group resin and a phenol curing agent are dissolved in a solvent of “Ethylcellsolve” may be used for the seal member 306. Further, an opening portion (liquid crystal injecting part) for injecting the liquid crystal material later is formed at a portion of the seal member 306.
The seal member 306 is effective not only in adhering together the substrates but preventing the injected liquid crystal material from leaking from the vicinity of the image display region.
The diameter of the spacers 307 must be one tenth of the pixel pitch or less. That is, it is important that the cell gap between the substrates is one tenth of the pixel pitch or less. The pixel pitch in Embodiment 1 is 50 μm and therefore, the diameter of the spacers 307 is determined as 4 μm in consideration of a little margin.
When the cell gap is extremely too narrow, the surface waviness of the glass substrate or an error of the spacer diameter becomes influential. Therefore, currently the lowest limit of the cell gap is about 1 μm. Therefore, the present invention seems to have an applicable limit of a liquid crystal display device having a pixel pitch of about 10 μm.
In order to prevent the contamination and electrostatic destruction of TFTs, the steps of printing the seal member and scattering the spacers are carried out on the side of the opposed substrate. The step of scattering the spacer is particularly preferably carried out on the side of the opposed substrate since the step is accompanied by generation of static electricity.
As has been described, the diameter of the spacers 307 is 4 μm and therefore, the cell gap between the substrates becomes 4 μm. Technologies for uniform scattering of the spacers 307 and accurate pasting of the substrates are required in the present invention since it is important to provide the accurate cell gap.
After the pasting of the active matrix substrate and the opposed substrate has been finished, the liquid crystal material is injected from the opening portion that is previously formed in the seal member 306 whereby the liquid crystal is held in the pixel areas. Finally, the opening portion is sealed whereby a liquid crystal display device as illustrated by FIG. 3(D) is completed.
The liquid crystal display device which has been formed after the above-described steps, is provided with high image quality with no occurrence of image failure such as disclination since the cell gap is rendered one tenth or less (4 μm in Embodiment 1) of the pixel pitch (50 μm in Embodiment 1) based on the present invention.
An explanation has been given of the case where the pixel pitch is 50 μm in Embodiment 1. However, as described above, actually, the pixel pitch differs by the size or the use of the liquid crystal panel. For example, according to a current direct viewing type liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal panel having a pixel pitch of about several hundreds μm, is manufactured.
However, when the cell gap is extremely increased even with the pixel pitch of several hundreds μm, the electric field formed between the pixel electrode and the opposed electrode is weakened. The voltage level of the image signal and accordingly, the intensity of the electric field formed in the liquid crystal layer is substantially limited in consideration of the drive voltage and the like of the liquid crystal panel and therefore, the cell gap is preferably 10 μm or less.
Further, although the cell gap of about 5 through 6 μm seems to be secured in a liquid crystal panel that is generally fabricated or trially fabricated irrespective of the pixel pitch, it is anticipated that a tendency where a highly fine structure of the liquid crystal panel is required and the pixel pitch is further made fine, will be intensified.
For example, a projection type liquid crystal display device needs to have a constitution capable of displaying an image as fine as possible since the panel size is small and projecting an image on a screen. Therefore, hereinafter, there will be a compelling necessity of fabricating a liquid crystal display device having the pixel pitch of 40 μm or less or even 30 μm or less.
At that time, it is conceivable that the disclination probably occurs by receiving the influence of the horizontal electric field if the cell gap remains as 5 through 6 μm. Therefore, the cell gap will be decreased in correspondence with the narrowing the pixel pitch.
Based on the above-described explanation, the effectiveness of the present invention is achieved in the case where the pixel pitch is made fine to 40 μm or less.
An explanation will be given of Embodiment 2 by paying attention to a stepped difference in accordance with the present invention. In Embodiment 2, an example of an active matrix type liquid crystal display device using a thin film transistor having the constitution where a pixel electrode is connected to a drain electrode that is connected to an active layer.
As mentioned above, the stepped differences are formed at the surroundings of the thin film transistor and the respective wirings, and may cause alignment defect of a liquid crystal material by causing rubbing failure or creating a horizontal electric field generated at side faces of the stepped differences.
Normally, even if a disclination caused by the stepped difference of a wiring intersecting portion or on a thin film transistor occurs, the disclination poses no problem since it can be hidden by a black matrix. Also, in the case where the black matrix is installed on the side of the opposed substrate the problem is resolved by hiding a region where the stepped difference is caused.
However, when the black matrix is installed on the side of the active matrix substrate as in Embodiment 1, the masking is difficult at the contact portion for electrically connecting the pixel electrode and the thin film transistor and therefore, the disclination poses a problem.
Hence, an explanation will be given of the height of the stepped difference caused in the vicinity of the contact portion in Embodiment 2. Incidentally, the explanation will be given in reference to FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) where the notations used in FIGS. 2(A), 2(B), 2(C), 2(D) and 2(E) are referred to as they are.
FIG. 4(A) is a top view of a pixel area and a region encircled by a dotted line designated by numeral 401 indicates a contact portion for connecting the pixel electrode 232 and the active layer 204 (exactly speaking, the drain region 216) of the pixel TFT. Further, numeral 402 designates a contact hole.
FIG. 4(B) is an enlarged sectional view showing a contact portion 401 in Embodiment 2. Numeral 204 designates the active layer, numeral 205 designates the gate insulating film, numeral 223 designates the first interlayer insulating film and numeral 229 designates the second interlayer insulating film.
Embodiment 2 is characterized in that the active layer 204 and the pixel electrode 232 are electrically connected via the drain electrode 228.
According to the experience of the inventors, it has been revealed that the contact resistance that is created between the pixel electrode (for example, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film is used) 232 and the active layer (generally, a silicon film is used) 204, is nonlinear and therefore, an Ohmic contact is difficult to produce.
Accordingly, it is effective to constitute a structure where the Ohmic contact is produced by a conductive film, for example, a laminated layer of titanium films and aluminum films whereby the Ohmic contact is easy to provide. Incidentally, it has been revealed by a research by the inventors that when the aluminum film and the ITO film are brought into contact with each other, the aluminum film is dissolved and therefore, according to Embodiment 2, the conductive film is provided with the structure where an aluminum film is interposed between titanium films.
Under such a construction, even if rubbing failure is caused inside of the contact hole 402, the drain electrode 228 achieves an effect similar to that of the black matrix. Therefore, even if a disclination occurs, it is not visually recognized.
According to the present invention, it is necessary that the height of the stepped difference (corresponding to the film thickness of the drain electrode 228 in FIG. 4(B)) as illustrated by FIG. 4(B) is restricted to 0.3 μm or less when the contact portion having a structure as illustrated by FIG. 4(B) is formed.
Therefore, when the drain electrode 228 is formed, the height of the stepped difference can be restrained to 0.3 μm or less by making the film thickness 0.3 μm or less, preferably, 0.25 μm or less.
According to Embodiment 2, the drain electrode 228 is formed by a laminated film made of a material whose major component is aluminum and titanium films and a film thickness is made 0.25 μm. Incidentally, if the drain electrode 228 is formed to taper down, the stepped difference per se is provided with a tapered shape whereby the rubbing failure is difficult to occur.
As described above, the height of the stepped difference caused in the vicinity of the contact portion is 0.3 μm or less according to the constitution of Embodiment 2. Therefore, the occurrence of disclination caused by rubbing failure or the horizontal electric field can be prevented at the surrounding of the contact portion.
According to the present invention, the cell gap is prescribed in accordance with the pixel pitch in forming a liquid crystal display device. Specifically, the cell gap is prescribed to one tenth of the pixel pitch or less.
Also, at the contact portion between the thin film transistor and the pixel electrode, the stepped difference caused by the structural reason is rendered 0.3 μm or less.
A highly fine liquid crystal display device with no occurrence of image failure such as disclination can be realized in accordance with the constitution of the present invention as described above.
For example, in fabricating a liquid crystal display device under the specification of EWS (Engineering Work Station) having a diagonal size of 2 inches, when a ratio of the image display region is made 5:4 (1280×1024 pixels), the pixel pitch becomes about 30 μm. In that case, according to the present invention, the cell gap is made 3 μm or less and the height of the stepped difference is made 0.3 μm or less whereby the disclination can be restrained from occurring.
Furthermore, the present invention is applied not only to the transmitssion type liquid crystal display device as the above-mentioned examples but also to a reflection type liquid crystal display device.
wherein a second stepped difference of the pixel electrode formed over a circumference of the drain electrode is 0.3 μm or less.
2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the interlayer insulating film comprises silicon oxide or silicon nitride.
3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the thin film transistor has at least one gate electrode comprising a material selected from the group consisting of Al, Mo, Ti, Ta, Cr, polysilicon, and silicide.
4. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a spacer.
5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the spacer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polymer group, glass group and silica group materials.
6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a projection type display device having at least one liquid crystal panel.
7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the drain electrode has a tapered-shape.
wherein a stepped difference formed in a vicinity of the contact portion is 0.3 μm or less.
9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein the interlayer insulating film comprises silicon oxide or silicon nitride.
10. The display device according to claim 8, wherein the thin film transistor has at least one gate electrode comprising a material selected from the group consisting of Al, Mo, Ti, Ta, Cr, polysilicon, and silicide.
11. The display device according to claim 8, further comprising a spacer.
12. The display device according to claim 11, wherein the spacer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polymer group, glass group and silica group materials.
13. The display device according to claim 8, wherein the display device is a projection type display device having at least one liquid crystal panel.
14. The display device according to claim 8, wherein the drain electrode has a tapered-shape. | 2019-04-23T00:57:04Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070177068A1/en |
The first Islamic bank respecting Koranic law, is slated to be inaugurated next year in Italy, the Union of Arab Banks president, Adnan Yousif, the Association of Italian Banks (ABI) president Corrado Faissola jointly announced Wednesday.
The Union of Arab Banks, based in Beirut comprises more than 300 Arab financial and banking institutions, representing the biggest Arab banks in the region.
“The next step should be the creation of a real Italian-Arab banking federation, which in perspective could represent a model to follow for other countries in the European Union”. said Faissola in a press release in ABI’s website.
“The consolidation of dialogue and cooperation opens important opportunities for growth and development not only for the banking sector and for Italy, but for all of Europe, and looking further ahead, for the stabilisation of the entire Mediterranean area and the Middle East”, Faissola said.
Koranic law forbids the payment and collection of interest and the investment in businesses that are considered unlawful, such as activities involving the selling of alcohol or pork products.
How should policymakers think about Islamic banks? Are they relics of a bygone era, propped up by subsidies and distorting financial-sector competition? Or, are they efficient and focused financial institutions that could, if unleashed, eventually dominate the retail financial landscape? A better understanding of these policy questions requires specific knowledge about the performance and the determinants of efficiency and profitability of Islamic banks. Indeed, the performance evaluation of Islamic banks is especially important today because of the globalization effect. The globalization phenomenon has put Islamic banks in fierce competition with traditional banks in well-developed financial markets. Further, some countries have completely transformed their banking system to the Islamic model.
This paper intends to analyze how bank characteristics and the overall financial environment affect the performance of Islamic banks. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to closely examine the relationships between profitability and the banking characteristics, after controlling for economic and financial structure indicators. The intention is to decide which among the potential determinants of performance appear to be important. By so doing, the paper extends the literature in several ways. First, utilizing bank level data, the paper provides summary statistics pertaining to Islamic banks? sizes and profitability. Second, the paper uses regression analysis to determine the underlying determinants of Islamic bank performance. To this end, a comprehensive set of internal characteristics is examined as determinants of bank?s net non-interest margin and profitability. These internal characteristics include bank size, leverage, loans, short term funding, overhead and ownership. Third, while studying the relationship between banks? internal characteristics and performance, the impact of external factors, such as macroeconomic, regulatory and financial market environment are controlled. Among the external factors controlled, indeed foreign ownership, taxes, and the market capitalization were not been included in previous studies of Islamic banks. Moreover, some of the determinants were also interacted with the country?s GDP per capita to check whether their effects on bank performance differ with different levels of income. Finally, by studying the connection between Islamic banks? performance and the efficiency indicators, this paper contributes to the research on the relationship between Islamic banks? performance and financial development.
The paper is organized in four sections. Section 2 identifies the data sources, and highlights some important indicators in the sample. In section 3, we formulate the predicted model and discuss the possible links between bank performance and the set of internal and external indicators. Section 4 represents the empirical results, while the conclusions are stated in section 5.
The data used in this study are a cross-country bank-level data, compiled from income statements and balance sheets of14 Islamic banks each year in the 1993-1998 period in eight countries. The main data source is BankScope database compiled by IBCA. In so far as possible, the BankScope database converts the data to common international standards to facilitate comparisons. Other data sources include International Monetary Fund?s International Financial Statistics (IFS), and the IFC?s Emerging Markets Database. A brief description of how the variables are constructed, together with summary statistics are given in Table 1.
Table 2 provides helpful insights on averages of non-interest margin and bank profitability for each country in the sample. Because the countries in the sample differ on their levels of development and income distribution, Table 2 also provides averages of some macroeconomic indicators, taxes and stock market capitalization.
Financial Structure averages are calculated for each bank and then averaged over the country?s sample period (1993-98). Data are from BankScope. Macroeconomic indicators for each country are averaged over the sample period. The data source is IMF?s IFS Yearbook 200.
where, Iijt = is the measure of performance (either non-interest return or before tax profit/total assets) for bank i in country j at time t; Bit are bank variables for bank i in country j at time t; Xjt are country variables for country j at time t; Mti are stock market variables in country i at time t, and Cj are country dummy variables. is a constant, and and are coefficients, while is an error term. Although the primary focus of this paper is the relationship between performance and bank internal variables, the inclusion of macro variables, stock market variables, and the country dummies is meant to control for cyclical factors that might affect bank performance. Several specifications of (1) are estimated.
Four measures of performance are used in this study: the net non-interest margin (NIM), profitability (BTP/TA), returns on assets, ROA, and returns on equity, ROE. Meanwhile, seven bank characteristics are used as internal determinants of performance. These supplemental measures are particularly useful for detailed understanding of the factors underlying a bank?s net margin and return on assets. They comprise fund source management (CSTFTA), funds use management (OVRHD and NIEATA), capital and liquidity ratios (EQTA and LOANTA), risk (LATA) and a dummy variable for ownership (FRGN). Each one of these determinants, except the risk variable, was also interacted with GDP to capture the effects of GDP on bank performance. Previous studies of the determinants of bank profitability in the United States found a strong and statistically significant positive relationship between EQTA and profitability. This supports the view that profitable banks remain well capitalized or the view that well capitalized banks enjoy access to cheaper (less risky) sources of funds with subsequent improvement in profit rates (see Bourke, 1989). A positive relationship between the ratio of bank loans to total assets, LOANTA, and profitability was also found from using international database (Demirguc-Kunt and Huizinga, 1997).
In general, Islamic banking operations are characterized by a high degree of financial risks. In the absence of guaranteed returns on deposits, Islamic banks undertake risky operations in order to be able to generate comparable returns to their customers. We use the ratio of total liabilities to total assets (LATA) as a proxy for risk. The ratio is also an indicator of lower capital or greater leverage. Using LATA adds a greater depth in understanding the risks a bank takes when trying to obtain higher returns. When a bank chooses (assuming this is allowed by its regulators) to take more capital risk, its leverage multiplier and return on equity, ceteris paribus, are higher. We expect LATA to be positively correlated with performance measures. On the other hand, in the absence of deposit insurance, high risk-taking will expose the bank to the risk of insolvency. Therefore, the coefficient of LATA may be negative. The ratio of overhead to total assets, OVRHD, is used to provide information on variation in bank costs across the banking system. It reflects employment as well as the total amount of wages and salaries. OVRHD is expected to impact performance negatively because efficient banks are expected to operate at lower costs. Lastly, the binary variable representing foreign ownership, FRGN is expected to affect profitability positively, indicating that foreign banks benefit from tax breaks and other preferential treatments.
To isolate the effects of bank characteristics on performance, it is necessary to control for other factors that have been proposed in the literature as possible determinants of profitability. External to the bank, four sets of control variables are expected to impact performance: the macroeconomic environment, the financial market structure, the regulation indicators, and country (dummy) variables. The current environment and a bank?s specific market will obviously affect its mixture of assets and liabilities. However, introducing these indicators in order to see how they interact with each other, as well as how they affect bank performance, often proves helpful. Three macro indicators are used: GDPPC, GDPGR, and INF. The GDP per capita variable, GDPPC, is expected to have an effect on numerous factors related to the supply and demand for loans and deposits. It is hypothesized in this paper that GDPPC affects performance measures positively. This is so because most of the countries in the sample are characterized as low or middle income countries. In countries with low incomes, banks operate less competitively, resulting in larger profit margins. The growth variable, GDPGR, is expected to have positive impact on performance. The association between economic growth and the financial sector performance is well documented in the literature (see Demirguc-Kunt and Maksimovic, 1996). We used the required reserves of the banking system (RES), the tax rate (TAX), and their interactions with GDP; that is, RESGDP and TXAGDP respectively as proxies for financial regulation. Required reserves do not generate any income to the bank, and are therefore, considered implicit taxes levied by the government for monetary policy reasons. Both implicit and explicit taxes are expected to impact profits negatively.
The size of the banking system (BNK), comprising the ratio of total assets of the deposit money bank to GDP, is used to measure the importance of bank financing in the economy. It also measures the size of the economy that is monetized. MCAP and BNK are also interacted with GDP and with each other. MCAP is used BNK. MCAP and BNK may also reflect the complementarity or substitutability between bank and stock market financing. Both variables are expected to impact performance positively. Finally, the total assets (ASST, is used to control for cost differences related to bank size and for the greater ability of larger banks to diversify. The first factor may lead to positive effects if there are significant economies of scale and the second to negative effects if increased diversification leads to lower risks and lower returns.
This section presents and analyzes the regression results. The data from the sample of 14 Islamic banks are pooled for all six years (1993-98) and used to replicate and extend earlier research. Different specifications of equation (1) were estimated. As stated above, in addition to bank-level variables, the explanatory variables used include control variables like financial structure variables, taxation variables, and macroeconomic indicators. The estimation technique used is panel data methods and the White (1980) procedure is used to ensure that the coefficients are heteroskedastic.
The results in Table 3 relate to regressing BTP/TA on the set of performance and control measures. Column 1 estimates the relation between profitability and bank characteristics and the taxation variables. The data reveals that both EQTA and LOANTA have strong positive and statistically significant relationships with profitability, confirming previous findings. Intuitively, higher leverage and higher loans to assets ratios predict higher future profits. However, when these variables were interacted with GDP, the signs of the association changes to inverse relationship but remained statistically significant. Short-term and consumer funding, CSTF, has the predicted negative association with PRM, although statistically insignificant. However, when interacted with GDP, its impact on profit became positive. Other meaningful determinants of profitability include NIETA, OVRGDP, FRGNGDP, and LATA. The strong positive association between the risk indicator, LATA, and BTP/TA should be emphasized. A part from revealing the importance of leverage in the practice of Islamic banks, it indicates that Islamic banks have incentives to undertake more risks. Column 1 also shows the negative impact of taxes on profitability of Islamic banks. As expected, Islamic banks pass the higher taxes over to their customers and shareholders in terms of fewer profits.
Column 2 of Table 3 shows the result of regressing BTP/TA on bank level variables. After controlling for the macroeconomic environment, the only bank characteristics impacting PRM are the ownership variable and its interaction with GDP. The impacts of EQTA and LOANTA are now statistically insignificant. Regression 2 also reveals the strong positive impacts of GDPPC and INF on profitability. The financial structure variables were introduced in column 3. Although the market capitalization variable, MCAP, has an inverse but statistically insignificant relationship with BTP/TA, the result shows a strong positive association between BTP/TA and BNK, BNKGDP and MCPBNK. Column 4, which combines all the determinants, shows slight changes in the coefficients. The much higher R2 in columns 3 and 4 suggest that profit is much more stable and predictable than in the previous two regressions.
The preceding empirical analysis allows us to shed some light on the relationship between banking characteristics and performance measures in Islamic banks. First, the Islamic banks profitability measures respond positively to the increases in capital and loan ratios. This result is intuitive and consistent with previous studies. It indicates that adequate capital ratios and loan portfolios play an empirical role in explaining the performance of Islamic banks. Second, the results also indicate the importance of customer and short-term funding, non-interest earning assets, and overhead in promoting banks? profits. Third, the results suggest that the tax factors are much more important in the determination of bank performance. The inverse and statistically significant effects of taxes indicate that financial repression is distorting the performance of Islamic banks. The negative effect of the reserve tax indicates the opportunity cost of holding reserves. In fact, since deposits in Islamic banks are treated as shares and accordingly their nominal values are not guaranteed, holding reserves hurt Islamic banks in two ways. One, reserves do not yield any return to the banks and, two, holding reserves requirement reduces the amount of funds available for investment. From a policy perspective, one can argue from the results that Islamic banks should be exempted from the reserve requirement, in particular, because they are not entitled to discount loans or last resort borrowing from their central banks. Finally, it should be acknowledged that the scope of this paper is limited as several Islamic banks are not included and several interesting questions are not answered. Also, because of the size of our sample and many missing observations, our results should be interpreted cautiously. As has been the case of many recent studies, the results are not very robust and may be sensitive to the type of measure of performance used.
Prepared for the Annual meeting of the MEEA/American economic Association annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 4-7, 2001. An earlier version was presented at ERF Annual meeting, Amman, Jordan, October 26-26, 2000. The author would like to participants at both meetings for their valuable comments. The usual caveat applies.
Since both shareholders and depositors in Islamic banks are the residual claimants to the bank?s profits, bank profitability is the designated measure of bank performance.
The literature divides bank profitability determinants to internal and external measures (Bourke, 1989, Molyneux and Thronton, 1992).
The names of the banks, their years of establishment, and countries of origin are given in the Appendix.
No specification test is used here to support using the linear function. However, the linear functional form is widely used in the literature and produces good results(see Short, 1979, and Bourke, 1989).
Three dummy variables, HI, MI, and LI, indicating high income, middle income and low income are used.
Theoretically, Islamic banks? deposits are not supposed to be subject to reserve requirement. Therefore, the direction of effect of RES on profitability is unclear.
The use of panel data has a number of advantages. First, it provides an increased number of data points and generates additional degrees of freedom. Second, incorporating information relating to both cross-section and time-series variables can substantially diminish the problems that arise from omitted variables.
Note that the coefficients for the dummy variables turned to be statistically insignificant, hence are not listed.
Bashir, A. 1999. “Risk and Profitability Measures in Islamic Banks:The Case of Two Sudanese Banks.” Islamic Economic Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2: 1-24.
Berger, A. 1995. “The Relationship between Capital and Earnings in Banking.” Journal of Money, Credit and Banking Vol. 27: 432-456.
Bourke, P. 1989. “Concentration and other determinants of bank profitability in Europe, North America and Australia.” Journal of Banking and Finance 13: 65-79.
Demirguc-Kunt, A., and H. Huizinga. 1997. “Determinants of commercial bank interest margins and profitability: some international evidence.” Working Paper, Development Research Group, World Bank, Washington, D.C.
______________, and V. Maksimovic. 1996. “Stock Market Development and Financing Choices of Firms.” The World Bank Economic Review Vol. 10, No. 2: 341-369.
IBCA. 1997. BankScope Database, CD-Rom. Bureau Van Dyck, New York, N.Y.
Karsen, I. 1982. “Islam and Financial Intermediation.” IMF Staff Papers.
Molyneux, P., and J. Thornton. 1992. “Determinants of European bank Profitability: A Note.” Journal of Banking and Finance 16: 1173-1178.
White, H., 1980. “A heteroskedasticity consistent covariance matrix estimator and a direct test for heteroskedasticity.” Econometrica, Vol. 48, No. 4.
Mauritian Finance Minister Rama Sithanen believes that there is a potential demand for Islamic banking and finance in Mauritius – not only from those who follow the Islamic faith but from the rest of the population as well.
“By enlarging the spectrum of financial products, the Shari’ah compliant products should interest all bank customers and will therefore bring healthy competition for existing conventional banking products,” he said.
According to him, Islamic banking will be a completely new concept that can potentially redefine the financial services landscape. “Islamic finance has proved its compatibility with conventional finance worldwide. It embraces principles of justice and cooperation. It will work in Mauritius and can promote economic growth, efficiency, investments and capital access,” he added.
Even it Islamic finance is new to the banking industry in the island state, it is not new to some ot the operators already offering Shari’ah compliant products in other countries.
A stock index represents the aggregate current market value of the publicly traded shares of a varied mix of defined companies. It tracks the changes in the value of a hypothetical portfolio of shares of these companies on a day-to-day basis.
The weight of an individual stock in the overall portfolio is equal to the proportion of the portfolio invested in that stock. The percentage increase in the value of an index is usually equal to the increase in the total value of the stocks comprising the portfolio at that time.
Investors worldwide have been reaping rewards of such increases for decades and have also suffered with the stock market downturns. However, a large number of Muslim investors had refrained from investing in shares in view of the confusion whether the activity to invest in the shares of public joint stock companies (PJSCs) from the Western world is Sharia compliant or not.
A most striking and innovative development to address this dilemma took place in the world of Islamic finance during the late 1990s when Dow Jones, the world’s leading stock market index provider, constituted the first Islamic Securities Index in the world with the valid approval and support from a panel of renowned Sharia scholars. The idea, pioneered by Dow Jones, was based upon the Sharia principle of investing Muslim money only in the Islamically permitted trading activities.
Hitherto, Islamic investors were confined to place their funds on traditional and non-exciting products, such as savings and investment accounts with Islamic financial institutions in order to avoid interest. However, the endorsement of the idea of an Islamic index by renowned Sharia scholars provided a much needed fillip in this direction.
The large-scale acceptability and success of the Dow Jones Islamic Index was followed by the emergence of a series of such other indices and funds, prominent one being FTSE. Today there are more than 100 Islamic indices and funds spread all over the world with an estimated aggregate market capitalisation running into hundreds of billions of dollars. These include high-cap, mid-cap and small-cap indexes, which are further spread into various economic segments and regions.
Islamic indexes have generated great deal of interest amongst non-Muslim investors too due to their synergy with social indexes on ethical grounds. The concept of social index was developed in the U.S. during early 90s. It emphasises upon the slogan ‘invest with values’.
The argument put forward by the supporters of a social index is that the personal values and personal finance should go hand in hand. They say that it is possible that one can achieve financial goals and at the same time help make this world a better place to live by encouraging investment in the ethically appropriate companies.
The avoidance screening in a social index is comprised of the activities including liquor, violation of animal rights, environment pollution, toxic products, gambling, causes for global warming, nuclear field, tobacco and weapons.
Perhaps the cause of social indices is gaining popularity since a 10-year comparison carried out in 2000 revealed that one of the leading social index in the U.S. had outperformed the prestigious S&P 500 index. Today the total size of the social indexes and funds has exceeded $2 trillion.
An Islamic index does not contain securities of the companies producing or trading in alcohol and pork-related products, providing interest-based financial services (banking, insurance, etc.) and are engaged in the entertainment business such as hotels, casinos/gambling, cinema, music, and the other such activities considered unethical in Sharia.
The manufacturers of tobacco and weapons/ammunition, although not clearly forbidden for investment under Sharia, are also excluded from the index under the advice from scholars due to the known harmful impact of these industries on a society.
a) Total interest bearing debt of the company at any point in time should remain below one third of its average market capitalisation during last 12 months.
b) Sum of a company’s cash and interest bearing securities must not be greater than 33 per cent of its trailing 12-month average market capitalisation.
c) The company’s account receivables should remain below 45 per cent of its total assets.
It is to ensure that a company’s business practices are not exploitative, unethical or inefficient while dealing with suppliers, customers, creditors and debtors.
The purpose of the first screening is to discourage the company from amassing interest bearing debt beyond a reasonable level. Of course, in a Western environment, it will be naïve to expect that a company will not borrow on interest. However, scholars feel that there should be some cogent controlling measure for it.
Aim of the second covenant is to encourage the company to invest in its trading activities in order to earn real profits rather than to become complacent by relying on effortless interest income.
Furthermore, this measure also ensures that the element of interest earning is kept to the minimum in a company’s net profit, out of which the dividend is declared. Scholars strongly recommend Muslim investors to keep track of the interest earnings in a company’s net income and purge an amount from the dividend in the same ratio.
The third condition clearly tackles the quality of a company’s debtors. On the other hand, by deploying efficient recovery means, a company will be able to rely less on borrowed funds and hence will incur lower interest expense, thereby improving the overall Sharia acceptability for an Islamic investor.
These well thought after measures approved by the panels of high-repute Sharia scholars are religiously monitored on an on going basis by index managers.
A company is removed from the index if it fails to meet any of the above litmus tests. The integrity of an Islamic index is gauged by the frequency of periodic reviews conducted by its Sharia board.
Initially, it was not considered an issue by blue-chip companies who formed part of an Islamic index. However, as the activity in the Islamic market picked up and with the emergence of more Islamic indexes and funds, there is growing urge by these companies to lure the Islamic investor. As such, of late, there has been some thought being given by them towards meeting the said Islamic criteria.
Another factor which is quietly working in favour of Islamic indexes is the recent promulgation of various regulations by the world’s financial regulatory authorities aimed at curbing excessive borrowings by the corporates.
Though not a Sharia requirement, promoters of Islamic indexes and funds have so far tried to play it safe by selecting actively traded stocks from the developed world. Their purpose seems to have an easy access and exit in order to provide greater flexibility to an Islamic investor in this relatively new investment field.
Islamization of banking and financial system of Pakistan were started in 1977-78. Pakistan was among the three countries in the world that had been trying to implement interest free banking at comprehensive/national level. But as it was a mammoth task, the switchover plan was implemented in phases. The Islamization measures included the elimination of interest from the operations of specialized financial institutions including HBFC, ICP and NIT in July 1979 and that of the commercial banks during January 1981 to June 1985. The legal framework of Pakistan’s financial and corporate system was amended on June 26, 1980 to permit issuance of a new interest-free instrument of corporate financing named Participation Term Certificate (PTC). An Ordinance was promulgated to allow the establishment of Mudaraba companies and floatation of Mudaraba certificates for raising risk based capital. Amendments were also made in the Banking Companies Ordinance, 1962 (The BCO, 1962) and related laws to include provision of bank finance through PLS, mark-up in prices, leasing and hire purchase.
Separate Interest-free counters started operating in all the nationalized commercial banks, and one foreign bank (Bank of Oman) on January 1, 1981 to mobilize deposits on profit and loss sharing basis. Regarding investment of these funds, bankers were instructed to provide financial accommodation for Government commodity operations on the basis of sale on deferred payment with a mark-up on purchase price. Export bills were to be accommodated on exchange rate differential basis. In March, 1981 financing of import and inland bills and that of the then Rice Export Corporation of Pakistan, Cotton Export Corporation and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan were shifted to mark-up basis. Simultaneously, necessary amendments were made in the related laws permitting the State Bank to provide finance against Participation Term Certificates and also extend advances against promissory notes supported by PTCs and Mudaraba Certificates. From July 1, 1982 banks were allowed to provide finance for meeting the working capital needs of trade and industry on a selective basis under the technique of Musharaka.
As from April 1, 1985 all finances to all entities including individuals began to be made in one of the specified interest-free modes. From July 1, 1985, all commercial banking in Pak Rupees was made interest-free. From that date, no bank in Pakistan was allowed to accept any interest-bearing deposits and all existing deposits in a bank were treated to be on the basis of profit and loss sharing. Deposits in current accounts continued to be accepted but no interest or share in profit or loss was allowed to these accounts. However, foreign currency deposits in Pakistan and on-lending of foreign loans continued as before. The State Bank of Pakistan had specified 12 modes of non-interest financing classified in three broad categories. However, in any particular case, the mode of financing to be adopted was left to the mutual option of the banks and their clients.
The procedure adopted by banks in Pakistan since July 1 1985, based largely on ‘mark-up’ technique with or without ‘buy-back arrangement’, was, however, declared un-Islamic by the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) in November 1991. However, appeals were made in the Shariat Appellate Bench (SAB) of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The SAB delivered its judgment on December 23, 1999 rejecting the appeals and directing that laws involving interest would cease to have effect finally by June 30, 2001. In the judgment, the Court concluded that the present financial system had to be subjected to radical changes to bring it into conformity with the Shariah. It also directed the Government to set up, within specified time frame, a Commission for Transformation of the financial system and two Task Forces to plan and implement the process of the transformation.
The Commission for Transformation of Financial System (CTFS) was constituted in January 2000 in the State Bank of Pakistan under the Chairmanship of Mr. I.A. Hanfi, a former Governor State Bank of Pakistan. A Task Force was set up in the Ministry of Finance to suggest the ways to eliminate interest from Government financial transactions. Another Task Force was set up in the Ministry of Law to suggest amendments in legal framework to implement the Court’s Judgment. The CTFS constituted a Committee for Development of Financial Instruments and Standardized Documents in the State Bank to prepare model agreements and financial instruments for new system.
The CTFS in its Report identified a number of prior actions, which were needed to be taken to prepare the ground for transformation of the financial system. It also identified major Shariah compliant modes of financing, their essentials, draft seminal law captioned ‘Islamization of Financial Transactions Ordinance, 2001’, model agreements for major modes of financing, and guidelines for conversion of products and services of banks and financial institutions. The Commission also dealt with major products of banks and financial institutions, both for assets and liabilities side, like letters of credit or guarantee, bills of exchange, term finance certificates (TFCs), State Bank’s Refinance Schemes, Credit Cards, Interbank transactions, underwriting, foreign currency forward cover and various kinds of bank accounts. The Commission observed that all deposits, except current accounts, would be accepted on Mudaraba principle. Current accounts would not carry any return and the banks would be at liberty to levy service charge as fee for their handling. The Commission also approved the concept of Daily Product and Weightage System for distribution of profit among various kinds of liabilities/deposits. The Report also contained recommendation for forestalling willful default and safeguarding interest of the banks, depositors and the clients.
According to the Commission, prior/preparatory works for introduction of Shariah compliant financial system briefly included creating legal infrastructure conducive for working of Islamic financial system, launching a massive education and training program for bankers and their clients and an effective campaign through media for the general public to create awareness about the Islamic financial system.
4. Shariah compliant modes of financing like Musharaka and Mudaraba will be encouraged so that familiarity and use of such products is enhanced and their adoption at a wider scale made possible.
It is government’s intention to promote Islamic banking in the country while keeping in view its linkages with the global economy and existing commitments to local and foreign investors”.
The House Building Finance Corporation had shifted its rent sharing operations to interest based system in 1989. The Task Force of the M/O Law proposed amendments in the HBFC Act to make it Shariah Compliant. Having vetted by the CTFS, the amended law has been promulgated by the Government. Accordingly, the HBFC launched in 2001 Asaan Ghar Scheme in the light of amended Ordinance based on the Diminishing Musharakah concept. A Committee was constituted in the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Pakistan (ICAP), wherein the SBP was also represented, for development of accounting and auditing standards for Islamic modes of financing. The Committee is reviewing the standards prepared by the Bahrain based Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) with a view to adapt them to our circumstances and if considered necessary, to propose new accounting standards.
3. Setting up new full-fledged commercial banks to carry out exclusively banking business based on proposed Islamic products.
Accordingly, the State Bank issued detailed criteria in December 2001 for establishment of full-fledged Islamic commercial banks in the private sector. Al Meezan Investment Bank received the first Islamic commercial banking license from SBP in January 2002 and the Meezan Bank Limited (MBL) commenced full-fledged commercial banking operation from March 20, 2002. Further, all formalities relating to the acquisition of Societe Generale, Pakistan by the MBL were completed, and by June, 2002 it had a network of 5 branches all over the country, three in Karachi, one in Islamabad and one in Lahore. The MBL now maintains a long term rating of A+ and short term rating of A1+, assessed by JCR VIS Credit Rating Co Ltd, signifying a consistent satisfactory performance.
The Government as also the State Bank are mainly concerned with stability and efficiency of the banking system and safeguarding the interests, particularly, of small depositors. With this concern in mind it has been decided to operate Islamic banking side by side with traditional banking. The approach is to institute best practice legal, regulatory and accounting frameworks to support Islamic banks and investors alike. The year 2002-2003 witnessed strengthening measures taken in the areas of banking, non-bank financial companies and the capital markets.
SINGAPORE, 7 May 2007 – DBS Bank (DBS) today launched The Islamic Bank of Asia (IB Asia) after receiving official approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore for a full bank licence. IB Asia’s founding shareholders include majority stakeholder DBS and 22 Middle Eastern investors from prominent families and industrial groups from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
IB Asia will be incorporated with an initial paid-up capital of USD418 million with DBS contributing USD250 million and holding an initial stake of 60 percent. IB Asia’s second closing with other GCC investors in the coming weeks is expected to increase IB Asia’s capital to USD500 million. With the proposed capital injection, DBS will continue to hold a majority stake with no less than 50 percent plus one share.
IB Asia will be a subsidiary of DBS based in Singapore, and will commence operations this month from its separate ground floor offices in DBS’ headquarter facilities. IB Asia will focus on commercial banking, corporate finance, capital market and private banking services.
IB Asia will have a nine-member board of directors with His Excellency, Abdulla Hasan Saif, Advisor for Economic Affairs to the Prime Minister, Bahrain, as Chairman.
His Excellency Abdulla Hasan Saif said that the diversity and strength of the Middle Eastern shareholders will provide opportunities for IB Asia to tap into the GCC network. His Excellency previously served as Bahrain’s Minister of Finance & National Economy and the Governor of the Bahrain Monetary Agency.
Vince Cook, 45, a veteran banker with more than 20 years of banking experience in the Middle East, will be IB Asia’s Chief Executive Officer. He was formerly the General Manager of Qatar National Bank in Doha and prior to that, the Managing Director for Barclays Capital in Dubai covering the GCC market.
The launch of IB Asia follows DBS’ stepped-up participation in the Middle East markets. In the last two years, DBS has placed a significant portion of large, landmark equity IPOs and securitisations in the Middle East. Last April, DBS was among the first few Asia-based banks to receive a banking licence from the Dubai International Financial Centre.
old, though it proved to be groundbreaking with far reaching impacts worldwide.
achieve financial transparency and enhance the quality of financial service to society.
and fine details which make up for the case of Islamic financial accounting standards.
our intention here is only to highlight the basic mechanism.
assumed in this course that the reader is familiar with these modes of financing.
those of investors without prior permission of the investors.
manager of charitable funds and Qard Fund.
financing will arouse various issues of recognition, measurement and disclosure.
their financial records during a given period of time.
provision of having adequate banking capital to provide safety for depositors’ money.
commensurate to investment risks assumed.
3. General lay out of Islamic financial statements.
obtained from other references Listed at the end.
and rights of others in an adequate manner.
and above all Islamic Shariah, in all transactions and events.
enable them to make legitimate decisions in their dealings with Islamic banks.
the targets of its dispersal.
for equity and profits for investment holders.
responsibility, to safeguard funds and invest them at reasonable rates of return.
investments and the rates of return accruing to equity and investment holders.
Islamic bank as a separate accounting unit from its owners.
the performance of the bank.
common denominator to express basic elements of financial statements.
purpose of accounting standards such effects are completely ignored.
accounting information must target the interest of external users.
information and the purpose for which this information is provided.
outcome of a current or a new relationship with the bank.
predictions, say, about net income.
information with confidence, but reliability does not mean absolute accuracy.
produces information that reflects the substance of the event or transaction.
case, the new change and its effect should be appropriately disclosed.
users want to know, would contribute to better understandability.
recognized ? when should investment profit be recognised, and how is it measured?).
investment accounts and as a manager as in the restricted investment accounts.
results will become certain only at the time when the investments are liquidated.
also between them as a group and the equity owners of the bank as a group.
a potential holder of an investment account.
compared with normal expectations, or relative to an appropriate base.
contain all material information necessary to make them useful to end users.
statements can now be considered.
particularly relevant for assessing the operating efficiency of the entity, but not the sate of cash liquidity. It is for this reason that a cash-basis statement is needed to complement the flow concept of financial statements as opposed to the stock concept.
Statement of sources And uses of funds in the qard fund.
or dispose of, as a result of past transactions or events.
12. Other assets (disclosure of significant types).
profits generated from the use of the bank’s current accounts.
The period covered by the income statement should be disclosed .
recognition relate to the broad items of the income statement.
profit). Third, amount should be known and collectible, if not already collected.
resulting from the same sources as defined for revenues.
period but are not expected to realize reasonable measurable benefits in the future.
rationally allocated to to the periods that benefit from the use of such assets.
measurable appreciation or depreciation in values of recorded assets or liabilities.
revaluation of assets and liabilities.
an expense (in case of profit) or revenue (in case of loss).
resulting from investment by owners and distributions to owners.
the statement of retained earnings should be disclosed.
liabilities to their cash equivalents where applicable.
liabilities to their cash equivalence where applicable.
The period covered by the cash flow statement must be disclosed.
or losses resulting from the sale of assets acquired by the bank for its own use.
investment or for its own use.
by holders of restricted investments and their equivalent as of a given date.
investment agent, other than the result of deposits/ withdrawals.
but no compensation is given to the bank if it acts as Mudarib.
profits/losses resulting from the revaluation of restricted investments.
accounts to their cash equivalents where applicable.
Bank’s share in investment profit as Mudarib or fixed fee as investment agent.
Allocated overhead expense, if any.
period and the value per unit.
and uses of funds during the period and available funds at the end of the period.
accounts’ holders and other parties.
not been distributed as of a given date.
at the end of the period – a means of achieving social objectives.
from current accounts or prohibited earnings.
funds not loaned or used for other purposes.
should be disclosed. The above define items should all be disclosed.
Economics Studies, (Arabic)Vol. 3, No. 2, 1996, pp 83-112.
Vol. 3, No. 2, 1996, pp113-137.
Islamic Development Bank, IRTI, Jeddah, KSA, . 1995. | 2019-04-19T11:23:52Z | https://ifinanceexpert.wordpress.com/2007/10/ |
One of the most accurate 3-point shooters in school history who played on Florida State’s 2012 ACC Championship team and who helped lead the Seminoles to four consecutive post-season tournament appearances – the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2012 and the NIT in 2013 and 2014… completed his four-year career ranked ninth in school history with 146 career 3-point field goals made, ninth in school history with 409 career 3-point field goals attempted and ranked 21st in school history with a career 3-point field goal shooting mark of .357…one of only 11 players in school history to make 215 or more career 3-point shots and one of only nine Seminole players to attempt 400 or more 3-point shots…averaged 1.4 made 3-point field goals during his 108-game career… finished his career tied for fifth in school history with a .806 free throw shooting percentage…one of only six players in school history to earn a career free throw shooting percentage of 80 percent or better…his .873 free throw shooting percentage as a senior (96 of 110) is the third highest free throw shooting percentage for a single season in school history…named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2014 in a vote by the ACC’s 15 head coaches…Florida State’s second leading scorer in the 29 games he came off the bench with a 13.4 points per game scoring average…also average 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in a reserve roll…came off the bench in his first 23 games and the last three games of the season…made 50 3-point field goals and shot .394 from the bonusphere off the bench…Florida State was 17-9 with Miller in the line-up and coming off of the bench and 4-3 with him in the line-up as a starter during his senior season…averaged 15.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a starter in seven games during the 2013-14 season…played in two NCAA Tournament during his career at Florida State…helped the Seminoles advance to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and to the third round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament…the Seminoles played in four consecutive post-season tournaments during his career – the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2012 and the NIT in 2013 and 2014…wrote his name into Seminole lore with two game-winning buzzer beating baskets during his career – one at Virginia during his sophomore season and one at home against Notre Dame during his senior season…Miller’s signature scoring event of his career came as he made an unbelievable, game-winning buzzer-beating shot with 0.8 seconds left in the Seminoles’ 63-60 win at Virginia on March 1, 2012 during his sophomore season…his made shot from the bonusphere allowed the Seminoles to take the wildly inconceivable win back to Tallahassee on the strength of a 16-2 game-ending run during which Miller not only scored the game-winning basket but scored nine points in leading the Seminoles to the win…scored his second career game-winning basket on a floater in the lane to give Florida State the 76-74 win over Notre Dame on January 21, 2014…scored the game-winner only 30 seconds after Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton had tied the game at 74-74 with two free throws…entered the game as a substitution for Montay Brandon with 27 seconds remaining and scored the game-winning basket with just over four seconds left…one of the great shooting nights in school history as he made six of eight 3-point shots in scoring 20 points to lead the Seminoles past Maryland, 85-61, at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee on January 12, 2014…his six 3-point shots against the Terps is tied for the 13th best single game total in school history and is tied for the sixth best single game effort in an ACC game in school history… named to the All-Tournament team at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off as he averaged a team leading 15.7 points in wins over No.10 VCU (Nov. 21, 2013), an overtime loss to No. 13 Michigan (Nov. 22, 2013) and a buzzer-beating win over Northeastern (Nov. 24) to help the Seminoles finish in third place in the event…helped the Seminoles to the championship of the Coaches’ vs. Cancer Classic in 2012 with the final two games of the tournament being played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. …helped Florida State to 12 wins over ranked teams during his career – four during his freshman season, six during his sophomore season and two during his senior season…helped Florida State defeat four ranked teams during his freshman season including No. 1 ranked Duke (66-61, Jan. 12) for the fourth win in school history over the nation’s No. 1 team…the Seminoles also earned victories over No. 5 ranked Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament (71-57, March 20), No. 15 ranked Baylor (68-61, Dec. 25) and No. 20 ranked Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament (57-50, March 18)…the Seminoles earned two wins over nationally ranked Duke (No. 4 and No. 6 at the time of the games), North Carolina (No. 3 and No. 4 at the time of the games) and Virginia (No. 18 and No. 24 at the time of the games during the 2011-12 season)…marked the first time the Seminoles had defeated both Duke and North Carolina twice in the same season and gave Miller and the Seminoles three wins over the nationally ranked Blue Devils in Miller’s first two seasons on the team…the Seminoles’ wins over No. 1 ranked Duke and No. 5 ranked Notre Dame marked the first time since the 1996-97 season and only the second time in school history that the Seminoles have defeated two top five ranked teams in the same season in school history while their wins over the No. 3 ranked Tar Heels and the No. 4 ranked Blue Devils allowed Florida State to defeat multiple top-five ranked teams in consecutive seasons…Florida State defeated No. 10 VCU in the first round of the 2013 Puerto Rico Tip-Off and No. 13 UMass in the 2013 Orange Bowl Classic during his senior season…earned the Most Improved Student Athlete Award as presented by the Seminoles’ coaching staff at Florida State’s honors banquet following the 2012 season…earned three awards at the 2014 Florida State Honors Banquet: the award as the Seminoles’ Sixth Man, the award for the best free throw percentage and shared the Otto Petty Most Assists Award.
Averaged a career-high 13.7 points (second on the team), a career-high 2.5 rebounds (seventh), a career-high 2.8 assists (second) and 0.8 steals (fourth) while making a career-high 65 3-point field goals (first) and shooting .873 from the free throw line (first) and playing in a career-high 33 games…established career-highs for field goals made (146), field goals attempted (325), field goal shooting percentage (.449), 3-point field goals made (65), 3-point field goals attempted (163), 3-point field goal shooting percentage (.399), free throws made (96), free throws attempted (110), defensive rebounds (72), total rebounds (83), rebounds per game (2.5), assists (92), assists per game (2.8), games played (33), games started (seven), minutes played (938) and minutes played per game (28.4) as he enjoyed the most productive season of his career…named the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year in a vote of the league 15 head coaches…finished 16th in the ACC in scoring as a senior with his career-high 13.7 points per game scoring average…ranked 16th in the ACC in scoring 13.7 ppg), third in the ACC in free throw shooting percentage (.873) and ninth in the ACC in the 3-point field goals made per game (1.97) category…led the ACC in conference games only with a .452 3-point shooting percentage in 16 conference games as a senior…was fourth in the ACC in conference games only with a 2.4 3-point field goals made per game average in 2014…Florida State finished with a 22-14 record, advanced to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament and played in the NIT for the second time in his career…helped the Seminoles advance to the semifinals of the NIT for the second time in school history and for the first time in his career…closed his career as a starter for the Seminoles against Minnesota in the semifinals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York City…totaled his career-high of 25 points in the Seminoles’ 67-61 win at Wake Forest (Feb. 15)…was five of seven (.714 percent) from the 3-point line and a perfect four of four (1.000 percent) from the free throw line in leading the Seminoles’ to the come from behind victory on the road in the ACC…scored at least 20 points in a career-high five different games: 20 against UT-Martin (Nov. 17), 20 vs. Maryland (Jan. 12), 22 vs. VCU in the first round of the 2013 Puerto Rico Tip-Off (Nov. 21), 22 vs. North Carolina (Feb. 17) and his career high of 25 at Wake Forest (Feb. 15)…was tied for second on the team with five games of 20 points or more scored…tied for second amongst his teammates as he finished as Florida State’s leading scorer in a career-high 11 games…led the Seminoles in scoring in five ACC games including his 20+ point efforts against Maryland, at Wake Forest, against North Carolina and against Maryland in the ACC Tournament…led Florida State in rebounding twice – in a win at Miami (Jan., 15) with six rebounds and against Clemson (Feb. 1)…scored in double figures in a single-season career-high 23 different games – two in three games during the NIT, in both of Florida State’s games in the 2013 ACC Tournament and in a career-high 10 ACC games…consecutive game of at least 20 points came against VCU (20 points) and Michigan (22) in the first and second rounds of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and against Wake Forest (25) and North Carolina (22) in ACC play…one of the great shooting nights in school history as he made six of eight 3-point shots in scoring 20 points to lead the Seminoles past Maryland, 85-61, at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee…his six 3-point shots against the Terps is tied for the 13th best single game total in school history and is tied for the sixth best single game effort in an ACC game in school history…made multiple 3-point shots in a game as a senior 19 times including six against Maryland and five each at Wake Forest (Feb. 15) and against North Carolina (Feb. 17) in consecutive games…made four or more 3-point shots in five different games as a senior…Florida State’s second leading scorer in all games (a career-high 13.7 ppg), third leading scorer in ACC games only (a career-high 13.4 ppg), second leading in non-conference games (14.0 ppg), third leading in home games (13.5 ppg), leading scorer in true road games (14.0 ppg), leader in scoring at neutral site games (13.4 ppg) and second leading scorer in Florida State’s 22 wins (14.3 ppg)…was Florida State’s assist leader for much of the season and closed the year with 92 assists – the highest single season total of his career…his career-high of seven assists came in the Seminoles’ ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at Minnesota (Dec. 3)…earned multiple assists in 26 games as a senior including four or more a career-high 11 times…ranked third in the ACC as he shot .873 from the free throw line in making a career- high 96 free throws and attempting a career-high 110 free throws…missed only 14 free throws during his senior season…his .873 free throw shooting percentage as a senior is the third highest single season percentage in school history…came within one made free throw of tying the school record for consecutive free throws made as a senior…made 32 straight free throws from Nov. 8 against Jacksonville through Nov. 29 against Florida…missed tying the school record held by Ralph Mims during the 2006-07 season when he missed his first free throw attempt against Minnesota on Dec. 3…named to the All-Tournament team at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off as he averaged a team leading 15.7 points in wins over No.10 VCU (Nov. 21, 2013), an overtime loss to No. 13 Michigan (Nov. 22, 2013) and a buzzer-beating win over Northeastern (Nov. 24) to help the Seminoles finish in third place in the event…(vs. Boston College): Scored six points, pulled down four rebounds and was credited with three assists in Florida State’s only game of the season against Boston College…was the Seminoles’ leader in assists in 26 minutes of play as Florida State took the win, 74-70, in Chestnut Hill…five of his six points came in the first half as Florida State forged a 33-33 halftime tie…his five points on a 3-point shot and a short jumper came in a span of 45 second span of the first half and gave the Seminoles a 7-5 lead…his 3-point shot tied the game a 5-5 at the 18:06 mark while his jumper put Florida State up, 7-5 at the 17:21 mark…his lone point on a free throw in the second half proved to be the game-winning point as Florida State pulled away late in the game to take the win…made the front end of a two-shot attempt with 20 seconds remaining to put the Seminoles up 71-68…Boston College got to within 71-70 on a lay-up by Olivier Hanlan but the Seminoles received free throws from both Aaron Thomas and Boris Bojanovsky to take the win back to Tallahassee…two assists in the second half led to five points including three on a 3-point shot by Devon Bookert to pull the Seminole within two at 62-60 with 5:43 remaining in the game…(vs. Clemson): Averaged 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two games against NIT participant Clemson…tied for the team with four free throws made – he was four of five (.800 percent) in the two game home-and-home series against the Tigers…his five assists in the series – a win by the Seminoles in Clemson (Jan. 9) and a win by the Tigers in Tallahassee (Feb. 1) – led his teammates…scored 15 points, was credited with five assists and pulled down four rebounds in the Seminoles’ 56-41 win at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson…led the Seminoles with six made field goals, hit their only 3-point shot and made two free throws in the victory…three points in the first half and 12 in the second half as the Seminoles’ pulled away for the 15-point ACC victory on the road…his 12 second half points helped the Seminoles hold a double digit lead for the majority of the second half…scored Florida State’s final four points of the game to give them their final margin of victory…scored only two points in seven minutes of play in the second game of the series in a 53-49 Clemson win at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee…his two points came on two free throws with 8:17 left before halftime…he was injured soon after his two free throws, left the game and did not return…Florida State trailed by 10 late in the game but worked to make the game close before falling…(vs. Duke): Scored nine points and pulled down one rebound in Florida State’s only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant Duke…of his nine points, seven came in the second half as Florida State worked to get back into the game after trailing 43-25 at halftime…(vs. Georgia Tech): Scored 15 points, pulled down four rebounds and was credited with three assists in Florida State’s only game of the season against Georgia Tech…led the Seminoles with five field goals made, shot .750 from the free throw line (three of four) and was tied for the team lead with three assists…one of four Seminoles in double figure scoring in the 81-71 win in Tallahassee…eight first half points including six on two made 3-point shots in the first half helped stake the Seminoles to the 35-31 halftime lead…the first of his two 3-point shots in the first half proved to be the game winning basket as he connected from the bonusphere at the 12:30 mark to break a tie and give the Seminoles a 14-11 lead…he connected on his second 3-point shot only 18 seconds later to give the Seminoles a 17-11 advantage…Miller’s two 3-point shots began a half-ending 24-20 Seminole run to break an 11-11 tie and give the Seminoles the advantage going into halftime…all seven of his second half points came in the final 3:08 to keep the Seminoles’ lead in double digits…a dunk with 43 seconds remaining put Florida State up 80-67…(vs. Maryland): Averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two games against Maryland…Florida State won two of three games played in the series with wins coming in Tallahassee (85-61, Jan. 12) and in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro (67-65, March 13) but fell in College Park (83-71, Feb. 8)…the only game of the series the Seminoles did not win was the middle game – the game Miller did not play in because of an injury…shot the ball well in the three games series as he made 12 of 21 shots from the field (.571), eight of 12 from the 3-point line (.667) and was perfect from the free throw line (1.000)…put on one of the great shooting displays in school history as he scored 20 points on six made 3-point field goals in leading Florida State to the 24-point win (81-65) to win its second ACC game of the season…was as hot as any shooter has ever been in the first half as he scored 17 points on five made 3-point shots in the first half…scored nearly as many points in the first half (17) as Maryland did as a team (22)…Florida State began the game on fire and upped its lead to 10-2 on Miller’s first 3-pointer of the game at the 15:07 mark…his second 3-pointer came at the 12:19 mark and put the Seminoles up 13-8…his third upped the Seminoles’ lead to double digits (28-17) at the 5:41 mark…his fourth increased Florida State’s lead to 31-19 with 5:02 left before halftime…gave Florida State a 40-22 advantage with his fifth 3-pointer of the first half at the 1:59 mark…closed out the half with a jumper to put Florida State up by 20 at 42-22…hit from long range for the sixth time in the game to give Florida State a 23-point lead (60-37) with just over 10 minutes remaining to be played in the game…was also credited with five assists which helped him account directly for five points in the first half and nine points in the second half…he was responsible for 34 of the Seminoles’ 81 points in the dominating win over the Terps…did not play in College Park because of an injury…scored 17 points in a starter’s role as Florida State defeated Maryland, 67-65, in the second round of the ACC Tournament…his 17 points (eight in the first half and nine in the second half) were all important as Florida State won the game on a dunk by Boris Bojanovsky with 0.4 seconds left in the game…began the scoring for Florida State and the game with his first of two 3-point shots at the 18:36 mark to put the Seminoles up 3-0…added an old fashion three-point play with a short jumper and a free throw shot after he was fouled by Jonathan Graham…Miller’s three points returned the game to a 23-23 tie…gave Florida State an 11 point lead (56-45) on a 3-point shot at the 9:39 mark…six points in a four minute span in two field goals and two free throws were all important including a field goal with 3:52 left to give Florida State a 63-57 lead…Bojanovsky won the game on his emphatic dunk just before the buzzer…(vs. Miami): Averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games against Miami…tied for the team lead (with Devon Bookert) as he made a team leading five 3-point shots in the two games series as both teams won on the other team’s home court…scored 10 points in the Seminoles 63-53 win in Coral Gables (Jan. 15)…made two of four 3-point field goals (.500 percent) and was a perfect two of two from the free throw line (1.000 percent)…seven points in the first half as Florida State worked to stay with the Hurricanes on the road but trailed 28-24 at the half…hit one of the biggest shots of the season as he made a second half 3-point shot with 2:17 remaining in the game to give the Seminoles a 57-51 lead…his shot put the game in the Seminoles’ hands for the remaining two minutes of the game…his 3-point shot was part of a 13-2 Seminole run to close the game…made his 3-point shot less than two minutes after the Seminoles had trailed and helped Florida State extend its lead to double digits by the end of the game…added two free throws with 36 seconds left in the games to give Florida State a 63-53 lead…the Hurricane’s only basket in the final four minutes of the games was a dunk by Rion Brown with 25 seconds remaining…scored 13 points in Florida State’s game at home – a 77-73 loss to the Hurricanes (Feb. 10)…ranked as one of four Seminoles in double figures as he made five of 10 field goals (.500 percent) and three of six shots from the bonusphere (.500 percent)…11 of his 13 points came in the first half as Florida State worked to stay in the game with Miami…only two second half points as the Seminoles fought valiantly to get back into the game and outscored the Hurricanes in the second half…(vs. North Carolina): Scored a team-high 22 points in Florida State’s only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina…led the team with seven made field goals, five made 3-points shots and was three of four (.750 percent) shooting from the 3-point line as North Carolina rallied to win in Tallahassee 81-75 (Feb. 17)…also led the team with two assists and earned one steal…his 22 points ranked tied as the second highest scoring total of his career and one of a career-high five times that he scored 20 points or more in a single game as a senior…split his 22 points evenly between each half (11 in each half) as the Seminoles worked to stay with the Tar Heels…his 11 first half points helped the Seminoles take a 36-33 lead at the intermission…scored five of the Seminoles’ first nine points of the first half in helping Florida State to a quick 9-0 lead over North Carolina…the Seminoles led by as many as 15 in the first half… totaled 11 second half points as he made three of five shots from the 3-point line…(vs. NC State): Totaled 17 points, three assists and one rebound as Florida State played only one game during the season against NCAA Tournament participant NC State…shot the ball well from the field (six of 11, .545 percent) and from the 3-point line (three of six, .500 percent) and was perfect from the free throw line (2-2, 1.000 percent) as NC State rallied to win at home 74-70 (Jan. 29)…scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half as Florida State rallied to take the lead late in the game but fell in the final minutes…gave Florida State the lead mid-way through the second half with a pair of back-to-back baskets…good on a lay-up with 11:11 remaining in the game to draw Florida State within one a 54-53 and then gave his team a 56-54 lead with a 3-point shot at the 10:28 mark…made two free throws with 4:50 left in the game to put Florida State up 67-65…NC State re-took the lead with 4:29 remaining and held the lead until the final buzzer to gain the win…(vs. Notre Dame): Totaled 11 points, one assist and one steal in 24 minutes of play in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against ACC newcomer Notre Dame…scored the game-winning basket with four seconds remaining to give the Seminoles the 76-74 win in Tallahassee (Jan. 21)…scored his second career game-winning basket on a floater in the lane to give Florida State the win…scored the game-winner only 30 seconds after Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton tied the game at 74-74 with two free throws…entered the game as a substitution for Montay Brandon with 27 seconds remaining and scored the game-winning basket with just over four seconds left…scored six second half points with his game winning basket counting for two points and a 3-point shot at the 10:23 mark to give Florida State a 61-55 advantage…Florida State held the lead until Notre Dame tied it with 34 seconds left to set up the stage for Miller’s game-winning shot…(vs. Pitt): Scored 19 points and was credited with five assists in Florida State’s only game of the season against ACC newcomer Pitt…was a perfect six of six from the free throw line (1.000 percent) and scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half to stake Florida State to one of their biggest wins of the season, 71-66 over the Panthers in a game played on the road at Pitt (Feb. 23)…his 12 first half points helped Florida State to a 37-31 halftime advantage while his seven second half points allowed the Seminoles to lead during the entire second half…was a perfect four of four from the free throw line in the final 1:39 of the game as the Seminoles hung on to the lead…made two free throws after being fouled by Josh Newkirk to put Florida State up 60-54 and closed out the games scoring with two free throws with three seconds remaining to be played…his two free throws at the end of the game gave Florida State their final margin of victory…scored what proved to be the game-winning basket at the 8:21 mark of the first half as he made a 3-pointer to put the Seminoles up 21-18…the Seminoles would push their lead to as many as 10 in the first half and did not trail in the second half in gaining the momentum, grabbing win on the road…(vs. Syracuse): Scored 16 points to go along with two assists in 33 minutes played against Syracuse in the Seminoles only meeting of the season against the NCAA Tournament participant Orange on Senior Day in Tallahassee…Syracuse took the 74-58 win in their first ever trip to Tallahassee (March 9)…with 16 points he was Florida State’s second leading scorer and he was a perfect two of two from the free throw line…scored seven points in the first half and totaled nine in the second half…(vs. Virginia): Averaged 8.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 rebounds in three games against ACC Champion and NCAA Tournament participant Virginia…started one of the three games against the Cavaliers as Virginia won in Charlottesville, in Tallahassee and in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament…led the Seminoles in free throw shooting in the three game series as he made seven of eight attempts (.875 percent) from the free throw line…scored six points, was credited with a team-high and game-high tying four assists and pulled down two rebounds as Florida State fell in 60-52 in Tallahassee (Jan. 4)…all six of his points came in the second half as Florida State worked to get back into the game after falling behind 30-17 at the half…his six points allowed the Seminoles to outscore the Cavaliers, 33-32, in the second half…totaled nine points and three assists in 26 minutes played as Virginia won 78-66 in Charlottesville…scored six of his nine points in the second half as the Seminoles again outscored the Cavaliers over the final 20 minutes as they worked to get themselves back into the game…his six points allowed Florida State to hold a 40-33 second half scoring advantage…scored 10 points, earned two assists and pulled down one rebound in the final ACC Tournament game of his career as the Seminoles fell to the Cavaliers, 64-51, who went on to win the tournament championship…was one of three Seminoles in double figure scoring as he was nearly perfect (four of five, .800 percent) from the free throw line…(vs. Virginia Tech): Did not play in Florida State’s only game of the season against Virginia Tech…Florida State defeated the Hokies, 70-50, in Tallahassee (Feb. 5)…(vs. Wake Forest): Scored his career-high of 25 points and pulled down three rebounds in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against Wake Forest…led Florida State in scoring (25 points), field goals made (eight), 3-point field goals made (five) and was a perfect four of four (1.000 percent) in leading the Seminoles to the 67-60 win in Winston-Salem (Feb. 15)…enjoyed an incredible shooting game as he was eight of 12 from the field (.667 percent), five of seven from the 3-point line (.714 percent) and a perfect four of four from the free throw line…helped Florida State rally from as many at 16 points down with 8:16 remaining to play in the first half (24-8) to take as much as a nine point lead (50-41) with 7:41 left in the game…scored 20 points in the final 28 minutes of the game to lead Florida State back from the 16 point deficit and to the win…scored five points as the Seminoles fell behind by 16, scored five more to help the Seminole close the game to 16 at halftime and totaled 15 more in the second half as Florida State outscored the Demon Deacons, 44-31, in the second half…scored 10 points from the time that Wake Forest took their 16-point lead (24-8 with 8:16 remaining in the first half) through to the point that Florida State took the lead for good (43-41 with 9:45 left in the second half)…Florida State outscored Wake Forest, 36-17, during that span of play before and after the intermission…a big 3-point shot came at the 5:39 mark of the second half and stretched the Seminoles’ lead back out to six at 55-49…the Deacons closed the gap back to one before a jumper by Monday Brandon and a 3-pointer by Miller pushed the lead back out to six…Wake Forest could not get any closer and the Seminoles pulled away for the 67-60 road victory…(vs. Florida): Scored 13 points and was credited with five assists in Florida State’s only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant Florida…was a perfect six of six from the free throw line (1.000 percent) – including a perfect four of four in the second half as Florida State came within one point of upsetting the Final Four bound Gators…the homestanding Gators earned the 67-66 win in Gainesville (Nov. 29)…scored nine of his 13 points in the second half as Florida State worked its way back into the game after trailing by as many as nine in the second half…all nine of his second half points came in the final 4:18 of the game and helped the Seminoles rise up from seven points down at the 5:42 mark (56-49) to pull the game into a tie with 27 seconds left to play (66-66…pulled Florida State within five (56-51) on a lay-up with 4:18 left…closed the Seminoles’ gap to four (63-59) with two free throws at the 2:06 mark…pulled the Seminoles to within two (63-61) with an assist on a lay-up by Aaron Thomas at the 1:38 mark…closed the Seminoles’ deficit to one (65-64) on a 3-pointer with 1:00 left in regulation…tied the game on two free throw shots (66-66) with 27 seconds remaining…the Gators took the win on one of two free throws made by Dorian Finney-Smith with one second left to play…helped Florida State outscore the Gators 15-9 in the final four minutes of the game…(In Three Games During The Puerto Rio Tip-Off): Averaged a team leading 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot a perfect 11 of 11 (1.000 percent) from the free throw line as Florida State won two of three games and finished in third place in the event at the Coliseo Robert Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico…came off the bench in all three games, averaged 30.7 minutes played per game made 15 of 34 field goal attempts (.441 percent), made a team-leading six of 17 3-point field goals (.353 percent) and made a team leading 11 free throws (11 of 11, 1.000 percent)…also led the team with nine assists and eight steals…(vs. VCU): Scored a game-high 22 points, pulled down seven rebounds and was credited with four assists in Florida State’s 85-67 win over No. 10 VCU in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off…shot six of 11 (.545 percent) and was a perfect eight of eight from the free throw line (1.000 percent) in scoring more than 20 points for the first time in his career…was on fire in the first half with 15 of his 22 points in 16 minutes played as Florida State jumped to as much as a 17 point lead and held a commanding 48-36 win over the Rams…scored six consecutive points for the Seminoles in the span of 1:16 of the first half to jump the Seminoles to a decisive 31-22 lead…was a perfect six of six from the free throw line in the first half as the Seminoles made 11 of 13 free throw attempts in the first 10 minutes of the game…his seven second half points helped push Florida State to as much as a 30-point second half advantage in beating the ranked Rams – one of two ranked teams the Seminoles would beat during the 2013-14 season…(vs. Michigan): Scored a team-high 19 points on four made 3-point field goals in Florida State’s overtime loss to No. 13 Michigan in the second round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off…also added five rebounds, three assists and one steal as Florida State nearly pulled off the upset of the No. 13 Wolverines…was the story of the first half as he scored 16 of his 19 points for the game before the intermission in leading the Seminoles to a seemingly commanding 37-27 lead at the half…gave Florida State its biggest lead of the first half (31-18, +13) on a 3-point shot with 5:56 left before the teams went to the locker rooms at the half…Michigan charged back in the second half to tie the game as it outscored Florida State, 42-32, to tie the game at 69-69 at the end of regulation…scored one 3-point field goal in the overtime period with four seconds remaining to pull Florida State to within 82-80…(vs. Northeastern): Scored six points, earned a career-high six steals and was credited with two assists as Florida State defeated Northeastern in the third- place game of the Puerto Rico-Tip-Off…two points in the first half and four points in the second half to help Florida State to the win in its final game of the tournament…two first half points on a jumper helped the Seminoles to pull within one at 10-9 with 12:36 left before the intermission…four second half points on a perfect four of four shooting from the free throw line…two shots at the 13:32 mark gave Florida State a 43-39 lead with 13:32 left and two more free throws pulled the Seminoles to within one at 50-49 with 7:16 remaining in the game…his six steals led directly to directly to 11 points (five in the first half and six in the second half)…Florida State won the game on a jumper from Devon Bookert with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game to give the Seminoles the 62-60 victory…Bookert grabbed the miss of a Miller shot and put it back up in the rim for the game-winning basket…(In Three Games During the NIT): Averaged 14.3 points, 1.7 rebound and 1.7 assists in three games during the Seminoles’ march to the semifinals of the NIT…was Florida State’s third leading scorer, tied for the team lead with seven made 3-point shots (seven of 16, .438 percent) and was a perfect eight of eight from the free throw line (1.000 percent) as Florida State won three of four games in earning a trip to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City…averaged 30 minutes played in the three games he played in the event…(vs. Florida Gulf Coast): Did not play in Florida State’s game against Florida Gulf Coast in the first round of the NIT (March 18)…(vs. Georgetown): Scored 18 points, pulled down three rebounds and was credited with two assists in the Seminoles; 101-90 victory over Georgetown…was one of four Seminoles in double figure scoring as the Seminoles topped the Hoyas in Tallahassee (March 24)…shot the ball as well as he did throughout his senior season as he was five of seven from the field (.714 percent), four of six from the 3-point line (.667 percent) and was a perfect four of four from the free throw line (1.000) in scoring his postseason career high…did most of his damage in the second half with 12 of his 18 points after the intermission but his six first half points were just as important…his six first half points came on two 3-point shots in a span of 16 seconds as Florida State pushed out a three point lead into a nine point bulge…the Seminoles push that lead to a 13-point advantage going into the locker room.. his 12 second half points came in the final 12 minutes of the game and allowed the Seminoles to hold as much as a 17 point advantage and a double digit lead throughout the second half…(vs. Louisiana Tech): Scored nine points and totaled three assists in the Seminoles 78-75 victory over Louisiana Tech at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee (March 26)…two first half points to help Florida State take a 37-33 lead at halftime and his nine points helped the Seminoles hold on to the lead for the win…his seven points in the second half helped the Seminoles recover from as much as a seven point deficit in the second half…two first half points came as the last basket by either team in the half and gave Florida State the 37-33 advantage going into the locker room…helped Florida State chip away at the Bulldogs’ second half lead with seven points in the final 20 minutes…a jumper at the 12:19 mark gave pulled Florida State to within three at 53-50 while two free throws at the 11:05 mark pulled Florida State to within 55-52…scored what proved to be the game-winning basket on a 3-point shot with 7:21 left in the game to give Florida State a 63-60 lead…Louisiana Tech had their chances but was unable to retake the win and the Seminoles advanced to New York City and the NIT semifinals…(vs. Minnesota): Scored a team-high tying 16 points and pulled down one rebound in 35 minutes of play in the Seminoles’ 67-64 overtime loss to Minnesota in the semifinals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York City…scored four points in the first half, 10 in the second half and two in the overtime period in the final game of his career…his 10 second half points helped Florida State outscore the Gophers 40-30 in the second half and recover from as many as 15 down to tie the game at 60-60 at the end of regulation…scored eight of his 10 second half points in a span of 2:30 midway through the second half on two 3-point shots and a jumper to pull Florida State to within one a 42-41 with 10:51 left in regulation.
Averaged 5.3 points (seventh on the team), 1.6 rebounds (ninth) and 1.9 assists (third) while making 23 3-point shots (fifth), playing in 28 games and earning the first five starting assignments of his career (against South Alabama, Buffalo, BYU, Saint Joseph’s and Minnesota)…was hampered by a foot injury that limited his practice time and forced him to miss six of the Seminoles’ 34 games including four straight during the month of December (Maine, Louisiana Monroe, Charlotte and Tulsa) and the Seminoles’ NIT game against Louisiana Tech…suffered a bone bruise on his right foot in a practice in late November and because of the Seminoles’ game schedule he was never able to properly allow it to heal during the season…had the foot placed in a cast on March 18 and wore the cast until April 16 when he immediately began daily workouts… helped lead Florida State to an 18-16 overall record, a 9-9 record in ACC play and a sixth place finish in the ACC standings…it marked the school record fifth consecutive season that Florida State had finished with a .500 or better record in ACC play…earned the first start of his collegiate career at the point guard position in the Seminoles’ season opener against South Alabama (Nov. 9)…in the Seminoles’ starting line-up for the next four games before injuring his foot and accepting a reserve role for the remainder of the season…because of his injury, he rarely practiced but was able to play through the pain…averaged 18.8 minutes played per game during the season including a season-high 30 in the Seminoles’ victory over Saint Joseph’s in the championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (Nov. 17) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. …was still one of the Seminoles’ most productive players as he scored in double figures five times and averaged nearly one 3-point field goal for each of his 28 games played…scored in double figures in wins over BYU (season high 15 points on Nov. 16), at Maryland (12 points on Jan. 9) at home against Maryland (10 points on Jan. 30), at Miami (12 points on Jan. 27) and at NC State (11 points on Feb. 19)…most productive scoring game of the season came in the Seminoles’ win over BYU in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic as he totaled 15 points…made a season high six field goals and tied his season high with three 3-point field goals made…also added three 3-point field goals in scoring 12 points at Maryland…finished third on the team with a 1.9 assists per game average including his season-high of six assists in the Seminoles’ win over Saint Joseph’s…at least four assists coming in five different games – six against Saint Joseph’s, four against South Alabama, four against Duke (Feb. 2), and four against Wake Forest (Feb. 26) at home in the Donald L. Tucker Center…totaled multiple assists in 16 of the 28 games he played in during the season…finished tied for third on the team with 23 steals for a 0.8 steals per game average…a season high four assists in Florida State’s Coaches vs. Cancer championship clinching victory over Saint Joseph’s and three against Mercer (Dec. 2) in Tallahassee…helped Florida State to the championship of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with wins over BYU and Saint Joseph’s at the newly opened Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. …was Florida State’s fourth leading scorer as he averaged 8.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in the four-game tournament…was even better in the two games during the tournament in Brooklyn as he was one of four Seminoles in double figures with a 10.5 points per game scoring average…played in all 18 ACC games and averaged 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds – he averaged more points and more rebounds per game in conference games than he did for the entire season (5.3 ppg and 1.6 rpg) and in 10 non-conference games (5.1 ppg and 1.3 rpg)…was at his best on the road as a junior as he averaged 6.2 points scored per game (third on the team) in 11 games on an opponents’ home court…(vs. Boston College): Scored three points and pulled down two rebounds in Florida State’s only game of the season against Boston College…Florida State led by as many as 12 points in the first half and held on to win the game, 69-66, in Tallahassee…his three points came on a second half 3-point shot with 9:37 remaining in the game and proved to be the game-winning basket in their win…the basket (on an assist from Devon Bookert) broke a 47-47 tie and gave Florida State a 50-47 advantage – an advantage they did not relinquish in gaining their sixth ACC win of the season…(vs. Clemson): Averaged 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in three games played against Clemson during the season…the Seminoles defeated the Tigers three times for the first time in school history – to open the ACC season at Clemson, at home in Tallahassee and in the first round of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum…scored seven points and pulled down three rebounds in the Seminoles’ 71-66 win over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum to open the ACC season (Jan. 5)…totaled six of his seven points in the first half on two made 3-point shots as Florida State jumped out to as much as a 16 point first half lead in taking a much needed 38-25 lead at the intermission…a 3-pointer from the win gave the Seminoles a 13-6 lead at the 13:28 mark of the first half and another three from the top of the key put the Seminoles up 19-6 with 11:43 remaining to be played before halftime…helped close out the Tigers with one of two free throws with 14.1 seconds remaining to put the Seminoles up 69-63…though the Seminoles never lost their lead, the Tigers closed to within three down the stretch…scored zero points and pulled down one first half rebound in seven minutes of playing time as the Seminoles rallied at home to defeat the Tigers, 60-57, in Tallahassee (Jan. 24)…Florida State trailed by as many as 13 in the first half and by as many as 12 in the second half but rallied to top the Tigers on a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-point shot – banked in from the right elbow – by Michael Snaer…the game-winning, buzzer-beating shot was Saner first of four on the season and third of six during his career…totaled zero points and zero rebounds in 13 minutes of playing time as Florida State rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Clemson, 73-69, in the first round of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum (March 14)…added a second half assist on a 3-point shot by Devon Bookert which gave Florida State a 43-41 lead with 10:18 left in the game…(vs. Duke): Scored four points and was credited with four assists in Florida State’s only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant Duke…the Blue Devils made 11 3-point field goals and won in Tallahassee 79-60 (Feb. 2)…all four points came in the second half as the Seminoles battled back from a halftime deficit to outscore Duke by one (38-37) after halftime…his four assists during the game helped account for 10 points on four made baskets including a first half 3-point shot by Aaron Thomas and a second half shot from the bonusphere by Devon Bookert…(vs. Georgia Tech): Scored three points and added three assists in Florida State’s only game of the season against Georgia Tech…scored his three points on a 3-point shot at the tail end of the first half to give the Seminoles a 26-25 lead with 1:23 left before halftime…though the Yellow Jackets would retake the lead at the half, the Seminoles’ outscored Georgia Tech by a 30-27 margin to lead the Seminoles to the 56-54 win in Atlanta (Feb. 5)…the Seminoles won the game on a game-winning, buzzer-beating lay-up by Michael Snaer to give Florida State the win…the game-winner was Snaer’s third of four on the season and fifth of sixth during his illustrious career…(vs. Maryland): Averaged 11.0 points, 2.0 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games against NIT participant Maryland…tied for the team lead with five 3-point field goals made and shot .500 percent (five of 10) from the 3-point line as the Seminoles took the two-game regular season series from the Terps with wins in both College Park and Tallahassee…totaled four assists and three steals in the two games combined…scored 12 points and added two rebounds, two assists and two steals as Florida State rallied to defeat Maryland, 65-62, in College Park (Jan. 5) to raise its ACC record to 2-0 – with two wins on the road at Clemson and at Maryland to begin the season…led the Seminoles with three 3-point shots made in 24 minutes of play…the Seminoles trailed by as many as 12 in the first half and by a 36-27 margin at the intermission…helped Florid State outscore Maryland, 38-26, in the second half to take the win…nine of his 12 points came in the first half on his three made 3-point shots as the Seminoles worked their way back in to the game after trailing by 12 with 1:28 left in the half…both of his three 3-point shots came in the final 3:17 of the half and helped Florida State keep their deficit under double digits…his most important shot from the bonusphere came at the first half buzzer and drew the Seminoles to within nine…his shot was a big momentum swing in the ultimate outcome of the game…very active in the second half with four points, two assists and two steals as Florida State recovered to win the game…a steal and an assist led to a Michael Snaer basket at the 15:10 mark – was a basket that drew Florida State to within six at 41-35…a second assist on a basket by Aaron Thomas once again drew Florida State tow within six at 43-37 with 14:15 remaining…pulled Florida State to within two at 43-41 on a lay-up at the 13:05 mark…was fouled on that play by Alex Len, made the free throw, and pulled Florida State within one at 43-42…from there it was the Okaro White show as he score the next 15 straight points for Florida State – a stretch that saw Florida State go from one down at 43-42 to six up at 57-51 with 2:30 remaining to be played…contributed a steal on a basket by White at the 5:40 mark that gave the Seminoles a 50-48 lead – that basket proved to be the game-winning basket as the Seminoles never trailed after that basket…scored 10 points and totaled one rebound, two assists and one steal in the Seminoles’ come-from-behind win, 73-71, over the Terps in Tallahassee (Jan. 30)…six first half points helped the Seminoles pull into a 34-34 tie at the intermission and the four second half points helped the Seminoles take the home win…his biggest play of the game was undoubtedly his second assist of the game on Michael Snaer’s buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-point shot that gave the Seminoles their final margin of victory…Miller drove the lane, stumbled, drew the defense to him and had the wherewithal to find Snaer on the left wing in front of the Seminoles’ bench where the senior let fly his second of four game-winning shots to provide the dramatic win over the Terps…(vs. Miami): Averaged a team-leading 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two games against NCAA Tournament participant and ACC Champion Miami…led the Seminoles with seen field goals made, a .536 field goal shooting percentage (seven of 13) and was a perfect 1.000 percent (six of six) from the free throw line…he averaged 21.5 minutes played in the two games against the Hurricanes…led Florida State with 12 points as the Seminoles traveled to play at Coral Gables (Jan. 27)…the Hurricanes won, 71-47…the 12 points tied his junior season ACC scoring high – he also scored 12 points at Maryland (Jan. 9)…was a perfect three of three from the free throw line in the game…marked the only time during his junior season and the fifth time during the last two seasons that Miller had led the team in scoring…totaled nine points and two rebounds as Florida State played host to Miami in Tallahassee…the Seminoles battled the Hurricanes before falling, 74-68, at the Donald L. Tucker Center (Feb. 13)…scored five points in the first half and four in the second half as the Seminoles outscored the No. 3 ranked Hurricanes, 38-36 over the final 20 minutes of the game…(vs. North Carolina): Averaged 2.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in three games against NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina…the Seminoles faced the Tar Heels twice during the regular season in both Tallahassee and Chapel Hill and in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Greensboro, N.C. …scored zero points but totaled two assists, one rebound and one steal as the Seminoles played host to North Carolina in Tallahassee (Jan. 12)…the Tar Heels rallied on the road to gain the win 77-72…two assists in the second half led to five points on a 3-point shot by Aaron Thomas and a dunk by Terrance Shannon as the Seminoles led much of the second half before the Tar Heels scored the final eight points of the game to earn the win…scored five points and added two rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes of play as the Seminoles traveled to play at Chapel Hill (March 3)…all five points came in the second half as Florida State worked to claw their way back into the game on the road…scored two points and added one rebound as Florida State fell to North Carolina, 83-62, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. (March 15)…(vs. NC State): Averaged 10.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in three games against NCAA Tournament participant NC State…the two teams split their two-game regular season series with both teams winning on their home court…was one of five Seminole regulars to shoot at least .500 percent from the field (seven of 14, .500 percent) and was a perfect 1.000 percent from the free throw line (two of two) in the two game split…scored 11 points on four of eight shooting from the field and three made 3-point shots as the Seminoles traveled to play at NC State (Feb. 19)…the Wolfpack led the entire way in winning at the PNC Arena, 84-66…tied his ACC season-high with his three shots made from the bonusphere with both coming in the first half…his pair of 3-point shots game on back to back possessions and came within 36 seconds of each other…Florida State went from down 11 to within seven during his own personal scoring run…totaled nine points, two rebounds and two assists as Florida State defeated NC State, 71-67, in Tallahassee on Senior Day (March 9)…the victory helped the Seminoles finish the season with a 9-9 record in the ACC…scored seven points in eight minutes during the decisive second half as Florida State rallied from as many as eight down in the final 16 minutes to claim the win over the preseason ACC favorites…totaled his seven points in a crucial 1:05 stretch in the second half as the Seminoles worked to win the game…connected on a 3-point shot to being the Seminoles to within four at 51-47…made two free throws at the 9:46 mark to pull Florida State within four again at 53-49…closed the gap to two at 53-51 on a lay-up at the 9:10 mark…his 3-point shot began a 27-16 run in the final 10:15 that saw that Seminoles recover from a seven point deficit (51-44 with 10:34 remaining in the game) to as much as a four point lead (67-63 with 32 seconds remaining) in earning the win…(vs. Virginia): Averaged 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in two games against NIT participant Virginia…the Seminoles and the Cavaliers split the two-game regular season series with both teams winning on their home courts…scored four points and pulled down four rebounds as Florida State traveled to play at Virginia (Jan. 19)…the Cavaliers won the game, 56-36…totaled zero points but one assist and one steal in Florida State’s 53-51 win over Virginia in Tallahassee (March 7)…earned his one assist on a dunk by Kiel Turpin to pull Florida State to within one at 22-21 with 8:44 remaining in first half…Florida State led by a 26-23 margin at the half and led for most of the second half before falling behind in the last two minutes but winning the game on a game-winning, buzzer-beating shot by Michael Snaer with 4.4 seconds left in the game…Snaer drove to his left and scored on a left-handed lay-in to put the Seminoles up 52-51…he was fouled on the play and made the free throw for the final margin of victory…(vs. Virginia Tech): Totaled five points, one assist and one steal in Florida State’s only game of the season against Virginia Tech…the Hokies won in Blacksburg by an 80-70 margin (Feb. 24)…(vs. Wake Forest): Averaged 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds and a team-leading 2.5 rebounds in two games against Wake Forest…all four of his points against the Demon Deacons came from the free throw line as the two teams split the regular season series with Wake Forest winning in Winston-Salem and the Seminoles winning in Tallahassee…tied for the team high with five assists including his ACC season-high of four assists in the Seminoles’ win at home…scored one point on a free throw and added an assist as Florida State fell to Wake Forest, 71-46, in Winston-Salem (Feb. 9)…totaled three points on three made free throws in Florida State’s 76-62 win over Wake Forest in Tallahassee (Feb. 26)…the Seminoles led virtually the entire way as they closed out their February schedule with a win…(vs. Florida): scored five points and pulled down one rebound in Florida State’s only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant Florida…his five points came on a 3-point shot and two free throws in the first half as Florida won, 72-47, in Tallahassee (Dec. 5)…(In four games during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic): Averaged 8.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in helping lead Florida State to the championship of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic…the Seminoles played two games in Tallahassee and won two games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. to claim the prestigious championship…led the Seminoles with 14 assists and a 3.5 assists per game average while earning six steals during the four-game event…(vs. South Alabama): Totaled eight points, four assists and three rebounds as Florida State’s starting point guard in the season opener against South Alabama…all eight points came in the second half as Florida State worked to get back into the game after tailing at halftime…the Seminoles re-took the lead but fell, 76-71, in Tallahassee (Nov. 9)…(vs. Buffalo): Scored six points to go along with three rebounds and two assists as a starter in the Seminoles’ 95-68 win over Buffalo in Tallahassee…all six points came in the first half as Florida State jumped out to as much as a 21-point lead and led by a 47-30 mark at the intermission…the Seminoles never trailed in gaining the win…(vs. BYU): Scored his season-high of 15 points, pulled down three rebounds and added two assists in Florida State’s 88-70 win over NIT participant BYU in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Nov. 16)…scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half as Florida State sprinted to as much as a 12 point first half lead and a 44-35 halftime intermission…scored what proved to be the game-winning basket – the first basket of the game on a lay-up at the 18:54 mark of the first half to give the Seminoles a 2-0 lead…Florida State scored the first six points of the games and never trailed in earning the win…(vs. Saint Joseph’s): Scored six points and added his season high of six rebounds as Florida State defeated NIT participant Saint Joseph’s, 73-66, to claim the championship of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at the Barclays Center (Nov. 17)…his four points in the first half proved important as the Seminoles held a 36-32 halftime lead…a second half jumper at the 5:48 mark helped Florida State begin to pull away with a 61-55 lead.
Averaged 10.3 points (third on the team), 1.3 steals (second) and 2.0 rebounds (ninth) while shooting .354 percent from the 3-point line (third) and .774 from the free throw line (third) in helping lead Florida State to the first ACC Championship in school history and to the school record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance…scored in double figures in 14 of his 24 games (.583 percent)…earned career high statistics for blocked shots (two)…helped lead Florida State to a 25-10 record, a program record tying 12-4 record in the ACC, a school record seven-game ACC winning streak, to multiple victories over both Duke and North Carolina and to victories over each of the four Tobacco Road schools (Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest) in the same season for the first time in school history…in ranking third in scoring for the Seminoles as a sophomore, he scored his season high of 18 points three times – all against ACC teams…totaled 18 points in a win over Maryland (Jan. 17), 18 in a win at Virginia (March 1) and 18 in the Seminoles’ quarterfinal win in the ACC Tournament over Miami…Florida State won all three games…in scoring 18 points against Maryland he was a perfect eight of eight from the free throw line to mark only the ninth time in school history in an ACC game that a Seminole player was perfect on at least eight free throws…made his single game season-high of five 3-point field goals including the game-winner at the buzzer in the Seminoles’ win over Virginia in Charlottesville…season-highs with six rebounds against Clemson (Jan. 7), four assists against St. Bonaventure (March 16 in the NCAA Tournament), steals with four against Maryland and with 39 minutes played against Princeton (Dec. 30)…was Florida State’s leading scorer in four different games: at Virginia with a season-high tying 18 points (March 1), at NC State with 17 points (Feb. 18), at Clemson with 16 points (Jan. 7) and at home against Virginia Tech with 11 points (Feb. 16)…Florida State’s third leading scorer in the ACC Tournament with an 11.7 points per game average in helping the Seminoles to their first ever ACC Championship…totaled double figures in both the Seminoles’ quarterfinal round win over Miami (a season-high tying 18 points) and in their championship clinching win over North Carolina (10 points)…averaged 8.0 points per game in the Seminoles’ nine games against ranked teams and Florida State’s third leading scorer in ACC games with a 10.4 points per game scoring average…only Miller, All-ACC Selection Michael Snaer and All-ACC selection Bernard James were the three Seminoles who averaged in double figures in ACC play during the 2011-12 season…double-figure scoring in four of his first five (14.0 points per game) and five of his first six (15.2 points per game) games of his season…his double-figure totals included 17 points against Princeton and 16 at Clemson…was Florida State’s leading scorer against NC State (17 points), Virginia (11.5 points in two games) and Virginia Tech (13.0 points in two games) in ACC play…(vs. Boston College): Scored 12 points to go along with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in Florida State’s only game of the season against Boston College…was the Seminoles’ second leading scorer as he shot .500 percent from the field (four of eight), 400 percent from the 3-point line (two of five) and was a perfect two of two (1.000 percent) from the free throw line…scored eight of his 12 points in the first half as the Seminoles worked to achieve as much as a 13-point lead before trailing at halftime, 34-33…a 3-point shot at the 10:39 mark gave Florida State a seemingly commanding 10 point lead at 20-10…the Eagles outscored the Seminoles 24-23 during the remainder of the half to take the one point halftime lead…four second half points but the Seminoles gained the lead and held it for less than one minute in the second half…Boston College won the game, 64-60, in Chestnut Hill (Feb. 8) to break the Seminoles’ school record seven game ACC winning streak…(vs. Clemson): Averaged 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games against Clemson during the regular season…the Seminoles and the Tigers split the two game regular season series between the two teams with each team winning at home during the regular season…averaged 30.0 minutes played in the two games against the Tigers…scored a team leading 16 points on seven of 18 shooting from the field in the Seminoles’ 79-59 loss to Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson (Jan. 7)…finished second on the team with six rebounds and led the team with two 3-point shots made…a strong second half with 12 points on five of eight shooting (.625 percent) from the field but the Seminoles were unable to keep up with the hot shooting Tigers…scored in double figures for the second time in two games against the Tigers with 11 points to go along with three assists in 27 minutes played as Florida State topped Clemson, 80-72, on senior day in Tallahassee (March 4)…helped Florida State jet out to a commanding 49-33 lead with eight first half points and two assists in 12 minutes played…six of his eight first half points came on 3-point shots in the final 49 seconds of the half…3-pointer at the 49 second mark gave the Seminoles a 46-31 lead while a second 3-point shot closed out the first half scoring with the Seminoles up 49-33…a third 3-point shot put Florida State up 74-62 with 4:03 remaining in the win…the victory allowed Florida State to close out the regular season with a 21-9 overall record and a school record tying 12-4 record and a third place finish in the ACC standings…his three 3-point shots against the Tigers are tied for his second highest total of shots made from the bonusphere in an ACC game during the first two years of his career…(vs. Duke): Averaged 7.0 points, 1.0 rebound, 1.0 assist and made three 3-point field goals in three games against NCAA Tournament participant Duke…the Seminoles defeated Duke in two of three meetings between the two teams with their wins coming in Cameron Indoor Stadium and in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament…Florida State’s win at Cameron Indoor Stadium was the second ever win in Cameron in school history and their win in the ACC Tournament was their first against the Blue Devils in postseason play and sent them to the championship game of the ACC Tournament where they defeated North Carolina to win the first ACC Championship in school history…totaled seven points, one assist and one steal in Florida State’s 76-73 win over No. 6 ranked Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium (Jan. 21)…the Seminoles toppled the nationally ranked Blue Devils and stopped their 45-game home winning streak on a buzzer beating 3-point shot by Michael Snaer that gave Florida State the win in the final shot of the game…a first half lay-up gave the Seminoles a 12-9 lead with 13:35 to go before halftime…Duke took a 32-26 lead at halftime…five second half points helped Florida State recover from that halftime deficit and take the ACC win on the road…a short jumper at the 13:57 mark pulled the Seminoles to within two at 44-42 and a 3-point shot with 12:01 left in the game tied the score at 47-47…also added an assist on a 3-point shot by Deividas Dulkys that tied the score at 50-50 with 11:25 remaining in the game…scored seven points and added three rebounds and two assists as the Seminoles fell, 74-66, to No. 5 Duke at home (Feb. 23) in one of the most highly anticipated Seminole basketball games at home in school history…two first half points and five in the second half weren’t enough as Duke made 13 3-point shots in the game…a third game of seven points in 15 minutes of play as Florida State defeated No. 6 Duke, 62-59, in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament…the win propelled Florida State into the ACC Championship game where they defeated North Carolina to win the championship…the Seminoles’ win over Duke marked their first ever win over Duke in the ACC Tournament, their first win over Duke in the postseason and marked the first time the Seminoles had defeated the Blue Devils multiple times in the same season…all seven points came in seven minutes played in the first half and positioned Florida State for a 33-31 halftime lead…his points in the first half were all vitally important as they increased Florida State’s lead each time he scored…a lay-up with 6:41 left before intermission gave the Seminoles a 20-17 lead while a 3-pointer at the 4:24 mark put Florida State up 27-22…then added two free throws to put the Seminoles up 29-22 with 3:56 left before the intermission…five points in 28 seconds with his free throws coming after he was fouled by Austin Rivers allowed the Seminoles to hold the lead for virtually the entire first half…eight minutes of playing time came in the second half as Florida State earned the win and the program’s first ever trip to the ACC Tournament Championship game…(vs. Georgia Tech): Scored zero points but pulled down three rebounds and added a steal in the Seminoles’ only game again the season against Georgia Tech…totaled 17 minutes of playing time in the Seminoles 68-54 win over the Yellow Jackets in Tallahassee (Feb. 1)…helped the Seminoles recover from a first half deficit to outscore the Yellow Jackets, 44-29, to win the game going away…(vs. Maryland): Scored a season-high tying 18 points, pulled down five rebounds and earned four steals in the Seminoles’ only game against Maryland during the season…shot the ball well from all over the floor as he was four of seven from the field (.571 percent), two of three from the 3-point line (.667 percent) and was a perfect eight of eight from the free throw line (1.000 percent) to become only the ninth player in school history to be perfect from the free throw line on at least eight free throw attempts in an ACC game…led the team with four steals – the Terps had a total of two steals – meaning Miller had more steals than Maryland during the game…Florida State won the game going away, 84-70, in Tallahassee (Jan. 17)…seven first half points allowed the Seminoles to take a 36-33 halftime lead while 11 second half points allowed the Seminoles to take command and increase its lead to as many as 21 in the win…(vs. Miami): Averaged 13.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in three games against NIT participant Miami…the Seminoles took two of three games including the teams’ meeting in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament against their in-state rival and the southern-most school in the ACC…tied for the lead with 11 free throws and four steals as the two teams split the regular season series and Seminoles won the postseason game between the two teams…scored 11 points on five of six shooting from the free throw line in the Seminoles’ 64-59 win over Miami in Tallahassee (Feb. 11)…all 11 points came in the second half as the Seminoles stretched a 28-26 halftime lead into a five point win at home…all 11 points came in the final 10 minutes of the game and began with a 3-point shot at the 9:59 mark to up the Seminoles’ lead to 45-40…a second 3-point shot increased the Seminoles’ lead to 10 points at 50-40 at the 7:31 mark…two free throw shots at the 3:54 mark increased the Seminoles’ lead back to nine while three more free throws in the last minute of the game help the Seminoles keep their lead and gain their eighth ACC win of the season…his final two free throw shots of the game came with 28 seconds left and gave the Seminoles a 62-57 (plus five point) lead…both shots were important as the Hurricanes took the lead down to three with three seconds remaining in the game…scored 12 points and was one of three Seminoles in double-figure scoring as Florida State fell, 78-62, in Coral Gables (Feb. 26)…totaled 10 second half points as the Seminoles worked to climb back into the game after trailing 24-20 at halftime…tied his season-high with 18 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal in the Seminoles 82-71 win over Miami in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament…his 18 points came on six of 11 shooting from the field (.545 percent) and five of eight shooting from the free throw line…totaled six first half points as Florida State built up a 36-27 halftime advantage and led by as many as 12 in gaining the win…the win advanced the Seminoles to the ACC Tournament semifinals where they defeated Duke and into the championship game where they defeated North Carolina to win the first ACC Championship in school history…scored what proved to be the game-winning basket on a 3-point shot at the 13:08 mark of the first half…Miller’s basket gave the Seminoles a lead they did not relinquish during the remainder of the game…scored 12 second half points…four points in a 41 second span gave Florida State a seven point advantage at the 14:53 mark…his points boosted the Seminoles’ lead back to a comfortable working margin after the Hurricanes drew to within three points at 43-40…scored points to increase the Seminoles’ lead five more times during the second half including on a free throw with three seconds left in the game to give the Seminoles their final margin of 11 at 82-71…(vs. North Carolina): Averaged 6.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 rebound in two games against NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina…the Seminoles defeated the Tar Heels twice in the same season for the first time in school history…the Seminoles defeated the No. 3 ranked Tar Heels in Tallahassee and the No. 4 ranked Tar Heels in the title game of the ACC Tournament to give the Seminoles their first ACC Championship in school history…scored three points and added one rebound, one assist and one steal in 14 minutes of play in Florida State’s 90-57 win over North Carolina in Tallahassee (March 11)…the Seminoles’ +33 point margin of victory was their largest ever over a ranked opponent…scored all three of his points on three free throws in the second half as Florida State upped their lead over the nationally ranked Tar Heels to as many as 33 points…totaled seven points, one rebound and one assist in 15 minutes of playing time as Florida State defeated North Carolina, 85-82, at Philips Arena in Atlanta (March 11)…the win over the Tar Heels earned the Seminoles their first ACC Tournament title in school history…all seven points came in the first half and helped the Seminoles build a commanding 49-40 lead at halftime…three points on an old fashion three-point play gave the Seminoles an early 11-6 lead with 16:42 left before halftime…he made a lay-up, was fouled by North Carolina’s Reggie Bullock and made the free throw to put Florida State up by five early…a jumper increased the Seminoles’ lead to three (16-13) with 13:41 left in the first half…added to Florida State’s lead as they began to pour it on the Tar Heels with a jumper to make the score 29-20 with 9:44 left before the intermission…(vs. NC State): Florida State’s leading scorer with 17 points and two rebounds in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against NC State…shot the ball well as he was six of nine (.667 percent) from the field and four for five (.800 percent) to go along with one 3-point field goal made, one assist and one steal…the Seminoles defeated the Wolfpack, 76-62, in Raleigh (Feb. 18) to raise their record to 10-2 in ACC play and mark the school record fourth consecutive season they had won at least 10 games in ACC play during the regular season…six points in the first half as Florida State built a 37-26 lead and 11 more in the second half as Florida State rolled out to as much as a 20-point lead on the Wolfpack who nearly advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament…scored what proved to be the game-winning basket on a lay-up at the 16:05 mark of the first half – his basket gave the Seminoles a 6-4 lead – a lead they did not relinquish in taking the ACC road win…closed the scoring in the first half with a 3-point shot with eight seconds left before halftime to give the Seminoles a 37-26 lead at the break…Florida State’s leading scorer in the second half with 11 points including a lay-up with 3:44 left to put Florida State up by 19 at 70-51…nine points in the final 5:53 of the game allowed the Seminoles to win comfortably on the road…(vs. Virginia): Averaged 11.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two games against NCAA Tournament participant Virginia…made a team leading six 3-pointers in the two game regular season sweep of the Cavaliers with wins in both Tallahassee and Charlottesville…also added three assists and three steals against Virginia…scored five points and added one assist and one steal in the Seminoles’ 58-55 win over then No. 18 ranked Virginia in Tallahassee (Feb. 4)…three first half points gave Florida State a 20-17 lead with under five minutes remaining to be played in the first half…was an important basket for the Seminoles as Virginia rallied to within one point of Florida State at halftime…the Seminoles led, 23-22, at the break…two second half points on a short jumper at the 11:30 mark gave Florida State a 37-29 lead…his basket once again proved important as Virginia rallied to take a short-lived one point lead before a jumper by Michael Snaer gave the Seminoles the lead back for good with 4:21 left in the game…scored a team-high and season-high tying 18 points in Florida State’s incredible come from behind win over Virginia in Charlottesville…Miller made a 3-point shot with 0.08 seconds remaining to give the Seminoles the improbable 63-60 win…made his season-high of five 3-point field goals including the first game winner of his Florida State career…also totaled two assists and two steals in addition to shooting six of 10 from the field (.600 percent) and five of eight (.625 percent) from the 3-point line…scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half with nine points coming in the final 3:17 and all 15 coming in the final 8:20 of the game…the Seminoles outscored the Cavaliers, 16-2, in the final 4:33 with nine points coming from Miller…3-point shots came at the 8:20 mark (to make the score 45-44 in favor of the Cavaliers) and at the 6:48 mark (to make the score 49-47 in favor of the Cavaliers)…began to do some serious and winning damage to the scoreboard when the Seminoles went down 58-47 on two free throws by Mick Scott with 4:33 left in the game…Miller time began with a lay-up and a free throw after being fouled by Akil Mitchell to draw the Seminoles to within six at 58-52 with 3:17 left…quickly added another 3-point shot at the 3:16 mark (one second later after a turnover by Virginia’s Joe Harris) to make the score 58-55…won the game on a 3-point shot with 0:08 seconds remaining to give Florida State the improbable 63-60 win…(vs. Virginia Tech): Averaged 13.0 points. 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals in two games against NIT participant Virginia Tech…the only Seminole in double figure scoring in both games against the Hokies with 15 points in the Seminoles’ win in Blacksburg and 11 points in Florida State’s victory in Tallahassee…led the Seminoles with nine field goals made, four 3-point field goals made and a 13.0 points per game average in the two games regular season sweep…was a perfect four of four (1.000 percent) from the free throw line in the two games…averaged a team leading 31.0 minutes played per game…scored 15 points on five of 10 shooting from the field (.500 percent) and was a perfect four of four (1.000 percent) from the free throw line in the Seminoles’ 63-59 win in Blacksburg (Jan. 10)…a catalyst in the first half with seven points to stake the Seminoles to a 30-21 halftime lead in a game in which Florida State never trailed…five consecutive points in a 41 second span on a 3-point shot and two free throws with 1:43 left in the first half to give Florida State a 30-18 lead just before the break…eight points in the second half as Florida State maintained its lead until late in the game before winning on the road…the Seminoles never trailed in winning their first ACC game of the season…totaled a team high 18 points and was the only Seminole in double figure scoring as Florida State won a defensive minded affair, 48-47, in Tallahassee (Feb. 16)…five of his 11 points came in the second half with all five coming in the final 5:33 of the game as Florida State recovered from as much as a 15 points deficit in the second half…Florida State closed the game on a 19-5 run in the final 8:07 of the game with a Miller jumper at the 5:33 mark drawing the Seminoles to within 42-37 and a 3-point shot with 45 seconds remaining pulling Florida State to within two at 47-45…All-American candidate Michael Snaer hit another of his patented 3-point buzzer beating shots with 2.4 seconds left in the game to put the Seminoles up and give them the win…(vs. Wake Forest): Totaled three points, three assists and two rebounds in Florida State’s only game against Wake Forest during the season…three points on a second half 3-point shot as Florida State won going away, 75-52, in Winston-Salem (Jan, 25)…his 3-point shot at the 5:44 mark of the second half gave Florida State a comfortable and commanding 57-41 lead…(vs. Florida): Scored seven points in 22 minutes of play in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant Florida…(in three games during the ACC Tournament): Averaged 11.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in three ACC Tournament games…helped the No. 3 seeded Seminoles defeat No. 6 seeded Miami in the quarterfinals, No. 2 seeded and No. 6 seeded Duke in the semifinals and No. 1 seeded and No. 3 ranked North Carolina to win the ACC Championship…was Florida State’s third leading scorer and one of three (also Michael Snaer and Bernard James) who averaged in double figure scoring as the Seminoles won the first ACC Championship in school history…one of six Seminoles to shoot better than 50 percent from the field (12 of 23, .522 percent) and made eight of 12 free throws (.667) as the Seminoles became only the third team in ACC history to defeat Duke and North Carolina in the semifinals and finals of the ACC Tournament to win the conference championship…(in two games during the NCAA Tournament): Averaged 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in two games in the Seminoles’ school record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance…the Seminoles’ games against St. Bonaventure and Cincinnati were played at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. …averaged 23.0 minutes played per game and finished second on the team with five assists as the Seminoles won at least one game in the tournament for the second consecutive season…the Seminoles were the No. 3 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament – a seed that tied the school record for highest seed in their tournament history…(vs. St. Bonaventure): Scored eight points to go along with four assists and two steals in Florida State’s 66-63 win over No. 14 seed St. Bonaventure (March 16)…helped Florida State mount a second half comeback after trailing by as many as 10 in the first half and 34-28 at halftime with five second half points…scored what proved to be the game winning basket on a 3-point shot with 5:18 left in the game…his basket put Florida State up 55-52 and gave the Seminoles their first lead of the game…his 3-point shot began a game-ending and game-winning 14-11 run than won the game for Florida State…(vs. Cincinnati): Scored zero points but pulled down five rebounds in Florida State’s 62-56 season ending loss to No. 6 seed Cincinnati…his five rebounds tied for second on the team and ranked as his highest total since pulling down six against Clemson on Jan. 7.
Averaged 5.5 points (eighth on the team) and 1.6 rebounds (11th) while making 24 3-point field goals (fifth) and playing in 23 games…one of the Seminoles’ most consistent 3-point shooters who averaged more than one 3-point field goal made in his 23 games played (1.04 3FGMPG) and ranked third on the team with a .358 shooting percentage from 3-point range…his 24 3-point field goals made is tied for the eighth best single season effort by a freshman in school history while his 67 3-point shots attempted ranked as the sixth highest by a freshman in school history…earned playing time in 23 of Florida State’s 34 games including 11 games in ACC play, the Seminoles’ game against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament and all three of the Seminoles’ games in the NCAA Tournament…helped Florida State reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1993 season and for the fourth time in school history…made at least one 3-point field goal in 15 of the 23 games in which he earned playing time…made multiple shots from the bonusphere in eight different games including three in the Seminoles’ victory at home against ACC foe Wake Forest…made at least one 3-point field goal in six of the last seven games and shot .421 percent (eight of 19) from the bonusphere from Florida State’s game against Miami in Tallahassee (Feb. 26) through the Seminoles’ game against VCU in San Antonio in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament (March 25)…was Florida State’s leading scorer in the Seminoles’ game against Ohio State in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge in Tallahassee (Nov. 30) in a game won, 58-44, by the Buckeyes…proved to be one of the Seminoles’ top free throw shooters as he made .929 of his free throw attempts (13 of 14) in his freshman season including each of his 13 straight to conclude the season…after missing the first free throw of his career in the Seminoles’ win over UNC Greensboro in the Greensboro Coliseum (Nov. 14) he made each of his final 13 attempts to conclude the season…was a perfect three of three from the free throw line against the eight games the Seminoles’ played against ranked teams, a perfect five of five against the 11 teams the Seminoles’ played that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, a perfect eight of eight in 11 conference games and a near perfect five of six (.833) against non-conference opponents…scored in double figures four times including 14 points in the Seminoles’ win over Wake Forest in Winston Salem (Feb. 19)…also totaled in double figure scoring against NCAA Tournament participant and No. 1 overall seed Ohio State (11 points, Nov. 30), Wake Forest in Tallahassee (11 points, Feb. 1) and against Virginia Tech (10 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, March 11)… helped make the Seminoles the nation’s top defensive team and one of the more feared teams to play in all of college basketball…the Seminoles led the nation in field goal percentage defense (.363) and ranked in the nation’s top 25 in blocked shots (fifth, 6.0 bpg), 3-point field goal percentage defense (15th, .306) and steals (24th, 8.5 spg)…the Seminoles were also the fiercest defensive team in the ACC and ranked first in field goal percentage defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense and blocked shots while ranking second in steals and scoring defense…returned to his home state of North Carolina for the second game of his collegiate career and scored seven points at UNC Greensboro (Nov. 14)…the first made shot of his career was a 3-point shot at the 13:41 mark of the first half of the Seminoles 97-73 win over the Spartans…his shot gave the Seminoles an early 15-6 lead…it was a historic game for the Seminoles as standout forward Chris Singleton earned a triple double of 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals – the first triple double in ACC history that included points, rebounds and steals…scored nine points in the Seminoles’ win at FIU (Nov. 18)…(vs. Boston College): Did not play in Florida State’s only game of the season against NIT participant Boston College…without Miller in the starting line-up, the Seminoles defeated the Eagles, 67-51, in Tallahassee (Jan. 22)..(vs. Clemson): Averaged 5.5 points, 1.0 assists and 0.5 rebounds in two games against NCAA Tournament participant Clemson…was tied for Florida State’s team lead with three 3-point field goals made against the Tigers and a .750 shooting percentage (three of four) in the two game regular season series against the Tigers…both teams won on their home courts…was also a perfect two of two from the free throw line against the Tigers…scored five points and pulled down one rebound in the Seminoles 75-69, victory over Clemson in Tallahassee (Dec. 12) in his first career ACC game…the Seminoles trailed at the half and mounted a second half comeback to earn the victory and improve to 1-0 in conference play…first career ACC field goal was a 3-pointer at the 12:35 mark of the first half to give the Seminoles an 11-10 lead…the Tigers rallied to take a 34-28 halftime lead before the Seminoles mounted a second half comeback…closed out the Tigers as he gave the Seminoles a 75-69 lead with two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in the game…totaled six points on two made 3-point field goals as Florida State traveled to play at Clemson…the Tigers defeated the Seminoles, 62-44, at Littlejohn Coliseum (Jan. 29)…both of his 3-point shots came in the second half as Florida State worked its way back into the game after trailing at halftime…marked one of eight times he made at least two 3-point field goals and one of six times he made at least two 3-point field goals in ACC play…(vs. Duke): Did not play in Florida State’s only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant and ACC Tournament champion Duke…the Seminoles defeated the No. 1 ranked Blue Devils, 66-61, in Tallahassee (Jan. 12)…the win over the No. 1 ranked Blue Devils was the fourth win in school history over the nation’s No. 1 ranked team…(vs. Georgia Tech): Scored eight points and pulled down one rebound in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against Georgia Tech…his eight points came in 10 minutes of play as Florida State went on the road and defeated the Yellow Jackets, 72-63, in Atlanta…all eight points – on two made 3-point field goals – came in the first half and helped Florida State jump out to a 30-18 halftime advantage…three points on a 3-point field goal as part of the Seminoles’ game opening 17-2 run that put them firmly into command of the game…Miller buried a 3-point shot at the 11:54 mark to put the Seminoles up 17-2…on the board again at the 10:37 mark with another 3-point shot at the 10:37 mark to put the Seminoles’ up 20-4…eighth point came on a jumper at the 3:58 mark and put the Seminoles up 26-13…Florida State never trailed and led by as many as 16 points in the first half in taking the win back to Tallahassee…(vs. Maryland): Scored zero points and pulled down zero rebounds in seven minutes of play in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against Maryland…the Terps rallied from as much as a seven points down in the first half to gain the 78-62 victory in College Park, Md. (Feb. 23)…(vs. Miami): Scored five points, pulled down three rebounds and was credited with one steal in one game played against NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina…did not play in the Seminoles 53-51 win over Miami in Coral Gables (Jan. 19)…totaled five points as Florida State defeated the Hurricanes, 65-59, in Tallahassee (Feb. 26)…two points in the first half to boost Florida State to a 36-16 halftime lead in one of the six games that it did not trail in at any point during the game…a first half lay-up at the 3:26 mark gave Florida State a 33-14 advantage and a second half 3-point shot gave the Seminoles a 47-31 advantage at the 12:01 mark of the second half…Florida State led Miami by as many as 22 in the first half and by as many as 17 points….his second half 3-point shot loomed very important as the Hurricanes shot themselves back into the game and were within three points with under one minute remaining in the game…(vs. North Carolina): Averaged 4.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in two games against NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina…tied for second on the team with six total assists…scored two points and was credited with two rebounds and two assists as the Seminoles traveled to play at North Carolina…the Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles, 89-69, at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill (Feb. 6)…his two points came in the second half as Florida State worked back from a 43-34 halftime deficit…the two assists against the Tar Heels marked one of five times during his freshman season that he earned multiple assists in a single game…totaled seven points and a season-high four assists as Florida State took the nationally ranked Tar Heels to the brink of victory before North Carolina freshman Harrison Barnes scored the game winning basket with three seconds remaining on the clock in the second half…Barnes’ 3-point shot turned the Seminoles 70-69 win into a 72-70 win in Tallahassee for the Tar Heels (March 6)…five first half points helped the Seminoles to a 38-37 halftime advantage…a jumper at the 12:47 mark of the first half put Florida State up 15-12 while a 3-point shot increased the Seminoles’ lead to 26-17 (plus seven) at the 9:01 mark…a second half lay-up at the 11:04 mark helped Florida State fight back from as much as a seven point second half deficit…an incredible game between two powerhouse teams saw 11 ties and 14 lead changes…(vs. NC State): Scored eight points and pulled down one rebound in one game played against NC State…he did not play in Florida State’s 84-71 victory over the Wolfpack in Tallahassee (Jan. 15) but returned for the Seminoles’ 72-62 win in Raleigh (March 6)…scored eight points in the Seminoles’ win over NC State to close out the regular season…was three of four from the field (.750) including two of three (.667) from the 3-point line to lead the Seminoles to the win…all eight of his points came in the first half and helped the Seminoles build a 34-25 advantage…helped the Seminoles jump on the Wolfpack early with a 3-pointer at the 11:48 mark to put Florida State up early 16-7…upped the Seminoles’ lead to 21-8 on a jumper at the 10:36 mark and a 3-pointer with 56 seconds remaining in the first half increased the Seminoles lead back to 11 at 34-23…the Seminoles led at the half, 34-25…each of his eight points were important as the Wolfpack rallied to take a one point lead on two occasions in the second half…the win closed the Seminoles’ regular season out at 21-9 overall and 11-5 in the ACC…their 11-5 record allowed them to finish in third place in the ACC standings to mark the third consecutive time the Seminoles finished in the top four of the ACC standings…(vs. Virginia): Scored two points and pulled down two rebounds in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against Virginia…also added one steal in 13 minutes of playing time as Florida State defeated the Cavaliers, 63-56, in Tallahassee (Feb. 12)…his two points came on a jumper with 9:59 remaining in the first half and pulled the Seminoles to within two at 15-17…his basket was part of an 8-3 Seminole run that helped them erase as much as a seven point deficit in the first half…beginning with a Chris Singleton basket at the 12:03 mark, the Seminoles went from down 14-7 at the 12:30 mark to down only two after Miller’s basket…the Seminoles took the lead in the game for good at the 5:30 mark of the first half on a 3-point shot by Deividas Dulkys which put the Seminoles up 24-21…the Seminoles did not trail in the game after that point in winning their eight ACC game of the season…(vs. Virginia Tech): Scored 10 points in 12 minutes of play on one of two games against NIT participant Virginia Tech…he did not play in the Seminoles’ regular season game against the Hokies but did earn extensive playing time in Florida State’s ACC quarterfinal round game against Virginia Tech in the Greensboro Coliseum…took advantage of playing on the national stage of the ACC Tournament and was one of two Seminoles to score in double figures as the Seminoles fell, 52-51, to the Hokies in Greensboro (March 11)…eight first half points to lead Florida State to a seemingly comfortable 27-19 halftime lead…a pair of 3-point shots – at the 2:28 mark and the 1:47 mark – helped give the Seminoles a 27-16 advantage as time in the first half ran down…a second half lay-up at the 11:48 mark gave Florida State a 40-32 lead…the Hokies outscored the Seminoles 20-11 from that point on to put themselves in position to win the game…the Seminoles seemingly had won the game on a buzzer beating 3-point shot but after a long discussion and a great deal of detailed reviewing of the shot, it was ruled to have come after the buzzer and the Hokies were handed the win…his 10 point performance against the Hokies was one of four double figure scoring games for the freshman and the first of his career in postseason play…(vs. Wake Forest): Averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in two games against Wake Forest…was one of only three ACC teams in which he played in both games of the regular season series and was the only conference team that he averaged in double figures against in multiple games as a freshman…was the Seminoles’ third leading scorer with 25 total points and shot a perfect six of six from the free throw line as the Seminoles defeated the Deacons twice during the season…also ranked second on the team with five made 3-point field goals against the Deacons…totaled 11 points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes of play as the Seminoles defeated the Deacons, 85-61, in Tallahassee (Feb. 1)…made high of three 3-point field goals in the Seminoles 16 overall win of the season…was also a perfect two of two from the free throw line in the win…three first half points on one made 3-point shot helped the Seminoles to a 31-19 halftime lead…totaled eight second half points as Florida State increased its lead to as many as 32 points in the second half…his first half 3-point shot gave the Seminoles a double digit lead at 26-14 and the Seminoles maintained a 10 point or more lead for most of the remainder of the game…was one of his two double figure scoring games (he also scored 11 points against Ohio State) he earned at home during his freshman season…a near team high 14 points as he helped jumpstart the Seminoles’ offense in an 84-66 win in Winston-Salem (Feb. 19)…his 14 points ranked as his season high during his freshman season…a very necessary eight first half points as the Seminoles came out extremely sluggish against Wake Forest in its first game without standout forward Chris Singleton…the Seminoles trailed by as many as eight in the first half before getting their offense in gear and scoring 53 points in the second half to gain the 84-66 win in Winston-Salem (Feb. 19)…led the Seminoles in scoring in the first half with his eight points…his first of two 3-point shots drew the Seminoles to within four at 15-19 at the 6:16 mark of the first half…scored five points in the final 1:10 of the first half on a second 3-point shot with 1:10 remaining to pull Florida State to within two at 26-28 while two free throws with 22 seconds left in the half tied the game at 30-30…his game tying free throws allowed the Seminoles to come back from as many as an eight point first half deficit…the Seminoles trailed 31-33 after trading free throws at the end of the half…four points on two basket within 55 seconds of each other in the second half on a lay-up and a dunk enabled Florida State to increase its lead over the Deacons to as many as 11 with 11:24 remaining in the game…(In Three Games During The NCAA Tournament): Averaged 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in three games during the NCAA Tournament as Florida State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993 and for the fourth time in school history…averaged 17.0 minutes of playing time in each of the three games and totaled three assists and two steals as Florida State defeated No. 20 ranked and seventh seeded Texas A&M and No. 5 ranked a second seeded Notre Dame to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for only the fourth time in school history…the Seminoles’ victories over the No. 20 ranked Aggies and the No. 5 ranked Fighting Irish marked the first time in school history the Seminoles had defeated two ranked teams in the NCAA Tournament in the same season…(vs. Texas A&M): Scored seven points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in his season-high of 27 minutes of play on the biggest of national stages…Florida State defeated the Aggies, 57-50, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. (March 18)…continued to be a catalyst for the Seminoles’ offense late in the season and especially in the NCAA Tournament as he scored five of his seven points in the first half of Florida State’s game against the Aggies…a 3-point shot elevated Florida State to a 10-2 lead at the 11:44 mark…after losing their early lead, Miller helped the Seminoles draw back to within two at 21-23 on a jumper with 2:20 remaining in the first half…the Seminoles trailed 23-26 at the intermission…two second half points on a lay-up at the 9:33 mark gave Florida State a 38-35 lead – a lead they built up to as many as 11 and never gave back to the Aggies of the Big 12…the win was Florida State’s first NCAA Tournament win since the 1998 season…(vs. Notre Dame): Scored three points and pulled down two rebounds in the Seminoles’ historic win over No. 5 ranked and second seeded Notre Dame…the Seminoles defeated the Fighting Irish, 71-57, at the United Center in Chicago (March 20) to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 1993 season…his three points came on a 3-point shot in the first half that gave Florida State an early and commanding 20-11 lead with 9:36 remaining before halftime…the Seminoles increased their lead to 34-23 at the intermission and craftfully poured it on the Irish for the remainder of the game…the Seminoles heartily defeated the Fighting Irish who had finished in second place league standings of the supposed best conference in the nation – the Big East…(vs. VCU): Totaled two points and one rebound in 11 minutes of playing time against VCU in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament…the Rams defeated the Seminoles, 72-71, in overtime to advance to the Elite Eight in a game played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Tex. (March 25)…two second half points as Florida State worked to tie the game and send it into overtime…pulled Florida State to within six with a jumper at the 10:07 mark of the second half…his basket began a 16-8 game closing run that drew the Seminoles to within a tie at 65-65 at the end of regulation…the Rams outscored the Seminoles, 7-6, in the overtime period to win the game…(In Three Games During the Diamond Head Classic): Did not play in the Seminoles’ three game series in the Diamond Head Classic…Florida State defeated Hawaii and No. 15 Baylor but fell to NCAA Tournament runner-up Butler in finishing in third place in the event…(vs. Florida): scored zero points in 12 minutes of playing time in the Seminoles’ only game of the season against NCAA Tournament participant Florida…the Gators hung on for a 55-51 win in Tallahassee (Nov. 28).
Graduated from United Faith Christian Academy in 2010…earned All-State First Team honors by the NCISAA following his spectacular senior season…averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in leading United Faith the 1-A State Championship as a senior…dominated the state championship game as he scored a game-high 29 points, pulled down four rebounds and was credited with two assists and two steals…United Faith defeated Davidson Day, 80-55, to win his second of two state championships during his prep career…scored 33 points in the North Carolina Independent Schools championship game victory over the Greenfield School of Wilson, N.C…named the MVP of the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational as he averaged 24.3 points per game in leading United Faith to the tournament championship during his senior season…averaged 22.0 points per game as a junior in 2009 in leading United Faith to its first of two consecutive 1-A state championships…scored a game high 23 points and hit a long range buzzer-beating jumper to win the state championship against Word of God Christian Academy and the No. 1 overall NBA Draft Choice in 2010 John Wall…spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at South Mecklenburg High School before transferring to United Faith for his junior and senior seasons…named to the Parade Magazine All-American Fourth Team as a high school senior…the No. 5 ranked shooting guard and the 37th best overall player in the nation according to ESPN.com…a four star recruit and No. 4 ranked guard in the nation by Scout.com…ranked as the 48th best overall player in the nation according to Scout.com…the 17th best guard and the 70th best overall player nationally as mentioned by Rivals.com…named the co-Most Valuable Player of the Florida vs. USA Hardwood Classic in April before his first season at Florida State as he scored a game-high 27 points in leading Team USA to the 139-111 victory in the game played at Orlando Arena in Orlando, Fla, the former home of the Orlando Magic…scored 12 points and was credited with four assists in the famed Capital Classic in April of 2010…the Capital All-Stars defeated the USA All-Stars, 117-108, as Miller was one of five USA All-Stars to score in double figures…the Mecklenburg County Player of the Year as a senior as named by the Charlotte Observer.
Born September 28, 1991…Ian is the son of Cheryl and Julian Miller…selected Florida State over Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Miami and North Carolina…major is social sciences. | 2019-04-20T18:14:12Z | https://seminoles.com/sports/basketball/roster/ian-miller/ |
Ahbug Eye – Inspired by online business.
The Net has developed greatly over the earlier 10 years. From positioning athletics bets to getting a vehicle, the Internet has manufactured our life really relaxed. The World wide web has been a fantastic resource for sports activities bettors. The prosperity of data that is commonly available has assisted athletics bettors make more informed choices. In the outdated days, you ended up limited to what ever you read on the avenue.
The World wide web delivers you a decision of hundreds of set up online casinos and athletics betting portals that offer you exceptional characteristics and great bonuses. Since they have a decrease overhead than a traditional brick and mortar gambling procedure, on-line gambling destinations can be really liberal when it will come to a signup reward and ongoing promotions. On the web sports activities betting locations are on the web 24 hrs a working day and just a click on absent.
The possibilities available through Web athletics betting websites are quite a few and different. Geared up with the proper data, you can get pleasure from a plethora of betting choices. Much like the inventory industry, knowing when to wager a shifting line can be the key to good results. 사설토토사이트 on-line sports activities textbooks are merely followers of other traces. Having to pay interest to line moves is crucial to winning extended-expression. Thanks to the Web, it is now possible to look at line moves from the ease and comfort of your favorite chair.
The Web today, offers a quantity of good quality sports betting on-line solutions. Not only do sporting activities betting portals supply fantastic betting odds for a number of games like horse racing, baseball, football, basketball, automobile racing, golf, hockey, and tennis, some of them also give you totally free cash. The excellent sporting activities publications will give you a signup reward and bonuses for re-depositing.
Arbitrage: Betting the identical event at independent sports books in get to lock in a income by taking advantage of diverse betting traces.
Bankroll: Total money accessible for betting athletics.
Circled game: A game in which the sports activities guide has diminished its betting limits, generally because of weather or the uncertain status of wounded players.
Futures: A variety of wager involving the outcome of a year or how a specific staff or player will complete in excess of the system of a season.
Line (sports betting strains): The position unfold or odds on a recreation or event.
Lock: A wager that cannot drop a time period that is typically misused and abused by disreputable touts.
Match-up proposition: A betting alternative that pits two players against a single yet another in a contest or function, typically used in golfing and car racing wagering.
Parlay: A wager in which two or more occasions should take place in get to earn if any 1 of them does not occur, the wager loses.
Stage spread: The amount of points extra to or subtracted from a team’s true rating for betting functions.
1.Make every single wager a little share of your general bankroll. For example, if you experienced a $1,000 bankroll and wanted to make every wager 1% of that, your typical guess would be $ten. As you get, you guess amount goes up.
2.Will not chase losers. Hold your bets sound and adhere to your outlined athletics betting parameters. Just because you shed 3 bets in a row does not indicate you will acquire any time quickly. If you never choose winners nicely, this could go on for some time. Preserve to your guns.
3.Straight bets are much better than parlays. Certain, parlay bets supply the opportunity to win a great deal of funds for a tiny wager, but straight bets will be your constant winner over time. Everyone plays parlays, but don’t make them the concentrate of your sporting activities betting activity.
four.In horse racing, will not guess a horse to just demonstrate. If you feel the horse is good ample to be a front-runner, guess the horse to win, area and demonstrate. If the horse is not very good sufficient for this kind of bet, in your view, the horse is not well worth laying any money on to begin with.
Sporting activities betting has been around for centuries and has grown in reputation in the latest a long time owing to engineering. Now you can area a wager on-line with your favorite sports activities guide, or make a assortment on your cell phone – all these at the comfort of your very own residence. Sports activities betting has in no way been less difficult in the historical past of mankind to wager on sports activities.
Sports activities wagering can undoubtedly give excessive fun and pleasure to people passionate about athletics as properly as the severe bettors finding a way to make sensible income. Prior to 1 embarks on sporting activities betting, it would be clever to comprehend the basic of athletics betting.
In this article you will learn the eight basic terms and definitions frequently employed in betting on sports.
A straight wager is the most widespread guess. This is the place you wager on a solitary side to win. Straight bets can be created using possibly the point distribute or the money line or the match total to go more than or below. The format of line will range depending on the activity that you are betting on.
A parlay is a wager with two or more groups (events) in which all groups have to earn. Considering that it is more difficult to forecast several occasions than it is for a solitary event, the payout odds increases as the number of included events increases.
A teaser is a particular variety of parlay in sports betting in which you alter the position distribute or complete of every single specific engage in. Extra factors are either possibly extra to the underdog or subtracted from the favourite. The cost of relocating the position unfold (teasing) is reduce payout odds for winning the teaser wagers.
In sports activities betting, a prop is a specific wager supplied by the sports e-book on unique and numerous topics. These wagers can be on sporting events, politics, and even trial results. The wagers use the money line structure of pay out off odds and may possibly incorporated for illustration who scores the initial touchdown in the tremendous bowl, or who will earn the subsequent presidential election, or whether or not O. J. will be found guilty.
In sports activities betting, futures odds are posted in progress on the winners (a crew or a participant) of numerous key occasions or tournaments at the start off of a period. The odds will alter as the season or tournament progresses and it will modify in accordance to each and every team’s overall performance in the collection. However the odds at the time of your wager will continue being in effect.
In sports betting, a overall wager is to wager on the blended number of runs, factors or ambitions scored by both groups throughout the recreation, like the overtime. You can bet Over – In sports activities betting the in excess of is a sports wager in which the bettor guesses that the merged position total of two groups will be above a specified whole. Or you can guess Underneath – When it arrives to sports betting a underneath is a wager in which the bettor guesses that the total points scored by two teams will be under a certain number.
Baltimore is the favourite and should earn by eight details or far more to get. If they get by specifically 7 details, the game is a “drive” or tie, and you get the quantity of your bet back. If Baltimore wins by 6 points or much less, or loses the recreation, then people that guess on Chicago will acquire the funds.
A lot of moments you’ll see a one/2 point, for instance Baltimore is -seven 1/two factors. 스포츠티비 removes “pushes” since a team can’t rating one/2 a level.
Sometimes you are going to see games the place the unfold is “Choose” or “PK”. That indicates the line is and no details are in influence…just choose the winner. Level distribute bets can be both “straight” or “parlay” bets.
Steroids are synthetic ingredients that are similar to be able to male making love hormones. That they are used to boost muscle advancement and acquire sexual characteristics attributed to males. They are generally prescribed simply by medical pros to treat certain situations, including delayed puberty, muscle atrophy and even impotence.
This difficulty with anabolic steroids is that they are often abused, particularly by means of athletes and even bodybuilding pros and fans, mainly for you to hasten muscle growth together with improve fitness performance. Neglect can also lead to upsetting in addition to even life-threatening conditions. Consequently, more and more individuals are turning to alternatives to steroid drugs to assist them making use of their bodybuilding schedule and improve their endurance.
Typically offered in powder form, protein supplements are generally safe to use and have typically the least number of part effects, if any. This most common sources with regard to these powder blushes are soy or maybe designer whey, making them the excellent method to fix vegans and those who are lactose intolerant.
Creatine will be a sort of amino acidity that occurs naturally inside human body, allowing the idea to execute it is functions properly. The substance would seem effective in increasing muscles volume, the excellent result for both equally body-builders and even athletes. Creatine likewise appears effective in improving casual performance nonetheless only for small, quick bursts. That hasn’t proven effective in boosting energy. Although the human body delivers the substance, this can also be supplemented from food sources. It isn’t regulated, however, and right now there are certain side effects to watch out intended for in case of high or excessive medication dosage.
Gonadorelin Acetate powder -Glutamine is a type regarding amino acid product that enhances muscle level by means of regulating the synthesis connected with protein in the entire body. It offers in addition been revealed to be effective in helping muscles recuperate faster in case of injuries or after a workout.
DHEA or even dehydroepiandrosterone is another chemical the fact that occurs naturally in the human body. That is recognized as a new hormonal production antecesor, a compound of which gear the body for later development of the love-making hormones estrogen, testosterone and even progesterone. As being a supplement, DHEA is frequently employed for cure of adrenal low energy. Though it’s one of the most famous alternatives to be able to steroids, it truly is suggested that will it’s taken together with the administration of some sort of health practitioner so the serving is preserved and levels in typically the body will be regulated.
Is your dog taking anabolic steroids for just about any conditions such since allergies, immune system conditions, inflammation from arthritis, stomach together with intestinal irritation, as well as a host of different trouble for which steroid drugs are given to the pets?
Are you aware of the lousy side effects these types of prescription drugs can cause, sometimes transforming deadly? The most recurrent unwanted effect in dogs can be enhanced thirst. Side outcomes of anti-inflammatory steroids may be numerous. Throughout canines and less often within cats, the most typically seen side effects include things like an embrace thirst plus appetite, then a good build up in urine creation, and possible weight gain. Glucocorticoid drugs (steroids with the massive name) have a effect the body protection, such that dogs that will are having these drugs at increased doses, mainly those on longer-term medications can develop attacks more quickly. This can lead to conditions including cystitis (bladder infection), whereby bacteria assail the urinary lining, together with the irritation as a result of this specific can lead to the urge to go that will can come on all of a sudden and leave no time to gracefully exit for you to the backyard for a proper urination.
Other extremely common side effects associated with glucocorticoid drugs are puffing and weight gain. Not as much frequent are side side effects on the lean meats plus adrenal glands. The potential for liver organ and adrenal improvements are usually well-recognized. Sometimes ambiance modifications can take place. Lanreotide powder of mood changes may well the actual doggie irascible and sometimes can result in a “nice” dog unexpectedly snapping at it is owners.
Long term application of anabolic steroids (usually over a new period of months), may well induce internal changes for you to typically the patients body, ending in an over-production involving the patient’s cortisol (patient’s own body steroid) creation. This condition, known while Cushing’s disease, can necessitate the need for specific treatment. Skin area wounds can occur throughout pets using over-production of cortisol, which will result inside hair loss, or red, angry, patches of body which form scabs with time, or result in a thickening from the skin in the affected spot.
A few of the more frequently used drug treatments of this specific class include Prednisone, Prednisolone, Medrol, Dexamethasone, together with Triamcinolone.
We are informed of the story of Usdi, a beautiful beagle, who else lived for merely nine several years, when the girl should have been around very much longer. This unfortunate doggy was the victim of running of steroids. Usdi formulated skin allergies. The woman was taken to often the vet with this particular issue at about age installment payments on your This was a continuing challenge for her. And she was routinely provided Vetalog — a steroid – over the next a decade. By simply the time Usdi experienced handed the point of no give back, she has been suffering not simply from Diabetes, but inhaling and exhaling difficulties, cardiovascular disease, unexplained weight gather, probably kidney together with liver organ failure and possibly Cushings disease.
It is definitely not unheard of for steroids in order to be taking into account for puppies, and in particular pores and skin allergies are often addressed with steroid drugs. The apply of steroids should end up being questioned. They can, in addition to do, cause a lot of side effect : which includes causing Cushing’s Disease within dogs, and Diabetic in the humans and pet dogs. Steroids are at times necessary – but never ever harmless. Generally there certainly are situations where steroids have preserved lives in circumstances associated with acute illness of assorted types. But they’re provided much, far too readily, for many manner of illnesses.
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Why perform poker online? Which is a query a lot of non poker gamers request them selves. What is the level of throwing your cash away with small possibility of a pay out off? The people who question on their own these concerns have in no way heard the stating “practically nothing ventured, nothing at all received.” Poker is a activity for the intellectual, the intelligent, the con artist, and most of all the adventurous. You only dwell when so why not take a number of chances.
There is nothing at all a lot more thrilling then going all out, heart pounding, soul heated, tooth clenched hoping to occur out on top. The hurry you really feel whilst ready to get the card you have longed for, the disappointment when your playing cards just never stake right, there is practically nothing like it in the entire world.
Poker is the only match in existence where absolutely everyone is on an equivalent playing subject you can be the greatest participant in the planet and nevertheless shed to the lucky hand of a newcomer. Poker puts existence into perspective, anything at all goes, you engage in to expect the unforeseen.
Poker is not for everyone, if you have zero tolerance then its not the game for you. It truly is not your operate of the mill card match, it normally takes talent and strategy to come out on top and if your not ready to just take the excellent with the bad then I guess this is not the match for you, but if your capable to go with the increase and falls, the ups and downs, If your prepared to keep tranquil, be affected person and engage in strategically then this is the game for you.
However an additional reason to keep actively playing poker is simply because you achieve experience. Poker is not a match that you can just choose you want to enjoy. It actually demands you to find out a minor first. What much better and much more practical way to find out poker than by enjoying it on-line? If you ever want to go off to Las Vegas and play it massive time there you 1st have to know what you are undertaking. If you go to a big on line casino or poker institution and you know absolutely nothing about poker, you will get embarrassed to say the least. Numerous folks who engage in in huge poker game titles have been enjoying the sport for several years and know fairly considerably every thing there is to know about the sport. So except if you want to be looked and laughed at it is advised that you exercise any way you can. What better way to do this than by taking part in online! At least if you mess up online nobody will be ready to see your face.
Not to be cliche but poker is not for the faint of heart. If your new to the game of online poker, know that you will drop, you will get annoyed, and you will fail, but following every single storm there is sunshine, if your prepared to combat via the storm and persevere then poker is the activity for you.
A lot of individuals inquire why I play on the web poker, to which I reply “because I have lived.” Absolutely nothing ventured practically nothing obtained.
Poker can now be performed employing the Net by any person globally. The web poker is indeed, something that any 1 can get pleasure from as it simply encourages possessing a good time and providing other individuals the break to grow to be richer. And the real truth that it is open up for anybody throughout the world only proves this online poker has a great and arranged technique.
Newbies will not likely want to anxiety about these poker tables. Aside from the widespread poker support texts, standard guiding ideas and strategies, you are going to uncover all the freshest stories on Australian poker competitions and the best sites to perform on the internet poker. You will also uncover a lot of online video clips from all of the competitions and interviews with the very best players out there.
The Australian Poker Championship, a lot more typically recognized as Aussie Tens of millions, is the wealthiest poker contest in the Southern Hemisphere with in excess of AU$7M in prize funds and is held in the well-known Crown On line casino in Melbourne, Victoria given that 1997. In 2009, the competition certain a preliminary prize of AU$2M, creating the winner, Aussie Stewart Scott, an especially delighted millionaire.
There are a handful of on-line poker competitions out there for people who cannot enterprise away to distant spots. You can go through about them and the glamorous casino competitions which have been reviewed at Poker-on-line which is really an Australian poker group. It is less difficult in these kinds of a recreation for a casual or inexperienced participant to figure how good his hand is, simply because he is provided a common, the pair of jacks, as a starting stage.
Though a lot of offline gamers are speedily turning out to be enamored with the idea that you can now perform cost-free poker on the internet, what most players never understand is how to make the transition strategically. Online poker application is often developed by poker professionals, large-level mathematicians, and extremely experienced programmers. Cost-free poker internet sites make investments massive sums of money in R&D and marketing and advertising to make sure a high high quality expertise. When you do enjoy totally free poker on-line one particular can not presume that the very same specific approaches that use to a live game also use to an on the web sport.
So how do judi online modify your match approach? Properly, 1st you should realize that the poker algorithms that govern on-line enjoy are based on a multitude of aspects that don’t always occur into engage in during each and every one live match. The odds on-line will differ from the odds in correct daily life engage in, but once you realize this 1 can use this to your gain.
Why is there these kinds of a difference between on-line/offline likelihood elements? Primarily to avoid collusion amongst players who might sit at the identical desk in an try to manipulate the actively playing setting for mutual benefit. Cost-free poker internet sites want to make sure that there is a level taking part in field and no two players can override the security measures that have in area. Once you get started to play free poker on the internet you will observe variances and flaws in the normal match engage in exactly where generally in correct existence perform you would bust on the river that now online deal you killer hands.
There are a number of things you should learn and grasp. One particular is the potential to determine what your desk placement is and how this may operate as an gain or drawback. An additional is what the greatest and worst starting up fingers are. There are numerous fingers that players engage in out and simply do not comprehend that the odds are intensely stacked from them correct out the gate. Good poker etiquette is always useful to polish your game. You don’t want to be impolite, offensive or bothersome or you will not make numerous friends when you perform poker on-line. Learning these points at totally free poker site is one particular thing, but mastering them is genuinely what helps you grow to be a greater poker participant.
On the internet poker web sites also supply you a vast reservoir of sources that document, assess, and critique your game enjoy to position out flaws in your technique and aid you enhance in locations that normally you would be oblivious to in a live poker game. So when you engage in free of charge poker on the internet get edge of these methods and no time you will be obtaining loads of enjoyable in no time.
Slot equipment have been about for numerous many years now, you can stroll into any casino around the globe and you will locate a slot machined contacting your title. In today’s globe of technologies you can now enjoy on the internet slot game titles. judi online for a longer time have a lever to pull, just point the mouse to exactly where you want and it will act as the lever. There nevertheless a good deal the enjoyable and pleasure enjoy on the web slot video games it really is just easier and one will not have to struggle all the individuals standing close to ready for your slot device. A lot of the slot game titles on the internet might provide much better payback percentages, thus bringing these outdated slot machine game titles into the twenty initial century.
There are a lot of on the internet slot game titles that are cost-free or you can pay out for them, truly betting on the web and can carry in big winnings. They all have fancy ‘slot machines’ sharp graphics and all the stops and whistles that you would see at any on line casino. 1 can definitely acquire a good deal of money, true or perform cash it nonetheless has the excitement that can not be defeat.
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The policies are rather basic when enjoying on the web slot online games, one particular just requirements to know which button to strike to earn or not there are software builders that have provided in between four to six reels and up to twenty five pay out lines. There are even reward games these make the sport a little bit more difficult. Comparing the winning mixtures, the payout percentages just before starting up the match will support you earn far more. The free of charge on the internet slot video games are the way to go if you will not have the income to place out for gambling. This is absolutely nothing but a sport of possibility, there is not set of rules to say how to get at slots, it truly is virtually like strike and miss.
Enjoying free of charge on the internet slot games is a good way to get away from the entire world and it is troubles and you will not likely be draining your bank account. Some online slot online games will even give credits towards sweepstakes you can acquire funds in, and this would be actual funds. The cost-free online games still have all of the stops and whistles just the like the compensated ones.
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A VPN (Virtual Private Community) connects a Personal computer or notebook over the World wide web to the place of work network allowing the remote consumer to operate as if they ended up sitting down at their desk in the place of work.
Normally, placing up a VPN demands considerable technological expertise as the business office firewall requirements to be reconfigured, the VPN server has to be set up and the entire lot has to be made protected. When set up and functioning, the VPN server wants to be monitored (to ensure there is practically nothing suspicious likely on) and managed with the newest security patches supplied by the VPN vendor.
Even so, there is bezoek website to setup a VPN by utilizing a VPN service. A VPN service provides all the features of a VPN server but gets rid of the complexity and price of setup, monitoring and routine maintenance.
To setup a VPN provided as a provider, you require to check out the suppliers internet site, register on the internet and down load a piece of computer software to a program in the business office community. This application connects the place of work network to the VPN Service by way of the Net without having getting to modify your firewall. By not shifting your firewall, you have removed a likely attack level for hackers who scan firewalls to recognize weaknesses. As soon as the business office network is connected, you can then insert users to the service and setup their PCs for VPN accessibility. The far more superior VPN services give a way to let the distant person set by themselves up for obtain to the workplace so that inside minutes of registering, a remote user can be operating on their apps and files as if they ended up in the business office.
Some hosted VPN services only provide access to a person’s very own Personal computer which indicates that their workplace Computer have to always be run on and that they have a Pc/Notebook when out of the workplace. Although these variety of VPN companies function, they are not really eco-friendly (you need a powered on Laptop for every single remote consumer) and they do not assistance routines these kinds of as composing and looking through mail when there is no web accessibility (this kind of as on an aeroplane).
Other VPN services connect the remote consumer to the place of work community as if their Computer was on a very lengthy cable. With these solutions a remote person connects right to the file and mail servers with no having to use a desktop Computer. With this variety of access, folks use their laptop exactly the very same way in and out of the workplace without having possessing to bear in mind if a file was saved on a server or on the notebook. Mail applications these kinds of as Microsoft Outlook function specially effectively on a network VPN as they allow the person to go through and compose mail even when they are not linked to the VPN. When the person next connects to the VPN, outlook will automatically send out all the recently created mail. Some VPN services will also give a secure way to obtain mail and files from any web browser so that distant customers do not require to have a laptop computer with them at all moments.
The speed of a VPN is an essential thing to take into account, and could also be a figuring out aspect for numerous people when determining no matter whether they need to use a VPN at all. Pace genuinely does make a difference when it arrives to the World wide web. Even if a VPN provides enhanced on-line protection and can support get close to blocked articles, if the services is gradual, the general encounter will be much from best.
Typically, developing a relationship with a VPN server closer to your area will consequence in much better speed. This is since the complexity of World wide web site visitors goes up as the distance among you and the VPN server will increase. The more intricate the traffic, and the better the distance data has to journey, the slower the VPN velocity.
If you do not have a excellent explanation for connecting to a specific VPN area, finding the 1 closest to you is the greatest option. For instance, if you stay in Texas and want to log into a US VPN server, use one particular in Houston or Dallas rather of one in New York. In the same way, if you might be located in China and need to have a US VPN server, locate 1 that is available on the West Coast over a single someplace in the east.
Distinct protocols can be utilized to set up a VPN link. Some of the much more common kinds contain OpenVPN (in excess of UDP or TCP), SSTP, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec. Everything else becoming equal, each and every protocol can outcome in a significantly various VPN pace. For illustration, employing OpenVPN more than UDP normally final results in a more quickly connection than OpenVPN in excess of TCP.
There are no tough established guidelines as to which protocol will give you the very best speed. OpenVPN in excess of UDP is a excellent default to consider. If you locate oneself having problems, try switching to a different protocol to see if your VPN speed enhances.
More robust encryption is frequently far more sophisticated and can, as a outcome, slow down a VPN. A 128-bit encryption will in most cases lead to a more rapidly relationship than a 256-bit a single.
On the draw back, decreasing encryption toughness will make the VPN relationship less safe and the transmitted information a lot more vulnerable. So, you can try enjoying about with the encryption degree, but except if you see important velocity enhancements with weaker encryption, it is ideal to adhere to the more powerful variations.
How strong the VPN server is will have a important affect on the velocity. Overloaded servers with a bandwidth that are not able to keep up with the demand will consequence in a significantly slower knowledge.
The client application you use to link to a VPN service will usually explain to you how a lot of IP addresses and how much bandwidth a server has. The higher those figures, the much more potent the server. These exact same consumers sometimes even display genuine-time use. If the server you’re linked to is overloaded, switching to a diverse a single is typically as basic as a few of mouse clicks.
Whether or not your device is on a wired network and bodily connected to a router or using WiFi can impact VPN speed. This distinction is especially appropriate if you have a fast link to the outside the house globe. Because a wired relationship is often faster than WiFi, the latter can be a restricting issue. You can consider plugging your pc right into the router to see if there is a pace advancement.
In the end, not all VPN companies are produced equal. Even below perfect problems, the velocity and trustworthiness they supply might be dramatically distinct. If you have tried out applying a number of of the techniques talked about in this post but are still not viewing pace enhancements, it may be time to take into account switching VPN suppliers.
A single of the issues of getting cremation solutions is discovering a location to spread the ashes following the services. For San Francisco Cremation Services of folks this is not a difficulty due to the fact they have presently produced up in their brain exactly where they want the ashes distribute, but for others it is a tough choice. Regional legal guidelines can make figuring out this portion of the funeral arrangements an even larger challenge because there rules. To help make the approach less difficult here are 5 locations you should consider for spreading the remains.
The ocean is a well-known location to unfold ashes after cremation, but there are regulations that govern it. In numerous places the regulations depend on how far absent the individual spreading the ashes is from the coast. If this is an alternative that you are intrigued in, it is a good idea to check out the legal guidelines in your picked spot. Many people like this option because the ashes unfold all close to the globe very quickly.
Personal home is one more common place for spreading ashes. There are significantly considerably less regulations to govern this, but permission should be experienced from the residence operator. If your a person you know owns property then you might pick this as the place to distribute out the remains. This is a wonderful alternative for those with property that has been passed down by means of the generations of their family.
In the woods is also an selection for the disposal of cremated stays. This is another location of lessened laws imposed by governmental organizations. It is usually a wise idea to check with the neighborhood authorities just to be sure that the place you have decided on is permissible. By spreading the ashes in the woods the human body receives into the trees and again to character as shortly as feasible.
Lakes, rivers, and streams are also areas where ashes can be unfold. After once again, it is dependent on the permissions granted by the authorities in that spot. However, numerous cremated continues to be have been spread in areas like these. These bodies of water are a great alternative for people who cannot get to the ocean. In numerous places permission to distribute ashes in excess of nearby bodies of water are freely granted.
Burial is even now an alternative for bodies that have been cremated. The burial can be in a graveyard or in another place. With burial, the ashes do not have to be spread out at all, but rather planted correct into the floor. The burying of ashes can be accomplished with them in or out of an urn. As with all other techniques, be positive to have the correct permissions to bury ashes in the location you choose.
Men and women have tried out some really innovative items to dispose of ashes following cremation, but it is crucial to stay in the bounds of the legislation. There are very a couple of alternatives obtainable for these who select to have ashes unfold. The 5 pointed out below are some of the much more popular ones that are also usually approved by legislation. For much more information on spreading ashes be sure to contact your regional funeral residence.
The duty of an lifeguard is usually quite challenging certainly not only because of the accountability the job brings down but likewise because of the severe conditions one has to work under. This is more difficult for women for the reason that their needs can be diverse. Therefore, it is crucial to choose work clothing that’s comfortable. Too increase, you may have a good need to be able to look your very best self even in the line of job.
The good thing is that this is not really that hard to achieve today thanks to the launch of beautiful and innovative might lifeguard swimsuits. A person can now search stylish and attractive as you do the job. The swimsuits happen to be designed to be suited for the water controls as you have to help wear the uniform all of day long, they are usually usually designed to become very comfortable.
One-piece swimsuits – These kinds of are classic swimsuits along with the lifeguard letters composed in bold across the particular front. This pattern is quite suitable for women who also are conservative and seeking for a good amount of body coverage. They are also suitable around inside settings such as marine facilities together with indoor pools that adhere to a tight and even old-fashioned dress code.
Two piece tankinis – They are furthermore often known as bikini lifeguard bathing suits and therefore are made up involving two pieces as a standard bikini. They offer less body protection and women lifeguards working in places with high temperature ranges is going to find them more appropriate. These are great choices intended for patio options where lifeguards have to stay beneath the hot sun for several hours and hence need to be preferred. Ladies also have the decision of pants to give them comfort whenever from work.
When looking for women’s lifeguard bathing suits, coziness is of utmost benefits. This is often determined by simply the fabric used in order to make the match. In best cases, spandex in addition to LYCRA® fabrics are used. They may be storage area and therefore offer you a good comfortable fit to help the lifeguard. The pushing makes it easier for that lifeguards to wear their very own even throughout the switch.
Also important to help think about is the fit plus the features of the bathing suit. In particular, if you happen to be going for the swimsuit selection, the straps have to be designed to make sure you experience minimal tan lines. Consider the cut regarding your match and just how suitable it is heading to end up being for the everyday use given that the idea will be your work uniform. Get a part that you will end up being very comfortable wearing even as soon as it unearths more real world.
Lifeguard classes of your respective lifeguard swimwear will usually rely on your organization’s rules. The market industry offers numerous colors which means you should easily find a new suited, allowed color to get your lifeguard uniform. On the other hand, typically the color within your swimsuit may have an effect on how hot you feel. Intended for instance, dark-colored swimsuits can tend to sustain whole lot more heat, especially throughout the hot months and they may possibly not be more comfortable through such months. Whenever you think of the time of the calendar year or the season, you should be equipped to choose a coloration that may keep you sense fresh, warm or even nice just like you choose. | 2019-04-22T02:32:14Z | http://www.ahbugeye.com/ |
Lipid metabolism is important for health and insulin action, yet the fundamental process of regulating lipid metabolism during muscle contraction is incompletely understood. Here, we show that liver kinase B1 (LKB1) muscle-specific knockout (LKB1 MKO) mice display decreased fatty acid (FA) oxidation during treadmill exercise. LKB1 MKO mice also show decreased muscle SIK3 activity, increased histone deacetylase 4 expression, decreased NAD+ concentration and SIRT1 activity, and decreased expression of genes involved in FA oxidation. In AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)α2 KO mice, substrate use was similar to that in WT mice, which excluded that decreased FA oxidation in LKB1 MKO mice was due to decreased AMPKα2 activity. Additionally, LKB1 MKO muscle demonstrated decreased FA oxidation in vitro. A markedly decreased phosphorylation of TBC1D1, a proposed regulator of FA transport, and a low CoA content could contribute to the low FA oxidation in LKB1 MKO. LKB1 deficiency did not reduce muscle glucose uptake or oxidation during exercise in vivo, excluding a general impairment of substrate use during exercise in LKB1 MKO mice. Our findings demonstrate that LKB1 is a novel molecular regulator of major importance for FA oxidation but not glucose uptake in muscle during exercise.
The interplay between lipids and insulin action has been the focus in diabetes research for several years. Importantly, exercise leads to increased insulin sensitivity (1,2) and oxidation of fatty acids (FAs) (3) in skeletal muscle. However, by which mechanisms FA oxidation is regulated by muscle contractions remains unsolved. Based on the original observations that the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activating substance 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR) increased FA oxidation in perfused rat skeletal muscle (4) and the finding that exercise increases AMPK activity in muscle (5,6), it was originally thought that AMPK plays an important role in enhancing FA oxidation during exercise. In contrast, it was recently reported that FA oxidation during treadmill running was not decreased in muscle-specific AMPK β1β2 knockout mice (7) or during contractions ex vivo in muscle overexpressing a dominant negative AMPK construct (8). Also, women have higher FA oxidation but lower AMPK activity during submaximal exercise than men (9).
Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is upstream of AMPK and a family of 12 other Ser/Thr kinases closely related to AMPK, which would potentially be regulated by LKB1 in vivo in skeletal muscle. These include sucrose nonfermenting AMPK-related kinase (SNARK) (10,11) and salt-inducible kinase (SIK)1 and -3 (12,13). Recently, the LKB1-regulated kinase SIK3 was in Drosophila shown to regulate FOXO activity by modulating its deacetylation by histone deacetylase (HDAC)4 (14). In skeletal muscle, FOXO1 activity was increased with fasting (15), which increased pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4–mediated inactivation of pyruvate dehydrogenase, resulting in increased FA oxidation (16,17). Furthermore, when FOXO1 activity was genetically increased in C2C12 myotubes, this markedly upregulated FA oxidation (18). Thus, it could be hypothesized that LKB1 might be involved in regulation of FA oxidation in muscle as well. Interestingly, deletion of LKB1 resulted in blunted AICAR-induced increase in FA oxidation in isolated extensor digitorum longus (EDL) mouse muscle (19). This is in contrast to EDL muscle overexpressing a dominant negative AMPKα2 isoform in which the AICAR effect on FA oxidation was normal (8). This could suggest that LKB1 is involved in regulation of FA oxidation through downstream targets other than AMPK.
LKB1 has been shown to play a key role in mediating both AICAR and contraction-induced muscle glucose uptake (12,20). However, the dependence of LKB1 in glucose uptake during muscle contraction has only been investigated using intense electrical stimulation. These stimulation regimes differ from physiological exercise in many ways (21), which was illustrated by severe fatigue leading to impaired contractile force development of both isolated soleus and EDL muscles within 2 min after the onset of electrical stimulation (12,20).
As the role of LKB1 in regulation of muscle metabolism under physiological conditions is unclear, we examined whether LKB1 is important for the cellular control of substrate turnover during physiological exercise in mice and electrical stimulation of isolated mouse muscle.
All reagents were from Sigma-Aldrich unless stated otherwise. Sixteen- to 20-week-old mice with muscle-specific knockout of LKB1 (LKB1 MKO) or whole-body AMPKα2 knockout (KO) and their respective wild-type (WT) littermates were used. The mice were generated as earlier described (19,22). Mice were maintained on a 10:14-h light-dark cycle and received standard chow (Altromin, cat. no. 1324; Chr. Pedersen, Ringsted, Denmark) and water ad libitum. All experiments were approved by the Danish Animal Experimental Inspectorate. Breeding protocols were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Brigham Young University (LKB1 MKO mice) and the Danish Animal Experimental Inspectorate (AMPKα2 KO mice). Genotyping was performed by PCR analysis as previously described (19,23).
Treadmill exercise test, respiratory exchange ratio, and oxygen uptake.
Acclimatization to the treadmill and subsequently the maximal running test was performed as previously described (24). O2 uptake and CO2 production were measured using a CaloSys apparatus (TSE Systems, Bad Homburg, Germany) at rest (24 h) or during exercise. The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) was calculated as Vco2 production/Vo2 uptake. LKB1 MKO and WT mice were run for 24 min on the treadmill. The LKB1 MKO mice were assigned to run at 60% (12.5 m/min) of their maximal running speed, whereas WT mice were randomized to run at either 30% (12.5 m/min) or 60% (25 m/min) of their maximal running speed. AMPKα2 KO and respective WT mice were exercised at 50% of their maximal running speed, corresponding to 13 and 18 m/min, respectively.
FA oxidation in isolated muscle.
FA metabolism experiments were conducted in incubation reservoirs (Radnoti, CA) using procedures previously described (8,25). Isolated EDL muscles were incubated at 30°C in Krebs-Henseleit Ringer buffer, pH 7.4, containing 2 mmol/L pyruvate, 2% FA free BSA, and 0.5 mmol/L palmitic acid. After initial incubation at resting tension (4–5 mN), incubation buffer was refreshed and supplemented with 0.5 μCi/mL [1-14C]palmitate (Amersham BioSciences, Buckinghamshire, U.K.). Oxidation of [1-14C]palmitate was measured in resting or contracting EDL muscle (50 Hz, 350 ms pulse duration, 6 tetani ⋅ min−1) over 25 min.
Glucose transport in isolated muscle.
Isolated EDL muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice was quickly excised and suspended by ligatures at resting tension (4–5 mN) in incubation chambers (Multi Myograph system; Danish Myo Technology, Aarhus, Denmark) as previously described (23). After preincubation, muscles were stimulated electrically to contract for 10 min (moderate protocol: 2 s/15 s, 0.2 ms pulses, 100 Hz, 40 V; intense protocol: 10 s/30 s, 0.1 ms pulses, 100 Hz, 100 V). 2-deoxyglucose uptake was measured for 10 min either during stimulation (moderate protocol) or immediately after stimulation (intense protocol).
Glucose clearance during in vivo exercise.
Fasted mice (2 h) were given an intraperitoneal injection with a bolus of saline (800 µL/100 g body wt) containing 0.1 mmol/L 2-deoxyglucose and 60 µCi/mL 2-[3H]deoxyglucose corresponding to ∼12 µCi/mouse as previously described (24). The muscle glucose clearance calculation was based on the muscle accumulation of 2-[3H]deoxyglucose-6-phosphate activity related to the area under the curve of the plasma 3H activity at time points −2, 10, and 20 min (Supplementary Table 1) using the trapezoid method as previously described (24,26,27).
Isoform-specific AMPK activity was measured on muscle lysate immunoprecipitates as previously described (23). LKB1 or SIK3 activities were measured on immunoprecipitates using LKBtide and Sakamototide as previously described (28,29).
Confocal microscopy was performed on single muscle fibers as previously described (30). Mitochondrial networks were visualized by using antibody against COXIV (Abcam, Cambridge, U.K.). Confocal images were collected with a TCS SP2 microscope (Leica) and were analyzed using Metamorph software (Universal Imaging). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on ultrathin muscle sections stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and subsequently examined with a Philips CM 100 TEM (Philips, Eindhoven, the Netherlands), operated at an accelerating voltage of 80 kV and equipped with an OSIS Veleta digital slow-scan 2k × 2k CCD camera. Digital images were recorded with the ITEM software package.
RNA was extracted from WT and LKB1 MKO muscle using TRIzol. Labeling of 100 ng total RNA was performed using the Gene-Chip Whole Transcript Sense Target Labeling Assay (Affymetrix) followed by hybridization to the GeneChip Mouse Gene 1.0 ST Arrays. RMA16 quantile normalization was performed using GeneSpring 12 software (Agilent). Only probe sets with a false discovery rate–corrected P value <0.05 and an absolute fold change >1.4 were selected for further analysis. Hierarchical clustering was performed using Euclidean distance and centroid linkage. Metabolomics pathway analysis was performed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software (Ingenuity Systems).
Muscle metabolites, enzyme activities, and Western blot.
Muscle glycogen, adenosine nucleotides, and lactate were determined as previously described (31). NAD+ and NADH content was determined using a photometrically NAD/NADH quantification kit (Biovision, Mountain View, CA). Malonyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA, succinyl-CoA, and free CoA were assayed by high-pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection as previously described (32). Maximal activity of citrate synthase and β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD) were measured as previously described (33). Protein extraction and Western blot was performed as previously described (23). A detailed list of antibodies is provided in the Supplementary Data.
Data are expressed as means ± SEM. Statistical evaluations were performed by using Student t test, two-way ANOVA, or one-way (intensity effects within WT in vivo groups) and two-way ANOVA with repeated measurements. The Studentized Newman-Keuls post hoc test was used when appropriate. Differences between groups were considered statistically significant if P < 0.05. Statistical analyses of microarray data were performed with an unpaired t test followed by Benjamini-Hochberg multiple-testing correction.
LKB1 MKO mice have reduced exercise tolerance and AICAR sensitivity.
The maximum running speed achieved by the WT mice was ∼41 m/min, whereas it was reduced by ∼50% in the LKB1 MKO mice (Fig. 1A). In accordance with a previous report (34), the relative decrease in blood glucose levels was less pronounced in the LKB1 MKO compared with WT mice during an AICAR tolerance test (Supplementary Fig. 1). Furthermore, LKB1 MKO mice had reduced fasting blood glucose concentration (WT 6.1 ± 0.5 mmol/L vs. LKB1 MKO 4.2 ± 0.4 mmol/L; n = 10–11; P < 0.05). Collectively, these in vivo tests demonstrate that our mouse cohort displays the same in vivo phenotypic characteristics as previously shown in mouse cohorts generated from the same founders (19,34).
LKB1 MKO mice are exercise intolerant and display reduced oxygen uptake and limited FA oxidation during exercise in vivo. A: Maximal-speed running test of LKB1 MKO and WT mice was performed. B and C: RER (B) and oxygen uptake (C) (mL ⋅ h−1 ⋅ kg−1) during treadmill exercise at 60% of maximal running speed and at the same absolute intensity. Whole-body FA oxidation (kJ ⋅ h−1 ⋅ kg−1) (D) and carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation (kJ ⋅ h−1 ⋅ kg−1) (E) were calculated from RER values as described in research design and methods. Data are presented as means ± SEM (n = 11–12). **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, significantly different from WT; #P < 0.05, significant difference between WT groups.
Indirect calorimetry reveals a defect in regulation of FA metabolism in LKB1 MKO mice during in vivo exercise.
During submaximal treadmill exercise, RER was higher in the LKB1 MKO compared with WT mice at the same relative and absolute intensity (Fig. 1B). O2 uptake was generally lower in LKB1 MKO (Fig. 1C). Carbohydrate oxidation increased with increasing intensity in WT mice (Fig. 1E), whereas FA oxidation was similar between intensities in WT mice (Fig. 1D). FA oxidation during exercise was lower in LKB1 MKO compared with WT mice at the same relative and absolute exercise intensity (Fig. 1D). Differences in substrate use were not apparent at rest under fed conditions (Supplementary Fig. 2). In contrast to the LKB1 MKO mice, we did not observe differences in FA oxidation when AMPKα2 KO and WT littermates were compared at the same relative exercise intensity (Supplementary Fig. 3).
LKB1 deficiency causes a robust decrease in muscle activities of AMPKα2 and SIK3 but maintains normal malonyl-CoA concentration.
In LKB1 MKO mice, LKB1 protein was almost ablated (Fig. 2A) resulting in a 95% decrease in LKB1 activity in resting muscle (Fig. 2B). In contrast, the LKB1 substrates SIK3 and AMPK were similar to levels observed in WT mice (Fig. 2A). We observed a robust reduction in SIK3 (−46%) and AMPKα2 (−80%) activity, but not AMPKα1 activity, in resting LKB1 MKO muscle compared with WT (Fig. 2C–E). LKB1 and SIK3 activity was not significantly altered with treadmill exercise in vivo (Fig. 2B and C). In contrast, AMPKα1 activity increased modestly (50–60%) in both LKB1 MKO and WT mice (Fig. 2E) and AMPKα2 activity increased markedly (260%) in WT mice but was almost undetectable in LKB1 MKO mice (Fig. 2D). AMPK Thr172 phosphorylation increased by 120% in WT muscle, whereas it was reduced by 50% in the resting LKB1 MKO muscle and failed to increase in response to exercise (Fig. 2F). Even though mean ACC2 Ser212 phosphorylation was increased by ∼35% in WT muscle by exercise, this increase did not reach statistical significance (Fig. 2G). This was similar for the apparent decrease of ∼19 and 27% in ACC2 Ser212 phosphorylation in resting and exercising muscle, respectively, from LKB1 MKO compared with WT mice (Fig. 2G). Malonyl-CoA content was similar in WT and LKB1 MKO mice and did not change with exercise in either genotype (Fig. 2H). In contrast, the cellular free CoA content was significantly lower in LKB1 MKO compared with WT mice both at rest and during exercise and did not change with exercise in either genotype (Fig. 2I).
LKB1 signaling in LKB1 MKO and WT mice during in vivo exercise. A: LKB1 protein was almost completely ablated in LKB1 MKO mice. B–E: LKB1 activity and activity of downstream targets were determined in gastrocnemius muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice. F and G: AMPK Thr172 and ACC2 Ser212 phosphorylation (phos) in gastrocnemius muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice. Malonyl-CoA (H) and free CoA (I) content in gastrocnemius muscle in WT and LKB1 MKO mice. Data are presented as means ± SEM (n = 6–13). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, significantly different from WT; #P = 0.05, significant effect of exercise, ##P < 0.01, significant difference between resting and exercising WT mice. Ex; exercise, exp; protein expression, ww; wet weight.
LKB1-deficient muscle has decreased FA oxidation capacity at rest and during contraction in isolated skeletal muscle ex vivo.
FA oxidation was suppressed in EDL muscle from LKB1 MKO compared with WT mice at rest and during contractions (Fig. 3A). During muscle contractions, FA oxidation increased in EDL muscle from both LKB1 MKO and WT mice, but total FA oxidation was still markedly reduced in LKB1 MKO muscle compared with WT (Fig. 3A). AMPK Thr172 phosphorylation was abolished in LKB1 MKO EDL muscle, and increased as expected, only in WT EDL muscle with contraction (Fig. 3B). ACC2 Ser212 phosphorylation was reduced in EDL muscle from LBK1 MKO mice (Fig. 3C) but increased in muscle from both LKB1 MKO and WT mice in response to muscle contraction (Fig. 3C).
Lack of LKB1 reduces the capacity for FA oxidation in isolated EDL muscle. A: FA oxidation was determined at rest and after contractions in EDL muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice. B: AMPK Thr172 and ACC2 phosphorylation (phos) in resting and contracted EDL muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice. Data are presented as means ± SEM (n = 11–12). *P < 0.05, ***P < 0.001, significantly different from WT. #P < 0.05, ###P < 0.001, significant difference between WT groups.
LKB1 MKO mice have reduced NAD+ concentration and SIRT1 activity but display increased HDAC4 expression and reduced FA oxidative gene expression.
There were no differences in SIRT1 protein expression (Fig. 4A), but cellular NAD+ content was reduced by 20% in LKB1 MKO muscle compared with WT (Fig. 4B). As acetylation of p53 protein was increased, this indicates a lower SIRT1 activity in LKB1-deficient muscle (Fig. 4C). Additionally, HDAC4 protein content was 70% higher in LKB1 MKO compared with WT muscle (Fig. 4D), accompanied by a reduction (P = 0.08) in HDAC4 phosphorylation on Ser629 in LKB1 MKO (Fig. 4E). To evaluate downstream effects of these findings, we extracted RNA from LKB1 MKO and WT muscle and subjected this to mouse expression array analysis. Based on their fold change (>1.4 fold) and false discovery rate P value (P < 0.05), we identified 212 differentially expressed probe sets (Supplementary Table 2). Using these probe sets in Ingenuity software for pathway analysis, we observed that the most pronounced differences between genotypes were molecular and cellular functions related to energy production and lipid metabolism with the most functional annotation for both being on FA oxidation (P = 8.01 × 10−6). Heat map and supervised hierarchical cluster analysis using the 27 genes involved in lipid metabolism were able to perfectly separate LKB1 MKO and WT muscles (Fig. 4F). A detailed list of the 27 genes is shown in Supplementary Table 3.
LKB1-deficient muscle has lower SIRT1 activity, increased HDAC4 expression (exp), and reduced FA oxidative gene expression. SIRT1 protein (A), NAD+ concentration (B), and the SIRT1 substrate acetylated p53 Lys379 (C) were determined in gastrocnemius muscle. HDAC4 protein expression (D) and phosphorylated (phos) HDAC4 Ser632 (E) were determined in gastrocnemius muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice. β-Tubulin, which was similar between genotypes, was used as loading control for HDAC4 expression. F: Heat map of 27 genes found to be differentially expressed between WT and LKB1 MKO (n = 4) muscle biopsies and involved in lipid metabolism. The fold change in gene expression is color coded: red, upregulation; blue, downregulation. Based on their expression, biopsies are separated in two distinct clusters: one containing WT muscles and the other LKB1 MKO muscles. The dendrogram above the heat map displays hierarchical clustering of the columns based on a distances matrix where the height of lines indicates the degree of separation between clusters. Data are presented as means ± SEM (n = 7–12). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, significantly different from WT. AU, arbitrary units.
LKB1 MKO mice display reduced mitochondrial enzyme activity but unchanged mitochondrial morphology.
Muscle from LKB1 MKO mice displayed a reduced citrate synthase activity (Fig. 5A), and there was a tendency (P = 0.09) toward a reduction in HAD activity (Fig. 5B). To evaluate whether LKB1 deletion would influence mitochondrial morphology, we investigated the mitochondrial networks by fluorescent staining of mitochondrial complex IV (COXIV) in single muscle fibers. The lack of LKB1 in muscle did not influence the mitochondrial network either at the subsarcolemmal region or in the intermyofibrillar regions (Fig. 5C). Cross-sections of muscle were investigated by TEM to evaluate mitochondrial ultrastructure. As with our observations in single muscle fibers, we did not detect a phenotype on mitochondrial morphology in muscle deficient of LKB1 (Fig. 5D).
Skeletal muscle deficient in LKB1 has reduced mitochondrial enzyme activity but displays normal mitochondrial network and ultrastructural morphology. Citrate synthase (CS) activity (A) and HAD activity (B) (n = 9–10) in gastrocnemius muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice. Data are presented as means ± SEM. *P < 0.05, significantly different from WT. C: Mitochondrial network in single muscle fibers from WT and LKB1 MKO mice visualized using immunocytochemical staining of COXIV and imaged by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy (n = 3); bar = 10 μm. D: TEM on cross-sections from quadriceps muscle from WT and LKB1 MKO mice was performed. Left panel: A stitched image combined of 100 individual images (10 × 10); bar = 10 μm. Middle panel: Representative images of subsarcolemmal (SS) mitochondria; bar = 1 μm. Right panel: Representative images of intermyofibrillar (IMF) mitochondria; bar = 1 μm.
Muscle glucose clearance is not reduced in LKB1 MKO mice during exercise.
We measured muscle glucose uptake during running exercise at the same absolute and relative exercise intensity. In WT muscle, glucose clearance was intensity dependent during treadmill exercise (Fig. 6A and B). During 20 min of treadmill exercise at 60% of maximum speed, muscle glucose clearance increased similarly in WT and LKB1 MKO mice (Fig. 6A and B). When we compared muscle glucose clearance at the same absolute speed, glucose clearance was higher in LKB1 MKO quadriceps (77%) and EDL (44%) muscles compared with WT muscle (Fig. 6A and B). There was no difference in resting muscle glycogen and muscle lactate between genotypes (Fig. 6C and D). In response to exercise, muscle glycogen decreased and lactate increased to a similar extent in the two genotypes. The muscle glycogen data combined with a similar increase in muscle lactate in response to exercise and equal AMP-to-ATP and ADP-to-ATP ratios (Supplementary Fig. 4A and B) support that the mice were subjected to similar metabolic stress/work loads in relative terms.
LKB1 MKO mice display normal increases in muscle glucose clearance in response to treadmill exercise. 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) clearance (mL ⋅ g−1 ⋅ min−1) was determined in quadriceps (A) and EDL muscle (B) from LKB1 MKO and WT mice at rest and in response to treadmill exercise at the same relative intensity. Muscle glycogen (C) (µmol ⋅ g wet wt−1) and muscle lactate content (D) in quadriceps muscle from WT and LKB1 MKO mice at rest and in response to 20 min treadmill running exercise at the same relative intensity. Data are presented as means ± SEM (n = 6–13). #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, significantly different from rest within genotype. ND, not determined.
Glucose uptake in response to electrical stimulation of isolated EDL muscle.
We investigated 2-deoxyglucose uptake during both moderate and intense stimulation protocol ex vivo. 2-deoxyglucose uptake was not reduced in EDL muscle from LKB1 MKO compared with WT in response to this moderate stimulation protocol (Fig. 7A). However, when applying the intense protocol, used previously by others (12,20), we also observed that 2-deoxyglucose uptake was significantly reduced in LKB1 MKO EDL in response to contraction (Fig. 7B).
LKB1 MKO mice display reduced glucose uptake during intense, but not moderate, muscle contractions ex vivo. A: 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) uptake (µmol ⋅ g−1 ⋅ h−1) in EDL muscle from WT and LKB1 MKO mice at basal and in response to 10 min moderate electrical stimulation (n = 9–11). B: 2-deoxyglucose uptake (µmol ⋅ g−1 ⋅ h−1) in EDL muscle from LKB1 MKO and WT mice subjected to intense electrically stimulated muscle contraction for 10 min (n = 6–9). C: TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation (phos) in EDL muscles in response to moderate and intense electrically induced muscle contraction (n = 7–11). Data are presented as means ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, significantly different from WT. #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, significantly different from rest.
TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation in response to ex vivo contraction.
In response to the moderate and the intense stimulation protocol, TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation increased in muscle from WT mice by 136 and 120%, respectively (Fig. 7C). In the LKB1 MKO muscle, TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation was reduced in the basal muscles. Even though TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation was increased by contractions in the LKB1 MKO muscle, the response was significantly lower compared with WT muscle. Of note, TBC1D1 protein expression was similar in WT and LKB1 MKO muscle (Fig. 7C), indicating that compared with WT muscle the reduced phosphorylation of TBC1D1 in the LKB1 MKO means a markedly lower amount of TBC1D1 being phosphorylated and therefore inactivated during contractions.
During exercise, lipid and carbohydrate oxidation increases several fold to accommodate the increased energy demand by the working muscle. The mechanisms behind this regulation have for the last several decades received a lot of attention, since they could be critical in understanding the beneficial effects of exercise on insulin resistance conditions and thus be key to understanding and overcoming the metabolic derangement in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (35,36). Here, we demonstrate that the lack of LKB1 protein in skeletal muscle severely reduces FA oxidation both during in vivo exercise and during contraction in isolated muscle ex vivo. The latter finding clearly indicates that the reduced FA oxidation observed during in vivo exercise was caused not by systemic factors but, rather, by muscle limitations in pathways involved in FA oxidation. Thus, we for the first time identify LKB1 as a molecular regulator of FA oxidation in muscle during exercise. Surprisingly, in contrast to what has been suggested previously based on intense electrical stimulation of muscle (12,20), we also show that LKB1 does not seem to regulate muscle glucose uptake during exercise in vivo or during moderate electrical stimulation.
It has been demonstrated that SIRT1 is a major regulator of FA oxidative gene expression in skeletal muscle (37,38). Also, in MEF- and C2C12 cell lines lacking SIRT1, low-glucose conditions failed to increase FA oxidation and catabolic gene expression (39). In the current study, NAD+ concentration was reduced in LKB1 MKO muscle, which was associated with a hyperacetylation of p53 protein, a well-known SIRT1 target, indicating decreased SIRT1 activity in LKB1 MKO muscle. Using mouse expression array analysis, we showed that this reduced SIRT1 activation was associated with a markedly reduced FA oxidative gene expression in LKB1-deficient muscle. Furthermore, LKB1 MKO mice displayed a markedly decreased SIK3 activity, which was accompanied by a decreased HDAC4 phosphorylation (P = 0.08) and higher HDAC4 protein expression. Therefore, LKB1-SIK3 signaling could play a crucial role for maintaining FA metabolic capacity in skeletal muscle, as demonstrated in Drosophila (14). In the current study, the Ingenuity pathway analysis indicated that the FA oxidation pathway was the most downregulated pathway in the LKB1 MKO mice, and this could be a potential explanation for the reduced FA oxidation during exercise. When we evaluated the mitochondrial networks in single muscle fibers, structural abnormalities of the mitochondria were not apparent. Furthermore, using TEM we showed no major differences in mitochondrial ultrastructure between LKB1 MKO and WT mice. The question is to what extent the decreased FA oxidative gene expression in LKB1 MKO mice actually is responsible for the decreased FA oxidation during exercise and muscle contractions. In AMPKα2 KO mice (Supplementary Fig. 3) and in AMPK β1β2 MKO mice (7), FA oxidation during exercise was not decreased despite decreased mitochondrial enzymes and altered mitochondrial morphology (7). Furthermore, in mice overexpressing a dominant negative AMPK construct, FA oxidation was also normal during exercise and during contractions in vitro (8,40). This suggests that the decreased FA oxidation during exercise in LKB1 MKO mice is independent of AMPK. Malonyl-CoA content was previously shown to decrease more in WT muscle after intense in situ muscle contractions than in LKB1 MKO muscle (41), suggesting that LKB1-mediated control of malonyl-CoA levels may play a role in regulation of FA oxidation under some experimental conditions. However, we show here that malonyl-CoA content was similar in LKB1 MKO and WT muscle both at rest and after in vivo exercise, indicating that the reduced FA oxidation in LKB1 MKO mice was not due to an impaired ability to relieve the malonyl-CoA inhibition of CPT1. Interestingly, the amount of free cellular CoA was reduced in LKB1 MKO muscle, which might result in reduced availability of FA-CoA substrate to carnitine and CPT1, in turn lowering FA availability for mitochondrial oxidation and could therefore be of importance for the decrease in FA oxidation.
Interestingly, mice carrying a mutation in the TBC1D1 gene inhibiting TBC1D1 function in muscle exhibited increased FA uptake and oxidation compared with mice expressing normal levels of TBC1D1 protein when fed a high-fat diet (42). In addition, both palmitate uptake and oxidation in C2C12 cells were increased when TBC1D1 protein was deleted by siRNA (42). This suggests that TBC1D1 functions as a brake on FA metabolism. Furthermore, when phosphorylation and thereby inactivation of AS160 (TBC1D4), another member of the TBC1 family, was impaired owing to the 4P mutation in TBC1D4, fatty acid translocase (FAT)/CD36 translocation to the plasma membrane was impaired in HL-1 cardiac myocytes (43). Since FAT/CD36 translocation has been shown to be critical for sarcolemmal FA transport and FA oxidation in skeletal muscle (44) and occurs independently of AMPK during in vivo exercise (45), it could be speculated that TBC1D1 and TBC1D4 function is important in regulation of FA transport and, in turn, FA oxidation. Because TBC1D1 is the TBC1 domain family member that is predominantly expressed in fast-twitch muscle like EDL (46), the decreased FA oxidation during exercise in LKB1 MKO mice (dominated by fast-twitch white muscle) (47) and during in vitro incubation of isolated EDL muscle could be related to the markedly decreased TBC1D1 phosphorylation, which in essence results in inability to reduce the brake on FA transport during muscle contractions. Importantly, the reduction in TBC1D1 phosphorylation was not driven by a reduction in TBC1D1 protein expression, which has previously been demonstrated in various mouse models with reduced AMPKα2 activity (7,46,48). Thus, a reduced FA transport together with a low free CoA content and thus FA availability to the mitochondria in the LKB1 MKO could add to the low FA oxidation in these mice.
We here demonstrate that LKB1 is not crucial for glucose uptake during physiological exercise and during moderate electrical stimulation. These findings contrast previous reports demonstrating reduced glucose uptake measured during intense contraction in isolated muscles (12,20). In agreement with those findings, we did observe modestly reduced glucose uptake in response to contraction in EDL muscle when using the same intense stimulation. Magnitude of reduction in muscle glucose uptake during intense contractions in our LKB1 MKO mice was moderate compared with the previous work (12), which could be due to more substantial deficiency of LKB1 using hypomorphic LKB1 loxp mice as background when they generated their LKB1 MKO mice. Still, it is likely that the residual LKB1 activity measured in the present LKB1 MKO mice is due to nonmuscle tissue in the muscle homogenate, which contributes much less in the hypomorphic background.
The current study indicates that AMPKα2 is dispensable for mouse muscle glucose uptake during exercise, as we observed that basal activity was negligible and activation in response to exercise was abolished in LKB1 MKO mice. This confirms our previous findings in mice overexpressing a dominant negative α2 AMPK (24). However, when both α1 and α2 AMPK activations are ablated by genetic deletion of both β1 and β2 AMPK subunits, exercise- and contraction-induced glucose uptake are both substantially impaired (7). Since the protein expression of AMPKα1 is elevated in LKB1-deficient mouse muscle (12,34), similar to what was observed in AMPKα2 KO mice (23), and since AMPKα1 activity was not decreased in the LKB1 MKO mice in the current study, AMPKα1 could possibly compensate for the lack of AMPKα2. Although Koh et al. (34) reported reduced activation of AMPKα1 in response to contraction in LKB1 MKO muscle compared with WT, α1 activity was still significantly elevated. The idea that low levels of AMPK activity might be sufficient to promote glucose uptake in response to different stimuli is supported by findings in the hypomorphic LKB1 mice (12) in which glucose uptake increased normally in response to both AICAR and electrical stimulation despite 50–60% reduction in AMPKα2 and >50% reduction in AMPKα1 activity. Furthermore, in AMPKα1 KO soleus muscle, glucose transport was reduced by 20% in response to tetanic contraction (23), as well as in response to twitch contractions (49). AMPKα1 could therefore play an important role in response to more physiological exercise regimes, whereas AMPKα2 may become important in situations of severe metabolic stress in mouse muscle.
In summary, we have shown that LKB1 is critical for regulation of FA oxidation in muscle during exercise and that this occurs independently of AMPK. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that LKB1 deficiency does not affect the normal increase in glucose transport or oxidation during in vivo exercise. The lack of LKB1 in muscle did not cause detectable alterations in mitochondrial morphology, but expression of genes involved in FA metabolism was decreased expectedly as a result of increased HDAC4 expression and decreased SIRT1 activity. In addition to the transcriptional response controlled by LKB1, the markedly impaired TBC1D1 phosphorylation in LKB1-deficient muscle during contractions likely contributes to the impaired FA oxidation during exercise and contractions.
B.K., J.F.P.W., and E.A.R. are supported by grants from the Danish Medical Research Council, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the Lundbeck Foundation and are members of the UNIK - Food, Fitness, & Pharma, supported by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. J.J. is supported by a Research Fellowship from the Alfred Benzon Foundation. K.S. is funded by the British Medical Research Council. R.W.H. is supported by the British Heart Foundation. S.J.M. is an employee of Novo Nordisk A/S. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.
J.J., S.J.M., E.A.R., and B.K. designed the study. J.J., S.J.M., A.B.J., and A.M.F. conducted the experiments. J.J., S.J.M., A.B.J., A.M.F., C.Pe., L.S., A.K.S., N.J., K.T., C.Pr., K.Q., J.R.B.D., R.W.H., K.S., D.M.T., P.S., and J.F.P.W. performed the laboratory analyses and commented on the manuscript. J.J., S.J.M., K.S., E.A.R., and B.K. wrote the manuscript. E.A.R. and B.K. are the guarantors of this work and, as such, had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
The authors are grateful for the skilled technical assistance of I.B. Nielsen and B. Bolmgren, Molecular Physiology Group, Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The authors also thank Prof. B. Voillet, Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Cancer, Institut Cochin, Université Paris Decartes, Paris, France, for providing the AMPKα2 KO founder mice.
This article contains Supplementary Data online at http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.2337/db12-1160/-/DC1. | 2019-04-20T10:33:53Z | http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/node/32984.full.print |
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Executive Summary there is an alignment of interest between those who design and construct a facility and those who subsequently occupy and manage it. Government has already committed to a range of measures to address these issues: The Infrastructure Cost Review and subsequent Implementation Plan set out the measures being taken by Government to realise £2 billion-£3 billion per annum from reducing the costs of delivery of the UK‟s economic infrastructure projects and programmes – some 40% of which are delivered through the public sector. Whilst the markets for economic infrastructure and wider public sector construction are different they are served largely by the same industry. To ensure that the Government‟s activities in these areas are effectively co-ordinated and aligned, the Chief Construction Adviser will chair a Government Construction Board (“the Board”) to be established at official level, as an evolution of the existing Construction Clients Board. It will act as the single Joint Programme Management Board announced at the time of the 2011 Budget, with responsibility for overseeing the consistent implementation of the Infrastructure Cost Implementation Plan and this Government Construction Strategy, together with relevant and necessary actions coming out of the Government‟s response to the James Review on education, the McNulty review on rail and future reports relating to construction. Membership of the Government Construction Board will include representation from the wider public sector and from the regulators responsible for oversight of much infrastructure procurement. The Board will have sight of all direct construction expenditure by Government and, in addition, expenditure on infrastructure commissioned outside Government. The Board will report to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude. The strategy has been prepared by the Efficiency and Reform Group of the Cabinet Office and the Construction Sector Unit of BIS, working closely with Infrastructure UK (“IUK”).
1 Introduction Context 1.1 Construction output contributes some 7% of GDP - more if the whole-life contribution through planning, design, construction, maintenance, decommissioning and reuse, is taken into account. The sector is worth about £110 billion per annum 1. This comprises three main sub-sectors: commercial and social, £49 billion (£20bn public, £29bn private); residential, £42 billion (£14bn public, £28bn private); and infrastructure, £18 billion (£7bn public, £11bn private). Refurbishing and improving the existing built stock accounts for about half of this total. 1.2 There are, however, significant differences between sectors: for commercial and social infrastructure, projects are typically traditional construction with a mix of new build and refurbishment, with most of the public sector spend (on schools, for example) being funded through central Government departments although delivered locally; in residential, the public sector has a relatively small new build programme (£4bn) compared to repairs and maintenance (£10bn) – the residential construction markets have different dynamics to other construction markets and most of the public sector delivery is through local authorities; and infrastructure is typified by civil engineering works, long overall project durations and major programmes of renewal/maintenance – with 60% commissioned by the private sector and a large proportion of the public sector spending being through central Government departments. 1.3 The industry is highly fragmented, with over 300,000 businesses (of which 99.7% are SMEs) and over 2 million workers2.
1 Introduction inefficiency. This is compounded by low levels of standardisation, and fragmentation of the public sector client base. 1.6 Following the publication of the Latham and Egan Reports, there has emerged a consensus that clients and their suppliers need to work together on a shared improvement plan, and that this means working with fewer suppliers in a more settled supply chain. This has generally been achieved by the creation of frameworks, tendered in accordance with the requirements of public procurement law - which then stay in place for a fixed period (of up to 4 years). 1.7 The principles behind this remain valid, but there is a tension between the benefits of working with fewer suppliers in long-term relationships, the desire to maintain a market that is accessible to new entrants (particularly SMEs) and the risk of locking out competition and innovation. There is also a risk that the disbenefits of frameworks will be borne, without taking full advantage of the economies of scale and opportunities for continuous improvement.
Broad Benefits 1.8 IUK‟s Infrastructure Cost review focussed on the £18bn of infrastructure spending, identifying savings of at least 15%. Similar savings should be achieved across all construction sectors. 1.9 For the construction industry, the most compelling benefits arising from this strategy lie in the immediate prospects for improved growth and in increased competitiveness: in eliminating waste and inefficiency and stimulating higher levels of innovation that will make construction more affordable for customers at home and create new opportunities abroad.
Procurement Reform 1.10 The principal barrier to reduced cost and increased growth is the lack of integration in the industry, compounded by a lack of standardisation and repetition in the product (e.g. fragmented and unpredictable demand), and by relative protection from overseas competition. In parallel, a procurement process has been shaped that has reinforced those barriers. Addressing them calls both for reform of the procurement process and for greater efficiency in the operation of that process.
1 Introduction 1.11 The Construction Strategy concentrates on a number of steps in this process which repeated studies3 have shown to be points of weakness, leading to waste, poor value or lost opportunity. 1.12 The strategy will improve public sector construction and contribute to both growth and efficiency savings by: improving visibility and certainty of the forward construction programme, by means of complete, centrally accessible data about the Government construction programme and the suppliers engaged to deliver it; setting clear criteria for the way a built asset delivers value in service, and communicating requirements (or standards) to prospective suppliers in a clear and consistent way; establishing by benchmarking a challenging market price for procurement of the asset, so that cost becomes a major driver in project design and delivery; ensuring that there is appropriate early challenge (independent from those directly accountable for a programme or project) around: governance and appropriate client skills, with clear accountability for commissioning and delivery; o the use of benchmarking and feedback from previous projects; o the application of common standards; o project controls and cost reduction incentives; aligning design and construction with operational asset management, with greater use of outcome based specifications against clear performance criteria; eliminating waste by streamlining commissioning and procurement processes and introducing further standardisation where appropriate; and exploring alternative procurement models which introduce competitive tension by means other than lump sum tendering, which encourage innovation and supply chain integration, and which create an alignment of interest between those who design/construct a building and those who subsequently occupy and operate it. 1.13 Procurement is best looked at as part of a broader asset life cycle, rather than as a standalone process. For construction, this crucially includes considerations of what is to be procured, whether design and construction are to be procured separately, and the relationships to be created between the parties post-procurement, including the disposition of risk. “Procurement” is therefore part of a system that commences at the inception stage of a project, and is concluded only when the facility has been brought into use with proper arrangements made for asset management. 1.14 The full list of strategy objectives is contained in Section 2, with the Summary Action Plan contained in Annex A. The Summary Action Plan is work in progress, and is subject to discussion and endorsement/amendment by the newly established Government Construction Board, and to consultation with industry.
2 Strategy Objectives Co-ordination and leadership 2.1 The strategy represents a challenging change programme which will need significant coordination and engagement with Government and industry stakeholders. It should not be underestimated how significant the challenges are; and the strategy can only be implemented with active involvement and leadership from Government and industry alike. 2.2 Whilst some improvements in the procurement and delivery of construction projects have been made over time, there is a need now to accelerate the pace of change to deliver a competitive industry for the future. It is the intent of Government to use its scale in the procurement of construction to lead the process of change. The construction industry must also provide an equal measure of leadership, however; and focussed effort will be required from all parts of the supply chain in a new relationship between Government and the industry. 2.3 Ministers have agreed to combine the programmes of work in relation to the implementation plans for this construction strategy, IUK's work on infrastructure, and wider Cabinet Office work on the reform of Government procurement in relation to construction. The existing Construction Client Board representing Government clients, chaired by the Chief Construction Adviser, will be reconstituted with additional representative members to become the Government Construction Board (“the Board”). It will have the mandate to provide the leadership needed for the combined programme of work. 2.4 The Board will be the custodian of the Government Construction Standards (“the Standards”), the centralised summary of the standards and policies which will be mandated for adoption across central Government, and in the expectation they will be adopted also by all Government funded clients. The Standards will be a live document and will be regularly refreshed. 2.5 The criteria for the Better Public Building Award will be redesigned in line with the strategy and re-launched, with the vital importance of design quality to the delivery of value continuing to be acknowledged.
Forward programme 2.6 The Cabinet Office will publish quarterly from autumn 2011 a rolling two year forward programme of infrastructure and construction projects where public funding has been agreed. Whilst the Government‟s forward programme will be subject to change if priorities change, just as in the private sector, visibility of the forward pipeline will enable the industry to make its own judgments and plans for investment in skills, products and services aimed at that programme.
2 Strategy Objectives 2.7 The Cabinet Office will, working with departments, reinvigorate the Public Sector Construction Database (“the PSCD”) to provide the basis of this information. 2.8 Once complete, the PSCD will also provide a basis for client led improvements – see Client Relationship Management. Progress to May 2011 The use of the PSCD for central Government departments was mandated in the Plan for Growth, published as part of the Budget 2011. A short programme to review its functionality is now under way to identify refinements and improvements.
Governance and client skills 2.9 The range of skills shown in both the public and private sectors in the procurement and delivery of construction projects is comparable. Feedback from the supply side is that there are departments who show a high level of skill, but that this is not the case for all Government clients. Given the scale of the public sector construction programme, it is important to ensure that Government commissioning teams are consistently equipped with the necessary high level of skills appropriate to specific projects and programmes. 2.10 Working with the Board members, the Cabinet Office will ensure the establishment of appropriate governance structures for all construction projects consistent with the requirements of the Integrated Assurance and Assessment Process of the new Major Projects Authority, giving transparency to management accountability.4 2.11 To this end, departments will make available on their websites details of project/ programme governance structures for funded construction projects and the individuals accountable for them as Senior Responsible Owners and Project Sponsors. The Cabinet Office will adapt the PSCD to track departmental construction projects. 2.12 In collaboration with the Government Construction Board, the Cabinet Office will also define the necessary skills for given roles in the governance structure, with a view to rolling them out across Government and initiating the tracking of capability.
2 Strategy Objectives 2.13 Core client skills – particularly in the case of Senior Responsible Owners and Project Sponsors, who may not come from a construction background – should encompass the following: knowing how a project creates value in service delivery; being able to communicate the conditions for value to the supply side by way of clear standards which are, to the greatest possible degree, performance-based; maintaining decisiveness, so that the supply side has the information it needs to maintain progress and deliver value; knowing how to take the project to the market place, and the benchmark price for which it should be obtainable; and sponsoring the project from inception to completion. Progress to May 2011 The Cabinet Office, with Government construction clients, has undertaken a survey of existing client capability in Government to confirm the extent to which further skills development is needed.
Challenge 2.14 For major projects, oversight and challenge will be provided by HM Treasury and by the Cabinet Office through the newly established Major Projects Authority and the introduction of the Integrated Assurance and Starting Gate Review processes5. 2.15 There is also a need for projects below the Major Projects Authority threshold to receive independent challenge within commissioning departments. Most departments now have Programme or Investment Boards, but the degree of intervention and, conversely, the degree of freedom allowed to in-house project teams or delivery agencies to manage the work remains variable. 2.16 These arrangements will be reviewed to establish whether they strike the right balance between challenge, empowerment and individual accountability; and to consider the relationship with the roles now being undertaken by the new departmental boards. 2.17 With the support of the Cabinet Office, departments will therefore develop and publish their independent challenge process for construction programmes and projects.
2 Strategy Objectives 2.18 Together with Government Construction Board members, the Cabinet Office will establish for construction projects the capability required to improve the effectiveness of central challenge functions in support of projects, together with a framework within which knowledge and skills can be effectively assessed and shared across Government. 2.19 This work will also address development with IUK and the Major Projects Authority of the check lists to be incorporated within the newly established Starting Gate Review processes.
Value for money, standards and cost benchmarking 2.20 Cost benchmarking will be established to provide a consistency of value for money across each programme and a baseline for new cost/value-led approaches to procurement. This will ensure that cost becomes a lead driver in the delivery of projects, without sacrifice of whole life value; and that clients should be aware, when they go into the market for construction work, what its price should be. 2.21 Where such benchmarking has been done in detail (as in the schools programme), it has demonstrated that there is a variation in cost that is not justified by project specifics, and consequently that there is an almost immediate and substantial saving simply by ensuring that all projects are built at a cost that falls at the lower end of the historical range. 2.22 Cost benchmarking should extend beyond the departmental programme, into relevant comparators from other public and private sector programmes – such as the comparison of single living military accommodation with student residences. 2.23 Nor should cost benchmarking be restricted to construction work. It should cover all project on-costs (consultants‟ fees, departmental administrative costs, etc) so that the efficiency of total project delivery cost is also plotted. 2.24 Clearly, where cost is a lead driver, there is a risk that the quest for lowest initial capital cost will take precedence over judgements based on value – which is fundamentally about the outcome of a project over its whole life. A vital context of cost benchmarking is therefore a clear understanding of how a project will deliver value in the provision of public services, so that the cost benchmark is not set artificially low by the inclusion of projects that fail to deliver value. 2.25 To be assured of this, departments will, in addition to conforming to the general definitions of value for money set by the Treasury, identify criteria for value for money relevant to a particular programme or project.
2 Strategy Objectives 2.26 Finally, the criteria for value need to be converted into standards and specifications that can be passed to suppliers as part of the brief that they are required to meet. There should be consistency across Government in how these standards are set, and wherever possible they should be performance (or outcome) based, rather than prescriptive, so that opportunities for innovation by the supply side are maximised. 2.27 With the support of the Cabinet Office, Government Construction Board members will therefore: confirm that a preset measure of value for money at programme level for operational need exists, and is applied consistently in appraising suppliers‟ propositions; agree cross-Government principles for setting functional requirements based on whole life value for money and centred on performance/ output, which can then be rolled out across departments; identify, establish and report on pilot projects for the extended use of cost benchmarking in setting cost targets, and facilitate a more consistent approach to the application and sharing of cost benchmark data across Government; introduce ways to leverage existing cost data and compare cost benchmarks across Government (and with private clients) to reduce the non productive cost component; and identify opportunities for cost reduction through appropriate standardisation. Progress to May 2011 The Cabinet Office, with Government construction clients, has undertaken a cross-government survey of existing practices to confirm the application of value for money criteria, and the extent to which cost data is being used to target and achieve cost reduction. Current work is focussed on the use of cross-Government comparisons of benchmark data to influence cost reduction and to identify opportunities to trial cost–targeted procurement.
2 Strategy Objectives embed the adoption of a standardised prequalification form (PAS 91) so that it is used in all central Government construction procurement; identify and implement pilots to take forward the “leaning” of the procurement process for construction projects; and speed cash flow through the supply chain through fair payment provisions. Progress to May 2011 Prequalification - PAS 91: the use of this standardised wording for PQQs has been mandated within Government. Work to ensure that the approach is embedded within the procurement community, and spreads through the wider public sector, is ongoing. Fair Payment and Project Bank Accounts: Fair Payment down the supply chain has been made a contractual requirement on all new construction procurement by central Government. In addition £1.8bn pounds worth of projects have been awarded to date using Project Bank Accounts, and these will be monitored as a model for the future.
2 Strategy Objectives Modelling (BIM). This will be a phased process working closely with industry groups, in order to allow time for industry to prepare for the development of new standards and for training. 2.32 Government will require fully collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic) as a minimum by 2016. A staged plan will be published with mandated milestones showing measurable progress at the end of each year. Progress to May 2011 A Client BIM Mobilisation and Implementation Group to drive the adoption of BIM across government has been established and met for the first time in May 2011, and a staged implementation plan will be published in June.
Alignment of design/construction with operation and asset management 2.33 Post-handover defects are a regular feature of construction projects, leading to the cost of remediation (and frequently the higher cost of resolving disputes). Even when there are no latent defects, it is still rare to find that a built asset performs exactly in accordance with its design criteria (and particularly in terms of energy efficiency, for example). 2.34 Integration of the design and construction of an asset with the operation phase should lead to improved asset performance. This has been demonstrated in projects which have integrated design and construction with whole-life operation. The same alignment can be created by requiring those who design and construct buildings to prove their operational performance for a period of say three to five years. Proposals for this will be developed with the Government Property Unit to ensure alignment with subsequent arrangements for facilities management.
2 Strategy Objectives how they are performing in aggregate. 2.37 Government will reform its relationship with its major construction suppliers to: communicate clearly to its suppliers the Government‟s expectations and, through a Strategic Alignment Agreement, agree and implement the steps of a programme by which a supplier will bring its processes into compliance with the requirements of Government as client; require good practice in dealings between Government and its directly contracted suppliers to be cascaded down through the supply chain; establish a cross-Government view of each supplier. Progress to May 2011 Reform will build upon a mature key Supplier Relationship Management programme that currently exists. This includes: regular one-to-one engagement; establishment of strategic alignment agreements; ongoing supplier performance assessments; and biannual strategic supplier conferences.
2 Strategy Objectives Board, will further develop these propositions, trialling them on live projects with a view to rolling out successful practices across Government.
Client Relationship Management 2.45 Just as supplier relationship management is important, it is also necessary to ensure consistency of approach in the way Government collectively addresses its approach to the delivery of common opportunities such as waste-to-landfill, and the scope for aggregation of demand. 2.46 Once complete, the PSCD, in addition to giving suppliers visibility of the pipeline, will also provide a basis for: planning procurement strategies appropriate for the full programme; investigating the scope for commoditisation and central purchasing across the programme; identifying key suppliers (which currently calls for an ad hoc exercise); and investigating the scope for reducing transaction costs and seeking consequent volume-related discounts by identifying the amount of work placed with individual suppliers. 2.47 Together with the Board members, the Cabinet Office will therefore use visibility of the pipeline together with cost benchmark data to: identify opportunities for cost reduction through collaboration, commoditisation and standardisation, as appropriate; define cross-Government targets to increase the level of demand aggregation, volume related discounts and transaction cost efficiencies; and facilitate cross-Government moves to realise the financial benefits of these opportunities. Progress to May 2011 .
A programme of engagement has commenced to identify suitable candidates for pilot/trial and demonstration projects.
2 Strategy Objectives Implementation of existing and emerging Government policy in relation to sustainability and carbon 2.48 Specific actions will be developed in relation to Government‟s construction strategy for sustainability and carbon following the publication of Government‟s response to The IGT Report: Low Carbon Construction, to be published in June 2011.
Governance structure for the programme clear.
1(iii) To direct and support a programme of reform.
Progress of cost reduction against 10-20% target.
Mar-2011 Construction Standards (formerly “Common Minimum Standards”) (September 2011) including “Achieving Excellence in Construction” standards where relevant (From October 2011).
1(iv) To stress cost effectiveness as a key driver, without loss of whole life value.
2(i) To provide procuring departments with visibility of the total pipeline to identify opportunities for collaboration and the need for market management .
Commitment of departments to provide data.
Population and internal publication of database on a quarterly basis.
2(iii) To provide suppliers with visibility of the pipeline so they can equip themselves to respond or invest.
Publication of forward pipeline on a quarterly basis.
2(iv) To ensure that decisions to postpone or cancel projects or programmes are timely and informed by a full analysis of impact. 3.
3(i) To establish appropriate governance structures, consistent with the remit and edicts of the Major Projects Authority; and to give transparency to management accountability within Government.
Departments applying process and evidenced.
Publish governance structures, and the accountable individuals, for all projects and programmes.
3(ii) To equip commissioning teams with the necessary client skills appropriate to specific projects and programmes.
Commissioning teams equipped with the appropriate skills, consistent with AEC and costtargeted procurement (commercial challenge).
Consistent approaches and core training content across departments.
Demonstrate positive progress towards the capability/ behaviour related targets.
4(i) To reinforce governance and to support the internal decision making process, consistent with the MPA„s Starting Gate Review processes.
5(i) To identify the criteria for value against which suppliers‟ propositions will be appraised.
Measures Publish independent challenge process.
Departmental measures of value for money are confirmed, there are consistent principles applied and criteria are communicated to the market.
Measures Demonstration on Triali projects.
Supply chain innovations and influence on value through early involvement are evident and measurable.
Objective 5(ii) To set challenging cost targets in the context of clear criteria for value, informed by what has been achieved on other projects and supply chain analysis. To motivate suppliers and remove impediments to delivery. To seek and deliver product and process innovation at all levels of the supply chain.
Measures Trial projects demonstrating the outcome of cost led procurements which provide practices that can be rolled out across central Government.
5(iii) To confirm that nonproduct costs (fees, departmental overheads etc) are proportionate from project to project, and contribute to improving whole life value.
Deliver the financial Value Indicator defined targets.
Cost effective by comparison with relevant private sector comparators.
Monitor and report on progress of reducing non product costs. (Ongoing) 6.
6(i) To eliminate waste and duplication that leads to unnecessary cost or delay in the procurement process.
Unamended contracts used by departments in accordance with defined targets.
PAS 91 used by Government clients and suppliers and down the supply chain. Lean procurement piloted.
Roll out the recommendations from the Cabinet Office workstream.
Project insurance tested, evaluated and potentially rolled out.
Measures Speed of procurement reduced to the target.
Fair Payment provisions secured contractually throughout all central Government projects, without exception. Increased use of PBAs to defined targets.
6(iv) To manage contingency allowances so they are realistic but do not create the expectation that they will be spent.
6(v) To assess the performance of current procurement practices in delivering required outcomes.
Review current practice and explore procurement models which maximise value.
Benchmarking demonstrates reduction contributing to the overall 10-20% reduction.
Commence implementation of recommendations through trial projects.
Reduce reliance within the public sector on the inappropriate use of short-term competition on the basis of initial capital cost as the primary means for driving efficiency.
Measurement shows appropriate level, management and use of contingency.
7(i) To introduce a progressive programme of mandated use of fully collaborative Building Information Modelling for Government projects by 2016.
Measures Commencement of roll out achieved.
Complete built record of the project available for the purposes of asset management.
Projects designed and delivered to required standards; and to allow the asset to operate to the required standard for its whole life.
9(i) To measure supplier performance across all programmes to support objectives 12(i) & (ii) and 5(iii).
9(ii) To develop and implement a shared programme for efficiency and reform.
Key suppliers' performance routinely measured and communicated across Government programmes (client and supply side) through a common process. Delivery against agreed targets.
good practice down through the supply chain. Formalise the process of compliance and improvement through Delivery against Supplier Alignment Agreements. agreed targets. (Ongoing from Dec 11) 10.
10(i) To assess the effectiveness of frameworks, in collaboration with departments and the National Improvement and Efficiency Partnership for Construction.
Study findings and recommendations made. Commence implementation of recommendations.
Delivery of a platform that ensures Government and the wider public sector have visibility of good quality procurement channels to market.
Investigation complete and recommendations made by a time to be agreed.
Spend focussed on appropriate routes to market by client capability. Portion of spend target as set through quality frameworks.
11(i) To investigate alternative forms of procurement and contractual arrangement that offer better value and affordability. 11(ii) Consistent with the initiatives above, to review approaches to incentive and risk apportionment.
Measures provision of EU rules in consultation with industry). Evidence of team problem solving.
Measures Benchmarking demonstrates reduction contributing to the overall 10-20% reduction.Trial project practices adopted.
11(iii) To investigate the variety of options for using private finance and appropriate risk transfer to the private sector in the delivery of capital projects.
12(i) To develop a range of overarching procurement strategies appropriate to the whole programme.
Trial projects demonstrate practicality and benefits of aggregation. Potential roll-out of piloted approaches.
Mar-2011 12(ii) To explore opportunities for centralised procurement of common components.
Measures Greater use of centralised procurement and resulting cost reductions.
Deliver and evaluate trial projects. (From June 2012) 12(iii) To investigate the scope for reducing transaction costs and seeking economies of scale and volume-related discounts.
Simplified/centralis ed processes leading to cost savings.
12(iv) To investigate the scope for increased product standardisation to support objectives 12(ii) & (iii) within and between programmes.
Opportunities defined, implemented as appropriate and realised.
Reduced carbon emissions, water consumption and waste to landfill in accordance with agreed targets.
Objective and industry to deliver existing and emerging Strategy for Sustainable Construction targets.
Trial Projects are to test propositions set out in this strategy, such as: lean procurement processes generally; use of whole life, outcome based specifications that remove unnecessary prescription and encourage supply chain innovation; applying a cost-targeted, integrated approach to procurement; aggregating demand across Government, generating economies of scale – for example through the centralised procurement of common components, as appropriate; integrated project insurance; the phased introduction of Building Information Modelling; and post-handover operation of built assets – all with a view to testing practice which can, if successful, be rolled out across Government.
Report "UK Government Construction Strategy" | 2019-04-19T12:21:26Z | https://mafiadoc.com/uk-government-construction-strategy_5c3ba06d097c47357a8b45ae.html |
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I together with my buddies came taking note of the nice solutions located on your web site while before long I had a terrible suspicion I had not expressed respect to the web site owner for them. All of the boys happened to be absolutely excited to read them and now have extremely been having fun with those things. I appreciate you for genuinely considerably considerate and then for opting for this sort of beneficial things most people are really eager to be informed on. Our own sincere regret for not expressing appreciation to sooner. | 2019-04-25T09:56:16Z | http://www.erabili.net/product/mochila-3/ |
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TicketTide reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or replace any of the terms or conditions of this TOS at any time. TicketTide will alert you of any changes to the TOS via your registered email address. Your continued use of the Services following the mailing of any changes to this TOS constitutes acceptance of those changes. If any change to this TOS is not acceptable to you, your sole remedy is to cease accessing, browsing and otherwise using the Services.
TicketTide provides a simple and quick means for business owners ("Owners" or "you") to collect payments with respect to the sale of tickets/registrations, merchandise and services for, trips registered on the Site, including Service Fees (as defined below) ("Registration Fees"), from users who want to go on such trips ("Buyers"). Owners may visit the Site, fill out a questionnaire about their business, including pricing, location, inventory, etc., and collect trip Registration Fees online directly from Buyers. Payments are all transacted through, either (a) PayPal or other third party payment service methods (collectively, "Facilitated Payment Modes" or "FPM") or (b) the TicketTide payment processing gateway (the "Gateway"). This TOS applies to you and your use of the Services as an Owner. For the Terms of Service Agreement that applies to you and your use of the Services as a Buyer and/or other non-Owner user or visitor, please see http://www.TicketTide.com/tos/buyersandothers.
TicketTide hereby grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable right to access and use the Services solely for the purposes of creating an business page with respect to, and promoting, managing, tracking, and collecting business Registration Fees for, a business that you have registered on the Site, in each case (i) in compliance with this TOS, and (ii) to the extent permitted under all applicable laws and regulations (foreign and domestic). Notwithstanding the foregoing, you shall not, and shall not permit anyone else to, directly or indirectly: (i) modify, reproduce or otherwise create derivatives of any part of the Services or Site Content (as defined below); (ii) reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or structure, sequence and organization of all or any part of the Services (except that this restriction shall not apply to the limited extent restrictions on reverse engineering are prohibited by applicable local law); (iii) rent, lease, resell, distribute or use the Services for timesharing, service bureau, or commercial purposes (except for the limited commercial purpose of collecting business Registration Fees through the Site as an Owner in accordance with this TOS); (iv) remove or alter any proprietary notices or labels on or in the Services or Site Content; or (v) engage in any activity that interferes with or disrupts the Services.
If you are allowed to download or use any Software in connection with the Services, TicketTide hereby grants you a personal, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable, non-exclusive license to use the Software solely for your internal use in connection with the Services, and only in accordance with this TOS and the written instructions/directions (if any) provided by TicketTide in conjunction with the Software. For purposes of this TOS, "Software" shall mean any and all software that is available on or through the Site or otherwise provided by TicketTide, including without limitation TicketTides mobile applications. For clarity, the Software will be deemed a part of the "Services" hereunder.
There are two types of payment processing options Owners may elect when using the Services: (1) "Facilitated Payment Processing" or "FPP", which consists of collecting business Registration Fees using FPMs; and (2) "Credit Card Processing" or "CCP", which requires the use of the Gateway for the collection of business Registration Fees. Depending on the payment processing option the Owner elects when using the Services, monetary payments will be made to the Owner directly by Buyers (via FPP) or by TicketTide (via CCP), in each case as described below.
Owners will collect all monies directly from Buyers under the FPP option. By registering for and using the FPP option, you agree to (i) pay TicketTide all then-applicable TicketTide Service Fees and Credit Card Processing Fees, which are based on the number of tickets sold by you and/or the value of such tickets, and all additional on-site service fees, equipment lease charges, printed ticket fees, and any other fees and charges of any kind payable by you to TicketTide in connection with the provision of the Services (collectively, "Service Fees"), which payments shall be due and payable upon receipt of the invoice setting forth such charges; and (ii) accept the responsibility for providing refunds to Buyers at your own discretion. TicketTide will not be responsible or liable for, and Owner hereby agrees to fully indemnify TicketTide and its affiliates for, refunds, errors in issuing refunds, or lack of refunds in connection with the use of the FPP option. Invoices are sent monthly for Service Fees incurred in the previous month.
When an Owner elects to use the Gateway for the collection of business Registration Fees, payment processing occurs directly through TicketTide. Under the CCP option, TicketTide will collect all business Registration Fees on behalf of the Owner from Buyers and deduct all applicable Services Fees from the business Registration Fees collected by TicketTide, and then pass the remainder along to the Owner each week to which the business Registration Fees correspond, provided that TicketTide reserves the right to withhold funds (i) at any time as TicketTide determines to be necessary for the processing and settlement of all refunds, disputed charges, chargebacks, customer complaints, allegations of fraud, and other discrepancies and (ii) as otherwise permitted pursuant to this TOS. TicketTide, in its sole discretion, may determine to advance a portion of business Registration Fees to Owner prior to the period set forth above, on such terms and conditions as TicketTide may establish from time to time. The Owner agrees that all business Registration Fees for a given business are earned by Owner only following conclusion of the applicable business and all business Registration Fees ultimately due will be net of all Service Fees, refunds, disputed charges, chargebacks and other deductions, whether due to customer complaints, allegations of fraud, discrepancies related to the applicable business or otherwise. No payments shall be made to an Owner from TicketTide with respect to any business that is cancelled. If payments have already been made by TicketTide to an Owner for a cancelled business, such Owner will immediately refund to TicketTide all such payments upon cancellation of such business. All sales, fees, charges, and funds are payable in U.S. Dollars, or other foreign currencies accepted by TicketTide. If the Owner elects to list business Registration Fees in a foreign currency accepted by TicketTide, TicketTide will collect and disperse the funds in the foreign currency selected by Owner.
(i) Under the CCP option, it is the responsibility of the Owner to communicate its refund policy to Buyers and to issue refunds to Buyers via the Site. An Owner shall ensure that its refund policy is consistent with the terms of this TOS and the payment and refund mechanics of the Site. The Site permits an Owner to issue refunds to Buyers, provided the refund is issued by Owner before ninety-six (96) hours after the end date of the trip and within six (6) months after the transaction date for the underlying ticket purchase. Refunds issued following such period will not be processed through the Site, unless otherwise agreed to by TicketTide in its sole discretion. Subject to the foregoing, refunds issued by an Owner will be processed within thirty (30) days after Owner instructs the issuance of the refunds via the Site. All communications or disputes regarding refunds are between the Owner and Buyer, and TicketTide will not be responsible or liable for, and Owner hereby agrees to fully indemnify TicketTide and its affiliates for, refunds, errors in issuing refunds, or lack of refunds in connection with the use of the CCP option. (ii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, you acknowledge and agree that TicketTide shall have the right to force a refund of any or all tickets at any time for any reason or no reason, including without limitation if TicketTide receives complaints from a substantial number (as determined by TicketTide in its sole discretion) of Buyers with respect to the applicable business or another business held by Owner, or TicketTide determines in its sole discretion that the Owner has engaged in any fraudulent activity or made any misrepresentations. Further, if one or more Buyer(s) request a refund, whether due to a cancelled trip or for any other reason where TicketTide would reasonably expect to lose a chargeback, TicketTide may, in its sole discretion, issue such refund to such Buyer(s), and Owner shall then owe the amount of such refund to TicketTide.
Under the CCP option, any credit card chargebacks initiated by a Buyer for any reason with respect to an trip shall be charged back to the Owner of such trip. All communications and disputes regarding chargebacks are between the Owner and Buyer, and TicketTide will not be responsible or liable in any way for, and Owner hereby agrees to fully indemnify TicketTide and its affiliates for, chargebacks issued in the course of the use of the CCP option.
In the business that the Owner fails to pay to TicketTide any amount owed pursuant to this TOS when due, such amount shall bear interest calculated from the date due until paid in full at a rate equal to the lesser of (a) ten percent (10%) per annum, and (b) the maximum amount permitted by applicable law. In the business any amounts are owed by Owner to TicketTide under this TOS or otherwise, TicketTide may, without limiting its other rights and remedies, (i) deduct such amounts from Owner's outstanding balance, whether for that particular business or for any other business that Owner lists through the Services; and/or (ii) send an invoice to Owner for such amounts to the extent Owner's outstanding balance is insufficient to cover these costs, in which case Owner shall pay TicketTide such invoiced amounts within thirty (30) days after the date of the invoice. If payment for any amounts due to TicketTide hereunder are not made by Owner when due, TicketTide reserves the right, in its sole discretion and without limiting its other rights and remedies, to terminate Owner's registration for the Services (including any and all accounts that Owner may have) and to cancel all other trips listed by Owner.
Upon receipt of a credit card authorization from each individual ticket purchase, TicketTide generates a confirmation message and issues a unique confirmation number. You agree to unconditionally accept, honor, and fulfill all ticketing commitments that have been confirmed by TicketTide through the Services, and it is your responsibility to verify the Buyer's status, confirmation number and/or any business restrictions prior to the subject business.
(i) You are solely responsible for determining which, if any, sales, use, amusement, value added, consumption, excise and other taxes, duties, levies and charges (collectively, "Taxes") apply to your use of the Services and for collecting, remitting and reporting the correct amounts of all such Taxes to the applicable governmental authorities, even if TicketTide provides you with tools that assist you in doing so. TicketTide does not represent or warrant that any tax tools will meet all tax requirements that may be applicable to you. TicketTide cannot give you legal or tax advice, so please be sure to check with your own tax advisor about any applicable Taxes. In the business that a governmental authority requires TicketTide to pay any Taxes attributable to your use of the Services, you agree to indemnify and reimburse TicketTide for such Taxes and all costs and expenses related thereto.
(ii) All Service Fees charged by TicketTide do not include any Taxes except to the extent that a Tax is expressly set forth in the applicable invoice or billing statement, and you agree to pay any Taxes that are imposed and payable on such Service Fees (other than those calculated based on TicketTide'S net income) to TicketTide.
(iv) TicketTide reserves the right to withhold the payment of any amounts owed to you hereunder if TicketTide suspects or determines that such amounts have been generated in (A) a fraudulent manner, (B) violation of this TOS, or (C) violation of any applicable laws or regulations (foreign or domestic), or if TicketTide is required to do so by applicable laws or regulations (foreign or domestic). Such withholding may be temporary or permanent (as determined by TicketTide).
As part of the Site registration process, you will create a password and account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and account, and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your account, including, without limitation, all actions by sub-users registered under your account. You agree to (a) immediately notify TicketTide of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. TicketTide cannot and will not be liable for any loss, damage or other liability arising from your failure to comply with this Section or from any unauthorized access to or use of your account. In the business of any dispute between two or more parties as to account ownership, you agree that TicketTide shall be the sole arbiter of such dispute in its sole discretion and that TicketTide'S decision (which may include termination or suspension of any account subject to dispute) shall be final and binding on all parties.
You agree that all material, including without limitation information, data, software, text, design elements, graphics, images and other content (collectively, "Content"), contained in or delivered via the Services or otherwise made available by TicketTide in connection with the Services (collectively, "Site Content") is protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets or other intellectual property and other proprietary rights and laws. TicketTide may own the Site Content or portions of the Site Content may be made available to TicketTide through arrangements with third parties. Except as expressly authorized by TicketTide in writing or in connection with your use of the intended functionality of the Services, you agree not to sell, license, rent, modify, distribute, copy, reproduce, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, adapt, edit or create derivative works of any Site Content, or post any Site Content on any other web site or in a networked computer environment for any purpose. Reproducing, copying or distributing any Site Content for any other purpose is strictly prohibited without the express prior written permission of TicketTide. You shall use the Site Content only for purposes that are permitted by this TOS and any applicable laws and regulations (foreign and domestic). Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.
You acknowledge and agree that if you contribute, provide or make available any Content to the Site ("Your Content"), you hereby grant to TicketTide a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right and license to use, reproduce, adapt, modify, distribute, translate, publish, create derivative works based on, perform, display and otherwise exploit Your Content, in whole or in part, in any media now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose whatsoever. You represent and warrant that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the foregoing license, and that all Your Content (i) does not infringe, violate, misappropriate or otherwise conflict with the rights of any third party, and (ii) complies with all applicable laws and regulations (foreign and domestic). In addition, Your Content must be accurate and truthful. TicketTide reserves the right to remove any of Your Content from the Site at any time if TicketTide believes in its sole discretion that it does not comply with this TOS. In addition, you agree that TicketTide may use your name and logo (whether or not you have made it available through the Site) for the purpose of identifying you as an existing or past customer of TicketTide both on the Site and in marketing and promotional materials.
You acknowledge that TicketTide does not pre-screen any Content provided or made available by you or any third party in connection with the Services, but that TicketTide and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to (i) monitor, alter, edit, or remove any of your Content, in whole or in part, and/or (ii) rescind and terminate your right to use the Services at any time (with or without notice) for any reason or no reason. You acknowledge and agree that TicketTide may preserve your Content and may also disclose your Content for any reason, including without limitation if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process; (b) enforce this TOS; (c) respond to claims that any of your Content violates the rights of third parties; and/or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of TicketTide, its users and/or the public. You understand that the technical processing and transmission of the Services, including Your Content, may involve (i) transmissions over various networks; and/or (ii) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices.
TicketTide may provide you with the right to use a sub-domain within the Site (e.g., [sub-domain prefix].TicketTide.com). All such sub-domains are the sole property of TicketTide. In the business TicketTide provides you with a sub-domain, your right to use such sub-domain may be terminated by TicketTide at any time (with or without notice) for any reason or no reason.
The following terms and conditions describe the terms and conditions of TicketTide's referral programs. TicketTide reserves the absolute right to determine whether you or any other user of the Services qualifies for any of the following referral programs.
TicketTide will pay a referral fee to persons or entities ("Owner Referrers") that refer revenue-generating Owners to TicketTide, subject to the following terms and conditions: (a) Prior to an Owner's initial use of the Services, the Owner Referrer must have contacted the Owner and have been instrumental in getting the Owner initially to register for and sell tickets/registrations for an business using the Services (as determined by TicketTide in its sole discretion). The referral must be properly registered with TicketTide when the Owner initially sets up its account and the Owner Referrer must fully comply with all instructions with respect thereto. (b) TicketTide will pay the Owner Referrer twenty-five percent (25%) of the TicketTide Service Fees for the first month, which may vary based on TicketTide's agreement with the applicable Owner and does not include additional amounts such as taxes, royalties, credit card processing and other Service Fees and will be net of all refunds, credit card chargebacks and all other deducted amounts) actually paid to TicketTide and retained by TicketTide for the Owner's account during the 12-month period following the date of such Owner's first business registration via the Services. The referral fee will be paid at the beginning of each month to the Owner Referrer if the amount due and unpaid is five dollars ($5.00) or more. Any unpaid balances will be added to any balances due in subsequent months. (c) TicketTide reserves the right to change, modify or terminate this Owner referral program and/or its terms at any time in its sole discretion. TicketTide reserves the right to determine what, if any, amounts are properly due Owner Referrers hereunder in its sole discretion.
TicketTide makes available Software via the Services that makes it possible for Owners to offer third parties ("Buyer Referrers") a bonus in exchange for referring Buyers to their business(s) ("Referral Software"). TicketTide will make a good faith effort to provide information and instructions as necessary to use the Referral Software correctly. If you use the Referral Software in any capacity, you will comply with all such instructions. For clarity, the Referral Software shall be deemed part of the "Software" and "Services" hereunder. Your use of the Referral Software is also subject to the following terms and conditions: (a) TicketTide is neither a party to any agreements (actual or implied) entered into by Owners and Buyer Referrers, nor is it an agent, employee, partner or other representative of Owners or Buyer Referrers. TicketTide has no responsibility for any failure or alleged failure of performance of any Owner or Buyer Referrer to each other or to any third party. (b) TicketTide does not screen or investigate in any way the users of the Services to determine their ability or willingness to perform the obligations that may be undertaken pursuant to this Buyer referral program. Owners and Buyer Referrers need to resolve all questions and issues between themselves. TicketTide makes no representations or warranties and gives no assurances that any Owner or any Buyer Referrer will perform under the Buyer referrer program, including without limitation Owners paying any money owed to Buyer Referrers. (c) TicketTide will not settle, mediate or otherwise assume responsibility for resolving disputes between Owners and Buyer Referrers. (d) TicketTide assumes no liability arising from the use or misuse of the Referral Software, or in the business that the Referral Software fails to operate as expected, even if such failure results in the loss of data or in the misrepresentation of data necessary for the Owners and Buyer Referrers to fulfill commitments entered into using the Referral Software.
TicketTide may, upon request, and for such fees as TicketTide may establish from time to time in its sole discretion, provide additional services to you beyond the functionality of the Site, including without limitation leasing ticket scanning and other equipment, providing consultants and staffers to assist you on the date of your business, and providing dedicated account management services. All such additional services, whether provided prior to, during or following your business, shall be deemed a part of the Services and subject to all the terms and conditions of this TOS. Such additional services shall be set forth in a written Addendum Agreement to this TOS, TicketTide Equipment Lease Agreement, and/or other written agreement between you and an authorized officer of TicketTide, and shall set forth the Service Fees and the other terms and conditions relating to such additional services. As a condition to the lease of any equipment, you shall enter into a separate TicketTide Equipment Lease Agreement.
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold TicketTide, and its affiliates, and each of its and their respective officers, directors, agents, co-branders, other partners, and employees, harmless from any and all damage (whether direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or otherwise), loss, liability, cost and expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys and accounting fees) resulting from any claim, demand, suit, proceeding (whether before an arbitrator, court, mediator or otherwise), or investigation made by any third party (each a "Claim") due to or arising out of: your Content; your or any of your affiliates, or any of your or your affiliates officers, directors, agents or employees, use of, contribution to or connection with the Services or violation of any rights of another; your business(s); and/or your violation of this TOS. TicketTide shall provide notice to you of any such Claim, provided that the failure or delay by TicketTide in providing such notice shall not limit your obligations hereunder. TicketTide reserves the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter which is subject to indemnification under this Section, and in such case, you agree to cooperate with all reasonable requests in assisting TicketTides defense of such matter.
TicketTide reserves the right at any time to, and from time to time may, modify, suspend or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Services (or any part thereof) for any reason or no reason with or without notice. TicketTide will not be responsible to you for a refund, in whole or part, of Service Fees for any reason, except for Service Fees (excluding the portion of Service Fees paid over to FPMs and other third party service providers used by TicketTide in connection with providing the Services) related to refunds issued to Buyers. You agree that TicketTide shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Services.
TicketTide, in its sole discretion, may terminate your password, accounts (or any part thereof) and/or your right to use the Services, and remove and discard any and all of Your Content within the Services, at any time for any reason or no reason, including, without limitation, for lack of use, failure to timely pay any fees or other monies due TicketTide, or if TicketTide believes that you have violated or acted inconsistently with the letter or spirit of this TOS. You agree that any termination of your right to use the Services may be effected without prior notice, and acknowledge and agree that TicketTide may immediately deactivate or delete your account and all related Content and files related to your account and/or bar any further access to such files or the Services. Further, you agree that TicketTide shall not be liable to you or any third-party for any termination of your right to use or otherwise access the Services. All provisions of this TOS that by their nature should survive termination of your right to use the Services shall survive (including, without limitation, all limitations on liability, releases, indemnification obligations, disclaimers of warranties, and intellectual property protections and licenses).
The Services may provide, or third parties may provide, links to other Internet websites or resources. Because TicketTide has no control over such websites and resources, you acknowledge and agree that TicketTide is not responsible for the availability of such websites or resources, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any Content, advertising, products, services or other materials on or available from such websites or resources. You further acknowledge and agree that TicketTide shall not be responsible or liable for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with any use of or reliance on any such Content, advertising, products, services or other materials available on or through any such website or resource.
THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TicketTide HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. TicketTide MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT: (I) THE SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, (II) THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, (III) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE, (IV) THE SERVICES THEMSELVES (OR ANY PART THEREOF) WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS, OR (V) ANY ERRORS IN THE SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED. TicketTide IS NOT RESPONSIBLE AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR THE CONTENT, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, ACTIONS OR INACTIONS OF ANY USER, BUYER OR OTHER NON-Owner, Owner OR THIRD PARTY BEFORE, DURING AND/OR AFTER AN business; AND TicketTide WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY WARRANTY DISCLAIMED IN (I) THROUGH (V) ABOVE. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT TicketTide HAS NO CONTROL OVER AND DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE QUALITY, SAFETY OR LEGALITY OF trips ADVERTISED, THE TRUTH OR ACCURACY OF ANY USERS' (INCLUDING BUYERS', OTHER NON-Owners' AND Owners') CONTENT OR LISTINGS, OR THE ABILITY OF ANY USER (INCLUDING BUYERS AND Owners) TO PERFORM, OR ACTUALLY COMPLETE A TRANSACTION. IN ADDITION, TicketTide IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH, AND HAS NO AGENCY OR EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP WITH, ANY THIRD PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SERVICES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY FPM SERVICE), AND TicketTide HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR, AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING FROM, THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF ANY SUCH THIRD PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER. THE FOREGOING DISCLAIMERS SHALL NOT APPLY TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may report the misconduct of users, Buyers, other non-Owners, Owners and/or third parties in connection with the Site or any Services to TicketTide. TicketTide, in its sole discretion, may investigate the claim and take necessary action.
TicketTide SHALL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES OR UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS TOS, FOR: (I) ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF TicketTide HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), (II) THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, (III) AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF US$100.00 IN THE AGGREGATE FOR ALL CLAIMS FROM A GIVEN Owner WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES, OR (IV) ANY MATTERS BEYOND TicketTide'S REASONABLE CONTROL. TicketTide SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY OF YOUR CONTENT OR ANY CONTENT OF ANY OTHER USER OF THE SERVICES. THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS SHALL NOT APPLY TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
IN CONSIDERATION OF BEING PERMITTED TO ACCESS AND USE THE SERVICES, YOU HEREBY AGREE TO RELEASE TicketTide, AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND EACH OF ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, CO-BRANDERS, OTHER PARTNERS, AND EMPLOYEES FROM ALL DAMAGES (WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHERWISE), LOSSES, LIABILITIES, COSTS AND EXPENSES OF EVERY KIND AND NATURE, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD PARTIES (INCLUDING OTHER Owners, BUYERS, AND OTHER NON-Owners) IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICES, YOUR ACCESS AND USE OF THE SERVICES, OR YOUR business.
Notices to you may be made via either email or regular mail to the address in TicketTide's records. The Services may also provide notices of changes to this TOS or other matters by displaying notices or links to notices to you generally on the Services. Any notice from you to us shall be sent via email.
The trademarks, service marks, and logos of TicketTide (the "TicketTide Trademarks") used and displayed in connection with the Services are registered and unregistered trademarks or service marks of TicketTide. Other company, product, and service names used in connection with the Services may be trademarks or service marks owned by third parties (the "Third Party Trademarks", and, collectively with TicketTide Trademarks, the "Trademarks"). The offering of the Services shall not be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademark displayed in connection with the Services without the prior written consent of TicketTide specific for each such use. The Trademarks may not be used to disparage TicketTide, any third party or TicketTide's or third party's products or services, or in any manner (in TicketTide's sole judgment) that may damage any goodwill in the Trademarks. Use of any Trademarks as part of a link to or from any site is prohibited unless TicketTide approves the establishment of such a link by prior written consent specific for each such link. All goodwill generated from the use of any TicketTide Trademark shall inure to TicketTide's benefit.
This TOS constitutes the entire agreement between you and TicketTide and governs your use of the Services as an Owner, superseding any prior or contemporaneous agreements, proposals, discussions or communications between you and TicketTide on the subject matter hereof, other than any written Ticketing Services Agreement, TicketTide Equipment Lease Agreement or Addendum Agreement between you and an authorized officer of TicketTide relating to a specified business or trips. You also may be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when you use affiliate services, third party Content or third party software or the Services in a manner other than as governed by this TOS.
This TOS and the provision of the Services to you are governed by the laws of the state of Victoria, Australia, as such laws are applied to agreements entered into and to be performed entirely within Victoria by Victorian residents.
Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this TOS or the provision of the Services shall be exclusively settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules in Australia. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis, and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in Melbourne, Victoria, and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. Subject to the foregoing arbitration provision, you and TicketTide agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of the courts located within the city and state of melbourne, Victoria. Either you or TicketTide may seek any interim or preliminary relief from a court of competent jurisdiction in Melbourne, Victoria, necessary to protect the rights or property of you or TicketTide (or its agents, suppliers, and subcontractors) pending the completion of arbitration.
The failure or delay of TicketTide to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this TOS shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. No oral waiver, amendment or modification shall be effective under any circumstance whatsoever. If any provision of this TOS is found by an arbitrator or court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the arbitrator or court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of this TOS shall remain in full force and effect. | 2019-04-21T20:52:50Z | http://www.tickettide.com/conditions |
I can today reproduce key sections from the official report that reveals how police failures allowed a schizophrenic patient to murder a stranger.
It comes after the Metropolitan Police Service tried to suppress the report of the official investigation into the gruesome murder.
In 2011, Nicola Edgington, who had a history of mental illness and was living in the community, killed Sally Hodkin, a 58-year-old grandmother at random in south-east London.
She slashed her victim’s neck with a butcher’s knife, almost decapitating her.
She had stabbed her own mother to death in 2005, and the following year was convicted of manslaughter and detained in a secure unit.
I have read the report in full. It sets out the events of October 10, 2011 that led to murder, and where police and hospital staff fouled up.
Extracts are reproduced exactly below in italics with the same emphasis as in original. I have added explanatory notes in square brackets.
At 4.01am a mini cab firm contacted the Police to say that Ms Edgington was crying in the back of their office, refusing to leave. At 4.15am two police constables (PCs) arrived, and Ms Edgington informed them that she had mental health issues and needed medication.
It is documented that she was deemed to be agitated, but reasonably compliant in her behaviour. The police constables walked with her out of the office, and she appeared to them to have the self control and capacity to understand what was said to her. They decided to send her to hospital voluntarily, as they genuinely thought she was seeking help. She then refused to get into the ambulance, saying “I’m not getting in that box”.
The PCs did not at any stage carry out a Police National Computer (PNC) check which would have shown that Ms Edgington had a conviction for manslaughter (in 2006 Ms Edgington was convicted of manslaughter after stabbing and fatally injuring her mother. She was detained under section 37/41 of the Mental Health Act (1983) and detained at the Bracton Centre, a Medium Secure Unit, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust).
The Officers took Ms Edgington to the A&E at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), they arrived at 4.29am, and helped her to book in. Ms Edgington told the A&E receptionist that she needed to be seen by the mental health team. The officers explained to her that she had to remain there. There were at least 15 people waiting to be seen by the triage nurse at that time.
At 4:31 am, as the Officers were about to leave the car park, Ms Edgington ran out to them. They reassured her, and ushered her back inside at 4:34 am. CCTV footage showed one Officer having a conversation with Ms Edgington by the main entrance. During this time Ms Edgington was seen to move around a lot and appeared to be agitated. Ms Edgington then picked up the direct phone to the taxi company near one of the Officers and said she was going to call a cab. The Officer replied “you don’t have any money”. She then put the phone down and stood near the reception area away from him, once again returning to the direct phone for a taxi in his full view.
At 4:37 am both Officers left the hospital, only to be followed by Ms Edgington again. She reassured the police she was only having a cigarette. Both officers waited for a few minutes and then left to attend to another call.
At 4.37 CCTV footage recorded Ms Edgington entering the hospital by the main entrance by herself, and from this time onwards she is recorded as constantly moving around and appearing agitated. On her return to the A&E waiting area, Ms Edgington asked the receptionist “how long am I going to be here”? and “is it going to take for me to kill someone, as I’ve done it before”.
At 4:53 am Ms Edgington was seen by the triage nurse, she said she wanted to see a mental health person and go into hospital. She said everyone wanted to hurt her and she was hearing voices. The psychiatric team accepted her referral.
Whilst waiting to be seen in A&E Ms Edgington called the Police several times, saying that she was dangerous and that she was very scared, and that her Psychiatrist had said that when she was like this she was very dangerous, and also that the last time she felt like this she killed someone.
Ms Edgington also wanted the Police to take her into custody as she felt the hospital staff were not taking her seriously. The Police Communications Officer called the hospital directly, who said that they had the matter in hand.
The Charge Nurse of A&E reported that security came to him saying that there was a lady in the waiting area who was saying that she wanted to kill someone, and she was really distressed and shouting and screaming, and she was shaking and scratching her arms constantly. He called the Mental Health Liaison Nurse (MHLN) and asked him if he knew about the lady. The MHLN did know about her as he had had a referral from the triage nurse. Both the A&E Charge Nurse and the MHLN were unaware of the circumstances preceding her arrival in A&E, and the fact that she had been brought there by police.
At 5:30 am Ms Edgington was seen by the MHLN, who could not access her RiO (electronic) notes whilst assessing her in A&E as the RiO connection was not working properly, however he had looked at her RiO notes in Oxleas House (an acute psychiatric admission unit situated in the grounds of QEH), before he came to assess her.
The MHLN learned from this that she was known to the Bracton Centre and that she had killed her mother. He did not look at the care plan or community crisis plan before coming to assess her. He recorded that she told him that she had been feeling unwell and scared and paranoid.
Ms Edgington reported that she had stopped taking both Sodium Valproate (mood stabiliser) and Quetiapine (anti-psychotic) for months. She talked about flashbacks of being abused as a child, and her concern that her children were being sexually abused in Jamaica. She also stated that she had used Skunk (a form of strong cannabis) recently. She appeared suspicious and wanted the assessment room door left open. The plan made by the MHLN was for Ms Edgington to have an informal admission, and she was placed on level 2 (15 minute) observations while she waited to be escorted to Oxleas House.
Following a discussion with the duty psychiatrist (a GP trainee who had just commenced this post as part of his rotation) the MHLN recorded the plan as: informal admission, with risks to self, harm to others and self neglect being marked “low”, and substance misuse and forensic risk being marked “high” – the latter was said to be “based on the past”. Ms Edgington was placed on level 2 observations - stated within the ‘Safe and Therapeutic Observation Policy (2012)’ as: ‘patients on level two observations should be observed no less frequently than every fifteen minutes’.
The MHLN left the assessment room in A&E and went back to Oxleas House (several minutes’ walk away) to type up his assessment. The Charge Nurse reported to the External Independent Investigation Panel that immediately after he left, Ms Edgington came out of the assessment room and started shouting “when are they taking me to Oxleas, because I’m really unwell I need to be in Oxleas, you people don’t understand”. He further stated that she again ran off, and he and the security guard caught up with her, and together with the Triage Nurse, they got her back to A&E, from where she was then escorted, by a security guard and an A&E Nurse to Oxleas House.
Ms Edgington was initially placed in the Mary Seacole Unit of Oxleas House whilst arrangements were made to admit her. Later Ms Edgington asked if she could wait in the reception area. This was agreed to as she was deemed to be in sight of the night staff.
At 7.05 am Ms Edgington suddenly pushed open the doors to the Unit to leave. She returned but left again at 7.06 am and this time she did not return. Ms Edgington caught a bus to Bexleyheath, where she purchased a knife from a supermarket. Ms Edgington then used the toilet in the supermarket to take the knife out of the wrapper, placing it in her bag.
Ms Edgington then left the supermarket, and went to a bus stop where she attacked and attempted to stab Ms Kerry Clark. Ms Clark successfully fought off Ms Edgington, who dropped the knife. Ms Edgington then grabbed a knife from a butcher’s shop situated near the attack, and ran off to a nearby memorial park, where she encountered and fatally stabbed Mrs Sally Hodkin with the knife. Mrs Hodkin was pronounced dead at the scene.
1. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) determines “contributory factors as those which affect the performance of individuals whose actions may have an effect on the delivery of safe and effective care to Service Users and hence the likelihood of Care Delivery or Service Delivery problems occurring”. Contributory factors may be considered to either influence the occurrence or outcome of an incident, or to actually cause it. The removal of the influence may not always prevent incident recurrence but will generally improve the safety of the care system; whereas the removal of causal factors or ‘root causes’ will be expected to prevent or significantly reduce the chances of reoccurrence”.
1. The Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist who assessed Ms Edgington on behalf of the Bracton Clinic (on 13/12/05) concluded that there was some evidence that Ms Edgington was “suffering from a mental illness as evidenced by her over-valued or delusional ideas in relation to her ex-boyfriend and family members, and the apparent deterioration in her social and occupational functioning in the weeks leading up to the alleged index offence” (in November 2005). He felt she would benefit from a period of assessment in medium security. Despite the prison Inreach Team initially recording no evidence of mental illness, the External Independent Investigation Panel agree that she was appropriately transferred to a medium secure bed at the Bracton Centre in February 2006, under Section 48/49 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
2. The internal inquiry [carried out by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust] described Ms Edgington’s diagnosis as “schizophrenia with a prominent mood component, complicated by emotionally unstable personality traits and a history of substance misuse”, which is the formulation given by the Bracton Associate Specialist in a report for the solicitors in May 2006. At other times in her records, the diagnosis is variously given as paranoid schizophrenia with a prominent mood component, and schizoaffective disorder. The External Independent Investigation Panel understands that the clinical team’s working diagnosis of Ms Edgington lay between Paranoid Schizophrenia with a strong mood component and Schizoaffective disorder, and that she was not diagnosed with a personality disorder.
3. A mental state examination conducted by a Forensic Psychiatrist preparing a report for the Crown Prosecution Service after she fatally stabbed her mother, indicated that “it is likely that when psychiatrists assessed her in the past… she was able to hide her symptoms for the duration of the assessment interviews”, and concluded that “an acute psychotic episode of schizophrenia was present” and that she also had some “emotionally unstable personality traits”. In conclusion, she recommended that Ms Edgington would require a long period of time in a secure hospital environment for further treatment, risk assessment, and long-term rehabilitation.
4. On the 29 September 2009, after spending 3.5 years in the Bracton Centre, Ms Edgington was conditionally discharged, with MoJ [Ministry of Justice] approval, to the Supported Accommodation Housing Association flat. This was not 24 hour staffed accommodation. The External Investigation Panel note the Psychologist’s comments, that “Edgington is trying to present herself in a good light and may be minimising any psychological difficulties” in order to obtain her conditional discharge, and that she had little insight into the offence and therefore the duration of her treatment, and “is fixated on making fast progress to discharge”.
6. At a CPA [Care Programme Approach] review on 3 March 2010, the Consultant Psychiatrist stated that “any likely early changes in Ms Edgington’s mental health are unlikely to be marked but rather the quality of her interactions may appear less warm or sensitive to the needs of others.” Throughout Ms Edgington’s period of conditional discharge, there was evidence of problems with her interaction with others, including family, neighbours, former and current partners, and people in positions of responsibility in the community, but this seems not to have been adequately considered.
7. When Ms Edgington went to Jamaica, there was no evidence of immediate contact with the MoJ, when concerns arose following Ms Edgington’s husband in Jamaica contacting the team, and the elder child’s social worker. When a report was later submitted to the MoJ by the Social Supervisor on the 22 April she stated that Ms Edgington acknowledged she had drunk two Pernods at a party with her husband, but added, “Her mental state has been stable and she has managed many family and relationship issues with equilibrium,” which does not seem to reflect the situation adequately.
8. When the Consultant Psychiatrist subsequently visited Ms Edgington at home following her return from Jamaica, she recorded in the notes that “There was no evidence that Edgington had threatened her husband referring to a knife”, and appeared to accept Ms Edgington’s account that this incident had occurred several years earlier when she was unwell.
9. The CPN [Community Psychiatric Nurse] was informed by a police officer on 3 August 2010 that an ex partner of Ms Edgington had said that she drank alcohol from time to time, and that her behaviour changed when she did, and further reported an occasion when she was threatening to someone who had jumped a queue at a night club and threatened to pull a knife on them. The care team did not do enough to explore this.
10. In 2011 Ms Edgington’s stress factors increased significantly, given that she believed she had miscarried, and she was receiving threatening messages from her last boyfriend. She also stated that a Bracton male patient was threatening her. At this time, her Sodium Valproate had stopped, following a planned and gradual reduction which commenced on 15 July 2010 because of side effects and because she reported that she might be pregnant. There is no evidence to suggest that the team checked with the GP whether Ms Edgington was pregnant. The Consultant Psychiatrist noted that while Edgington reporting two previous boyfriends were threatening her was potentially concerning, she did not consider there to be any fragility in Edgington’s mental state. This raises the question of whether the care team should have been more alert to the impact of her personality traits and volatile relationships with men, both in relation to putting her at risk of relapse, and in relation to potential risk to others.
11. In June 2011 Ms Edgington was “working three days a week for a security company. Her primary tasks are cold calling.” There does not appear to have been consideration given to gaining her consent to make contact with the employer, or to considering the appropriateness of the job.
12. In September 2011 Ms Edgington again believed that she had had a miscarriage, even though this was not confirmed by the GP. Although she discussed this with the CPN, there does not seem to have been adequate recognition of or response to the significance of this risk factor, or its subsequent relationship to her trying to contact her brother, and telling the Bracton patient – inferring the baby would be his.
13. On Thursday the 6 October 2011 the Social Supervisor wrote about a telephone conversation she had with Ms Edgington after Ms Edgington was not at home for a scheduled appointment. “She said her brother had replied to her in an offensive manner last Wednesday.” The Social Supervisor arranged to meet Ms Edgington on the Monday (October 10) at 5pm.
14. Given the significance of Ms Edgington thinking she had miscarried, trying to contact her brother to tell him this, and the likely impact of his terse reply, in retrospect it is easy to suggest that Ms Edgington should have been seen on 6th or 7th October (before the weekend).
15. If Ms Edgington had been in a 24 hour staffed hostel, it is likely that hostel staff would have been aware of her deterioration over the weekend 7-10th October, given her general behaviour and contact with the Police and this would have afforded more of an opportunity to effect a safe admission to hospital and to communicate directly with duty staff from the Trust to raise their concerns.
16 However even if the significance of these developments was not apparent at the time, had Ms Edgington been in 24 hour staffed accommodation, hostel staff may have been able to effect her safe admission to hospital over the 9 - 10 October.
17. Ms Edgington was exhibiting signs of agitation and distress at the minicab office when the PCs attended, and she also clearly informed the Officers that she had mental health issues and needed medication. When she also refused to get in the ambulance, this should have raised their concerns about the fragility of her mental health and her level of cooperation. The Officers did not carry out a PNC check which would have shown them that she had a conviction for Manslaughter.
1. Both Ms Edgington’s sister and father had contact with her when she was at the Bracton Centre. Her father, sister and brother, in interviews with the External Investigation Panel, felt that they were not consulted, and their views were not considered by the care team. For example, the incident at Christmas when her father visited Ms Edgington [they had a row], and a judgement about what took place was made by the team on the word of Ms Edgington only.
2. As Ms Edgington’s husband lived in Jamaica, Ms Edgington’s father was legally Ms Edgington’s next of kin under the Mental Health Act 1983. There was a missed opportunity for the Bracton team to seek collateral information about Ms Edgington’s history and behaviour from family members.
3. Throughout Ms Edgington’s period of conditional discharge, evidence of problems with her interaction with others, whether it be family, neighbours, previous partners, or people in official positions in the community, seem not to have been adequately considered by the team.
4. There was an invitation to the local mental health team in Greenwich to attend a section 117 aftercare meeting, which was sent a week before the meeting. Their presence was requested for their knowledge of local services, not to provide direct supervision. There was no record found of the local authority Social Services being invited, despite them having an interest in the welfare of Ms Edgington’s children in Jamaica, and they should have been party to the later discussions about Ms Edgington visiting them in Jamaica.
5. It is not clear from the clinical notes which agencies were invited to the Bracton Centre CPA reviews for Ms Edgington. Her GP did not contribute, but had information concerning Ms Edgington’s assumed pregnancies which would have been useful in terms of considering Ms Edgington’s stress levels about pregnancy. The GP practice did not have a record of the relapse indicators. Ms Edgington’s father was not invited to attend, yet he was the legal next of kin, given that her husband was not resident in the UK and therefore was ineligible to exercise the Nearest Relative function. Mr [name removed] also had useful information about Ms Edgington’s concerning behaviour in the community.
6. On 23 June 2011 the CPN recorded that Ms Edgington was “working three days a week for a security company. Her primary tasks are cold calling”. There does not appear to have been consideration about making contact with the employer, or considering the appropriateness of the job.
7. On Saturday evening 8 October, Ms Edgington’s brother phoned the Bracton Centre reception and told them his sister had contacted him and he did not think she was well. Her brother said to the Independent Investigation Panel that he was told if Ms Edgington was bothering him, he should call the Police. This response was inadequate in terms of risk management. If her clinical team had been made aware of this, and it was combined with knowledge of the events of the previous week, there would have been a possibility for intervention, although it was, of course, out of hours.
1. Whilst the External Independent Investigation Panel accepts that applying to the MoJ for a conditional discharge is a legal route open to the clinical team, In the case of Ms Edgington, who was a high profile patient and who by the clinical team’s own account, was challenging when faced with controls placed on her, it seemed to the Independent Investigation Panel that continuing with her application to the First Tier Mental Health Tribunal would have had her stage of readiness and mental health tested by a Tribunal appointed Judge, Independent Consultant Psychiatrist and a lay member.
3. This was an assumption, given that her sister had said that she would not see her in the community without support and Ms Edgington had not seen her brother since before killing their mother.
4. The referral, completed by the Social Supervisor, was sent to the Bracton Centre’s link for MAPPA referrals but was not sent on by the Bracton Coordinator for MAPPA.
5. The Risk, Crisis and Contingency Plan did not reflect all documented risk factors – such as Ms Edgington’s increased stress levels in relation to pregnancy, or her employment.
6. On 16 December 2009 a CPA Management Review was carried out. The CPA documentation or notes of the meeting do not refer to the concerns raised by the tenants at the supported accommodation, or the confrontation with the ticket inspector [she refused to give her name or address to him after he caught her sitting in first class without the right ticket].
7. When Ms Edgington took a part time job as a telephone call sales person, the appropriateness of this role was not questioned as part of her CPA review, or by the care team at any other time. It is documented in the clinical records that Ms Edgington felt she was probably bullying a member of staff at her place of work. Ms Edgington worked three days a week, and this was a missed opportunity to learn more about how she was relating to her peers, and managing the additional stress of work.
8. On 15 January 2009 a Social Circumstances report for the Mental Health Tribunal, notes that Ms Edgington is nervous about moving to an environment where she will be alone at night. The care team considered that Ms Edgington had good self care and was very compliant with medication and treatment, and was prepared to be open with her care team about her needs. For those reasons the decision was made that she should be placed in supported accommodation, rather than a 24 hour staffed hostel or care home.
9. If Ms Edgington had been based in 24 hour supported accommodation following her conditional discharge, there would have been more opportunity to observe her behaviour, in particular her relationships with men.
10. It is documented that the first key worker at Ms Edgington’s accommodation communicated with Ms Edgington’s CPN when the CPN visited Ms Edgington at her flat. However the subsequent key worker reported to the External Independent Investigation that communication was poor, although he reported to the Internal investigation that he had met both the CPN and Social Worker and that they would visit Ms Edgington first and then have a brief word with him.
11. During Ms Edgington’s first trip to Jamaica to see her children, her husband contacted the team saying that Ms Edgington had threatened him with a knife. On her return to England, the Consultant Psychiatrist visited Ms Edgington at home, and wrote the following in the RiO notes “There was no evidence that Ms Edgington had threatened her husband referring to a knife.” This assessment was based on Ms Edgington’s word, there is no evidence that this was corroborated by her husband in Jamaica. Had this report been explored more fully, and the information shared with the MoJ, the possibility of recall could have been considered.
1. The External Independent Investigation Panel is of the view that there was enough evidence for the police to place Ms Edgington under section 136 of the MHA 1983 on one occasion in the small hours of the 10 October 2011, when she was observed by the Police (as stated in their statements) coming out of A&E for the second time. The PCs recognised that she had mental health problems and although she appeared to be willing to go to hospital, she did in fact leave A&E twice, the first time being escorted back to reception by the Police Officers, after they reassured her and the second time saying that she had only come out for a cigarette. When she came out of hospital a second time the Police had an opportunity to question her willingness to remain. Ms Edgington had used the dedicated taxi phone on two occasions to call a mini-cab in the presence of the PC and had her call terminated by the PC on the second occasion. At this point the Panel felt it would have been reasonable for the PCs to conclude it was necessary to detain her under section 136 of the MHA. In their view, Ms Edgington met both the criteria for section 136 set out in the Policing Mental Health Standard Operating Procedure, February 2011, and the justification of compulsion for willing patients.
The panel accepts that section 136 of the Mental Health Act is an emergency power and that whether to use it is a judgement call. Given this set of circumstances some Police officers may have applied Section 136 of the Mental Health Act whilst others may not have. The Police Officers involved reached their decision in good faith and were satisfied that Ms Edgington did not meet the relevant test. However, the Panel believes that Ms Edgington could have been placed on a section 136 in light of her level of agitation and her demonstration of intention to leave the unit by twice attempting to arrange a taxi via the dedicated free taxi phone in the presence of the police officer. This was followed by Ms Edgington's leaving of the A&E unit for a second time and it is the view of the Panel that the likelihood of her remaining to undergo voluntary admission had by now been placed in serious doubt. When leaving the QEH the police officers had felt that Ms Edgington "had appeared fine, that she was a little nervous but ultimately was not happy with having to wait to be given her medication", the accompanying PC stated that "She genuinely seemed as though she wanted help". Both PC's stated that the Hospital was where she was repeatedly asking to be. They left the situation therefore feeling that she was nervous but presenting no threat and that she was in a place where she both wanted to be and would receive the support and care that she needed. The panel view is that throughout the period of her interaction with the emergency services Ms Edgington was expressing the view that she wanted treatment and care.
Had Ms Edgington been detained on Section 136 she would have been taken immediately to the locked Section 136 assessment unit within Oxleas House, being the designated safe place. Once there, the Trust standard is that the Duty Psychiatrist should assess the patient within 60 minutes. This assessment would have revealed that Ms Edgington was a conditionally discharged restricted patient with a conviction for manslaughter; this would have allowed a much more considered assessment to take place, with Ms Edgington detained throughout. The circumstances of this case highlight the need for a process by which the police and other emergency services are able to conduct, on arrival, an appropriate handover of the patient with appropriate health professionals regardless of the manner through which crisis mental health care is sought.
2. The MHLN had ascertained before going to A&E that she had killed her mother and was known to the Bracton Centre. However, he did not look at the care plan or crisis plan before going to assess her and was unable to access her electronic records whilst assessing her. He recorded her hearing voices, her request to be sectioned because she did not feel safe, that she had ceased taking all her medication and that she had used a strong form of cannabis. He was unaware that she had been taken to A&E by the police. Her contingency plan in part stated “there should be a low threshold for admission given the seriousness of the index offence...it is also known Edgington was seen by a psychiatrist in the weeks before the offence and not thought to be psychiatrically unwell....this would appear Ms Edgington can mask emerging symptoms of her illness”.
The Panel does acknowledge that he accurately assessed Ms Edgington as needing admission and accurately scored her high as a forensic risk, and that following a discussion with the Duty Doctor at Oxleas House, her observation level was set at level 2 – which is to observe every 15 minutes.
2.1 Given what the nurse knew of the patient and his interview notes this does not seem to the panel an unreasonable judgement. Ms Edgington did not show any signs of wanting to abscond to the nurse. However the panel do believe that had the nurse availed himself of the full information available then a different outcome may have resulted.
2.2 If the nurse had read the balance of paperwork that was not read, would it have made any difference to that assessment of presentation?
The balance of the paperwork available to the MHLN included the Care Plan and the Community Crisis Plan. These documents would have informed him that: she was stated to require a low threshold for admission; that she could mask the signs of her psychiatric illness; and emergency acute admission should be facilitated via home treatment team or via presentation at Oxleas House.
Given this additional information the panel believes that the correct level of observation should have been one to one constant observation.
2.3 If Ms Edgington had been observed constantly by a nurse following her arrival at A&E, would her presentation have led to 1:1 observation?
Given this presentation the panel believe that it would have significantly raised the risk profile for Ms Edgington and that one to one observation levels would have been indicated.
2.4 If Ms Edgington had been observed constantly and had the balance of her clinical notes read would this have changed the observation level?
Given the above the panel believe that the additional written information and observations of her behaviour following arrival at the A&E unit would have significantly raised the risk profile for Ms Edgington and that one to one observation levels would have been indicated.
Whilst the External Independent Panel accept that this was a judgement made by the MHLN and the Duty Doctor, they judge the observation level to be inadequate given her forensic history and clinical presentation. Had Ms Edgington’s observation levels been set so that she was in eyesight at all times (as indicated by her forensic history and clinical presentation at that time) then this would have provided an opportunity to support Ms Edgington and discourage her from leaving before being admitted to the in patient service.
Once Ms Edgington was escorted to Oxleas House it would have become obvious to anyone observing her that Ms Edgington was not settled, she asked to sit in a reception area where she could see staff and she pushed open the inner and outer doors of Oxleas house and then went back into the Unit, before absconding one minute later. Had Ms Edgington been on eyesight observation there would have been, as described in the Trust Policy, an opportunity to engage with Ms Edgington whilst continuing to clinically assess her. There would also have been an opportunity to persuade her from leaving Oxleas house by the observing staff member. This observation level assessment and the consequent poor follow up within Oxleas House, gave Ms Edgington the opportunity to leave Oxleas House without challenge.
1 Correspondence to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) did not fully reflect Ms Edgington’s behaviour and presentation, and in one particular instance, the MoJ request to inform immediately if concerns arose during a trip to Jamaica, was not followed.
2 Communication between the A&E Department and the MHLN did not ensure that important elements of Ms Edgington’s presentation were understood by all.
3 The Admission Care Pathway and the Mental Health Liaison Policy differ on who escorts patients from A&E to OH [Oxleas House].
4 The care team did not provide full information on the referral form to MAPPA and, following Ms Edgington’s discharge there is no evidence they discussed MAPPA involvement.
5 There is no document setting standards for those who will be in receipt of Section 117 after care who are being discharged and followed up by the forensic service.
1 There was a failure to gain a view of family members involved in specific situations with Ms Edgington. The care team were too ready to accept Ms Edgington’s account of potentially worrying situations, and not enough weight was given to alternative accounts, or no attempt was made to get the views of family members involved.
2 Ms Edgington’s potential risk of violence to others in the community was not adequately considered by her care team, particularly on occasions when there were worrying reports about her behaviour, and/or stresses to which she was subject.
3 There was no overview of Ms Edgington’s presentation and changing level of risk when experiencing stresses which were identified in her care plan as associated with relapse. The care team responded on a reactive basis to issues as they occurred, and did not adequately consider the overall impact of these events on Ms Edgington’s mental state and behaviour, and her level of risk to others.
4 There was no communication with Ms Edgington’s employers. The Panel recognises that the team would have had to ask Ms Edgington’s permission to talk to her employers, and if refused, to have decided if they were justified in breaching her confidentiality. However the panel considers that these issues should have been discussed by the team. Ms Edgington remained a conditionally discharged restricted patient.
5 There was telephone contact only on 6 October 2011 after Ms Edgington missed her appointment. The panel considers that there should have been a review of Ms Edgington before the weekend, when it was clear that she was subject to several significant stresses, had engaged in uncharacteristic behaviour and believed that she had miscarried, even though this was not true.
6 CPA reviews did not refer to all the key people who could have provided useful information regarding Ms Edgington’s behaviour and presentation.
7 Patients should feel closely supported in the community, and the care team can ensure that the patient’s presenting behaviour is kept under closer scrutiny. The practice of placing conditionally discharged patients in low support accommodation should be reviewed.
Among its recommendations, the report says that the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust “should satisfy itself” that it is acceptable for a consultant psychiatrist to apply to the Ministry of Justice for a conditional discharge from the Bracton Centre, rather than the patient seeking this at the mental health tribunal. | 2019-04-20T13:19:36Z | http://foiacentre.com/news-Nicola-Edgington-Sally-Hodkin-extracts-leaked-report.html |
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The above noted are most prominent techniques. Prior to, you think about making money from your Facebook page, make certain you have actually built a great fan page. Otherwise, it will only continue to be as a desire.
Facebook Search By Number: Facebook has actually ended up being the most renowned social platforms for every person to connect and share their life every day. As a matter of fact if I say our lives our incomplete without at the very least an hour of Facebook every day, the majority of you would agree with me. Facebook is not just made use of for social interactions however as a system for digital marketing by prominent brands and firms. In fact several brand names were born and advertised on Facebook just and owe all their popularity and also success to this beautiful innovation.
Individuals from all over the world become part of the Facebook household because anyone can join and so you can discover individuals from all races, ethnic histories, race, caste, religions and exactly what not and engage with them without being bound by borders as well as visas. Facebook search by telephone number alternative was allowed for those who intended to connect with loved ones without having to send out demands to wrongfully to unidentified people with similar names. This feature is just available for those accounts that have actually entered their telephone number on their accounts.
I happened numerous comments on different forums where people had asked ways to Facebook search by phone numbers. Today we guide you on a really extremely easy detailed tutorial how to look people by their phone numbers.
Please keep in mind that this tutorial is for directing people and also not for any kind of factors that result in violation of privacy for any type of Facebook customer. This tutorial is additionally aimed at those individuals whose privacy may be impacted if they have given their contact number as well as do not desire to share it with individuals on Facebook.
This overview will show you how you can sign up to Facebook By the end of the the guide you will know Make A Facebook Account Now, add friends or 'individuals you may understand' as well as how to add a cover image or account photo to your account.
Like many social networking websites, Facebook asks its customers to create a customer profile to sign up with the worldwide network. This is entirely free and can have as little or as much details as you want. When you have produced your profile you can also readjust the privacy settings to specify exactly what details you intend to be revealed.
The birthday boxes have the information in drop down boxes and, when you click the arrows, they will show a list for you to pick the appropriate dates. You must additionally click on the round switch next to either male or female. When you have actually completed these boxes click the green button to sign up.
2. Facebook will certainly send out an e-mail to the email address you offered. This is to make certain that you have offered a real e-mail address and also one that you really have accessibility to. Click the button Confirm Your Account. A numeric verification code is additionally offered as well as you might be asked to kind this in.
3. Facebook will certainly now open your profile as well as ask you a series of questions to assist you get started. Step 1 is in order to help you discover friends that are already making use of Facebook.
Facebook will suggest people it believes you could understand and offer you a list with account images so you could acknowledge them. If you would love to connect with someone on this list click on the add Friend switch. This will certainly send out a Friend Request to them - it is their selection whether to accept your request.
Click on the Next button if you do not acknowledge or want to connect with anyone in this listing.
4. On the Welcome web page Facebook gives you the possibility to connect with individuals in your email address book/contacts. It does this by taking the e-mail address that you utilized to produce your account. If you want to see who it suggests click Find Friends as well as it will access your email contacts to match them up with Facebook customers.
6. Add a Profile Picture. You can utilize either a picture that is on your computer system or can be accessed from your computer (as an example on a USB) or, if you have a web cam that takes still photos, after that you can take a new photo of you.
Many people decide to place an image of something aside from themselves for their account, as an example an anime or preferred family pet. If you choose not to put a photo currently your account will certainly appear with the head and shoulders describe that you see below.
7. Facebook is all about getting in touch with people so step 4 permits you to search for individuals you could recognize by inputting in their names.
Don't worry if you can't think of lots of people at this phase you can constantly search for people at a later date, without a doubt you can continue to add to your friends list for as long as you have a Facebook account!
As soon as you have done every one of this your new Facebook page will open.
The first thing you will certainly see is an option to change just what is known as your cover photo. This is a large photo that shows up on top of your personal page and also is different to your profile image. It can be of a scene that you like, a celebration, an animation, a flag or anything else that you feel is necessary to you ... or even just looks wonderful.
You have 2 selections either upload a photo or choose from photos that you have already put in Facebook. If this is a brand-new Facebook account after that you will not yet have any so you will certainly should publish a photo.
When you click Upload photo a window opens enabling you to navigate to where you keep your photos, as an example in Photo.
Click the image that you would like to appear and after that click on Open.
Your brand-new picture will appear with a message telling you to "Drag to Reposition Cover". By clicking the image and also holding the computer mouse button down you could move your photo up and down so one of the most important part of the picture is clear.
As soon as you are happy with the method the image looks click on Save Changes.
We hope you have enjoyed this overview and also you are now able to register as well as sign up with Facebook to get in touch with family and friends.
One of the wonderful ways of sharing points on Facebook is by publishing photos of events, scenes or normally anything that fascinates or entertains you as you go about your day. As lots of people now have smartphones this has actually become progressively simple - How To Post A Photo On Facebook.
There are a number of means to do this but we will certainly check out publishing them from your computer system and this overview will reveal you how.
1. Most likely to Facebook's website. Do so by getting in https://www.facebook.com/ into your internet browser's LINK bar. This will take you to your Facebook News Feed if you're logged in.
-If you aren't logged right into Facebook, enter your email address as well as password to continue.
2. Browse to the page on which you wish to post the picture(s). If you simply wish to post photos to your personal page, you could remain on the News Feed page.
-To visit a friend's page, either enter their name right into the search bar and afterwards click their name, or find their name current Feed and also click it.
3. Click Photo/Video. This choice is simply listed below the "What's on your mind?" message box near the top of the page. Clicking it conjures up a pop-up window.
4. Select photos to publish. If you're publishing multiple images, hold Ctrl (or ⌘ Command on a Mac) while clicking to choose each one you click.
-If your computer doesn't open your default Photo folder, you'll initially should pick it from the left-hand pane.
5. Click Open. It remains in the bottom-right edge of the home window. Doing so will submit your pictures to a post draft.
6. Modify your post. You could include even more images by clicking the square with a + in it that's near the top of the post home window, or you can include text to the post by typing in the "Say something about this photo" (or "these photos") box.
-If you want to make your post public, click the Friends or Friends of Friends box in the bottom-left edge of the post and then select Public.
-You can additionally click + Album and afterwards click Create Album when prompted if you 'd like to add your pictures to their own album.
7. Click Post. It's in the bottom-right corner of the post window. Doing so will submit your photo(s) to your selected Facebook page.
How Do I Delete Friends On Facebook - Facebook is a social media system to enjoy series of lives activities such as satisfying individuals from around the world. People of different societies, languages as well as scuba divers of background. As this is good, at the same time it could be aggravating when so called friend begin publishing rubbish on your wall, this require unfriend Facebook friends of such caliber.
If your brand-new friend is utilizing way too much swear word, sharing too many political sights or pitching you a lot of product and services (or any of the other factors individuals unfriend Facebook friends) after that it could be time to drop this new link!
Erase friend on Facebook is not difficult as people assumed, the process calls for are very straightforward as well as simple to adhere to. To tackle this issue (how you can delete friends on Facebook without them knowing), here is a recommended method based only on the elegance of mathematics and also clinical elimination on how to unfriend Facebook friends.
Now it is time to undergo the procedure of unfriend somebody on Facebook without them knowing, here I will share about 3 straightforward techniques to unfriend Facebook friends. At the end of these process you will certainly decide which of the technique to utilize, enjoy yourself as you keep reading.
You could unfriend Facebook friends via their updated profile photos, right here are the steps to adhere to.
This is second approach I am mosting likely to show you on ways to unfriend on Facebook without them recognizing.
This approach will show you ways to unfollowed your friend on Facebook, like the very first two methods above, it really straightforward and easy to comply with.
Adhere to these steps to "unsubscribe" from somebody's updates or to selectively enable or forbid certain kinds of web content from them.
If you truly want to unfriend Facebook friends you see on your news feed that upload illegal or outrageous point, the any of the above approach is appropriate for the procedure of unfriend on Facebook without them knowing. The third method should be adopted if you simply wish to quit seeing what he/ she upload on your news feed.
If you locate any of this approach valuable, do not keep it to on your own, rather show to the on social media, if you likewise have something in mind drop it on the remark box bellow.
Every now and then people ask us How To Merge Two Facebook Accounts Into One or even more Facebook accounts. Currently do not obtain your hopes up! The reality is, it is not possible to automatically merge Facebook accounts. Nonetheless, there are workarounds.
While Facebook does not offer a way to auto-merge all your friends, photos, condition updates, check-ins or other info, you could manually merge parts of your accounts. All it takes is a little preparation as well as patience. Sadly, you won't be able to migrate or re-create all your Data.
As a very first step I recommend to bulk download your Facebook Data, a treatment I have defined formerly. This treatment could take a while as well as the archive will act as a minimal back-up, need to you determine to shut down or erase your account. It will not be of excellent aid in bring back any Data, though.
Quickly, most likely to your General Account Settings as well as click Download a copy of your Facebook Data at the bottom.
This will certainly lead you to a page where you can download your details as well as obtain a duplicate of exactly what you have shared on Facebook.
Now do begin your archive on this very first web page. Additionally locate where it states You could also Download an increased archive ... as well as click the particular web link. This will certainly direct you to the Expanded Archive Download web page where you will certainly be asked to re-enter your password.
Currently here is where you will require persistence. Relying on how big your main as well as your expanded archive are as well as the amount of various other archives are in the line up, this can spend some time. And also keeping that I imply a number of hrs.
Note that you must Download both archives, to get a full backup of your account!
When your archive is offered for download, this is exactly what the web page will certainly look like.
Although your personal pictures are meant to be consisted of in the archive, you ought to download your Facebook Photos individually. Not only is this procedure an additional back-up, it is additionally a lot faster as well as might give you with more choices.
As mentioned over, you will not have the ability to Restore or move every one of your Data and that includes your friends. You need to by hand add friends to your new account. Regrettably, it is not feasible export your Facebook friends to a 3rd party account and after that re-import them to a new Facebook account.
However, you can import get in touches with from 3rd party accounts such as Skype or Gmail. So if you have contact information of a lot of your friends on accounts beyond Facebook, you could take a little shortcut. Go to your brand-new Facebook account as well as import get in touches with from any sustained third party account (CSV documents are additionally supported) via the Locate Friends web page.
While you can export your Facebook calls to Yahoo! Mail, it is not be possible to re-import them to Facebook. And get in touches with imported from Facebook will absolutely not be consisted of in a Yahoo! CSV data.
I created a different post on how you can back up your Facebook calls. Note that only call information of friends that have actually consented to have their email address included in details downloads can be imported right into your Yahoo! account.
Here comes the big disappointment. There is no way to upload or otherwise import your archive to Restore or transfer Data from your old Facebook account to your new one. Whatever you wish to Restore, you have to do it (semi-) by hand or make use of 3rd party devices. Now, the archive merely acts as an individual backup, absolutely nothing more.
So what are your options? You could re-add your old friends as shown over, re-upload photos you downloaded from your old account, re-tag your friends in your pictures, re-join teams you belonged to, re-add Facebook applications, by hand re-do all your individual Settings, including general account as well as privacy Settings, e.g. secure your Facebook account, add relied on calls, or hide your personal Settings. I desire I had excellent news, however as I stated previously, you could not auto-merge 2 accounts or Restore Data, so you basically go back to square one.
You will lose a lot! Your whole Timeline as well as Information Feed history will certainly be gone, consisting of blog posts or images you were identified in, places you explored, all the Sorts you released or received, or groups you were a member of, all your account and personal privacy Settings, and also other records you built up with time. Your pictures and also friends are actually all you could take with you, whatever else needs to be re-created by hand.
If you decide to shut off or close your old Facebook account, make certain to include your brand-new account as an admin to any type of Teams or Pages you take care of. Otherwise you will shed accessibility to them.
As soon as you have dealt with admin duties, have actually downloaded and install all your Data, as well as make certain you intend to totally eliminate your account, log right into the Facebook account you wish to shut, and also visit the Erase My Account web page to start the process. We have actually formerly clarified The best ways to Effectively Close Your Facebook Account.
Facebook enables you to Download an archive of your account. Nevertheless, there is no matching system in place to restore your Data, ought to the account get endangered. Facebook never meant to supply a bring back feature; rather they were legally required to provide a means for customers to download their Data. Therefore, individuals are entrusted to only half-baked services or unpleasant workarounds, ought to they want to merge or move accounts.
Just what would certainly bother you most if you had to relocate to a brand-new Facebook account?
Facebook is one of the most prominent social networking site. Download Facebook Video Safari: One of the most essential functions of this site are picture and video sharing. Peoples are utilized to share trading videos and images on facebook. There are a lot of means to download facebook video but they are not as popular as downloading youtube video. There has great deals of on the internet facebook video downloading website but a lot of them has pests and many of them drive you to the unnecessary web pages.
I have a simple methods to download facebook video without going any online video downloading web site or without downloading any software application.
Discover a video on facebook as well as conserve the video to you computer system or mobile by using my approach. This method informs you to download facebook video straight from facebook without going added web page or without downloading any kind of additional software application. Now download the facebook video to your computer or mobile prior to getting rid of the video from facebook To download facebook video, comply with the steps given bellow with picture.
Facebook hosted means, videos are submitted by customer straight to Facebook as well as you can download only this type of video by using my technique.
Note: Facebook organized video has no host site name beneath the video.
Now take a look at the internet browser bar as well as edit the video url by clicking on the internet browser bar. If you can not discover the url of the video, after that right click the video and click on Show video LINK. Then Copy The video url.
Simply change the https://www by m of your video URL as pointed out over picture that is facebook mobile version URL.
Before editing: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=66545 ... ... ... After editing: m.facebook.com/video.php?v=66545 ... ... ... After transforming the url, press enter switch and also now a brand-new web page will come that is actually mobile variation of facebook.
A new page will certainly come similar to this photo and also click on the video as mentioned in the picture by red arrow.
A brand-new web page will open up with that said facebook video. Now appropriate click on video as well as click Save video As ... It will save the video to your tool.
I think this is one of the most easiest and secure approach to download facebook videos. I did this on Firefox internet browser as well as I generally utilize this method to download facebook video. I am sharing this with you really hoping that it will certainly aid you too.
What are people very first drew in to when they see your Facebook page? Your concerning bio, videos, and standing updates don't make it. Convert Image To Facebook Cover - Rather, your Facebook cover photo or video clip is the first thing they'll see.
This is the actual dimension of the photo or video cover photo space ... not the dimension of the picture or video clip.
Facebook scales down every little thing, so to maintain the quality, use HD video clips at 1920 x 1080 pixels for finest results.
Facebook cover photos will certainly show at 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels high on computer systems and also 640 pixels broad by 360 pixels tall on cellular phones, yet you require better images to match this scaling. Use pictures that are 1920 x 1080 pixels as well as conserved at "really high quality" so Facebook downsizes it appropriately. Pictures pack best as JPG files.
Remember, your cover photo is about involving your audiences. You want them to look even more on your web page, where you'll have the space to make use of even more message.
Facebook used to bench material with greater than 20 percent text. Although they no longer do this, the idea is still pertinent. Keep any message in appropriate and concise.
- Choose an easy picture that has one main aesthetic factor.
- Follow your brand, not your logo. Choose to integrate your logo right into your profile picture. The cover picture is the location to display your items, share your business's values, as well as have a good time.
- Maintain crucial web content higher in the photo.
- Consider the subtitle, as well as add a shortened link to your web site.
Yes, it's feasible to download and install or save pictures from any type of app to after that upload and also share, but preference mosts likely to devices that eliminate this research.
Did we miss out on any one of your favorites? Show to us in the remarks below.
Facebook users take pleasure in sending out messages, yet often, mistakes happen, and they delete their Data including photos, videos and also More. If you are among those who wants to recover deleted Facebook messages, after that, this tutorial will certainly assist. However, keep in mind that we are mosting likely to get the messages from your archived Data that Facebook stores on their web servers. so here are the guide How Do You Retrieve Deleted Messages On Facebook.
On the next page, you obtain straightforward info concerning your archive content. Facebook stores your photos, video clips, messages, posts as well as much more. All you need to do is to click the switch saying "Start my Archive". They will certainly simply compress your archive.
Normally, you will ask, how much time does it require to Download a copy of your Facebook Data? Well, that depends on your Facebook account dimension. Yet as a whole, it takes one min or two. If you have huge data kept in your account, as well as you have great deals of posts throughout years, you need to wait HALF AN HOUR generally.
They will certainly send out a verification e-mail telling you regarding the archive quickly, and the various other one will be gotten later on. Anyway, Facebook will certainly send you the download link to your e-mail that you've made use of to register for your account.
You will certainly obtain the Facebook e-mail with the subject "Your Facebook download is ready", and also it has your download web link. If you can not find the email, inspect your spam folder in Gmail. It's called "Junk" in Yahoo or other services.
Please keep in mind the web link needs to be at the bottom of the email. When you click that web link, you get the below page and also you just have to start the download, and also confirm your password by entering it once more.
The downloaded archive file will certainly remain in ZIP style. To open up that file, you need the best software, or Download WinRar if it's not yet mounted. That pressed folder contains all your Facebook Data, shared or exclusive info. You can open them by category, as well as see them in your Browser.
Because folder, you can see, get in touch with details, occasions, Buddies, messages, and all your Facebook archived Data. Click "messages" and you will certainly see them in your internet browser.
Now, you've successfully recovered all your deleted messages in Facebook. That's good for you when you should validate something. Yet remember that that's not good for those one billion people, who think that they are sharing private information via Facebook. Nothing is secure there, as well as you have to handle and use your account wisely.
Facebook adheres to the concept of 'off the internet' which implies it saves all those messages which you have sent out or obtained somewhere in your smart device's memory. This is exactly how you can recover your Facebook messages which are deleted from your mobile phone memory.
Step # 2. Install and open up the ES file Explorer application on your Android phone as well as most likely to 'Storage/SD card' option.
Action # 5. Here you will certainly discover many folders which are associated with all the apps you are making use of, locate 'com.facebook.orca' a folder which is for the Facebook Messenger messages and faucet on it.
Here you will certainly discover all your Facebook Messenger messages. You can do this process even by connecting your smart device to your COMPUTER and utilizing Windows Explorer.
Step # 2. Open the above-mentioned software which you have actually downloaded as well as tap on 'recover from an iOS device'.
When the scan mores than you will certainly have the ability to select the Facebook messages you wish to recover from the complete list of erased messages from your display.
Step # 5. Find the message or messages you want to recover and pick it by checking package alongside it.
I hope you have recouped the Deleted Facebook Messages. To get do well in this procedure you should get the back-up of your conversation regularly or else you could place the Backup ON in the Messenger settings. This will assist to recover the erased messages in very easy actions.
If you have anymore queries in this process, let me know in remark section as well as share this short article with others to obtain them aided with this.
How Can I Print Photos From Facebook: Numerous Facebook individuals share their pictures over the social networking website each month. As long as a photo is public on the website, an individual is enabled to Print the photo. Images can be published from a pc in just a few moments. Since late 2010, Facebook individuals could also use Kodak photo booths at a Target store to Print their image on photo paper or presents, such as calendars and welcoming cards.
Action 1: Log in to Facebook and find the pictures you intend to Print. Right-click on a photo and also pick "Save As"
Step 2: Save the photo to your computer's desktop.
Action 3: Go to your desktop computer and right-click on the image.
Action 1: Locate your nearby Target shop with a picture facility. If you are unclear concerning where the closest store is, customer the "Find a Store" link on the Target web site.
Step 2: Go to the Target shop and visit to your Facebook account on one of the store's Kodak kiosks.
Step 3: Select the pictures that you wish to Print. You may Print photos from your personal photo album, along with your good friends' image albums.
Tip 4: Grab as well as spend for the photos from a participant of the image personnel.
The sign up process has not changed a lot over the years. Facebook generally prefers to maintain this process straightforward and also it's only come to be more structured because Facebook's debut. In order to access any one of the functions of the site/app, you'll should do a Facebook register as well as this article will reveal you how it's done! (If you require a language besides English for the Facebook register, look to the bottom of the desktop webpage for a list of other languages.).
1. Visit the new Facebook website (from your web browser or just open your newly downloaded application).
2. When you see the signup form (which must be on the right side of the Facebook web page), enter the needed info:.
- Name (This will certainly be the name on your account, however after signup, you can alter just how it shows up to your "friends").
- Birthday (Because you should go to least 13 years of ages to join. At one point, you had to be old sufficient to have an university email account.).
- Gender (your options are Male as well as Women and also you need to select one or the various other.).
- Email address (you will certainly require this just once to register, yet each time you login, like a username. You can later choose just how you want Facebook to call you).
- Care for this currently, on the join type, and compose it down in a secure location so you will not forget it.
4. Click the eco-friendly "sign up" switch. Keep in mind, that by doing this, you accept the plans of Facebook. If you want to examine those plans, choose the "Terms", "Information Use Plan", and "Cookie Usage" web links in small print almost the environment-friendly register switch.
P.S. If you're using the app (and not an internet browser) and also want to Facebook join brand-new account, select "Begin" and follow steps 2-6 over. Both processes are very similar as well as really streamlined.
P.S.S. This assumes that you're not a celeb, artist, or service. That signup procedure would certainly be somewhat different.
If you are a celebrity or business or band, after that you would have to experience a confirmation process to verify your legitimacy. Otherwise, you're home free on the regular Facebook sign up procedure for a brand-new account. The feature I really appreciate most about it is the option below the web page to transform the language of the website to something besides English. You can have Italian, Swahili, Japanese, or any of the many languages and dialects recognized by Facebook. There's even an option for pirate language. It transforms the site into phrases you would likely listen to on Pirates of the Caribbean the film and is totally amusing at best. The language function is very beneficial for people who intend to register for a brand-new account on Facebook but don't have an excellent grasp on English. As soon as you click the language, the whole website adjustments. Don't worry. It can be altered at any time.
Step-1: Open your web browser as well as look for Facebook making use of any kind of internet search engine like google or bing or any kind of.
Step-2: Click on the initial cause go to Facebook homepage. If you don't comprehend effectively what to do, simply go to https://www.facebook.com/ or https://m.facebook.com/. Now, make certain that no one is logged in. If it is, just click down arrow switch on top right edge and afterwards pick logout.
Step-3: Now, you are in the Facebook homepage. You can see two boxes; one is for e-mail or phone and another is for password. If your Facebook was created with email address, then enter that e-mail address right into the very first box. Or if it was created with telephone number, after that enter the phone number on that box. Remember, don't make use of zero or + symbol before nation code and various other symbols. As an example, your telephone number is +1 708-990-0555. Enter 17089900555 not +1 708-990-0555. On the next box, enter your Facebook account password.
Every person recognizes what Facebook is, as well as it is hard to discover the individual which doesn't have the profile on this social network. Facebook has many silver linings-- we could get in touch with individuals we like despite just how much they live, we could share statuses, photos and also videos, we can send messages, and more. There are some bad sides also. People do invest way too much time on the social media network sites instead of going out more as well as talking to each other, which is why some users decided to erase their social media network accounts. If you do not intend to make use of Facebook any longer, this social media is offering you plenty of time to carefully consider this, due to the fact that as soon as you delete the profile, there is no turning back. Every little thing will certainly be lost-- messages, pictures, friends, and so on. And also, erasing your account is not something that you can do with a few clicks. Allow's see How Do You Delete Your Facebook forever.
If you want to delete your Facebook account, you possibly saw that you could locate this option that easy.
The alternative you can find is to deactivate your account, as well as if you do this, your account will not be visible to your Facebook friends and also other users of this social network. If you transform your mind and also want to use Facebook again, all you have to do is visit. Your messages, images, friends - everything will be there.
Again, if you erase the account, you will not be able to reactivate it and also the content you included will certainly be erased. That is why Facebook recommends the users to download the duplicate of their information. To do that, click on the account menu (triangle symbol situated at the upper-right corner), click Settings then click "download a copy of your Facebook data", adhered to by "Start my archive".
As you can see, when the web page opens up, the message will certainly appear to advise you that you won't be able to reactivate your account. If you make certain that you wish to do this, click "Delete my account" to send an ask for deletion. Facebook will not delete your account immediately, and also you will certainly have few extra days to change your mind. If you don't desire the account to be erased, terminate the request. When the account is officially erased, you will not have the ability to reactivate it, and also the only option will be to produce a brand-new profile.
How Do I Reset My Password On Facebook: Facebook is undoubtedly the # 1 Social networking web site with over 1 billion individuals. Facebook additionally said that they could go across 2 billion individuals anytime soon by the end of this customer and also is currently spread among all the metropolitan areas as well. It is a wonderful area for a hang around and to inspect what your loved ones have been doing just recently.
And also, Facebook additionally needs to go into a combination of email and password in order to login as well as use their solution. However the real headache begins when you neglect your own account password. You should have attempted all the combinations of letters and alphabets however nothing seem to working from all. It can be truly exasperating minute because your Facebook account has all the vital and personal messages you have actually gotten and your entire account information that you could not lose whatsoever.
Well, let us place your mind as well as brain comfortably by stating that is pretty easy to recover your Facebook account password. That's proper, Facebook has its very own program to reset your password and offer you the ability to setup a new password just by adhering to a simple treatment. In this guide, we will certainly reveal you how to recover your Facebook account password to make sure that you can regain accessibility to their website start messaging and also make use of the applications that are associated in your Facebook account. Alright, now allow's begin with resetting your Facebook password.
Every Facebook account is developed either by utilizing an existing e-mail or phone number. So, if you allow Facebook understand the e-mail account ID after that Facebook can assist you to reset the password. Simply comply with these actions as well as you need to be able reset your Facebook password easily.
In the initial component, we will certainly show you how you can reset Gmail password using your Recovery email. It will just function if you have arrangement a recovery email before locking out. If you have arrangement a recuperation e-mail then just make use of these steps to reset your Gmail Password.
Step 1. Open facebook.com from your computer or laptop using your default net browser.
Step 3. If you have actually cannot login multiple times then you should seeing the adhering to screen and from there you can click on "Forgot Password" too.
Tip 4. On the following web page, you ought to have the ability to see your password retrieval options. Pick the first option in order to utilize the default password that you are making use of for your present e-mail ID.
For instance: If you have made use of Yahoo Mail to register your Facebook account then you could enter that e-mail ID and also pick the very same password as your Yahoo account.
Tip 5. A pop message will appear that will certainly ask you to proceed as well as will ask approval to access your Yahoo Mail account.
Simply continue with the process and also end up the procedure.
Please note: You have to be logged in with your current Yahoo account in order to complete this action. Currently, you could utilize the exact same password as your Yahoo account to login to Facebook account.
If you wish to reset as well as setup a brand-new password for your Facebook account then you need to use the complying with steps and you must have the ability to set a new password for your account. The treatment is same as above however with simply couple of different tweaks.
Step 1. Follow action 1-3 from the above technique and on the password access options choose "Email me a link to reset my password" and click continue.
Step 2. Facebook will certainly email you a special 6 number code in your Recovery that you will be asked to enter on the adhering to page.
Tip 4. Currently enter a brand-new password and validate the changes.
That's all. You could currently login to you Facebook utilizing the brand-new password. This method is very suggested if your Facebook account is hacked to make sure that you could have a brand-new password for your Facebook account.
If you have actually connected a contact number with your Facebook account after that select the 3rd option from the "forgot password" web page where it claims "Get a code from my smartphone" and also continue with the process.
In this instance, you will receive a safety code on your contact number as opposed to your email. Then repeat the same steps as above discussed technique and you will certainly have a brand-new password for your Facebook account.
This is exactly how simple it is to reset a Facebook account password. It is rather basic and very basic, yet we have reviewed the approaches briefly so that you could recognize this far better. It is suggested to utilize a password manager software application like lastpass if you forget your passwords too often. Password managers assist to conserve and also keep all account information in one hassle-free location to ensure that you could obtain the password whenever you like. | 2019-04-23T20:07:21Z | http://www.hakata-madam.com/2018_09_17_archive.html |
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