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year ago that we ran down a steep place into a lake. There was no steep place and no lake... Durant took his police dog down to the margin of that puddle of a lily pond,—the dog waded almost across it;—and I'd been calling it a lake all these months. But they've put up a fence to keep others from doing as we did.' (Perkins to F. Scott Fitzgerald, August 8, 1924.) The Bob-haired Bandit story is in 'Echoes of the Jazz Age' (The Crack-Up, p. 21); the other story I had from Edmund Wilson) Yet somehow, in spite of their driving and in spite of the law, they always managed the return to Gateway Drive, where it was customary for their man to find them sleeping quietly on the front lawn when he got up in the morning.
This life made the proper operation of a household difficult at best, and, as Fitzgerald said of himself, "… I have [never] been able to fire a bad servant, and I am astonished and impressed by people who can." They had three such servants at Great Neck. It was an expensive domestic arrangement. Nor were the parties cheap, nor the liquor, nor what Ernest Boyd called Fitzgerald's "embarrassing habit of using his check book for the writing of inexplicable autographs in the tragic moments immediately preceding his flight through the weary wastes of Long Island." They spent $36,000 during their first year at Great Neck.
Yet at the center of all this confusion, there persisted in Fitzgerald the hard core of his dead earnestness about being a good writer. It showed itself, perhaps a little incongruously, on the occasion of Dreiser's literary party. Dreiser, who seldom entertained or went out, appears to have had no idea how to go about giving such a party. He had his guests—Mencken, Van Vechten, Ernest Boyd, Sherwood Anderson, Llewelyn Powys, and a good many others—seated in straight-back chairs lined along the wall like chairs in a ballroom. Evidence as to the refreshment provided is mixed, but there appears to have been little or nothing to drink. Dreiser seems to have neither introduced his guests to one another nor attempted in any way to draw them together, and the party was dying a lingering death when Fitzgerald arrived. With his deep admiration for anyone who had talent and integrity as a writer, Fitzgerald looked up to Dreiser with awe. "I consider H. L. Mencken and Theodore Dreiser," he said, "the greatest men living in the country today." He had determined, therefore, to make a fitting gesture for the occasion of his first meeting with so great a writer and had spent considerable time obtaining a really good bottle of champagne for Dreiser. Its purchase had involved some judicious sampling. Nonetheless, when he reached Dreiser's, he managed to struggle up to his host and deliver a formal expression of his admiration. He then handed over the bottle of wine. Dreiser put it carefully in the icebox and the party sank back into its previous torpor. After an hour or so everyone gave up hoping that Dreiser would ever get the champagne out again, and so, one by one, the guests dragged themselves away. Like all literary anecdotes frequently repeated, this one has become badly confused. Sherwood Anderson says Fitzgerald never got past the door; Burton Rascoe says he came in and 'teetering from one guest to another, inquiring which was Dreiser, he finally found his host...' There are many other discrepancies. The party seems to have taken place in January, 1923. See Ernest Boyd, Portraits: Real and Imaginary, pp. 221-22; Llewelyn Powys, The Verdict of Brindlegoose, pp. 131-32; Burton Rascoe, We Were Interrupted, pp. 229-302; Sherwood Anderson, Memoirs, pp. 335-37. Anderson's version, with its unique details, its suspiciously stylized dialogue, and its neat tie-up with a previous experience of Anderson's own with Dreiser appears the least trustworthy of any of these accounts
Similarly, on another occasion, he insisted on paying tribute to Edith Wharton. Finding himself at Scribner's while she was there and able to persuade no one to intrude on Mrs. Wharton to the extent of introducing him, he burst in on a conference in Mr. Scribner's own office and introduced himself to her. Indeed, he is reported to have thrown himself at her feet and said: "Could I let the author of 'Ethan Frome' pass through New York without paying my respects?"
Episodes like these have a ludicrous aspect which Fitzgerald sometimes half consciously cultivated, but his admiration for real literary achievement was dead earnest. Admiring serious writers as he did, he never ceased to want to emulate them, "to pit himself," as Edmund Wilson put it, "against the best in his own line that he knew." He was presently to show his seriousness about being a good writer with The Great Gatsby, and to demonstrate his almost pathetic admiration for real literary distinction in his response to its reception. Even his play, The Vegetable, though clearly written with an eye on the Big Money, was written with care and literary ambition.
In September, 1922, The Vegetable had been rejected again and as soon as they were settled in Great Neck Fitzgerald sat down to rewrite it completely for the third time. Late in April it was finally accepted by Sam Harris and scheduled to go into rehearsal in October. Meanwhile Fitzgerald had begun to work rather casually on a new novel. In March he hadsold the movie rights to This Side of Paradise for what was then the considerable sum of $10,000, so that there was no immediate financial pressure on him; his notes through this period consist mainly of "Dec. [1922] A series of parties…. Jan. [1923] Still drunk…. April. Third Anniversary. On the wagon…. July. Intermittent work on novel. Constant drinking…. Aug. More drinking." At the end of the summer he tried to settle down and got some steady work done on his novel. But in October The Vegetable went into rehearsal and, like many authors, Fitzgerald became fascinated by the process of production, spending his days at the theater watching and arguing and his nights revising what seemed not to be going well in rehearsals. His excitement rose to fever pitch through November; he was delighted with Ernest Truex in the lead and sure the play was going to be a great success. In the middle of November they opened at the Apollo Theater in Atlantic City and The Vegetable flopped dismally. "It was," wrote Fitzgerald, "a colossal frost. People left their seats and walked out, people rustled their programs and talked audibly in bored impatient whispers. After the second act I wanted to stop the show and say it was all a mistake but the actors struggled heroically on. There was a fruitless week of patching and revising, and then we gave up and came home."
The Vegetable is not nearly so bad as this history suggests. The political fantasy in the second act is more inventive than anything in Of Thee I Sing, which is based on a similar idea and was to be a hit a few years later (Fitzgerald believed to his dying day that Kaufman had stolen his idea). Perhaps both plays suffer from the fact that they have nothing to say on the subject of politics except that politics are hopelessly absurd. This was the conventional attitude of the period, but it is too inclusive and undefined an attitude to make for pointed satire. Fitzgerald's play also suffers because in writing political satire at all he was working at something which did not draw on any of his deeper resources. He had a vein of light comedywhich served him for popular stories and he shared superficially his period's feelings about politics. But these feelings were not among the ones he had really made a part of himself, and his expression of them never had the intensity and precision he achieved when his feelings were deeply involved. Moreover, he was always in danger when he was writing fantasy, for he was inclined to use material which was more extravagant than its point justified and to make so much fantastic that nothing seemed remarkable. There are, of course, exceptions to this general statement, but even in Fitzgerald's partially successful fantasies—such as "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," or "A Short Trip Home," or "The Adjuster"—the fantasy itself is often the weakest thing. These stories succeed by virtue of the intensity of their feeling, usually of human evil, rather than because of their fantasy, which is likely to hover uneasily between symbolism and allegory, as it does in "The Adjuster." Between the tendency of his fantasy to overreach itself and the vagueness of the satire's assertion about politics, The Vegetable's second act is never more than mildly amusing.
But political satire is not the main point of Fitzgerald's play; his main point is that the American dream of rising from newsboy to President is ridiculous and that the Jerry Frosts of this world are far happier being the postmen nature made them than being presidents. "The spirit [of the play is]," as one reviewer remarked, "an obvious act of deference to Mencken's virulent contempt for the American people." It was a curious point for Fitzgerald to be making, and his assertion of, Jerry's triumph as a postman in the last act is unconvincing because he is so successful in making Jerry a hopeless cipher in the first act. This first act is the strongest in the play; it contains a good deal of sharp observation of Jerry and "Charlit" Frost's domestic life. After all the deficiencies of the play |
gag. It is a total reimagining of our full-length HD Main Title dressed up with classic horror/sci-fi/fantasy characters from movie and television history.
As for the music for this fantastic Main Title, it traveled an interesting road to the final version. Back in late June of this year, I received an email from Animation Co-Producer Richard Chung telling me that the del Toro Main Title would be part of a surprise screening at Comic Con 2013 and my job was to edit a temporary score for the clip. The cut I was sent had temp music already in it, mostly pulled from the movies "Frankenweenie" and "Beetlejuice". I got a list of all the specific cues that had been used, then went to work reworking, re-timing, and generally polishing the existing temp music. I thought the temp score created at Film Roman was quite good, it just need a little "smoothing around the edges".
I sent my version back to Film Roman and got positive feedback. Then it was forwarded over to Al Jean and he approved it as well. Job done – so I thought. A couple of days later I hear from Supervising Producer Larina Adamson that FOX says we cannot use the temp score with the "Frankenweenie" and "Beetlejuice" music in it because they were not going to license the music. At first I was rather surprised by this because it was a "temp score" for a "work in progress" that was being screened for what was essentially a private audience at Comic Con. If you live in Southern California, you have most likely attended – or been invited to – a test screening of a movie still in the editing stage. At these screenings it is explained to the audience that the film is being shown in a unfinished form, with some scenes possibly missing, most visual effects either missing or still in their temporary form, and with a temporary music score. It has been a common practice in Hollywood for many years now to use any music the director or film editor or music editor wants to put into the film as temp for test screenings. Everybody does it, so everybody gets away with using this music for free during the test screening process. Once the movie is final and released to the paying public, all music is paid for, either by hiring a composer and musicians or licensing existing music or both.
I couldn't understand why FOX wasn't treating this Comic Con screening the same way that they treated a test screening. But the more I thought about it, the more I understood it. This wasn't a test screening where opinions were being sought. At Comic Con people were going to have cell phones with still and video cameras and would posting photos and video clips on social media. FOX just didn't want to step on anyone's toes so the Main Title got bounced back to me with instructions to dump the entire temp score and to replace it with music from our vast library of Clausen-composed Simpsons cues.
First I had a long conversation with Al Jean telling him that while I'd be happy to redo the score and would give it my best effort, I firmly asserted that the new score might not be as powerful and dramatic as the first temp score. Those scores from "Frankenweenie" and "Beetlejuice" were recorded with 90+ piece orchestras and choirs and had long melodic development. Our orchestra is about one-third the size and many of our cues are under 15 seconds long – this Main Title is 2:45, and would be the longest single musical sequence in the history of the show. Al said he understood, and trusted my judgment to produce a good temp score. Off to work I went.
In the end, I used snippets from eleven different scores going back twelve years in our show's history. I submitted the new temp to Al, he had two small changes that I addressed, and that was that. That was the version of the temp score that the Comic Con audience heard on Saturday, July 20, 2013. Job done – so I thought.
Fast forward to music spotting for the final version of "Tree House of Horror XXIV" on August 22, 2013. At the session, I was fully prepared to discuss how Alf would now write a totally original score for the sequence, but instead Al Jean told me that he and everyone else really liked the temp and that they wanted Alf to recreate the temp with a few slight modifications.
SIDEBAR: The "temp score" in film & TV is a huge blessing and curse in our business. Ever since CDs and digital media made it very easy to put any music a director or producer's heart desires into a soundtrack, they just grab anything by John Williams or Hans Zimmer or The Beatles or Lady Gaga and drop it in to a scene to "see how it plays". When it plays great is when the problems begin. In the case of using an existing score, the composer hired to write the new score has now had a huge amount of their creativity stripped from them. Their job is now to compose something in the style of the temp that treads a delicate line between originality and plagiarism. In the case of using a song from a popular band or artist, the licensing of the song or artist may be cost prohibitive or simply unavailable because some artists don't license their music for any reason. As a music editor, I'm often called upon to create a temp score and it always puts me in an awkward position. On the one hand, I am tasked with doing the best job possible, essentially "scoring" the film with existing cues – my main job is to please the producer or director in charge. On the other hand, the better the job I do at creating the temp score, the harder it becomes for the composer to lend his or her own voice to their score. The composer often ends up being a musical mimic, rather than an original contributor to the final product. There's no good solution to this problem – it's just the way things are done these days.
At least Alf was being asked to mimic himself in scoring the del Toro Main Title. So now I had to go back to my original edit of the temp score for Comic Con and reverse-engineer it. You see, when I was editing it, I did it all purely by sound. That means I listened to various cues, chose the ones that I thought would work for each scene in the sequence, then edited the music as need be to make it fit and highlight various moments. While I do all this with the greatest regard and respect for the music, I didn't edit the temp score by referring to the printed music scores. Now I had to go back through the archives, pull the printed scores for each bit that I used, and try to figure out what I did editorially and translate it to bars and beats so that the score could be recreated on paper for our orchestra to record. That was a big task that took a few days, but I was able to do it. Alf & orchestrator Dell Hake then organized everything – which included writing a few new bits that Al Jean wanted to change from my temp score – and we broke it all down into 14 separate cues to be recorded then stitched together into one, seamless finished product.
All in all, I'm very proud of the final result. It plays beautifully, hit's all the emotional notes perfectly, and sounds like it was recorded by a 90+ piece orchestra.
There's no time for the music department to rest. No sooner did we finish this longest-most-complex-musical-sequence-ever than another, equally-complex-and-exciting-musical-sequence was presented to us. We're working on it now and I'll tell you all about it in the near future. Mark your calendars to watch for it when it airs on FOX on Sunday, November 24, 2013 (schedule subject to change).
Posted in Beyond 500 | Tagged Al Jean, Alf Clausen, Dell Hake, Guillermo del Toro, Larina Adamson, Scoring, Spotting, Temp Score | 8 Replies
Starting Season 25 (whodathunkit?)
Posted on October 5, 2013 by CHRIS LEDESMA
Simpsons fans were treated to the start of our 25th season this past Sunday, September 29, 2013 but we folks in the music dept. were back at it starting on August 14. Of course, those of us fortunate enough to work on the music for the show enjoy having summer off – and I certainly did enjoy time spent travelling with my family this summer – but it's nice to get back to work and a familiar routine and hearing some fabulous music performed by some of the greatest musicians in the world.
We kicked off the new season with episode RABF20 "HOMƎRLAND". Written by Stephanie Gillis, it's a parody of the popular, Emmy Award-winning Showtime series "Homeland". The first cue of the episode is my edited version of the actual "Homeland" theme by Sean Callery, but for the rest of the episode Alf crafted his own take on Sean's theme and that motif is woven throughout the rest of the episode. Alf is right at home writing and arranging jazz music – it really is his forté – and the musicians are always happy to sink their teeth into some great jazz charts. In addition to Alf's original theme, he also arranged and recorded music by two legendary jazz artists: we covered Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" and "Terminal 7" by Tomasz Stanko.
If you'd like to listen to the originals, here they are:
I've already received a few inquiries about where to find and download Alf's cues from |
as if she were waking from a deep sleep, and she said she was well again, but still very weak."
This final betrayal seals Christian's fate, as Dani is given the responsibility of choosing the last of the 9 human sacrifices for the ritual.
Before Christian is immobilized by an herbal powder blown into this face (reminiscent of The Serpent and the Rainbow) and prepared for the final sacrifice, he stumbles across one of the missing visitors. Simon has had his lungs pulled out through his back. This is an obvious reference to the "blood eagle" execution, being mentioned in Heimskringla and Orkneyinga saga. The lungs pulled from the back are meant to represent the wings of an eagle, but like many pagan practices mentioned in the medieval sagas, it's unsure whether or not these are accurate memories of real traditions or simply some color later writers used to spice their sagas up with for shock value.
Finally, after Dani has chosen Christian as the final sacrifice a bear is killed and Christian is dressed up in its carcass. He and the other sacrifices (two of which are volunteers and notably are given some kind of yew tincture to eat and either numb them or kill them) are placed in a yellow, triangular building. Yellow in the movie seems to be used in contrast with blue (which seems to be connected to death and sacrifice) as a color of fire, sun, and life. In fact, the last thing Christian wears before getting prepped for his sex-ritual is a blue shirt. On the inside of a building is a rune that other writers have interpreted as the rune Gebo, meaning "gift". The rune in the yellow building is actually not Gebo, but the Saxon Rune Gar, meaning "spear".
Like many other aspects of this movie, this seems to carry an Óðinnic connotation, as Óðinn's method of sacrifice seems to have included his famous spear Gungnir. It may be that spears were used kill sacrificial victims as they hung in trees, offering sacrifices to Óðinn in the same way he sacrifices himself to himself in Hávamál 138-39. Spears may also have been used to magically to dedicate those who were about to die in battle to Odin by throwing a spear over the battlefield. This seems to occur in Völuspá, when Óðinn throws his spear to initiate the battle between the Æsir and Vanir tribes of deities:
24. Odin flung his spear, cast it into the host,
still that was teh war, the first in the world;
The shield-wall was shattered of the
fortress of the Æsir,
the Vanir with war-spells trampled the battlefield.
It therefore seems that the choice of Gar in the sacrifice room is meant to symbolize the sacrificial death promised by Óðinn's spear. Óðinnic symbolism may also be implied by the triangular shape of the building, which resembles the Valknut: a symbol that due to its appearance in Old Norse artwork has been tied to the cult of Odin and possibly implying a sacrificial rite as well.
While Christian's role as the bear sacrifice is said to represent the banishing of the ill affects that threaten the community, it may be that this is yet another allusion to the cult of Óðinn, as the Berserkers ("bear shirts") were a band of warriors that wore bear pelts and were tied to him specifically.
Runic Symbolism in the Movie
Other commentators have noticed that each of the primary characters seem to have been assigned one or two runes that are symbolic of their role in the story. There does seem to be a logic to these choices if you're paying attention.
Dani:
On her Midsommar costume, Dani has the runes Dagaz (Also Dæg in Old English, meaning "day") and Raido ("riding"). In modern Rune mysticism, Dagaz is often interpreted as a rune pertaining to transformation (such as the transition from night into day) and personal enlightenment. Raido, as I've already mentioned, signifies a journey and the journey of the earth goddess across the land her in wagon. One could interpret these runes appearing on Dani's costume as a symbol of her own death/rebirth transformation. Dagaz is sewn onto her shoes, which seems to signify the she is walking a journey of transformation from darkness into light. It's significant that she arrives in Hårga on her birthday, as this is where the death of her old life will conclude and her new life as a resident will soon begin.
Christian:
The robe that Christian wears before participating in Maja's sex ritual has the runes Teiwaz (Týr or Tiw) and Elhaz (Eohlsecg in Old English) on it: both runes that could be interpreted as representing male virility. Teiwaz is related to the sky god Týr, and could be said to represent the pillar between the sky and the earth (an obviously phallic symbol). Likewise, Elhaz can be translated to mean "elk-sedge" or "elk", the symbol of horned animals also relating to male virility and sedge relating to protection. It could also be that the Elhaz rune is actually meant to be the Younger Futhark version of Maðr (meaning "man") which could also be interpreted as specifically male power in this case. The point seems to be that the community has one use and one use only for ol' Christian (if you catch my drift).
Pelle:
Pelle's Midsummer costume has the rune Fehu on it, which translates to "cattle" and "wealth". Other commentators have pointed out how Fehu fits Pele's role in the story as one who brings sacrifices (interpreted as wealth) to the ritual. I would also add to this that the Norwegian Fehu poem is one which also suggests betrayal and secret danger brewing beneath the surface:
"Wealth causes kinsmen's strife;
The wolf feeds itself in the wood."
Fehu may point to Pele's role as a secret source of danger to the travelers.
Siv:
Siv seems the be the community's holy woman, and therefore is paired with the rune Ansuz, which appears on her clothes and carved outside the entrance of her house. Ansuz (meaning "god", "mouth", and "estuary") is a rune that is tied to the Æsir gods and Óðinn in particular. This rune seems to signify her role as an intermediary between the gods and the community, as well as a speaker of holy words.
Kenaz:
Also Cen ("torch" in Old English) and Kaun ("sore" in Old Norse). This is a Rune I saw floating around on the dresses of a few women worshippers in the movie. As Kenaz is a rune that relates to fire, this could possibly be a bit of foreshadowing for the fire sacrifice at the end of the film.
It's obvious that Ari Aster did quite a bit of digging into the world of Norse folklore and magic in order to shape his Hårga community and gives the astute watcher quite a few symbols to ponder. I can't decide if it was a blessing or a missed opportunity that there wasn't more talk about he Norse gods or worldview in the film, which on one hand spared the gods from being cast as barbaric figures of superstition, but whose absence made the community of Hårga feel a bit hollow to me and more like a New Age cult than the survival of an ancient religion. The masculinization of the sun in the movie also felt a bit like a missed opportunity to tie Dani's role as the "May Queen" to that of Sunna: the sun goddess and an obvious player in the community's sun rituals. But aside from those small points, I greatly enjoyed the movie and Ari Aster's obvious talent for synthesizing intriguing stories with some beautiful and deeply disturbing imagery.
The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection, Penguin Classics, 2010
Alu: An Advanced Guide to Operative Runeology, Thorsson, Weiser Books, 2012
Rudiments of Runelore, Pollington, Anglo-Saxon Books, 2011
The Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson and Byock, Penguin, 2005
The Elder Edda: A Book of Viking Lore, Orchard, Penguin Books, 2011
History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, Adam of Bremen and Tschan, Columbia University Press, 2002
Agricola and Germany, Tacitus and Birley, Oxford University Press, 2009
Eyrbyggja Saga, Pállson, Penguin Books, 1989
1 thought on "A Norse Pagan Look at "Midsommar" (And yes, there are spoilers)"
LokisOwn November 30, 2019 — 5:25 pm
Thank you for this. I watched the movie and was left feeling… odd. I really could not decide if I even enjoyed it or not. The utilization of the Runes and the obvious references to the Sagas were great, and entirely barbaric. The use of Othala as the tables was a good addition, further binding the community together. Yet overall I kept having this underlying feeling as if something sacred was being taken and used to make money. The artistic merit of the film is without doubt, but the plot device of the Icelandic |
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exercises that have been specifically created to engage the regulating capacities of the ventral vagal system, therapists are given tools to help clients reshape their autonomic nervous systems.
Adding a polyvagal perspective to clinical practice draws the autonomic nervous system directly into the work of therapy, helping clients re-pattern their nervous systems, build capacities for regulation, and create autonomic pathways of safety and connection. With chapters that build confidence in understanding Polyvagal Theory, chapters that introduce worksheets for mapping, tracking, and practices for re-patterning, as well as a series of autonomic meditations, this book offers therapists a guide to practicing polyvagal-informed therapy.
4. Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
Author: by Daniel J. Siegel MD
In this New York Timesbestselling book, Dr. Daniel Siegel shows parents how to turn one of the most challenging developmental periods in their children's lives into one of the most rewarding. Between the ages of twelve and twenty-four, the brain changes in important and, at times, challenging ways.
In Brainstorm, Dr. Daniel Siegel busts a number of commonly held myths about adolescencefor example, that it is merely a stage of immaturity filled with often crazy behavior. According to Siegel, during adolescence we learn vital skills, such as how to leave home and enter the larger world, connect deeply with others, and safely experiment and take risks.
Drawing on important new research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology, Siegel explores exciting ways in which understanding how the brain functions can improve the lives of adolescents, making their relationships more fulfilling and less lonely and distressing on both sides of the generational divide.
5. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
Author: by Norman Doidge
An astonishing new science called "neuroplasticity" is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed.
From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, The Brain That Changes Itself will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.
6. Learn to Read for Kids with Dyslexia: 101 Games and Activities to Teach Your Child to Read
Author: by Hannah Braun M.Ed.
Fun exercises to make reading easier for kids with dyslexia ages 7 to 12 Learning to read with dyslexia can be a challenge for kids, but it's a challenge they can conquerwith the right tools. Using a targeted approach to skill development, Learn to Read for Kids with Dyslexia features more than 100 colorful games and activities that strengthen auditory processing skills, support letter formation in writing, and, most importantly, make reading fun!
This workbook filled with dyslexia tools for kids offers: Daily practiceThis standout among dyslexia books gives kids opportunities to practice their reading skills with exercises focused on phonemic awareness, dysgraphia, and auditory processing disorder. Playful activitiesKids will delight in exploring everything from phonics games to mazes, word association, matching, coloring, listening, and more.
6 Different learning methodsGet a dyslexic reading aid for kids that's built on multiple research-based approaches to learning, giving kids a chance to see what works best for them. Turn kids into lifelong readers, and help them along the road to overcoming dyslexia with fun-filled games that build their skills and confidence.
7. How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain
Author: by Prof. Lisa Feldman Barrett Ph.D
Fascinating …A thought-provoking journey into emotion science. Wall Street Journal A singular book, remarkable for the freshness of its ideas and the boldness and clarity with which they are presented. Scientific American A brilliant and original book on the science of emotion, by the deepest thinker about this topic since Darwin.
Daniel Gilbert, best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness The science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology. Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose research overturns the long-standing belief that emotions are automatic, universal, and hardwired in different brain regions.
Instead, Barrett shows, we construct each instance of emotion through a unique interplay of brain, body, and culture. A lucid report from the cutting edge of emotion science, How Emotions Are Made reveals the profound real-world consequences of this breakthrough for everything from neuroscience and medicine to the legal system and even national security, laying bare the immense implications of our latest and most intimate scientific revolution.Mind-blowing.
8. Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Manual
Author: by Patricia A. Resick
The culmination of more than 25 years of clinical work and research, this is the authoritative presentation of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Written by the treatment's developers, the book includes session-by-session guidelines for implementation, complete with extensive sample dialogues and 40 reproducible client handouts.
It explains the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of CPT and discusses how to adapt the approach for specific populations, such as combat veterans, sexual assault survivors, and culturally diverse clients. The large-size format facilitates photocopying and day-to-day use. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.
CPT is endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, and the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a best practice for the treatment of PTSD.
9. The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves
Author: by Curt Thompson
IVP Books
The Gospel Coalition Top Books of 2015 in Faith and WorkHearts Minds Bookstore's Best Books of 2015, Applied Theology, Basic Christian Living, Whole Life DiscipleshipOutreach Magazine's Resources of the YearWe're all infected with a spiritual disease.Its name is shame. Whether we realize it or not, shame affects every aspect of our personal lives and vocational endeavors.
It seeks to destroy our identity in Christ, replacing it with a damaged version of ourselves that results in unhealed pain and brokenness. But God is telling a different story for your life. Psychiatrist Curt Thompson unpacks the soul of shame, revealing its ubiquitous nature and neurobiological roots.
He also provides the theological and practical tools necessary to dismantle shame, based on years of researching its damaging effects and counseling people to overcome those wounds. Thompson's expertise and compassion will help you identify your own pains and struggles and find freedom from the lifelong negative messages that bind you.
10. Brainscapes: The Warped, Wondrous Maps Written in Your Brain―And How They Guide You
Author: by Rebecca Schwarzlose
Enlightening and ambitious a book that travels into rich terrain, charted by a smart and eager tour guide. New York Times Book Review A path-breaking journey into the brain, showing how perception, thought, and action are products of maps etched into your gray matterand how technology can use them to read your mind.
Your brain is a collection of maps: detailed representations, scrawled across your brain's surfaces, of the sights, sounds, and actions that hold the key to your survival. Although scientists began discovering these maps over a century ago, we are only now beginning to unlock their secretsand comprehend their profound impact on our lives.
Brain maps distort and shape our experience of the world, support complex thought, and make technology-enabled mind reading a modern-day reality. They shine a light on our past and our possible futures. In the process, they invite us to view ourselves from a startling new perspective.
In Brainscapes, Rebecca Schwarzlose combines unforgettable real-life stories, cutting-edge research, and vivid illustrations to reveal brain maps' surprising lessons about our place in the worldand about the world's place within us.
11. Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain
Author: by Lisa Feldman Barrett
From the author of How Emotions Are Made, a captivating collection of short essays about your brain, in the tradition of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. Have you ever wondered why you have a brain?
Let renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett demystify that big gray blob between your ears. In seven short essays (plus a bite-sized story about how brains evolved), this slim, entertaining, and accessible collection reveals mind-expanding lessons from the front lines of neuroscience research.
You'll learn where brains came from, how they're structured (and why it matters), and how yours works in tandem with other brains to create everything you experience. Along the way, you'll also learn to dismiss popular myths such as the idea of a "lizard brain" and the alleged battle between thoughts and emotions, or even between nature and nurture, to determine your behavior.
Sure to intrigue casual readers and scientific veterans alike, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain is full of surprises, humor, and important implications for human nature-a gift of a book that you will want to savor again and again.
12. Transcending Trauma: Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems
Author: by |
some will have gone for England v New Zealand at Twickenham as their highlight. For some it will have been the Manchester derby while a few might even have opted for the tennis at the O2 or the Brazilian grand prix. Anyone living in Wigan, St.Helens or parts of Solihull might even have chosen the Rugby League. For those who consider themselves to be the real sporting cognoscenti, however, the only game in town was the tenth anniversary Richard Black Cup at Eton, in association with Advanta Wealth.
The build up to the tournament could perhaps best be described as rather fraught and somewhat chaotic. The final entry, while still healthy enough, was slightly down on previous years with the drop out rate - of individual players, pairs, teams and parts of teams - in the days preceding the tournament reaching unprecedented levels. Hopefully next year we will see full teams from Berkhamsted, Cambridge University, Westminster and the Old Salopians, although the organiser would certainly settle for people telling him in advance whether they were coming or not and then sticking to that!
A further complication was then added by the Shrewsbury minibus breaking down on the M40 near High Wycombe (the stuff of recurrent nightmares for Stubbsy). Thankfully, they were able to get back on the road after a delay of around an hour, with a rejig of the draw allowing them to sit out the first round and them then arriving just in time to get stuck into Round 2.
With seven teams this year, the format returned to one large group phase, with all of the teams playing each other across three pairs in one game to 15. The tournament organiser was struggling to find enough legs to cope with all the various camps he had a foot in, switching hats (or perhaps that should be shoes to avoid mixing metaphors) between being North Oxford club captain, EFA Secretary, Old Ipswichian and Oxford University coach depending on who he was watching at the time.
Despite the absentees, the standard was high and the Fives both exciting and played in great spirit, with plenty of close matches and lots of opportunities for the younger or less experienced players to learn and improve during the course of the competition. Oxford University - with the majority of their big hitters unavailable - were definitely in the "inexperienced and there to learn" category but put in good performances all day, their results rarely reflecting the effort put in and the improvement shown as the competition progressed. The two young Highgate teams had a tough reputation to live up to, playing in this competition for the first time without either ladies finalist Emily Scoones or any of the "Golden Generation" who won the tournament five years in a row from 2012-2016 and while they showed that there is still plenty of talent at the school, they never quite got themselves in contention for a place in the final.
That left four teams battling it for the top two places - Shrewsbury, Ipswich, the EFA and defending champions North Oxford. An early 2-1 win over Ipswich for North Oxford put them in pole position and similar results over their other two main rivals put last year's winners top of the group standings. The matches between the other three teams were all nip and tuck, with the finishing order uncertain right up until the final round, which saw Ipswich close out a 3-0 win over Highgate 1, while Shrewsbury were unable to get more than one point from North Oxford, meaning that the final would see a repeat of the first match of the day between the two sides led by ladies champions Karen Hird and Charlotta Cooley.
There was a friendly but slightly tense period before the start of the final as the two rival captains tried to second-guess their opponents' pairings for the final. Ipswich had stuck with the same combinations all day - Charlotta & Eloise Carter at first pair, Charlotte Gregory & Louise Rymell at second and Natasha Gregory & Nadia Mason at third and they decided to go with that again. North Oxford had adopted a more mix and match policy with different combinations of Harry Asquith, Rachel Wood, Faye Kerr and Francesca Turnbull moving up to partner Karen at first pair or down to partner Mandie Barnes at third. In the morning match between the two, Karen & Harry had won convincingly at first pair and they went with that combination again, the change coming at third pair - won by Ipswich first time round - with Rachel partnering Mandie and Faye moving up to play with Francesca at second pair.
Three things quickly became clear as the final started - firstly with Eloise & Charlotta playing much more strongly than in the morning, the first pair game was not going to be the same one-sided contest as before, secondly the move to put Rachel at third pair looked to be a good one as she immediately took control of that particular match and thirdly the second pair was going to be extremely close with two well-matched pairs fighting it out. It was first blood to North Oxford as Rachel & Mandie won their match 12-6, 12-7; special mention should go, however, to the young Ipswich third pair of Nadia Mason & Natasha Gregory, who produced some absolutely magnificent Fives during the course of the day, often against older and more experienced opponents, with Natasha becoming the youngest player ever to play in the final of the Black Cup.
That meant that Ipswich needed to win both of the other matches to claim the trophy and there were times when that seemed to be a distinct possibility. The first pair match was a high quality encounter right from the start with the two top players in the ladies game taking each other on, well-supported by Harry and Eloise. The North Oxford pair got in front in the first game and never relinquished the lead, but the Ipswich duo fought back superbly, producing a killer seven point hand in the second game to help level at 1-1. The second pair game was even closer: Charlotte & Louise were ahead for most of the first game against Faye & Francesca but the North Oxford pair stayed within reach and took it to 11-11. The Ipswich pair took the bold option of sudden death and were rewarded with a perfect gameball cut by Louise followed by a good cut return and a fine winner to the back left. As if mirroring the next door court, however, Faye & Francesca fought back hard in the second game, Faye playing more solidly from the back and Francesca playing more aggressively and dynamically, seizing control of the top step and leading her pair to a 12-8 win. One all in both remaining pairs and all to play for.
It would have been a fitting climax to the day if the two deciding games had turned into 15-14 thrillers, but it wasn't to be. Louise & Charlotte played their best Fives of the day to get out in front and stay there, with Charlotte in particular returning cut and volleying into the buttress to great effect, leaving their opponents little opportunity to fight back. By the time the Ipswich second pair hit their winning shot, however, the match was over and the trophy back in North Oxford hands as Karen & Harry cut out the mistakes and reasserted their dominance against Charlotta & Eloise, taking the lead early on and seeing it through without too many alarms to finish off a tournament that had it all - the tension and excitement of Twickenham, the beautiful teamwork on display at the Etihad (not to mention the managerial mind games and touchline posturing), the bling and glamour of the Formula 1 circuit and the sublime court skills of the tennis world tour finals.
Our thanks go to Advanta Wealth for their support, to George Thomason and Eton for hosting the tournament, to Richard Black for supplying and presenting the prizes, to all those who captained and organised teams - Karen Hird, Charlotta Cooley, Ashley Lumbard, Elana Osen, Georgia Allen, Andy Barnard, David Mew, Jack Flowers - and to all those who came and played and made it such an enjoyable day.
Round 1: EFA beat Highgate 2 2-1; Highgate 1 beat Oxford University 3-0; North Oxford beat Ipswich 2-1
Round 2: North Oxford beat Oxford University 3-0; EFA beat Highgate 1 2-1; Shrewsbury beat Highgate 2 3-0
Round 3: EFA beat Oxford University 3-0; Ipswich beat Shrewsbury 2-1; North Oxford beat Highgate 1 3-0
Round 4: Shrewsbury beat Highgate 1 2-1; North Oxford beat EFA 2-1; Ipswich beat Highgate 2 3-0
Round 5: Ipswich beat Oxford University 3-0; Shrewsbury beat EFA 2-1; Highgate 1 beat Highgate 2 2-1
Round 6: Shrewsbury beat Oxford University 3-0; North Oxford beat Highgate 2 3-0; Ipswich beat EFA 2-1
Round 7: Highgate 2 beat Oxford University 2-1; North Oxford beat Shrewsbury 2-1; Ipswich beat Highgate 1 3-0
1. North Oxford 15 points
2. Ipswich 14 points
3. Shrewsbury 12 points
4. EFA 11 points
5. Highgate 1 6 points
7. Oxford University 1 point
North Oxford beat Ipswich 2-1
K.Hird & H.Asquith beat C.Cooley & E.Carter 2-1 (12-7, 7-12, 12-7)
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position for testing and detection levels of gluten that a manufacturer must meet in order to label a food gluten free. While the term "gluten-free" implies no gluten at all, global standards generally accept a level of 20 parts per million (ppm).
In the United States in August 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established formal standards for gluten-free labeling:
Product must contain less than 20 ppm detectable level of gluten
Product does not contain wheat, rye, barley or crossbred hybrids such as triticale
Product contains a gluten-containing grain or ingredient derived from a gluten-containing grain that has been processed to less than 20 ppm (Note: Oats that contain less than 20 ppm of gluten may be labeled "gluten-free" but do not need to be certified as gluten free)
Products naturally gluten free such as bottled water or fresh produce
While the term "gluten-free" implies no gluten at all, global standards generally accept a level of 20 parts per million (ppm).
The ruling covers all FDA-regulated foods, dietary supplements and any imports subject to FDA regulations.
What is gluten and how does it affect gluten-sensitive individuals?
While gluten is most often associated with wheat, gluten is a protein found in a number of grains in addition to wheat, such as barley, rye, spelt, kamut and triticale. Gluten is an elastic substance that forms when glutenin and gliadin bind with water. It makes dough elastic and stretchy, entrapping gas within baked goods to provide a light airy structure and appropriate crumb and texture. Gluten can be present in many other products including deli meats, soups, sauces, confections or even toothpaste. Some of these are called "hidden" sources of gluten.
A person diagnosed with celiac disease, a small portion of the American population totaling less than one percent, must avoid gluten in order to remain healthy. Celiac disorder involves an IgA or IgG autoimmune response to gluten, leading to antibodies that attack the villi in the small intestines. Long-term abuse of the intestinal tract can lead to cancer, among other harmful consequences.
…gluten-free products will experience double-digit growth through 2018.
Although currently under debate, many other individuals claim gluten sensitivity, or an allergic response to gluten without biopsy evidence of villous atrophy. Still another, broader demographic group, has voluntarily decided to follow a gluten-free diet, with a Packaged Facts survey revealing "the conviction that gluten-free products are generally healthier" as the top motivation for purchase.
Gluten-free is a label some manufacturers use to tap into the better-for-you product segment, adding gluten-free to other claims such as soy-free, dairy-free and non-GMO, for example. Major market research groups use different metrics to measure market size resulting in a wide range of results, with Mintel's $10.5 billion for 2013 on the high end to Euromonitor at $486.5 million on the low end. However, all agree when it comes to market forecasting, that gluten-free products will experience double-digit growth through 2018.
Evidence in Favor of Eggs
In a traditional wheat-based bread product, the gluten entraps and holds air bubbles. A leavening agent causes the gluten network to expand, the heat causes the bubbles to rise and then the structure sets, forming a combination of expansion, elasticity and rigidity. Formulators might work for months or even years to perfect gluten-free bread that has proper structure, crumb, texture, appearance, rise, volume and shelf life. Egg proteins can help in many instances.
As egg proteins are exposed to acid or heat, they break and the protein strand denatures. When they aggregate back together again, they entrap air and moisture. This can provide height, volume and stability to chemically leavened baked goods.
Cakes, cookies, muffins and other sweet baked products benefit further from egg ingredient inclusions, because the sugar within the formulation raises the temperature at which egg proteins coagulate. The egg proteins form more and larger air cells, creating a light, fluffy texture, particularly appealing in cakes, muffins and other baked items where a certain level of rise and open, airy texture is expected.
When formulating with gluten-free flour, moisture content is a critical aspect. If the formulator is baking an item that is expected to rise and the dough is dry, it will be too dense. If the dough is too moist, the rise will be good, but will collapse during the baking period. The common complaint with gluten-free baked goods, such as cookies or sandwich bread is they crumble easily. Therefore binding properties as well as textural qualities are vitally important in ingredient selection. Egg yolks can act as a lipid source in foods by softening a product's texture.
And not surprisingly, when bakers look to alternative flours for gluten-free formulating, the protein content of the replacement flour is a key factor. According to one expert, the flour's protein level should be near the 10 percent typical of wheat flour, plus or minus a few points depending on whether the end product is bread, pastry or pasta. Most alternatives top out at about five percent. Rice flour might have a bland flavor, however corn, soy and potato flours all carry a more distinctive taste and are detectable in a product trying to pass itself off as a wheat alternative. A protein source such as an egg ingredient that helps with functionality and itself possesses a bland flavor is invaluable in gluten-free formulating.
Kansas State University researchers, led by Fadi Aramouni, Ph.D., investigated the use of egg ingredients in gluten-free bread to improve the taste, volume, color, moisture and texture. They presented their findings at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting & Food Expo.
The researchers discovered that whole liquid eggs used in gluten-free sorghum bread at 25 percent on a flour basis exhibited the most favorable impact on the bread flavor, texture, volume and moisture level. According to Aramouni, "The addition of eggs made the texture softer and helped maintain moisture and retard staling, which is important to maintaining shelf life."
A protein source such as an egg ingredient that helps with functionality… is invaluable in gluten-free formulating.
Protein Type Makes a Difference
The type of protein selected to replace the wheat protein does play a critical role in product quality,1 according to a study published in the March 2014 issue of the Journal of Food Hydrocolloids. A team of researchers in Spain and Venezuela tested the effects of five different proteins from both animal and vegetable sources on a gluten-free muffin, looking at their impact on dough rheology and finished product qualities such as volume, color, texture and moisture content.
Egg white protein performed well compared to the other protein sources in the study, contributing positive functional benefits to the batter's rheological characteristics and increasing both height and volume in the finished product.
In general, major technical challenges for food manufacturers attempting to create gluten-free baked goods include dough consistency, dense products, dry crumb structure and shelf life.
Beyond Bread
Egg protein, specifically from egg whites, can help batter and breading adhere to frozen appetizers or foods. The heat causes the egg proteins to coagulate and connect the food components with each other.
For pasta, the egg proteins enhance machinability and the pasta cooking quality, plus lend a desirable texture and color. In general a gluten-free product that includes rice or tapioca flour for example, will be lighter in color than a product with traditional wheat flour. The xanthophyll contained in egg yolks that give them their rich golden color can help add rich color to pasta or breads.
In prepared entrees eggs create gels that thicken, bind and lend structure without gluten. Especially when a small amount of wheat is used to bind products together, such as in pasta fillings or meatballs, egg ingredients can substitute.
Egg proteins can improve the mouthfeel of sweet goods and puddings by providing substantial body and smoothness. They can be used to thicken sauces, gravies and other viscous products that normally rely on wheat-based starch ingredients, according to Glenn Froning, Ph.D., food technology advisor for American Egg Board and professor emeritus at University of Nebraska's food science department. With minor modifications to gravies and sauces, this could open up entire product categories to those with wheat sensitivity. Sauces and gravies are often utilized in frozen prepared meals, for example, and are the component most likely to contain wheat- or gluten-based ingredients.
And compared to other protein options, egg ingredients offer a bland flavor that allows the characteristic flavors of the main ingredient "hero" to come through clearly and cleanly.
Nutrition Also A Consideration
Those diagnosed with celiac disease may also be prone to nutritional deficiencies, and when following a gluten-free diet should be aware of the particular vitamins and minerals that might be lacking.2 Proper advice from a nutritionist can help remedy the situation.3
In addition, proper ingredient choices in gluten-free formulating can boost a product's nutritional profile. One whole egg contains six grams of protein with all nine essential amino acids, which are defined as amino acids the human body requires but cannot synthesize. This includes histidine, leucine, lysine, isoleucine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, phenylalanine and valine. The essential amino-acid composition of egg protein is similar to the human body's requirement, allowing the body to use the protein more efficiently for growth. Using protein's biological value (BV) scale, with 100 representing top efficiency, whole-egg protein has a BV of 93 |
'll be throwing mental illness, such as depression, into the mix too.
So, if you're someone who believes none of these more mature themes should be present in anime, then you're the person who needs to read this post the most. There are a variety of reasons these themes need to be included in anime, and you're probably overlooking them.
I've discussed the inclusion of sexual assault and rape in Goblin Slayer a decent number of times during my episode reviews of it, so we'll start here because it's familiar territory to at least some of you. Everyone who dropped Goblin Slayer after the first episode and then complained about the series is wrong.
Well, they're probably not all wrong; some of them simply decided that the series wasn't for them. But, anyone who dropped the series specifically because they thought it was using sexual assault for shock and entertainment value is completely misunderstanding the point of the series.
Think of it this way, yes Goblin Slayer includes scenes of brutal sexual assault, but does it ever glorify it? The answer is no. And, the reason for this is because the underlying story of Goblin Slayer is about the struggle to return to a state of normalcy after something like a sexual assault occurs.
Fantasy series are parallels of our own world in which we can explore themes and ideas that are otherwise off-limits for one reason or another. Take The Lord of the Rings for example; parts of it cover how deforestation and pollution negatively affect the world.
So, for a dark fantasy series such as Goblin Slayer to do something similar with sexual assault makes complete sense. By taking this taboo topic and putting it into a fantasy story, it becomes more accessible for a lot of people and may even make them start thinking about it.
Yes, we can all agree that sexual assault is bad, but we typically don't stop to think about life after the assault. How do survivors cope with it? What happens if they can't cope with it? What about their family and friends, how are they affected as well? These are the questions Goblin Slayer brings to the forefront.
Fighter, post-Goblin attack
But, most of Goblin Slayer focuses on what I'll call secondary victims of sexual assault. This would be characters like Goblin Slayer, whose sister was assaulted, or Priestess, whose comrade, Fighter, was assaulted. There are probably a number of reasons for this, but my guess would be that this is the side the author felt he could do justice.
This has led some to claim that the end result for the primary victims, like Fighter, is brushed under the rug. However, I'm here to tell you that isn't the case. Yes, Fighter is so physically, mentally, and emotionally scarred that she quits being an adventurer and fades away, but the sad reality is that's what happens to some survivors in our world too.
By including the fact that Fighter never recovers, we're being shown that not everyone is capable to returning to a state of normalcy. Sometimes we need to be reminded of this, despite how much we as a society like to avert our eyes.
And, I'd also like to point out that Sword Maiden is an example of a primary survivor who, although hasn't completely recovered and probably never will, has at least worked hard to make the best of her situation. She's still scarred, but she's doing her best to regain control of her life.
Also, I should point out that since sexual violence is a real thing in our world, it only makes sense for it to also be present in fantasy worlds. So, in that regard Goblin Slayer is simply being realistic.
Now it's time for the current hot-topic, slavery in anime, specifically Shield Hero. So, let me start by saying that as a historian I'm opposed to brushing any part of history under the rug, especially if it's done so that certain groups of people can pretend the dark parts of their history never happened.
Slavery was real, slavery is still real, and we shouldn't try to pretend that isn't the case simply because it makes us uncomfortable. So, now that we have that out of the way, let's look at three key points about slavery:
Slavery has always been a part of human civilization.
Slavery isn't purely a racial issue even though we like to think of it that way in the U.S. specifically.
Even those who owned slaves generally understood it was wrong.
With those three points in mind we can start to understand why slavery is depicted in Shield Hero and why it's depicted the way it is. As for the first point, slavery is, unfortunately, common wherever there's a large population of humans.
And, since the nature of slavery has changed in modern-day, I won't comment on it, but historically slavery was extremely important for the progress of individuals, communities, and nations. For example, the Spartans were able to have a standing army specifically because they had slaves to do their farming.
Similarly, in Shield Hero, Naofumi is able to become stronger and save people as a hero specifically because he purchases Raphtalia as a slave. Does this excuse slavery as an institution? No, but it's an explanation for why slavery was tolerated to an extent in the past.
Raphtalia in the slave market
Just remember, historically slavery served a purpose, and that's exactly how Naofumi seems to see it in Shield Hero. When he first purchases Raphtalia he does say that slaves aren't people, but we can probably chalk that up to him trying to get the slave trader on his side considering he never says anything like that again.
Later on in the series, when confronted by the other three heroes about his use of a slave, Naofumi defends himself by saying it's perfectly legal in the world they're in. Coming from an outside perspective that seems like a bad excuse, but what about if we think of it from Naofumi's perspective?
He's been brought to some unknown world against his will and is being forced to fight to save the lives of a people who have shunned and tormented him. He can't leave unless he wins the fights ahead of him, and he can't do that without a slave to make him stronger.
And, it should also be noted that he tends to treat Raphtalia as a daughter, not a slave, but I recognize that doesn't change the fact that he bought her. But, this shows that even though he bought a slave, he doesn't see slavery as something that's right.
I'll also point out that, like Goblin Slayer with sexual assault, Shield Hero doesn't glorify slavery. It kind of did when Raphtalia chose to have the slave seal placed on her a second time, but even Naofumi was against her doing this. To me, that's more of a sign that Raphtalia is mentally broken down, which I'll get to later.
But, my final point on the use of slavery in Shield Hero has to do with the most recent episode in which the slave trader tells Naofumi that thanks to him, the slave business is booming. Nobles from across the land are buying Filolial eggs and demi-human slaves at record numbers.
The tweet I mentioned at the start of this post specifically pointed to this scene as proof that Naofumi is complicit in the slave trade. However, there are two key things to remember here. The first is that Naofumi never tries to convince anyone slavery is right, and the second is that the nobles are the ones buying slaves.
The fact that the nobles are buying more slaves is the real key factor here because they're the antagonists of the series. Just like how the Goblins from Goblin Slayer are doing the raping, the Nobles (antagonists) are the ones buying more slaves. Ergo, buying slaves is bad because it's what the bad guys are doing.
So, from a historical standpoint, Shield Hero is being accurate. And, from a "moral" standpoint, Shield Hero is saying that only bad guys buy slaves. The fact that Naofumi also bought a slave is just a sign that he's an anti-hero, much like how Deadpool kills people even though killing is bad.
And, let's just briefly go over the inclusion of mental illness and depression in anime to complete the mature theme trifecta. Now, I know what you're thinking, "but mental illness isn't the same as sexual assault and slavery," and you're right, except that it's treated the same way.
Much like sexual assault and slavery, we tend to avert our eyes from those suffering from mental illnesses such as depression. So, what better way to get people to start thinking about these things than to include them in popular media like anime?
Let's take Raphtalia for example. When she decides to have her slave seal re-applied, it certainly seemed like slavery was being glorified on the surface, but beneath the surface I see a deeply disturbed young girl. The fact that Raphtalia believes her worth is tied to how devoted she is to Naofumi is an issue that shouldn't be overlooked.
This is probably an effect of losing her family, becoming a slave, and then finally meeting someone who treated her half decent for once. However, where I think Shield Hero fails in this regard is that Raphtalia seems to get over everything too quickly.
By the next episode she's no longer a broken girl, and it's like nothing ever happened. But, this isn't the case for all characters who suffer from mental breakdowns. I've mentioned before that one of the best written characters in anime is Asuka Langley |
, warranting a perfect 10/10 this time around. Mercedes firmly stood as the third-fastest team in Hungary, yet Hamilton splashed his way to pole in supreme fashion on Saturday before then controlling proceedings at the front of the pack. Sebastian Vettel may have missed a chance to catch Hamilton, but even the Ferrari driver thought his rival was out of reach.
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 6
Bottas' rating would have been higher had the race ended on Lap 64 (where was Winnie Harlow when he needed her!?). Like Hamilton, he benefitted from the wet conditions in qualifying. Like Hamilton, he ran well in the opening stint. His pace faded a bit early on the Softs, giving Vettel the chance to jump ahead before Ferrari left him out too long. His move to try and stay ahead of Vettel at Turn 2 in the closing stages was questionable, but the attempt to keep Daniel Ricciardo back smacked of desperation. We've come to expect better of the cool, calm, collected Finn. Let's hope he returns at Spa.
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 8
Vettel will be entering the summer break baffled how he failed to win in either Germany or Hungary. Wet qualifying played against him badly, forcing Ferrari to try an alternate strategy to get him in contention for victory. Vettel's charge to try and vault Bottas for P2 was stunted by traffic, and he struggled to pass despite his fresh Ultrasofts given the Hungaroring's tight layout. He did well to limit the damage of Hamilton's win - but will know he should have a decent buffer at the top of the standings.
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 7
Another weekend, another podium for Kimi Raikkonen. You have to go back to Canada for the last time he wasn't in the top three. It was also his ninth podium in Hungary, two more than Hamilton, Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher scored. He looked to be in contention for victory against teammate Vettel after practice and led Ferrari's charge in qualifying. The slip behind Vettel at the start compromised his race, with Ferrari then using him to try and force Mercedes into a two-stop strategy. A decent enough weekend all the same.
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 7
Ricciardo was left on the back foot after qualifying, scraping through Q1 as Red Bull opted to run him on Softs as rain began to sprinkle down before then being dumped out in Q2 after heading out too late on slicks. A tangle with Marcus Ericsson - you can actually blame him this time - caused Ricciardo to drop back to 16th before he charged up the order in style, pulling off some brilliant overtakes before finally getting ahead of Bottas for P4 late on.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 6
Not the weekend Verstappen was hoping for at one of Red Bull's last realistic chances to win this year. Verstappen struggled to channel his wet-weather quality on Saturday, finishing a lowly seventh behind Carlos Sainz Jr. and Pierre Gasly. His race ended early following a loss of power, meaning his rating is largely based off qualifying. A missed chance for Red Bull.
Sergio Perez, Force India - 6
On a turbulent weekend for Force India that saw Sergio Perez hit the headlines for his off-track movements, the team was off the pace all weekend on it. Perez dropped out in Q1 and didn't even make it to the top 10 in the race, leaving him without points for the first time since France.
Esteban Ocon, Force India - 6
A similar story for Ocon in the second Force India. He started 17th and rose to 14th on the opening lap, and remained there for much of the race before crossing the line 12th, but never really looked capable of scoring points. A tough weekend for the team.
Lance Stroll, Williams - 5
Williams knows its chances of success in 2018 rely on out of the norm events, with the rain in Q2 being one such example. Stroll did well to make it through, but spurned any hopes of a deep run into qualifying with a crash early in the session. The damage to the front of his car forced Williams to start him from the pit lane, but even starting on Mediums for a late blast on Ultrasofts couldn't give him anything better than P17.
Sergey Sirotkin, Williams - 5
Sergey Sirotkin said there were plenty of positives to take from his display in Hungary, one of them being the way in which he dealt with blue flags. It was a largely underwhelming display once again from the Russian, though, who finished two laps down and remains the only driver not to score points this year.
Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 5
A disappointing weekend for Hulkenberg after a run of good races. A miscalculation meant Renault did not fill his car with enough fuel at the start of Q2, preventing him from getting out on-track when conditions were at their best. A good start put him in the frame for points before a poor second stint on the Mediums. A late gamble to fit Ultrasofts under the VSC didn't aid his hopes of points.
Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 6
Sainz starred in qualifying for Renault, finishing fifth, but slipped back to eighth at the start and struggled for pace on the Softs in the opening stint. He was able to pick up two points for ninth, yet it was still a big opportunity missed to follow up on his superb display in qualifying.
Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso - 10
Pierre Gasly is quickly making a name for himself as F1's new tyre management king. After benefitting from the rain in qualifying to secure P6 on the grid, he passed Sainz well at the start and never looked back. Gasly managed 32 laps on the Ultrasofts - more than any other driver - and was still setting PBs at the end of his stint, and was the last driver not to be lapped. A perfect display that saw him maximise Toro Rosso's strongpoints once again.
Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso - 7
Brendon Hartley was once again overshadowed by Pierre Gasly on a big weekend for Toro Rosso, but his display should not be dismissed. Hartley reached Q3 for the first time on Saturday, but his failure to pass Sainz on the opening lap proved costly. Toro Rosso brought him in early, allowing the McLarens and Romain Grosjean to get the overcut, putting him 11th at the flag. A frustrating end to his cleanest weekend in F1 so far.
Romain Grosjean, Haas - 6
Back-to-back points for the first time this year for Romain Grosjean, yet it wasn't his most convincing display. He started the race 10th after having his fast lap in Q3 compromised by Verstappen - although he had other chances - and he slipped back off the line to 12th. Grosjean managed to get the overcut on Hartley after his early stop, but only inherited a point for P10 thanks to Stoffel Vandoorne's late retirement. Let's not overplay his performance.
Kevin Magnussen, Haas - 7
Magnussen was Haas' lead driver yet again in Hungary, qualifying ninth, ahead of Grosjean, and making a good start to run seventh early on. He lacked the pace to catch Gasly in front, but still came home a solid P7 for another good haul of points for Haas at one of its weaker tracks.
Fernando Alonso, McLaren - 8
Fifteen years on from his maiden F1 victory, Alonso was once again on form at the Hungaroring. He qualified 11th before making a superb first stint work well, getting the overcut on Hartley and Sainz to move up into the points, eventually crossing the line eighth. It was the most McLaren could have really hoped for.
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren - 8
You can't help but feel sorry for Stoffel Vandoorne. After a run of miserable form, McLaren finally changed the chassis on his car in the hope of resolving the issue. He ailed to his fifth straight Q1 exit on Saturday, but was superb on Sunday, making the overcut work perfectly like teammate Alonso to run just a couple of seconds behind in P9 heading into the closing stages before a gearbox issue cruelly forced him to retire. He may still be without points since Baku, but Vandoorne proved in Hungary why he should not be resigned to the F1 scrapheap.
Marcus Ericsson, Sauber - 6
Ericsson managed to outqualify teammate Charles Leclerc for the first time since Bahrain in the wet on Saturday, but had a tough race. Early contact with Ricciardo caused Ericsson to drop back before Sauber tried a long stint on Medium tyres. It hinged on a Safety Car hitting at some point, but it never came, leaving the Swede two laps down at the chequered flag.
Charles Leclerc, Sauber - 5
Back down to earth with a bump for Charles Leclerc after a run of fine form. The rain caused him to slip to a Q1 exit on Saturday before being sandwiched between the two Force Indias exiting Turn 1 in the race, leaving his car with damage that forced him to park up.
|
1961
6 6 Admitting Service November 2, 1961
7 7 The Lonely Ones November 9, 1961
8 8 Holiday Weekend November 16, 1961
9 9 The Patient November 23, 1961
10 10 For the Living November 30, 1961
11 11 Second Chance December 7, 1961
12 12 Hit and Run December 14, 1961
13 13 Season to Be Jolly December 21, 1961
14 14 Johnny Temple December 28, 1961
15 15 My Brother, the Doctor January 4, 1962
16 16 The Adminstrator January 11, 1962
17 17 Oh My Daughter January 25, 1962
18 18 The Search February 1, 1962
19 19 The Glory Hunter February 8, 1962
20 20 The Dragon February 15, 1962
21 21 The Stepping Stone February 22, 1962
22 22 The Bronc-Buster March 1, 1962
23 23 The Witch Doctor March 8, 1962
24 24 The Roaring Boy-O March 15, 1962
25 25 Solomon's Choice March 29, 1962
26 26 A Very Present Help April 5, 1962
27 27 One for the Road April 12, 1962
28 28 The Horn of Plenty April 19, 1962
29 29 The Chemistry of Anger April 26, 1962
30 30 Something of Importance May 3, 1962
31 31 A Distant Thunder May 10, 1962
32 32 The Road to the Heart May 17, 1962
33 33 Operation: Lazarus May 24, 1962
34 1 Gravida One September 27, 1962
35 2 The Burning Sky October 4, 1962
36 3 The Visitors October 11, 1962
37 4 The Mask Makers October 18, 1962
38 5 Guest Appearance October 25, 1962
39 6 Hastings' Farewell November 1, 1962
40 7 Breakdown November 8, 1962
41 8 The Cobweb Chain November 15, 1962
42 9 The Soul Killer November 22, 1962
43 10 An Ancient Office December 6, 1962
44 11 The Legacy December 13, 1962
45 12 The Bed I've Made December 20, 1962
46 13 A Time to Every Purpose December 27, 1962
47 14 Love Is a Sad Song January 3, 1963
48 15 The Thing Speaks for Itself January 10, 1963
49 16 The Great Guy January 17, 1963
50 17 The Mosaic January 31, 1963
51 18 Good Luck Charm February 7, 1963
52 19 Jail Ward February 14, 1963
53 20 A Trip to Niagara February 21, 1963
54 21 A Place Among the Monuments February 28, 1963
55 22 Face of Fear March 7, 1963
56 23 Sister Mike March 14, 1963
57 24 A Very Infectious Disease March 21, 1963
58 25 The Dark Side of the Mirror March 28, 1963
59 26 The Sleeping Princess April 11, 1963
60 27 Ship's Doctor April 18, 1963
61 28 Tightrope Into Nowhere April 25, 1963
62 29 The Balance and the Crucible May 2, 1963
63 30 The Gift of Koodjanuk May 9, 1963
64 31 An Island Like a Peacock May 16, 1963
65 32 To Each His Own Prison May 23, 1963
66 33 A Hand Held Out in Darkness May 30, 1963
67 34 What's God to Julius? June 6, 1963
68 1 Who Ever Heard of a Two-Headed Doll? September 26, 1963
69 2 The Good Samaritan October 3, 1963
70 3 If You Can't Believe the Truth... October, 10, 1963
71 4 The Heart Is an Imperfect Machine October 17, 1963
72 5 A Game for Three October 24, 1963
73 6 The Exploiters October 31, 1963
74 7 One Bright Clear Thursday Morning November 7, 1963
75 8 The Eleventh Commandment November 14, 1963
76 9 Four Feet in the Morning (1)
Story concluded on The Eleventh Hour November 21, 1963
77 10 The Pack Rat and the Prima Donna November 28, 1963
78 11 The Backslider December 5, 1963
79 12 Charlie Wade Makes Lots of Shade December 12, 1963
80 13 The Oracle December 19, 1963
81 14 A Vote of Confidence December 26, 1963
82 15 A Willing Suspension of Disbelief January 9, 1964
83 16 Tyger Tyger (1) January 16, 1964
85 18 Never Too Old for the Circus January 30, 1964
86 19 Onions, Garlic and Flowers That Bloom in the Spring February 6, 1964
87 20 To Walk in Grace February 13, 1964
88 21 Goodbye, Mr. Jersey February 20, 1964
89 22 Why Won't Anybody Listen? February 27, 1964
90 23 The Child Between March 5, 1964
91 24 A Hundred Million Tomorrows March 12, 1964
92 25 Tomorrow Is a Fickle Girl March 19, 1964
93 26 Quid Pro Quo March 26, 1964
94 27 A Day to Remember April 2, 1964
95 28 An Ungodly Act April 9, 1964
96 29 A Nickel's Worth of Prayer April 16, 1964
97 30 Night of the Beast April 23, 1964
98 31 The Middle of Ernie Mann April 30, 1964
99 32 A Sense of Tempo May 7, 1964
100 33 Speak Not in Angry Whispers May 14, 1964
101 34 Dolly's Dilemma May 21, 1964
102 1 Man Is a Rock September 24, 1964
103 2 Maybe Love Will Save My Apartment House October 1, 1964
104 3 The Hand That Hurts, the Hand That Heals October 8, 1964
105 4 The Last Leaves on the Tree October 15, 1964
106 5 What's Different About Today? October 22, 1964
107 6 The Sound of a Faraway Hill October 29, 1964
108 7 A Candle in the Window November 5, 1964
109 8 Rome Will Never Leave You (1) November 12, 1964
111 10 Rome Will Never Leave You (3) November 26, 1964
112 11 The Elusive Dik-Dik December 3, 1964
113 12 Catch a Crooked Mouse December 17, 1964
114 13 An Exchange of Gifts December 24, 1964
115 14 Never Is a Long Day December 31, 1964
116 15 Lullaby for an Indian Summer January 7, 1965
117 16 Take Care of My Little Girl January 14, 1965
118 17 My Name Is Lisa, and I Am Lost January 21, 1965
119 18 Please Let My Baby Live January 28, 1965
120 19 No Mother to Guide Them February 4, 1965
121 20 A Marriage of Convience February 11, 1965
122 21 Make Way for Tomorrow February 18, 1965
123 22 A Miracle for Margaret February 25, 1965
124 23 Do You Trust Your Doctor? March 4, 1965
125 24 All Brides Should Be Beatiful March 11, 1965
126 25 She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (1) March 18, 1965
128 27 A Joruney to Sunrise April 1, 1965
129 28 The Time Buyers April 8, 1965
130 29 Music Hath Charms April 15, 1965
131 30 Believe and Live April 22, 1965
132 31 A Reverence for Life April 29, 1965
133 32 Wings of Hope May 13, 1965
134 1 Behold the Great Man (1) September 13, 1965
135 2 A Life for a Life (2) September 14, 1965
136 3 Web of Hate (3) September 20, 1965
137 4 The Horizontal Hero (4) September 21, 1965
138 5 The Bell in the Schoolhouse Tolls for Thee, Kildare (1) September 27, 1965
139 6 Life in the Dance Hall (2) September 28, 1965
140 7 Some Doors Are Slamming (3) October 5, 1965
141 8 Enough La Boheme for Everybody (4) October 11, 1965
142 9 Now the Mummy (5) October 12, 1965
143 10 A Pyrotechnic Display (6) October 18, 1965
144 11 With Helfire and Thunder (1) October 19, 1965
145 12 Daily Flights to Olympus (2) October 25, 1965
146 13 The Life Machine (1) October 26, 1965
147 14 Toast the Golden Couple (2) November 1, 1965
148 15 Wives and Losers (3) November 2, 1965
149 16 Welcome Home, Dear Anna (4) November 8, 1965
150 17 A Little Child Shall Lead Them (5) November 9, 1965
151 18 Hour of Decision (6) November 15, 1965
152 19 Aftermath (7) November 16, 1965
153 20 Fathers and Daughters (1) November 22, 1965
154 21 A Gift of Love (2) November 23, 1965
155 22 The Tent Dwellers (3) November 29, 1965
156 23 Going Home (4) November 30, 1965
157 24 Something Old, Something New (1) December 6, 1965
158 25 To Visit One More Spring (2) December 7, 1965
159 26 From Nigeria with Love (1) December 13, 1965
160 27 In the Roman Candle's Bright Glare (2) December 14, 1965
161 28 When Shadows Fall (3) December 20, 1965
162 29 With This Ring (4) December 21, 1965
163 30 Perfect Is Too Hard to Be (1) December 27, 1965
164 31 Duet for One Hand (2) December 28, 1965
165 32 The Atheist and the True Believer (1) January 3, 1966
166 33 A Quick Look at Glory (2) January 4, 1966
167 34 A Sort of F |
level solid radioactive waste (HILW-LL) from operations between 2015 and 2017 (in cubic meters)EDF Group - HILW-LL from operations 2015-2017
Number of complaints received by the 'Big Six' energy companies in the Great Britain (GB) from 1st quarter 2013 to 4th quarter 2018, per 100,000 customersComplaints received by big six energy suppliers per 100,000 customers GB 2013-2018
Number of complaints received by EDF Energy in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2013 to 4th quarter 2018Quarterly complaints received by EDF Energy in the United Kingdom (UK) 2013-2018
Share of quarterly complaints resolved by the 'Big Six' energy companies in the United Kingdom (UK) within eight weeks in 2018Complaints resolved within eight weeks by the 'Big Six' UK energy companies 2018
Share of quarterly complaints resolved by the 'Big Six' energy companies in the United Kingdom (UK), by the next working day in 2018Complaints resolved by 'Big Six' UK energy companies by end of work day 2018
Aggregate energy generation profits of the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)Aggregate energy generation profits of the Big Six in the United Kingdom 2009-2017
Aggregate domestic energy supply profits of the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)Aggregate domestic energy supply profits of the Big Six in the UK 2009-2017
Aggregate non-domestic energy supply profits of the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)Aggregate non-domestic energy supply profits of the Big Six in the UK 2009-2017
Aggregate profits of the Big Six energy suppliers from generation and supply in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)Aggregate profits of the Big Six in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017
Total profits of the Big Six energy suppliers from energy generation in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)Big Six profits through generation in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017
Total profits of the Big Six energy suppliers from non-domestic supply in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)Big Six non-domestic supply profits in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017
Profit margin in the supply segment for the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017Big six profit margin for supply in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017
EBITDA of the electricity generation of RWE npower in the UK 2014-2017, by subsector
Electricity generation revenue of RWE npower in the UK 2014-2018, by subsector
EBIT from electricity generation of RWE npower 2014-2018, by subsector
RWE npower: revenue from domestic electricity supply 2010-2018
Domestic electricity supply revenue of E.ON in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2018
RWE npower EBIT and EBITDA of the non-domestic electricity supply 2010-2018
RWE npower fuel costs of non-domestic gas supply in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2018
EBIT and EBITDA of the domestic electricity supply of RWE npower 2010-2018
WACOF/E/G of the electricity generation of RWE npower 2013-2018
EBITDA of the electricity generation of Centrica 2013-2018, by subsector
Customer accounts of the electricity supply of RWE npower in the UK 2014-2018
RWE npower WACOG of domestic gas supply in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2018
Centrica: customer and site numbers in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014-2018
EBIT and EBITDA of the non-domestic gas supply of RWE npower 2010-2017
RWE npower: direct fuel costs of domestic gas supply 2010-2018
ScottishPower: electricity generation operation costs in the UK 2010-2018
Non-domestic gas supply revenue of ScottishPower in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2018
Domestic gas supply revenue of ScottishPower in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2018
Energy forms used by businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Energy suppliers: when did consumers last switch in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Consumer experience of the energy market in the United Kingdom (UK)
Electricity Industry
Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK)
EDF Energy
Centrica and British Gas
RWE - Annual Report 2018
RWE - UK Generation & Supply Consolidated Segmental Statement for the year ended 31 Decemb...
Centrica Consolidated Segmental Statement for the year ended 31 December 2016
Electricity production in the United Kingdom (UK)
Electricity consumption in the United Kingdom (UK)
EDF Group's revenue from FY 2007 to FY 2018 (in billion euros)*
EDF Group's revenue in FY 2018, by segment (in billion euros)
EDF Group's consolidated net income from FY 2007 to FY 2018* (in billion euros)
Energy generation profits of EDF Energy in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)
EDF Energy's revenue from the generation of electricity in the United Kingdom(UK) from 2010 to 2017 (in million British pounds), by subsector
Non-domestic energy supply profits of United Kingdom (UK) based energy supplier EDF Energy from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)
Domestic energy supply profits of EDF Energy in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)
EDF Energy EBIT* from electricity generation in the United Kingdom (UK), from 2010 to 2017 (in million British pounds)
EDF Energy domestic electricity supply EBIT* and EBITDA** in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2018 (in million British pounds)
EDF Energy EBIT* and EBITDA** from non-domestic electricity supply in United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2018 (in million British pounds)
EDF Energy EBIT* and EBITDA** from the domestic gas supply in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2018 (in million British pounds)
Electricity generation profitability of EDF in Great Britain (GB) in 2017, by technology type (EBIT margin in percentage)
Number of EDF employees from FY 2010 to FY 2018 (in 1,000s)*
Volume of EDF Group' s transported spent nuclear fuel from 2012 to 2017 (in metric tons)
EDF Group's very low-level solid radioactive waste (VLLW) from operations between 2015 and 2017 (in cubic meters)
EDF Group's short-lived low- and intermediate-level solid radioactive waste (LILW-SL) from operations between 2015 and 2017 (in cubic meters)
EDF Group's long-lived high and intermediate-level solid radioactive waste (HILW-LL) from operations between 2015 and 2017 (in cubic meters)
Number of complaints received by the 'Big Six' energy companies in the Great Britain (GB) from 1st quarter 2013 to 4th quarter 2018, per 100,000 customers
Number of complaints received by EDF Energy in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2013 to 4th quarter 2018
Share of quarterly complaints resolved by the 'Big Six' energy companies in the United Kingdom (UK) within eight weeks in 2018
Share of quarterly complaints resolved by the 'Big Six' energy companies in the United Kingdom (UK), by the next working day in 2018
Aggregate energy generation profits of the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)
Aggregate domestic energy supply profits of the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)
Aggregate non-domestic energy supply profits of the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million British pounds)
Aggregate profits of the Big Six energy suppliers from generation and supply in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Total profits of the Big Six energy suppliers from energy generation in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Total profits of the Big Six energy suppliers from non-domestic supply in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Profit margin in the supply segment for the Big Six energy suppliers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017
RWE npower EBITDA* from electricity generation in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2014 to 2017 (in million British pounds), by subsector
RWE npower revenue from electricity generation in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2014 to 2018, by subsector (in million British pounds)
RWE npower EBIT from electricity generation in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2014 to 2018 (in million British pounds), by subsector
RWE npower's revenue from the domestic supply of electricity in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2018 (in million British pounds)
E.ON revenue from the domestic electricity supply of electricity in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2018 (in million British pounds)
RWE npower EBIT and EBITDA from United Kingdom (UK) non-domestic electricity supply from 2010 to 2018 (in million British pounds)
RWE npower direct fuel costs of non-domestic gas supply (United Kingdom) from 2010 to 2018 ( |
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}
@Override
public void writeLong(final long value) throws JMSException {
if (!bodyWriteOnly) {
throw new MessageNotWriteableException("the message body is read-only");
}
try {
p.writeLong(value);
}
catch (IOException e) {
throw new JMSException("IOException");
}
}
@Override
public void writeFloat(final float value) throws JMSException {
if (!bodyWriteOnly) {
throw new MessageNotWriteableException("the message body is read-only");
}
try {
p.writeFloat(value);
}
catch (IOException e) {
throw new JMSException("IOException");
}
}
@Override
public void writeDouble(final double value) throws JMSException {
if (!bodyWriteOnly) {
throw new MessageNotWriteableException("the message body is read-only");
}
try {
p.writeDouble(value);
}
catch (IOException e) {
throw new JMSException("IOException");
}
}
@Override
public void writeUTF(final String value) throws JMSException {
if (!bodyWriteOnly) {
throw new MessageNotWriteableException("the message body is read-only");
}
try {
p.writeUTF(value);
}
catch (IOException e) {
throw new JMSException("IOException");
}
}
@Override
public void writeBytes(final byte[] value) throws JMSException {
if (!bodyWriteOnly) {
throw new MessageNotWriteableException("the message body is read-only");
}
try {
p.write(value, 0, value.length);
}
catch (IOException e) {
throw new JMSException("IOException");
}
}
@Override
public void writeBytes(final byte[] value, final int offset, final int length) throws JMSException {
if (!bodyWriteOnly) {
throw new MessageNotWriteableException("the message body is read-only");
}
try {
p.write(value, offset, length);
}
catch (IOException e) {
throw new JMSException("IOException");
}
}
@Override
public void writeObject(final Object value) throws JMSException {
if (!bodyWriteOnly) {
throw new MessageNotWriteableException("the message body is read-only");
}
try {
if (value == null) {
throw new NullPointerException("Attempt to write a new value");
}
if (value instanceof String) {
p.writeUTF((String) value);
}
else if (value instanceof Boolean) {
p.writeBoolean(((Boolean) value).booleanValue());
}
else if (value instanceof Byte) {
p.writeByte(((Byte) value).byteValue());
}
else if (value instanceof Short) {
p.writeShort(((Short) value).shortValue());
}
else if (value instanceof Integer) {
p.writeInt(((Integer) value).intValue());
}
else if (value instanceof Long) {
p.writeLong(((Long) value).longValue());
}
else if (value instanceof Float) {
p.writeFloat(((Float) value).floatValue());
}
else if (value instanceof Double) {
p.writeDouble(((Double) value).doubleValue());
}
else if (value instanceof byte[]) {
p.write((byte[]) value, 0, ((byte[]) value).length);
}
|
Touch screen entertainment"
Cons: "Very poor traffic prevented us to get to the airport very early but we had checked in prior with boarding passes and assigned seats 45 minutes before the flight was to take off. The people at the counter refused to let us board saying we had to be there one hour before the flight because it would take them half an hour to check in the luggage. In the end, we had to pay an extra $600 to rebook another flight to leave a week later."
Cons: "A rating of one start is too much for this airline. Avianca caused me to miss my flight in LAX, refused to help me reach my ultimate destination for which I paid them hundreds of dollars to do, nor did they offer to credit my losses for which they were responsible. Customer Service was as useless as the individuals in person that I dealt with. I never made it to my destination because I was forced to return home to San Francisco, unable to see my wife-to-be in Brasil. I will never fly with this airline again."
Pros: "The planes are typically new"
Cons: "Departure time was 14:47. To be in waiting area 13:47. We started "boarding" (getting on the bus) at app 14: 17 or so. That's when the "fun" started. Bus arrives at plane, which apparently was all but ready for boarding (the stairs were not at plane. Must have waited (with two buses behind us) for half hour or more. Then the stairs were moved to the plane for boarding (or so we thought). Bus driver moved to the stairs, but cocky co-pilot found it more important to argue with bus driver. At certain point, we drove off again, with one bus following and other bus, believe it or not, went on plane. Back at the waiting room, absolutely NOBODY provided info. Police was brought into the waiting area for "comfort". Back to the plane at 16:00 or something. So far, no excuses, or explanations. At certain point the cocky co-pilot and captain were "exchanged" for new cockpit crew. At that time it seemed the announcement system wasn't working properly. Engineers on board etc. At 17:17, 2.5 hrs after scheduled departure, the captain welcome's passengers. As if NOTHING has happened, no apologies and/or explanations for 2.5 hr delay!!!! It is shocking how the crew dealt with this and the complete lack of respect for its passengers!!!!"
Pros: "Checkin staff very helpful and quick boarding. Infligjt staff polite and professional"
Cons: "No much leg roon."
Cons: "Because the lady take aur bagagge the bascula is doesnt work she was very rud but we go to the other lady the bagagge was correct because we know is okey because we check at home in the airport too so agter that yhey know the bascula is bas and she don say sorry end enyrhing for the bad time she was lake I dont care so that happen"
Pros: "Nothing. We were unvoluntearly bumped off the plane as we were boarding. No one told us we were Standby."
Cons: "We waited for ever to be told when we would fly out again, our luggage was almost lost."
Pros: "Newer plane"
Cons: "It took forever to turn off the head light"
Pros: "The flight was on time and comfortable"
Cons: "Waiting for immigration purposes, due to crowed area"
Pros: "The tv"
Cons: "They changed our flight at the last minute and didn't ask - just did it. Screwed our schedules up"
Cons: "Seats were very uncomfortable. They cancelled my original flight and gave me 2 stops. When I tried to call customer service, I waited in the phone for 5 hrs and no one ever picked up. I gave up my seat as they asked and they told me I would get an aisle seat, instead I got a middle seat and they said they can't change it back."
Pros: "Everything went fine until I got to Bogota and had to pick up my suitcases... they were to end in Cali"
Cons: "Having to change my flights from the bigining... the reason why I buy my tickets a months in advance is so I can have what I want and ask for... so changing from a direct flight from LAC to CLO and the. Having to have 3 stops want fun at all!!"
Pros: "The flight schedule"
Cons: "First, the departure terminal didn't show up on the reader boards until it was almost time to go, so I had to sprint down to our gate. Then, they boarded by zones, but I had no idea what zone I was supposed to be in and it was nowhere on my ticket. Anywhere. Then, when I finally decided to go try to board, they wouldn't let me because they said I didn't have a return ticket. In fact, I had proof of onward travel in three different forms. But they insisted that I had to have a flight as proof of leaving Guatemala and assured me that customs would prevent me from entering. They also said I had 5 minutes to book something or I would miss the flight. No one ever paged me to discuss this prior to departure! And do you know how much Guatemala asked about my onward travel? Zero. Nada. In the fluster of buying an almost $400 ticket, I clicked to book through a third party that doesn't allow refunds. Fortunately, after I landed I called them right away to cancel and managed to make it happen since the ticket hadn't been issued, but if I had failed at that it would have been at least $130 when all was said and done. Ride was uncomfortable, flight attendants we're rude and impatient, and I was ignored for food service."
Cons: "They cancelled the flight and couldn't get us out for 24 hours and wouldn't accommodate us on other airlines"
Pros: "Aside from the issues below, it was a good flight."
Cons: "I was seated by an emergency exit, so i couldn't tilt my seat back. Also, everyone who walked by hit my left arm back and forth. It was very annoying. The cabin felt a bit claustrophobic."
Pros: "Very comfy. Very easy flight"
Cons: "Everything went well. More leg room would be nice"
Pros: "Boarding, plane, entertainment were very good."
Cons: "During a six hour international flight, we only saw the crew once, when they served the not very good food. Actually, bad. After that, nowhere to find something to drink or a snack. It just seemed impossible to get someone, since the back of the plane was full of people all flight."
Cons: "We had to wait too long in the bus in front of the airplane, before we could get in!! The bus was packed, so that was very uncomfortable!!"
Pros: "The seat (space, comfort, cleanliness) was good"
Cons: "The crew (flight attendants) need to be trained much better if Avianca hopes to be a international airline. The attendants spend too much time sitting in the back of the plane and not enough checking for excess trash, customer comfort and general visibility. During the in-flight meal I found an object that looked like a piece of a plastic tie. I gave it to the flight attendant but she appeared unconcerned and indifferent to the situation, making no apology what so ever."
Cons: "It was my sister's first flight ever. She was late to the airport (LA traffic) and then treated absolutely horribly by the agents at the desk. She ended up missing the entire trip on account of these heartless agents who refused to honor the "flat tire rule.""
Pros: "Crew was nice and individual tv screens were great! Free wine."
Cons: "God tasted like cardboard."
Pros: "Crew So kind"
Cons: "Food was not enough"
Pros: "The crew was professional and all the amenities made up for the terrible food."
Cons: "I ordered the steak and it was so dry I could not cut into it. Salad was uninspiring. I upgraded to business class and expected more."
Pros: "Crew, food, airplane, cabin"
Cons: "Chair is not comfortable to sleep"
Cons: "El desayuno estaba un poco frio"
Cons: "The check in line at the airport was way too slow. When we got to the clerk she told us that we better run to the boarding area. They full the plane with passengers going to South America and the luggage for people going to san salvador was left at LAX. That was on Monday today is Thursday and the luggage still in LA. I don't think will be using this airline again."
Pros: "The price was awesome"
Cons: "Food was mediocre"
Pros: "Avianca is top rate, great food, great people and excelent service. Free in flight movies and whisky, what more could you ask for?"
Pros: "Very professional service, nice people, newer airplane, plenty of entertainment options, got my luggage where it needed to go despite 2 connections."
Cons: "I was put in a seat before the exit row, meaning my chair did not recline for a 5 hour flight. In addition, the seat in front of me was at least 3-5 inches closer than any other seat on the plane. I understand there are these seats on the plane, I just wish I would have known prior or been given the option to change seats."
Cons: "Purchased |
but they are patient people, who are accustomed to rise to long-term challenges. As always, they will only act very gradually.
Hmmm.. Bob Fisk a couple of weeks ago, now that ultimate realpolitik operator (and original China hand) Henry Kissinger. Anyone think warning rockets are being sent up? Eh?
Posted by Hellasious at Monday, October 19, 2009 25 comments:
Ending The Happy Hour
Regular readers know that I am a "deflationist", i.e. I believe that the current Great Recession is already characterized by asset and credit deflation, which will likely deepen and widen further before the global economy rebounds.
Needless to say, this view is not shared by several academic analysts and gold-standard theorists - and most definitely not by commodity speculators who, however, are mostly talking their "book". Some even mention the possibility of hyper-inflation, a la Weimar Republic.
For everyone's consideration, then, here is another piece of the puzzle: foreign/international holders now own $3.5 trillion of Treasury debt or 50% of the total, up sharply from $1.06 trillion and 30% in 1999 (see chart below, click to enlarge).
Data: SIFMA
You Wanna Do What To My Money?
The simple point is that powerful foreign creditors, e.g. China and the oil Arabs, now stand to lose a serious - record breaking serious - amount of money, should the US go down the inflation route to rid itself of onerous debt. It follows that they will not sit idly by, looking at their savings turn into so much dust in the wind (do I hear "oil embargo"?).
Judging from the increasing noise emanating from places like Beijing and the Gulf about dumping the dollar as the major global reserve currency, the Obama administration is clearly being sent overt warning messages. Happy hour at the bailout saloon should come to an end, they seem to be saying. Stop serving out the monetary booze and concentrate instead on bringing back a semblance of normalcy in interest and FX rates.
Six Month Sigmas
Today, I put my quant hat on (a small one, to be sure) and go trawling in stockmarket data, specifically the historical performance of S&P 500 over six months. The reason I chose six months for my yardstick is because shares bottomed out in March 2009, i.e. six months ago.
First, the raw performance data going back to 1871 in chart form (click to enlarge).
From -40% to +40% In Six Months
Data: Robert Schiller/Yale
One immediate observation is that the market has just swung from one near record (-40%) to another (+40%) between March and September 2009. Since 1871, only the Great Depression era exhibited greater swings in share prices.
How unusual is such an event, from a statistical standpoint? Let's look at the next chart, a familiar distribution histogram (click to enlarge). The median 6-month performance is +3.1% (the mean is 2.7%) and the standard deviation around it (known as sigma, denoted by the Greek letter "σ") is 12.2%.
Back in March we were in -3σ territory and at the end of September at +3σ. A three-sigma event has, by definition, only a 0.27% chance of occurrence (i.e. 99.73% of the data are inside the -3 to +3 sigma band) if the data are normally distributed (which they are not, in the case of share prices). The swing from one extreme occurrence to the next has been very, very fast.
How often does S&P 500 move from -40% to +40% within six months, i.e. how frequent are such sharply positive V-type reversals? We can identify only two previous occurrences, and they both happened between May 1932 and September 1933 (see chart below, click to enlarge).
Extreme V-Type Reversals Only Happened Before In 1932-33
How can we explain what has happened in the last six months? What is the market anticipating?
This extraordinarily rare performance indicates speculators' bets that Mr. Bernanke's massive monetarist experiment will succeed. To wit, that his enormous bailout of the financial system will prevent the credit crisis from mutating into a virulent economic crisis.
How accurate is the speculators' analysis? Well... let's just say that they're largely talking their own book. People who now call the shots in the Fed, Treasury and White House are confirmed monetarists from the Milton Friedman - Alan Greenspan school of thought, itself harking as far back as Irving Fisher, the infamous "permanent high plateau" economist who lost a fortune in the stockmarket after the 1929 Crash because he simply couldn't believe the Fed would be so conservative.
By reverse analogy, could it be that the economy will continue weakening despite the Fed's largesse? That's what I think, because today's fundamental economic problem is not a lack of adequate liquidity (and the Fed can only affect that), but a lack of enough earned income to properly service the enormous debt that households have assumed. In other words, it's a solvency problem, and it necessarily affects personal consumption expenditures, the very heart of the economy (70% of GDP).
Look at the chart below, tracking household debt as a percentage of total compensation of employees, which I use as a proxy for earned income (click to enlarge). In just the few years after 2000 it zoomed from 113% to 180%. That's a serious challenge to solvency, no matter how low the Fed keeps rates.
I am not going to attempt a conclusion, today. Instead, since I still have my quant hat on, I am left wondering what are the statistical chances of the Fed succeeding in overcoming a massive debt-to-income imbalance with just monetary tools.
I don't know the answer- and can't know - because the data sample is tiny: just one occurrence, and it's still going on.
Where The Debt Lies (..and Happy Columbus Day Mr. Krugman)
Apropos of Columbus Day and before the main topic, a comment on Mr. Krugman's editorial on monetary policy, appearing in today's NY Times ("Misguided Monetary Mentalities"). Please read it before proceeding.
When Christopher Columbus sailed west from the Old World he was merely trying to discover a faster, more profitable way to reach the well-known trade riches of India and China; he had no notion of America or the New World's vast potential. In other words, he was clueless, if also lucky.
Just like Columbus played it safe with his royal backers and their establishment groupthink, so is Mr. Krugman today calling for known and accepted palliatives for our economy's troubles: more loans, low interest rates, a weaker dollar, more government deficit spending. Not surprisingly, he points his arrows at the Wall Street Journal and selected Federal Reserve members for their sotto voce remarks on raising interest rates, soon.
Well... what if both establishmentarian views are misguided? Should we be following our outdated Neoclassical and Keynesian maps to exit the crisis, or should we strike out in a new direction? Aren't new problems calling for novel solutions? I certainly think so and will soon come back with a post on Green Finance.
Meanwhile, on with today's post.
Like the oracle of Delphi, today's post title may be interpreted in two ways: the location of debt, or the untruth of debt. In fact, this post is about both.
Let's start with where the debt is. The chart below (click to enlarge) breaks out marketable debt (i.e. bonds, bills, notes, commercial paper, ABS and MBS, etc., which trade on the open market). The total comes to $34 trillion and excludes loans held directly by banks and other financial institutions, plus the Treasurys in the Social Security trust fund.
Lies, Damned Lies and Debt
Until 2000 all types of marketable debt were growing more or less at the same rate; the slope of all lines is similar. One notable exception was Treasurys; because of the short-lived Clinton surplus, borrowing needs for the federal government came down. But after the year 2000, mortgage-related debt started racing ahead and finally exploded spectacularly by 50% within a mere three years. In the 2004-07 orgy of new loan origination and securitization mortgage-related securities went from $6 trillion to $9 trillion. And we all known what happened after that...
What is happening now is that Treasurys are rushing in to fill the void (a.k.a. socializing losses).
But wait a minute... what void? Look at the red line in the chart above: Mortgage securities are still valued at $9 trillion, after a full two years of record delinquencies, defaults and charge-offs (see chart below, click to enlarge).
Data: FRB
Since the beginning of 2007 charge-offs for all real estate loans directly held by commercial banks come to a total of 9.5% (adding two years' quarterly rates). One would presume that mortgage lenders held on to the most attractive loans for their own books and securitized the rest, resulting in higher delinquency and charge-off rates for mortgage-related bonds. Indeed, we know that credit default swaps prices (CDS) to insure such securities against default went through the roof. Markit's various ABX indices of mortgage-related CDS collapsed anywhere from 60% to 95% (reverse scale to CDS pricing).
But |
ich is there—at the center of everything." "Himmlers Hirn heisst Heydrich," people would say: "Himmler's brain is called Heydrich." (Thus "HHhH.") Binet seethes with hatred for this hateful man, who became head of the S.D. (the intelligence service of the S.S.) in 1932, and planned Kristallnacht, in 1938. Heydrich is most infamous, though, as the man who convened the Wannsee Conference, on January 20, 1942, in an elegantly sombre villa on the shore of Lake Wannsee. It was at this meeting of high-ranking civil servants and senior officers that the Final Solution was proposed and formalized. Adolf Eichmann took the minutes, which apply a language of almost disinterested sterility to the project of industrialized mass murder. Essentially, Wannsee accelerated the Holocaust; at the beautiful memorial in Berlin's Grunewald S-Bahn station, which calmly records the numbers, dates, and destinations of each of the city's mass deportations of Jews (all of whom left from the station), you can trace this increased velocity, post-Wannsee. But Heydrich had already had the opportunity to do some killing and deportation of his own. As the Reich's Deputy Protector of Bohemia and Moravia since late 1941, the "Hangman of Prague" arrested thousands of Czechs, most of whom perished in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp.
Many of those present at the Wannsee Conference lived justly shortened lives, and the most abbreviated was Heydrich's. Four months after Wannsee, he was assassinated, in Prague, by Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, two parachutists trained in England and sent from there by the Czech government-in-exile. These two men, and the Czech resisters who helped them, are the heroes of the book. It is a gripping story, told very well. The parachutists ambushed Heydrich's open-topped Mercedes as it slowed to round a bend in a city street. But Gabčík's Sten gun jammed, and only Kubiš's quick response saved the moment: he threw a grenade, which wounded Heydrich (who died a week later, from septicemia). Reprisals were blind and absolute: the village of Lidice, near Prague, mistakenly thought by the Nazis to have some connection with the parachutists, was burned to the ground, and nearly every one of its inhabitants was shot or sent to a concentration camp. The assassins, along with five other resisters, were hidden in a Prague church. When the Germans eventually discovered them, the seven men held out for hours, against nearly eight hundred S.S. Storm Troopers. None were taken alive.
In some respects, "HHhH" is a conventional historical novel about the Europe of the nineteen-thirties and early forties. As we witness Heydrich's rise in the Nazi system, and the simultaneous preparation of Gabčík and Kubiš in England, we move through the familiar stations of the period—Hitler's seizing of power, in 1933; the German occupation of Bohemia and Moravia, in March, 1939; Chamberlain's appeasement; Wannsee; and so on. Paragraphs begin with cheap exclamations like "A bombshell rocks Europe: it's the Anschluss," or end with duff sentences like "It's July 31, 1941, and we are present at the birth of the Final Solution. Heydrich will be its principal architect." But Binet's novel has a vitality very different from that of most historical fiction. He has threaded his novel with a contemporary story, which is the drama of the book's own making. "HHhH" is broken into numbered paragraphs, and the historical narrative is frequently interrupted by a Binet-like narrator, who gradually discloses information about himself. His father told him about Heydrich when he was a boy; he worked as a French teacher in a Slovakian military academy. His girlfriend is called Natacha: "She's French, this one, in spite of her name, and the daughter of Communists, like all of us." That last funny sentence gives a sense of the charm of the narrator, who darts in and out of the historical material, commenting and teasing. Of Heydrich, he tells us: "This is the first aspect of his policy. There are only two: the carrot and the stick. The stick comes next, although the dialectical balance between the two is uncertain." The tone is clever, witty, casually postmodern, both in its self-obsession and in its confession of uncertainties. The narrator tells us that he has just watched the film "Conspiracy," with Kenneth Branagh as Heydrich, or laments that he has been unable to get a copy of the memoirs of Heydrich's widow. He says that he could do a Victor Hugo, and unleash a tide of novelistic information about Heydrich's birthplace. But "there are two towns in Germany called Halle, and I don't even know which one I'm talking about."
These authorial interruptions harden around a consistent theme: the narrator dislikes the conventional artifice of the novel. He tells us that for years he has been boring Natacha "with my theories about the puerile, ridiculous nature of novelistic invention." He begins his book with a kind of warning: Jozef Gabčík really existed, and Binet wants to pay tribute to him. But he worries that, by narrating Gabčík's story, he is reducing the man "to the ranks of a vulgar character and his actions to literature." By "literature," Binet means what Roland Barthes sometimes just called "Fiction"—the whole realm of conventional fictional artifice, the world of "realist" color, and sentences like "In the distance, a police car wailed by." The narrator understands that he will use some of these means himself, but offers the hope that "however bright and blinding the veneer of fiction that covers this fabulous story, you will still be able to see through it to the historical reality that lies behind."
The result is the book's captivating, paradoxical tone of playful fatalism. It's a book of unconventionally conventional historical fiction, as if the author were saying to the reader, "Look, I'm doing the best I can to get at the historical truth, but I can't keep these little rodents of novelistic artifice out of the structure: they are endemic to narrative." And so we see the novelist, writing about Himmler, use a rampantly "novelistic" phrase like "The blood rises to his cheeks and he feels his brain swell inside his skull," only to draw attention to its fakery, and to explain why he has left it in. "I can't resist cheap literary effects," he tells us, when narrating the dramatic moment of the jammed Sten gun. And so he also writes, dramatically: "He fires, and nothing happens."
We are supposed to note these contradictions—they are part of the knowing fabric of the book, part of its lively achievement, and part of its wise, or certainly clever, skepticism. But there are deeper, less obvious contradictions, of which perhaps Binet is not always the all-seeing postmodern master. It is easy enough to use a tacky phrase like "The blood rises to his cheeks" and then shamefacedly concede the tackiness: that's postmodernism-by-numbers. And it is fun to announce that you won't do a Hugoesque number on Heydrich's birthplace, because you don't know anything about it. But Binet does not seem aware that this trick of giving the impression that he is thinking the book through as he is writing it is one of the oldest tricks of novelistic verisimilitude: it is inseparable from the fraudulence of the first-person narrator, who is pretending to be speaking to the reader off the cuff even as the novel has been rewritten a thousand times by the laboring author. Binet decries the artificiality and contrivance of most of the invented dialogue in historical fiction, and pledges, "If my dialogues can't be based on precise, faithful, word-perfect sources, they will be invented." However, he continues, if that is so, they will function not as novelistic mimesis but as parable: "They will be either extremely accurate or extremely illustrative." But he must know that the latter is just as contrived as the kind of fictional dialogue he professes to dislike.
So there is invention and artifice on every page of Binet's novel. Some of it is transparent and confessed, but most of it is hidden and unconfessed. At first, I assumed that Binet was aware of both kinds of contradiction, and was playing a very deep game, in which the novel's narrator is not identical with the author, and is only partly conscious of his own "cheap literary effects." But, in an interview with the Guardian, Binet emphatically declares that he is identical with the narrator, and that he always hated being told by schoolteachers to separate author and narrator. And elsewhere, in pages excised from the novel by its editor (and reprinted on the Web site The Millions), Binet attacks the fictionalizing urge generally, and the French-American novelist Jonathan Littell in particular, whose "The Kindly Ones" was narrated by a fictional Nazi criminal. Binet |
great, great condemnation. An X-ray, for example, that is supposed to be able to kill cancerous cells, and to heal in many other ways, and by which a physician can look into the very innermost recesses of our bodies, that X-ray can also burn to death. I buried in this church a man who was killed by a reaction to sulfanilamide; these antibiotics that are made and given for life can also be in a reactionary way an instrument of death. So all of these mechanical gadgets that so spur and bless and accelerate our modern living can also be instruments of destruction and death: machines can grind us to pieces. So the gospel message of Christ: it is a two-edged sword, and it cuts both ways. And to those who receive it, it is an instrument of liberty, and of life, and of salvation, and of joy, and of gladness; but to those who reject it and sin against the light, it is an instrument of condemnation and of damnation. When we stand in the presence of the great Judge to give a reason why we turned aside from the overtures of grace and the love and mercy of Christ, just what does a man say? What does he have as a reason, as an excuse? For the Book is plain, and the message is preached, and we have heard it; and when we reject it, it is the savor of condemnation to condemnation, of death to death, of damnation unto damnation [2 Corinthians 2:16]. "It is a fearful thing," as the author of Hebrews says, "to fall into the hands of the living God [Hebrews 10:31]; for our God is a consuming fire" [Hebrews 12:29].
Now, these that he describes in the fulfillment of this prophecy, "Hearing they do not hear, and seeing they do not see, and they do not feel with their hearts, and they do not understand, lest they should be converted and I should heal them and save them" [Matthew 13:13-15]. Now why? Now what? I have several things that come to my mind as I watch these people who listened to Christ Himself, and who pass by the great plan of salvation offered and preached unto them. All right, I see the same thing in us. There are people who know this Word, and know this message, and they pass it by; they're not saved. Now why? All right, here's one why: familiarity itself takes away from the power of the message. When we close our eyes, and stop our ears, and harden our hearts, we hear it again and again and again and again, and the preacher makes appeal, and with that appeal is a sense of urgency and immediacy; but they passed it by once, and twice, and three times, and again, and for a year, and sometimes for a lifetime. And the familiarity of the message and the appeal and the invitation song is so accustomed until it makes no impression whatsoever; it is a used and familiar thing, the gospel message.
I think of what happened to Uzzah, when the ark was captured by the Philistines and taken down into the land of Philistia, it cursed Philistia [1 Samuel 4:11, 5:1-6:1]. Another instance of this same thing: what was a blessing to Israel was a curse to the Philistines. So to get rid of the curse they sent back the ark; and it was deposited in the home of Uzzah [1 Samuel 6:2-7:2]. Now, Uzzah was in that house as a son; and that piece of furniture was as familiar to him as any other thing in the house. He had seen it, and seen it, and seen it, and seen it. And it was as commonplace to Uzzah, a son in that home, as a table or the chair upon which he sat. Then when finally it was being returned up to Jerusalem, the cart upon which it was being carried hit a rough place in the road, and the ark began to shake [2 Samuel 6:2-5]. God said in the Word that the hand that touches the ark shall die, and that the priests themselves were to carry it with rungs and a rod through the rung, and on the shoulders they were to bear it up; but never to touch the ark, lest they die [Exodus 25:12-14; Numbers 4:15, 7:9]. But Uzzah, to whom it was a common piece of furniture, when he saw the ark begin to tremble as the ox carried the cart over a rough road, he reached out his hand to steady the ark [2 Samuel 6:6]. Just like I touch this desk or that piano, a common thing to him, he reached out his hand, touched the ark to steady it; and when he touched it, he died [2 Samuel 6:7]. And when the people greatly resented it, God answered, "It is written in the Word, and it is the law that no one shall touch the ark, lest he die" [Exodus 25:12-14; Numbers 4:15, 7:9]. Familiarity does that to us. These things that are ordained to life, that are deeply sacred, can become to us so used, and so familiar until they lose their great holiness, and sanctity, and meaning, and power.
Now another thing that I observe in people to whom the gospel message becomes a closed book: they are indifferent toward it; hearing it, hearing it, hearing it, they pass it by in utter indifference and unconcern. For example, those high priests and those scribes and those Sadducees: you would have thought that when the magi came from the East, saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" [Matthew 2:1-22], and they knowing the Scriptures opened the roll of the prophets and read out of Micah, "There in Bethlehem" [Micah 5:2]. I wish you could be in Jerusalem, it would surprise you. "There in Bethlehem" [Matthew 2:1-6]. You can stand in Jerusalem, and see Bethlehem. It is there. It is within five miles. Many of you live much further than five miles from this church. The scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the temple elders and officers, read in the Holy Word that there He is to be born. And when these kings of the Orient came and said, "We have seen His star, where is He?" They said, "There," but in absolute indifference and unconcern; they never bothered to go to see. Why, it's impossible, it's unbelievable. No it's not, it's the commonest thing that we see in human life: passing it by.
Another thing that I observe: when the eye is closed and the ear is stopped and the heart is hardened [Matthew 13:14-15], another thing, the impression of the gospel message is lessened and lessened and lessened. There is hardly a child who when he comes to talk to me about his soul will not cry. Big tears well up in the eyes of the little girl or the little boy, and their hands tremble, and their little bodies tremble; and they breathe heavily, and their heart is in their throat. They have difficulty even telling me that they've come to talk about Jesus and about being saved. Their hearts are sensitive, like the chords, like the strings on a harp. You won't find many men that way. You won't find many women that way. For the days in their passing calloused the heart, and hardened the soul, and the impression is less, and it is less, and it is less, and it is less. I can remember in the little church in which I grew up, I can remember our town marshal in a revival meeting, under great and deep conviction; his wife a godly, praying woman, his children godly children, I can remember that man and he stand there and cry, and hold to the bench, and say, "No," and refuse. Then I can remember, in the passing of the years, the day come when we'd have our revival, which is the big event in our little town, and he attended with no concern and no interest whatsoever! Each time he heard, each time he listened, its appeal was less and less and less. And finally it was nothing at all. The eye is closed, and the ear is stopped, and the heart is hardened [Matthew 13:14-15].
And life has a way of crystallizing in final character a set, a turn, a way. We don't change. Life is a funny thing that way. It's like a concrete, it's like cement, it tends to harden. It is soft for a while, impressionable for a while, amenable, malleable for a while, then it turns to rock. A twig can be tied in a knot, can be bent, can be shoved, can be transplanted; but try that with a giant oak! In the passing of the years, we're that way; our souls are that way. We have a tendency to harden in these paths, and habits, and choices, and decisions that we make.
I'd give anything if I could describe this thing as it happened, and as I shared in it, and as I looked at it, and listened to it. They said, "There's a man and his wife out here on the edge of town, and he's an invalid. And they want you to come and visit them, this man and his wife." |
states, politicians profiting from illegal immigration (Census, Andrea Nill) - 08/10/09
Andrea Nill of the Center for American Progress offers "Why Counting Undocumented Immigrants In The 2010 Census Counts For A Lot" (wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/08/10/immigration-census-bureau), a through-the-looking-glass post listing all the wonderful ways that states and localities can make out like bandits from counting illegal aliens in the Census and using their population in apportioning Congressional representation:...the census serves many other purposes, namely the allocation of scarce federal resources for states and localities. Census data is used to distribute federal funding...
Obama healthcare plan apparently covers illegal aliens - 06/12/09
After it was released, I searched through Obama's healthcare plan for anything relating to immigration matters. I didn't find anything that set off any alarm bells and there were a few things that seemed to indicate that at least part of it was only for those eligible. On the other hand, he spoke yesterday in Green Bay, Wisconsin and said [1] among other things this: All we're saying is for the 46 million people who don't have health insurance, or for people who've got health insurance, like you, who are self-employed but the premiums and the deductibles are so high that you almost never get...
Mesenbourg of Census pledges to count every illegal alien (NCLR, LULAC,NALEO, congressional apportionment) - 05/23/09
From this: The acting director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Thomas Mesenbourg, told CNSNews.com that the bureau intends to work with community organizations to make sure every illegal alien in the United States is counted in the 2010 Census... Mesenbourg's comments were made after a press conference on Wednesday where Commerce Secretary Gary Locke joined several interest groups, including Univision, the National Council of La Raza, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) to talk about efforts to ensure a...
NCLCCL wants illegal aliens to boycott Census; Nativo Lopez, NALEO, others disagree (of course) - 04/23/09
The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders (NCLCCL) is promoting a boycott by illegal aliens of the 2010 Census. Their president Miguel Rivera says: "If the 12 million of our brothers and sisters are good enough to be counted, then they are good enough to be legalized." Needless to say, those who want to profit from a large census count of Hispanics vehemently disagree, with some starting a campaign designed to counter the NCLCCL's efforts (link). Those include Nativo Lopez of the Mexican American Political Association and NALEO. The latter has an direct albeit minor link...
Morgan Weiland of Media Matters leaps to defense of illegal aliens, ACORN - 04/07/09
Morgan Weiland of Media Matters for America offers "Conservative media consistently scapegoat undocumented immigrants, ACORN" (mediamatters.org/items/200904070005). That former United Nations intern is here to defend both, even if she doesn't do it so well.
Census worker sign: "Yes we can! 2010 census." (highly politicized Los Angeles office) - 04/06/09
Ari Bloomekatz of the Los Angeles Times offers this blurb: "The census is here!" shouted Esther Cepeda, manager of the local census office downtown. Music played and employees carried signs that read: "The census, coming to your neighborhood" and "Yes we can! 2010 census." "Yes we can" was, of course, one of Barack Obama's campaign slogans, and he took it from the slogan "si se puede"; if there are Spanish-language versions of those signs it would almost certainly be translated into that phrase. While it's had other uses, that slogan was more recently used in support of illegal immigration at...
NALEO, LULAC, SEIU, Univision: ending raids for census not enough, immigration "reform" needed - 04/01/09
Following up on her report of yesterday, Hope Yen of the Associated Press informs us that a group of illegal immigration-supporting Hispanic groups - including one with a direct albeit minor link to the Mexican government (NALEO) and one whose treasurer is an extremist (LULAC) - want their race-based power and they want it now (link): Saying traditional census outreach will not be enough, Hispanic groups on Wednesday urged the Obama administration to follow through now on its pledge to pass immigration reform or risk an undercount of millions of people. The National Association of Latino...
Andrew Rosenthal /NYT: no immigration raids during Census - 03/31/09
Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor of the New York Times, offers "A Champion for the Census?" (link) about new Department of Commerce secretary Gary Locke. It contains this not very surprising suggestion: For instance, in the run-up to other censuses, the federal government has eased up on immigration raids and other intimidating forms of immigration enforcement in an effort to cut down on the number of people who are afraid to be counted. The word must go out from the Obama administration that it expects the same cooperation as the 2010 count approaches.
Rep. William Lacy Clay: no immigration raids during Census (+Gary Locke) - 03/30/09
Hope Yen of the Associated Press says: (Rep. William Lacy Clay, Democrat of Missouri) said he planned to push the Obama administration to halt raids next year, noting that immigration officials did so during the 2000 census... "It think it should be repeated to tamp down on any fears the immigrant population might have on certain raids, whether they are here legally or not," said Clay, who chairs the House subcommittee overseeing the census. Further: Speaking at a Census Bureau training conference, (Department of Commerce secretary Gary Locke and Clay) tried to allay fears in Hispanic and...
Census Bureau will report directly to Obama, bypass Commerce; to help count illegal aliens, non-citizens - 02/05/09
After complains from black and Hispanic groups, the Obama administration will be requiring the Census Bureau to report directly to the White House, bypassing Judd Gregg, the Republican who was appointed to head the Department of Commerce (link). This is clearly an attempt to make sure that as many illegal aliens and other non-citizens are counted in an attempt to obtain both money and power. Don't just take my word for it, here's an earlier statement from the New Democratic Network admitting as much. After Gregg was appointed, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials - a group...
Telemundo to promote Hispanic participation in 2010 Census - 02/03/09
Telemundo is launching "Hazte Contar" (Be Counted!), a major effort to encourage their viewers - almost all Hispanics and including no doubt large numbers of illegal aliens - to take part in the 2010 U.S. Census (link). It will start on April 1, and extend across all their properties; they're going as far as incorporating this into their telenovelas (soap operas). In case anyone had any doubt that this was about money and power: [Their president Don Browne says:] "The 2010 Census will determine federal and state representation in government and determine what communities get billions of...
NDN admits: Census padding with non-citizens to gain race-based power ("Latinos" meet in DC; redistricting) - 01/19/09
Fernanda Santos of the New York Times offers "Immigration Tops Latinos' Wish List at D.C. Meeting" (link), discussing a meeting held today in Washington DC featuring John Trasvina of MALDEF, Rosa Rosales of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Simon Rosenberg of the New Democratic Network. As could be expected, it falsely assumes that those racial-power-seeking leaders represent all Hispanics ("[MALDEF] hosted the event, the second annual Latino State of the Union, a gathering of advocates, civil rights activists and lawmakers representing the interests of the Latino community...
Barack Obama lies about Census Bureau poverty statistics - 08/26/08
You could have seen this coming from miles away. The Census Bureau today released their 2007 statistics on poverty and those without health insurance. Also today, Barack Obama lied when he said: "Another 816,000 Americans fell into poverty in 2007 — including nearly 500,000 children — bringing the total increase in Americans in poverty under President Bush to 5.7 million... And on Bush's watch, an additional 7.2 million Americans have fallen into the ranks of the uninsured. This is the failed record of George Bush's economic policies that Sen. McCain has called 'great progress." I'll leave...
Census Bureau releases 2007 poverty/lack of health insurance numbers: watch out for liars - 08/26/08
The Census Bureau has released their report with the numbers of those below the poverty line and without health insurance for 2007; see this PDF file. What you'll probably hear from the mainstream media and others is that 45.7 million "Americans" are without health insurance (down from 47 million in 2006), and that there are 37.3 million "Americans" below the poverty line (up from 36.4 million in 2006).
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is (B).
If the Environmental Protection Agency's air quality standard is 12 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter, as shown with the dotted line, what percent of these data fall above this standard?
(Easy) This question is simply asking for a part-to-whole ratio expressed as a percentage. There are 40 total data points (as the problem states), and 14 of them lie above the line: 14/40 × 100% = 35%, so the correct answer is (D).
Sometimes the SAT Math test will ask you to draw inferences from graphs that are non-linear. Even if a graph is not linear, you should still be able to draw inferences based on the points on that graph. For instance, you should be able to find the average rate of change between two points by finding the slope of the line segment connecting them, or compare the rate of growth of one curve to that of another curve.
The graph above shows the number of cells in two separate bacterial cultures as a function of time. How much time elapsed between the point when the two cultures had equal population and the point when the population of culture A was twice that of culture B?
(Medium) The time when the two populations are equal is easy to find: it's where the two curves intersect, at the 4-minute mark. The four answer choices tell us where to look next on the graph. Since choice (A) is 2 minutes, we should find the populations at the 4 + 2 = 6-minute mark. At 6 minutes, culture B has a population of 700 and culture A has a population of 1,400, which of course is twice as great, and therefore the answer is (A).
How much longer did it take culture B to double its original population than it took culture A?
(Medium) Culture A has a starting population of 200 and doubles its population to 400 at the 3-minute mark. Culture B has a starting population of 400 and doubles its population to 800 at the 8-minute mark. Therefore, culture B took 8 − 3 = 5 more minutes to double its population, and the correct answer is (D).
If culture B were to continue its linear growth, how many more minutes (beyond the 10 minutes shown in the graph) would be required for culture B to reach 1,500 cells?
(Medium) By taking any two points on the line for culture B, for instance (0,400) and (4,600), we can calculate the slope of the line, which equals the unit rate of growth: (600 − 400)/(4 − 0) = 50 cells per minute. Since culture B contains 900 cells at the 10 minute mark, it would take 600/50 = 12 more minutes to reach 1,500 cells, and the correct answer is (B).
(Medium-hard) The "experimental window" is the period when both populations are between 400 and 800. The population of culture A hits 400 at the 3-minute mark and exceeds 800 cells after roughly the 4.6-minute mark. The population of culture B starts off (at the 0-minute mark) at 400 cells, and exceeds 800 cells after the 8-minute mark. The overlapping period is between 3 minutes and 4.6 minutes, for a period of roughly 1.6 minutes or 1.6 × 60 = 96 seconds; therefore, the correct answer is (A).
We've all seen pie graphs. They are convenient ways of representing part-to-part and part-to-whole relationships. On the SAT Math test, you may be asked to analyze the features of pie graphs in some detail, or to discuss the features of a hypothetical pie graph.
In the diagram above, which of the following is closest to the measure of the central angle of the sector representing total minority ownership of U.S. broadcast television media in 2007?
(Easy) According to the graphic, the total minority ownership of television media in 2007 was 0.6% + 1.3% + 0.9% + 0.4% = 3.2%. Therefore the central of the sector representing this portion measures 0.032 × 360° = 11.52°, so the correct answer is (C).
Maria is constructing a pie graph to represent the expenses for her project, consisting of three expense categories: marketing, design, and development. She knows that the marketing expenses are $12,000 and the design expenses are $30,000, but the development expense could range anywhere from $30,000 to $48,000. Based on this information, which of the following could be the measure of the central angle of the sector representing marketing expenses?
(Medium-hard) The measure of the central angle of the sector depends on the part-to-whole ratio, so we need to calculate the maximum and minimum part-to-whole ratio for the marketing expenses, the marketing expenses are fixed at $12,000, but the total expenses could range from $12,000 + $30,000 + $30,000 = $72,000 to $12,000 + $30,000 + $48,000 = $90,000. This means that the part-to-whole ratio for marketing could range from 12,000/90,000 = 0.133 to 12,000/72,000 = 0.167. Therefore the central angle for the marketing sector can measure anywhere from 0.133 × 360° = 48° to 0.167 × 360° = 60°. The only choice in this range is (B) 54°.
The scatterplot above shows the annual revenue for all of the individual retail stores operated by a clothing company for each year from 2004 through 2012. Based on the line of best fit to the data shown, which of the following is closest to the percent increase in revenue per store from 2005 to 2011?
Between 2006 and 2012, what was the percent increase in the total number of retail stores for this company?
The chart above shows the allocation of $3.5 trillion in U.S. federal expenses for 2010. What were the total 2010 expenditures on Defense?
What is the measure of the central angle for the sector representing Medicare expenses?
How much more did the United States spend in 2010 on Interest on National Debt than on Education?
If 50% of the budget for Federal Pensions were to be reallocated as Social Security expenses, the size of the Social Security budget would increase by what percent?
Which of the following 10-year spans saw the greatest percent increase in preschool blood lead levels?
Which of the following five-year spans saw the greatest percent increase in violent crime?
Approximately how many years did it take for average preschool blood lead levels to return to their 1950 levels?
For approximately how many years between 1963 and 2013 was the violent crime rate in the United States greater than 375 crimes per 100,000 capita?
1. C In 2005, the revenue per store, according to the line of best fit, was about $300,000, and in 2012 it was about $650,000, so the percent change is (650,000 − 300,000)/300,000 × 100% = 116.67%, which is closest to (C) 120%.
2. D In 2006, the data points show that there were 3 stores, with revenue of roughly $200,000, $330,000, and $420,000, for a total of $950,000.
3. D In 2009, the combined revenue for the three stores was approximately $420,000 + $450,000 + $550,000 = $1,420,000. In 2010, the combined revenue for four stores was approximately $220,000 + $520,000 + $600,000 + $675,000 = $2,015,000, for an increase of about $595,000.
4. C In 2006 there were 3 stores and in 2012 there were 6 stores, which is an increase of (6 − 3)/3 × 100% = 100%.
5. A The chart shows that 20% of the expense budget went to defense, which equals 0.2 × $3,500,000,000,000 = $700 billion.
6. C Medicare accounts for 13% of expenses, so the sector angle is 0.13 × 360° = 46.8°.
7. B The Interest on National Debt in 2010 was 0.057 × $3.5 trillion = $199.5 billion, so a decrease of $20 billion would be 20/199.5 × 100% = 10%.
8. D The difference between Interest on National Debt and Education is 5.7% − 3.7% = 2%, and 0.02 × $3.5 trillion = $70 billion.
9. B The Social Security budget in 2010 was 0.20 × $3.5 trillion = $700 billion. 50% of the Federal Pensions budget is 0.5 × 0.035 × $3.5 billion = $61.25 billion. This would be an increase of 61.25/700 × 100% = 8.75%.
10. B The vertical axis label on the left shows that the violent crime trend is indicated by the solid curve and the bottom time series (1963–2013). For this curve, 1970 is slightly to the left of the vertical line at 1973, which shows values clearly between 300 and 450.
11. C The vertical axis label on the left shows that the preschool blood lead trend is indicated by the dashed curve and the top time series (1940–1990).
13. A In 1970, the blood lead levels were about 23 and in 1990, they were about 3. The rate of decline is therefore (23 − 3)/(1990 − 1970) = 1 mcg/dL per year.
14. A From 1945–1955 preschool blood lead levels increased from about 5 to about 17, a percent increase of |
intellectual engagement may be interesting, but the true and lasting impact of an aesthetic encounter comes from the special gift of experiencing its emotional meaning.
How do we achieve empathy? Through relevance. As Nina Simon, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History explains it metaphorically, relevance is a "key that unlocks meaning. It opens doors to experiences that matter to us, surprise us, and bring value into our lives."
"Imagine a locked door. Behind the door is a room that holds something powerful—information, emotion, experience, value. The room is dazzling. The room is locked. Relevance is the key to that door. Without it, you can't experience the magic that room has to offer. With it, you can enter. The power of relevance is not how connected that room is to what you already know. The power is in the experiences the room offers… and how wonderful it feels to open the door and walk inside."
After reading Nina Simon's The Art of Relevance last year, I have been begun proselytizing in earnest, including at Community MusicWorks where I lead professional development seminars for participants in its two-year Fellowship Program. I recently had the opportunity to work with the four Fellows to design an experiment in creating relevance: a series of visits to Butler Hospital, the psychiatric hospital across town.
At our first session together in Fall 2016, I asked the Fellows to come up with a new community (not the communities already served by Community MusicWorks) that could potentially benefit from interacting with a string quartet. As violinist Kate Outterbridge explained in an essay published later on National Sawdust's blog,
"Quickly, we discovered each of us has personally been touched by mental illness in some way, so we decided to work within the mental health community. Our personal experiences, combined with a common interest in developing creative expression, began an exploration to find a community in Providence that was interested in partnering with us to offer a series of workshops that would blend music and mindful being for the benefit of mental health."
I requested that the four Fellows "collaboratively draft a mission statement for the quartet residency project, something that tells us what you are going to accomplish so that we can measure its success." In response, they crafted the following sentence:
"We will deepen the connection between music and mental health through a residency that offers musical performances and group exercises that inspire the creative process, fostering a safe space for openness and expression."
Next came the research and networking phase with the following prompts:
1. Who is the right partner for this project?
2. What mental health expertise is necessary for designing and carrying out this project?
3. What recommendations on what would be effective can our contacts provide?
4. Willingness to provide continued support? ("Can I come back to you for further advice as we develop our ideas?")
The group's research led to the conclusion that it would be important to try out their ideas in an environment that had the capacity to support the quartet's experimental activities. Butler Hospital's Healing Arts Program was immediately receptive to hosting the quartet, and a series of three activities for distinct patient populations (adolescent, adult, geriatric) was soon decided upon.
Noting the explicit challenge that the upcoming visits to Butler Hospital presented for her and her three colleagues, Kate Outterbridge wrote,
"There is always a risk, when entering a community as an outsider, of assuming what people need or want. It is easy to fall into the trap of delivering a service that we assume a community lacks. I believe through flexibility and an attempt to make deep personal connections, musicians can fight this "savior" mentality, and instead everyone can work together for a greater common goal: a genuine and meaningful music experience that benefits everyone in the room."
During the winter, leading up to the Butler Hospital visits in April 2017, we spent time refining the scope and ambition of the proposed residency activities, while also exploring the realities of budgeting and fundraising along the way.
As April approached, the Fellows worked together to design their three interactions with patients based on the following menu of proposed activities, collectively deciding to hone in on meditation, movement, and improvisation as their guiding priorities.
1. Ice breakers
4. Listening exercise
5. Movement game
6. Singing exercise
7. Making/exploring sounds
8. Breathing activity (soundscape)
9. Reflection on experience
Kate Outterbridge nicely reflected on the aspirations of the Fellows Quartet prior to arriving at Butler:
"Even with our limited time at Butler, we hope for ourselves and the participants to come away with a renewed outlook of the world. By sitting together in the moment, we hope to connect to each other on a deep level of consciousness. And through musical performance and creation, we hope to create an aesthetic experience that connects us to each other and reminds us of the beauty that is all around us. Between these shared moments and through this building of community, we are able to imagine new beginnings."
Later, following the hospital residency activities, the Fellows were impressively open and candid in their written reflections and self-assessments. Here are a selection of their responses:
"It was personally humbling to participate in the workshops. The response in each unit was so
different - but equally powerful. It felt challenging to insert ourselves into such an intense
environment - having no idea where each person was on their healing path."
"In hindsight, our musical selections of the 1st movement of Schumann and the 1st movement of Beethoven probably were not the most interesting or relevant selections for that age group."
"The geriatric unit posed the greatest challenge as far as thinking on our feet went. Some of the activities were a challenge because they simply couldn't hear the directions, or react to what we were doing. We decided to play more then we originally planned, and maybe we should have chosen different repertoire to play that day."
"Personally, I was much more self-conscious during this session [in the geriatric unit} and therefore didn't feel as present with what was happening in the workshop."
"While the planning stages were time consuming, I feel like the workshops themselves were not very demanding once we figured out a model, and could easily be used in other settings with other groups of people."
"One of the main takeaways was that we had to be very flexible (often in real time) to the age and energy of the participants in the space. In general, these changes were positive and made each workshop have a unique arc of experience."
"I feel like we barely scratched the surface and although all three sessions were well-received by the participants, it felt like a project that could be developed into something much deeper."
Finally, at CMW's Fellowship Seminar in May 2017, the Fellows and I reviewed the design, planning, and execution of the Butler Hospital activities for an audience of CMW staff, board, and invited guests (including the coordinating staff member from the hospital).
Acknowledging that we may have only scratched the surface of what is possible through this experiment, I started the general discussion phase of the seminar with the following prompt:
"Based on this recent experience, can we identify some best or emerging practices that are important ingredients? Is there a recipe for replication in future seasons by a CMW ensemble? Is there something here, in this experimental experience, that contains the seeds of a new way for CMW (or any other organization) to present music?"
Posing the question, "How do we get people through the door to Beethoven?", I presented several favorite quotes from The Art of Relevance, looking for possible openings to examining how a chamber music-based organization might continue to experiment with how it presents its performances.
"We build relevance when we learn about people and connect with them on their terms... This is a simple two-step process. First, find a way to ask the person what brought them in. Then, find a way to affirm and build on their response."
"Too often, when we talk about starting from the audience, we stay at the front door. The results are superficial connections. These people like hip hop so give them hip hop."
If this level of thoughtfulness and attention to audience experience, exemplified by the CMW Fellows, is worth undertaking when visiting a hospital's patient population, why not make the effort when performing in any venue? I proposed a new script to follow in future performance situations: Engage, Affirm, Build on the response. All while brilliantly providing amazing music, of course, because as Nina Simon writes:
"Relevance is a paradox. It is essential; it gets people to pay attention, to walk in the door, to open their hearts. But it is also meaningless without powerful programming on the other side of the door."
We had a rich, searching conversation that day at Community MusicWorks, as is always the case with that particular group of special people. Unsurprisingly, we ran out of time before we could arrive at any shared agreement about next steps.
Surely, this journey towards relevance must continue in concert halls, on theater stages, in schools and hospitals, at farmers markets, and in living rooms everywhere. I believe it is necessary that we are explicit about the choice to prioritize empathy. To me, it is critically important in a society that is increasingly divided and segmented, each of us insistent on living in our own version of reality. I can't say if it is equally important for anyone else, but I'm entirely comfortable following the recommendation of esteemed arts researcher and practitioner Diane Ragsdale:
"We are here to foster empathy, understanding of self, and understanding of other. We are here to gently, or not-so |
Martha (who had appeared on the 1851, 1861 and 1871 census'), had been crossed off the ship's log. They were clearly listed as a group of four, crossed out and amended to three. It was so curious. I didn't have any idea that I was on the verge of uncovering a significant episode in the Northey family history, and in particular, regarding their daughter Martha, and the reason why she didn't migrate with her sisters.
I noted that none of the sister's ages corresponded to the previous census. Lavinia had put up her age, possibly to qualify, and Martha had put her age down, again possibly to comply with migration regulations. I was beginning to feel that there was a certain desperation in their qualification, and that there had been some slick organisation behind the scenes to expedite the migration.
The Northey Sisters listed aboard the Mary Shepherd, with Martha's name crossed out – detail below.
I googled Martha Northey's name and this incredible information became available to me from Christchurch Library in New Zealand:
THE STORY OF MARTHA'S SECRET
"William Mitten was a son of David Mitten and his wife, Cornwall-born Martha Northey. David – and his son – may not have known Martha's secret, that, in England, in 1873, she gave birth to an ex-nuptial daughter, usually known as Patty. Martha's parents and siblings emigrated to Canterbury, leaving Patty in England with her mother and foster-mother, Mrs. Wearne. After much pleading with the immigration authorities, the Northeys managed to bring Martha to Canterbury. For a time the Northeys wrote to Mrs. Wearne, promising her money and the opportunity to bring out the baby. Eventually Mrs. Wearne received her last letter from New Zealand. Soon after Martha married David Mitten and they had five children.
Mrs. Wearne and her foster-child enjoyed a close relationship. When the old lady died, Patty emigrated – not to relatives in New Zealand but to Canada where she married and had a daughter of her own. In 1981 the daughter, now herself elderly, contacted Christchurch City Libraries and found basic information about her grandmother's career in the Antipodes. She also provided the library with copies of the letters which the Northeys had written to England in the years immediately after they had emigrated. These provide a colourful picture of life in Canterbury from a much neglected point-of-view that of the working class immigrant."
Excerpt from The Sydenham Cemetery Tour, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2007.
Northey letters lodged with Christchurch Library, New Zealand.
Whilst William Mitten and his family are buried at Sydenham Cemetery in Christchurch, his parents David and Martha Mitten are buried in Bromley Cemetery in Christchurch. My sister visited the cemetery and took this photo below, in September 2011. However, by October 2012, when Geoff and I visited the cemetery we found the headstone had fallen backwards, possibly due to a subsequent earthquake; it was undamaged.
David and Martha Mitten's Grave, Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, New Zealand.
I was beginning to understand why Martha's name may have been crossed off the Mary Shepherd manifest. It was possible that Martha decided at the last minute that she could not leave her newborn daughter and migrate with the rest of family as planned. I am sure William and Elizabeth Northey tried to get passage for baby Patty but under the terms of the migration it would have been apparent to authorities that Martha, with a new baby, was probably unable to fulfill her obligations upon arrival in New Zealand, and to repay her fare. I imagine it was a last minute decision and that is why her name was crossed out on the ship's log. I can also understand why Martha's story has never been handed down to our family, as it would have reflected disgrace upon the family at this time in English society – no matter what class you came from.
A researcher Mr. L.N. Greenaway from Christchurch Library also wrote up the Northey Letters in 2007, for the Bromley Cemetery Tour, which included these excerpts from the letters:
Block 2 Row K No. 646 Mitten Family
In June 1873, a Cornish family, the Northeys, arrived at Plymouth. As they prepared to board the Mary Shepherd en route to Lyttelton, they had "plenty of the best meat and plenty of fun". They left their daughter, Martha, and her ex-nuptial daughter, Patty, in the care of Mrs. Salome Wearne.
From New Zealand Mrs. Northey wrote: "It is a beautiful country. There is no want … for money or meat. We can get the best mutton and beef for three pence per pound'. Celia Ann or Annie lived in service, 'getting 30 pounds per year …. It is hard work but good money'. Their father earned '14 pounds per month'. And there were additions to the family. Mary Ann was confined with a very pretty boy."
Mrs. Northey offered sanctuary to all those left behind:
"… We was informed by the head one of the immigration office he had sent for you to come ….We should be glad to see Mrs. Wearne come with you …. If Martha brings her dear baby, it shall be welcomed as herself …."
Annie wrote unctuously to her erring sister:
"My dear sister: Me and my young man …. have been to one of the head men about you and he told us that he would do his best to get you out here … I am in service at present but hope to be able to receive you in a little comfortable home of our own …."
Eventually the family heard that Martha was 'on the water'. She arrived on 27 September 1874. Mrs. Wearne was left holding the baby.
Mrs. Northey wrote a meandering but dramatic letter to Mrs. Wearne:
"Billy was taken with two fevers …. Sometimes there were two doctors at our house at one time …. The doctors gave him up for he was dangerously ill for two months and … never worked for six …. Just as he was recovering, little Jamie was taken ill with the same fever and Annie was taken ill, both in one day. Jamie was in bed 13 weeks and we thought he would never recover. Annie was married the 9th of April and that was the day Billy was taken ill … I asked her to stay here and help me through the sickness and that was the reason she got the fever …. Thank God they are … well now for they recovered nicely …."
Naysayers were whispering in Mrs. Wearne's ear. Mrs. Northey wrote to her:
"Dear friend, you said in your letter that people said we shall not send you anything now that Martha is out here. But we shall not forget you or the dear baby …. I will enclose an order with one pound and we will write you every mail."
On 2 July 1875 Martha wrote to Mrs. Wearne:
"If you see Patty's father, tell him I have been very ill with fever. Tell him I think they should do something for the child. I have done as much as I have been able to do and more than I can well do. I have done my duty to the dear child and I think he ought to do his."
On 14 December 1875 Martha wrote of her child:
"Do not fear I am going to I will try to get her with me as soon as possible …. I will never forget my dear child. I have enclosed an order of two pounds …."
The naysayers were right. Mrs. Wearne added a note to Martha's December letter:
P.S. "This is the last letter I received", Mrs. Wearne.
Martha forgot about her far distant child and, on 5 February 1876, at her parent's address, London Street, Lyttelton, married David Mitten, a railway labourer. David Mitten, 35, died in 1885 and is buried at Addington Cemetery. A son, William David, 24, a blacksmith of 116 Harper Street, died in 1905. His wife, Kate Elizabeth, 20 at the time of her husband's demise, never remarried, dwelt at 590 Avonside Drive, and died, at 67, in 1951. William and Kate were buried Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch. Martha Mitten, 82, died on 27 July 1934 at 241 Bealey Avenue. She was unaware that Patty had remained with her foster-mother until Mrs. Wearne's death in 1909, and had then taken the family letters, sailed to Canada, married Thomas Butterworth and had a daughter and settled in Cornwall, Stormont, Ontario. In 1981 the daughter, now an old lady herself, sent copies of the 1870s letters of a working class local family to Christchurch City Library which has the original letters available to view upon request, at their off-site Library near Christchurch airport.
(PATTY AND THOMAS BUTTERWORTH HAD A SON ROBERT AND A DAUGHTER ANNIE. ROBERT BUTTERWORTH DIED IN 1981 AND HIS WIDOW ANNIE CLINE DIED IN 1992. IT IS NOT CLEAR IF IT WAS HIS ELDERLY SISTER ANNIE, OR HIS WIFE ANNIE, WHO ACTUALLY SENT COPIES OF THE NORTHEY LETTERS, AND A TYPED TRANSCRIPTION TO NEW ZEALAND)
Martha Northey, listed aboard the Merope 28 June 1874
It was incredible that I found this information about |
and contacting insurance companies directly.
Your premiums are directly related to another amount, called your deductible. This is the amount per year you are required to pay before your insurance company helps pay for anything. For example, let's say that you get into a car accident that causes $2,500 in damages. If your deductible is $500, you are required to shell out $500 of your own money to pay for the damages before your insurance company will pay for the other $2,000 in damages.
Generally, the higher your deductible, the lower your premiums, so it is often smarter to get the highest deductible you can afford to pay. However, you should evaluate your own tendencies because if you find yourself frequently paying for routine costs, it may not make sense for you to pick a high deductible, as you will end up footing a bigger bill on services.
Health insurance policies will also often require you to make a co-payment (or co-pay), which is a flat amount that you pay for every doctor's visit or to receive a medication. You may even have to pay coinsurance after you've met the deductible, which is a percentage of the health care costs. For example, if your coinsurance rate is 80/20, your insurance company pays 80% of your medical expenses while you're responsible for the remaining 20%.
Check the credentials of the insurer with your state insurance department to ensure you're protected if they become bankrupt, as well as the qualifications of an agent if you use one.
You need health insurance, even if you are young and healthy. If you get into an accident, you could be hit with thousands of dollars in medical bills that will quickly put you in financial trouble. If you are lucky, your employer offers health insurance, otherwise you may have to get coverage on your own. If so, do your research to find a reasonably-priced plan that focuses on covering any major medical problems. Your plan should cover at least 80% of hospital and surgery bills once you meet your deductible, any prescriptions you need, and at least a $1-$2 million maximum lifetime benefit (the amount the company is willing to pay over your lifetime). Some cheaper alternatives to buying an individual policy are state-run options, your parents' plan, a group plan, or temporary coverage.
If you are young, it may be too early to start paying premiums on long-term care insurance, which covers a broad range of health and support services for people who have chronic illnesses or disabilities. Instead, to cover you in case you get injured and can't work, look into getting disability insurance through your employer or individually.
What can I get from my employer?
The type and amount of insurance employees get varies widely, so it is crucial to read the information your employer provides on their health, life, disability, and other insurance policies. If you have any questions about your coverage, make an appointment with the person in charge of benefits at your company to get your questions answered.
Flexible Benefits Plan: This type of plan is also sometimes called a "flex plan" or "cafeteria plan." It allows you to choose what benefits you want and often includes choices about noninsurance benefits such as paid time off, legal services, or 401(k) contributions. With this type of plan, your employer gives you a fixed number of "credits" to spend on benefits. These decisions will often be based on family status. If you don't have children, you may spend your credits on better health insurance and forego a life insurance plan. Similarly, if you are covered under your spouse's health insurance plan, you may want to put your credits towards disability.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs): These are tax-favored accounts in which you can set aside a fixed amount of your own money taken from your paycheck to pay for specific medical expenses that are not covered by health insurance. The advantage of these accounts is that you deposit money on a before-tax basis, and it never gets taxed. Rules on what expenditures can be made with money from an FSA account often vary from company to company, but some unified rules can be found in Publication 502 at www.irs.gov.
One Benefit of FSAs: The accounts are prefunded, meaning that you get the whole sum of what you agree to deposit from your monthly paychecks all at the beginning of the year.
One Drawback of FSAs: If you do not use the money you put into the account for the year, you will lose it, so make sure you put in only as much as you're sure you will spend.
This type of insurance protects you if you encounter any serious, long-term illness or injury over the course of your working life, regardless of whether or not the condition results from your job. For women, pregnancy can be considered a short-term disability, so this type of insurance can be very valuable to your financial security if you are planning on having a family. Disability insurance, however, is not the same as workers compensation, which is only available to you if you are injured on the job or as a result of your job.
Auto liability coverage: Protects you from damages to others or to property while you are driving.
Medical payments coverage: Covers your medical bills if you are injured in an accident.
Collision and comprehensive coverage: Covers physical damage to your car.
Additionally, some drivers buy underinsured or uninsured motorists coverage. This protects you if you ever get in an accident with or are hurt by a driver who has too little or no insurance.
The Home Itself: Make sure you have enough insurance to cover the full amount it would cost to rebuild your home, called the "building cost per square foot." A local insurance agent or builders association should provide you with this information for free. If you multiply this number by the number of square feet in your home, you should get an estimate of the rebuilding cost.
Personal Property Insurance: A typical policy will insure your personal property up to a value of 50% to 70% of your home structure rebuilding cost. For an extra cost, you can get a higher value of personal property coverage if you see it as necessary, or cater your policy to have a higher limit for certain types of belongings. When assessing the value of your belongings, remember to think about replacement costs. The cost of buying comparable items to replace your current belongings is the important number.
Liability Protection: You should have a rough idea of how much you need to protect yourself against any accidents that may happen inside and outside your home. The amount should exceed the value of all your major assets, including your retirement savings and investments.
HO-2: Also known as "broad coverage," it provides the three protections outlined above in 17 listed perils. For example, it covers damages from fire, hail, vandalism, theft, etc.
HO-3: Also known as "special coverage," it covers your home from all 17 perils listed in the HO-2 policy, as well as any other peril not specified in the policy (excluding flood and earthquake damage). Get this if you can, as its coverage is much broader and it is not much more expensive.
HO-4: This is tenants or renters insurance. Most young people are renters, so this type of homeowner's insurance is important to consider. It covers the cost of belongings lost in a fire, storm, or theft. Renters insurance can also cover the liability associated with accidents that occur on the property that you are renting.
HO-6: If you live in a co-op or condo, this policy will protect your personal property and the unit you own but not the entire common property.
Catastrophe Insurance: Most homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flood damage. Some people in flood-prone or other areas in which natural disasters are common choose to purchase flood insurance from the federal government. This is fairly inexpensive but is very valuable if your home is destroyed or damaged by catastrophic disasters. Find out if your home is in an at-risk area on http://www.floodsmart.gov/, or go to http://www.earthquakeauthority.com/ if you are in an earthquake-prone area to look into earthquake insurance.
Term Life Insurance: This is life insurance that you purchase for a set period at a time, usually 30 years. It can generally be renewed when the term runs out, and it can also be converted into a permanent plan. If you die, your beneficiaries receive something called a "death benefit" from your insurance company. For young people, premiums are usually pretty low, around $150 per year, and do not increase very drastically over time. Even if you do not have a family to support, you may want to consider term life insurance to avoid financially burdening your parents with your outstanding debts and burial costs in the event of your death.
Permanent Life Insurance: Also known as a "cash value policy," these policies are much more expensive and usually do not make sense for young people to buy. Life insurance agents will try to get you to buy these plans rather than term life insurance, but it is in your interest to purchase the former. The premiums you will be charged on a permanent plan are very high.
Many insurance companies provide different types of insurance. If you already have one type of insurance (like car insurance), your company may give you a discount for also purchasing other types of insurance through them (like renters insurance). Check with your insurance provider to see if they offer this.
Insurance companies are regulated on the state level so each state has different laws regarding insurance. If you think that your insurance company is violating the law or engaging in unfair practices, you can file a claim with your state's Department of Insurance. For more information on insurance regulations in your specific state, visit http://www.naic.org/ |
Weiss said. "I sought to shift the narrative from one that emphasizes domination and constraint towards telling stories about how Haida citizens and communities are building all sorts of different futures, claiming their right to decide for themselves what should come next and what should not."
From the threat of ecological crisis to the assertion of sovereign rights and authority, Weiss shows that the Haida people consistently turn towards their possible futures, desirable and undesirable, in order to work out how to live in and transform the present. His book breaks new ground in the exploration of the relationship between time and colonialism as experienced in the day-to-day lives of an indigenous community.
Weiss first started visiting Haida Gwaii in 2010 through ties of friendship and a deep admiration for and interest in the work of the Haida Nation in fighting for Haida rights to their sovereign territories and to self-determination. In 2013, he moved to the Haida community of Old Massett to begin a two-and-a-half-year period of full-time fieldwork, focusing on exploring communities' experiences and understandings around political and social change. While there, he worked as a classroom assistant and occasional school play director for the community's primary school, the Chief Matthews School.
Weiss's work was and remains an attempt to engage in respectful anthropological research grounded in dialogue with and accountability to the community of Old Massett and the Haida Nation. This extended both to the kinds of questions that were asked and to the ways interviews were conducted and then approved by Weiss's Haida friends and colleagues.
"Shaping the Future is as much the result of building relationships and this commitment to respect as it is an academic text," Weiss said.
This book will appeal to scholars and students of indigenous studies, particularly in anthropology, political science, sociology, and history. Researchers planning to work with communities will learn from the author's reflections on conducting ethnographic fieldwork with First Nations.
Tyner '13 Named Fulbright National Geographic Storytelling Fellow
by Cynthia Rockwell • July 30, 2018
William Tyner '13 is headed to Romania on a year-long Fulbright National Geographic Fellowship. He will create an immersive film documenting the civic-tech group, Code for Romania.
William Tyner '13 was awarded a Fulbright National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship —one of only five of such grants awarded each year.
The fellowship is made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the National Geographic Society and is a component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. It provides opportunities for U.S. citizens to participate in an academic year of overseas travel and storytelling on a globally significant theme.
Tyner, who majored in anthropology at Wesleyan and enjoyed courses in the College of Film and the Moving Image, will be working with Code for Romania. He'll be creating a documentary series that will explore Romania's civic technology community.
"'Civic tech' is a nascent field in which local 'hacktivists' use technology to deepen democracy and increase civic engagement," he explained in his application.
Tyner notes that he has been affiliated with Codes for America, an organization that focuses on technology as a pathway to modernize government, make it more accessible—but he wanted "to observe civic tech as a social movement, from a sociological perspective."
Romania, he says, will be the perfect place for his lens: "Their civic tech community is emerging within a historically unique anti-corruption movement. I'm going to chronicle a story of people taking action and control in their community."
Ulysse Commissioned to Create Work for British Museum
by Olivia Drake • June 7, 2018
Gina Athena Ulysse. (Photo by Lucy Guiliano)
In response to an exhibit focusing on the Haitian Revolution of 1791, Gina Athena Ulysse, professor of anthropology, presented a commissioned work on March 16 at the British Museum.
The exhibit, titled "A revolutionary legacy: Haiti and Toussaint Louverture," featured a selection of objects, artworks, and poetry from the 18th century to the present. Objects explored the legacy of the Haitian Revolution and its leader Toussaint Louverture. Louverture was one of the leading figures in the Haitian Revolution, which began in 1791 as an uprising of enslaved men and women in what was then a French sugar colony. It culminated with the outlawing of slavery there and the establishment of the Republic of Haiti.
Ulysse, a Haitian-born artist-anthropologist, presented a multivocal remix of words (archival and oral history, poetry, personal narrative) titled "Remixed ode to rebel's spirit: lyrical meditations on Haiti and Toussaint Louverture." Her response is online here.
Ulysse's audio accompaniment also includes a contemporary juxtaposition of Vodou chant with words of anti-imperial protest. While the U.S. occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934, a religion practiced by people in the African diaspora was suppressed. During the Haitian Revolution of 1791, Vodou helped unite communities and helped enslaved people to organize themselves against injustice.
Kauanui Delivers Keynote Focused on U.S. Militarism and Hawaiian Decolonization
J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, center, gathers with two other scholars who attended the "Archipelagos and Aquapelagos" conference. At left is Rebekah Garrison, a doctoral student from the University of Southern California, and Tiara R. Na'puti, assistant professor of communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, chair and professor of American studies, professor of anthropology, and director of the Center for the Americas, delivered one of two keynotes at a conference on "Archipelagos and Aquapelagos—Conceptualizing Islands and Marine Spaces."
The gathering, hosted by the Global South Center at The Pratt Institute on March 30—April 1, focused on the need to reinvestigate and reconceptualize the nature of the aggregations of islands commonly referred to as "archipelagos" in order to produce more sophisticated understandings of them, along with the environmental, social, and transnational issues and impacts involved.
As the organizers of the conference, May Joseph, Luka Lucic, and Macarena Gómez-Barris—all based at Pratt's new Global South Center—explained in the mission, "Archipelagos have become increasingly prominent in geo-political contexts with regard to national territorial boundaries, global migrancy and disputes over fisheries."
Kauanui's keynote, "Decolonizing Indigeneity: Hawaiian Sovereignty, U.S. Occupation and the Politics of Settler Colonialism," focused on U.S. militarism and Hawaiian decolonization. As she explained, "since the purpose of the conference is to explore the interface of land and water ontologies and epistemologies facing vulnerable populations across different small island nation ecologies, looking at the Pacific Islands is instructive for understanding multi-dimensions of U.S. imperialism and settler colonialism, as well as persistent questions of decolonization." Keeping this U.S. military expansion in mind, her talk explored decolonization in the Hawaiian context.
The other keynote was delivered by Philip Hayward, editor of online journal Shima, from the University of Technology Sydney.
Students Learn about New Technologies Being Used to Study the Past
On March 28, the Archaeology Program and the Department of Classical Studies invited Ian Roy of Brandeis University to Wesleyan to discuss ways new technologies are used to study the past. Roy is the founding head of Brandeis MakerLab and director for research technology and innovation at Brandeis University's library.
Students learned how to use a portable Artec 3-D scanner to scan a vessel from the Wesleyan University Archaeology and Anthropology Collections.
Roy first visited the Archaeometry: How to Science the Heck out of Archaeology class taught by Andrew Koh, visiting assistant professor of archaeology. There, he demonstrated how to scan objects in 3-D using an Artec Space Spyder, a tool that uses structured light to capture incredibly high-resolution scans of objects. The class produced multiple models of artifacts, including a vessel that has since been posted to Sketchfab.
"What's so amazing is that these are just quick versions made in only 15 minutes, without any post-processing and touch-ups," said Kate Birney, assistant professor of classical studies, archaeology, and art history.
Kauanui Presents "Politics of Occupy Wall Street" Research in Qatar
by Himeka Curiel • January 22, 2018
J. Kehaulani Kauanui in Qatar.
J. Kehaulani Kauanui, professor of American studies and anthropology, chair of American studies and director of the Center of the Americas, spent part of winter break in Qatar. She was there to present her research on "Settler Colonialism and the Politics of Occupy Wall Street: Indigeneity and the 'Other' 1%" for a panel on "Against Exceptionalism."
Kauanui joined a global roster of leading scholars in American studies, Middle Eastern studies and other closely related fields who were invited to speak as part of a conference held Jan. 8–11 at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies with support from the Qatar National Research Fund.
The conference, titled "From Tahrir Square to Zuccotti Park: The Arab Spring |
," is free and open to the public, and will include a look at tobacco's history in the Upper Tar River region. Yeargin has published three books on the prominent role tobacco has played in the culture, …
Monday Open Line
Submitted Article November 23, 2015 Open Lines
It used to be that going to the bank was somewhat of a chore — with inconvenient hours and locations, and waiting in line for a teller. Now, many of us rarely see the inside of a bank anymore. We take care of our financial business at an ATM, by going online, or at our bank's drive-in windows. The first such drive-up facility opened on this date in 1946 at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, which offered its motoring customers …
Richard Brand: More War on Christmas?
Rick Brand November 20, 2015 Opinion
It began early this year. It is still two months before Christmas. We have just finished Halloween and have not even begun to talk about Thanksgiving, and already we have people outraged about what is being called a "war on Christmas." The latest battle site was Starbuck's decision to put out simple red cups with their corporate logo on them. Just red cups with no seasonal decorations. No snow flakes, no holly wreaths, no snowmen, no menorah, nothing but their …
Vance County Clerk of Superior Court – Financial Related Audit
Submitted Article November 20, 2015 News
NC State Auditor releases report on the Vance County Clerk of Superior Court: The results of our audit identified deficiencies in internal control and/or instances of noncompliance that are considered reportable under Government Auditing Standards. These items included: (1) The Clerk's Office did not compel the timely filing of estate inventories in accordance with state law; (2) Staff in the Clerk's Office had the ability to change and/or delete information in multiple systems, resulting in inadequate segregation of duties. Details …
Thanksgiving Travel: Know Before You Go and Save Time, Money
As families travel over the river and through the woods for Thanksgiving celebrations, the N.C. Department of Transportation will suspend most road construction activities on major routes across the state to help make their trips a little smoother. By avoiding traffic delays, motorists can reach their destinations safely and efficiently, while cutting down on fuel consumption and costs. NCDOT will put on hold most construction projects along interstate, N.C. and U.S. routes from 6 a.m., Wednesday, November 25, until midnight, Sunday, November 29 with these exceptions: U.S. …
Vance County Farm-City Week: Our Aging Farmers: A Looming Crisis For Our Nation?
Submitted Article November 20, 2015 Agriculture
If you happen to be a farmer, I have some important information for you: You're not getting any younger. Sorry, don't mean to get personal, but the 2007 Census of Agriculture reports that the average age for farmers in Vance County is almost 60. Nor is this phenomenon limited to our own community. For North Carolina as a whole, the average age is a hair over 57, while the figure is just over 58 for our nation (2012 Census of …
Speedy New Lift, New Tube Park Elevate NC Winter Sports Season
Submitted Article November 20, 2015 Tourism
As temperatures drop, the action heats up at winter resorts in the North Carolina mountains. The 2015-16 season opens with a new tubing park at Beech Mountain Resort, a new high-speed, six-seater chairlift at Sugar Mountain Resort and other improvements on and off the slopes. "Every year brings new reasons to get excited about North Carolina ski and snowboard season," said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina. "Our six ski areas elevate the state's western mountains to the …
VGCC and Dill Air Controls Products join forces with Apprenticeship program
Vance-Granville Community College and Oxford-based Dill Air Controls Products, LLC, recently signed on to join the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), in an effort to provide new opportunities for local students and to prepare a skilled workforce. NCTAP offers students a unique start to a professional career and develops them into future industry leaders. The program focuses on integrated basic training which develops technical, methodological and social skills. Typically starting in the 11th grade of high school, the four-year …
White House By the Numbers: What You Need to Know about Syrian Refugees in the U.S.
Submitted Article November 20, 2015 White House
The refugees that have captivated so much attention in the wake of Friday's attack are fleeing precisely the type of senseless slaughter that happened in Paris. To slam the door in their faces — to decide not to help when we know that we can help — would be a betrayal of our deepest values as Americans. That's why we're going to do the right thing in the right way: protecting the American people even as we provide refuge to …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, November 20th. One of the most renowned of America's historically black colleges was founded on this date in 1866 as the Howard Theological Seminary. Named after Civil War general and post-war Freedmen's Bureau Director Oliver O. Howard, the seminary changed its name to Howard University just two months after its founding. While not the first college to admit black students, nor the first to be established for blacks, Howard was the first to offer full undergraduate, graduate and professional …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Nov. 19 on North Carolina Weekend, experience the American Indian Heritage Celebration at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Discover the various works at the Asheville Museum of Art in Asheville. Tempt your taste buds at Miss Angels Heavenly Pies in Mount Airy. Take in "The Worlds of M. C. Escher: Nature, Science and Imagination" exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh. And the "House Special" samples the fare at The Ne'er Do …
Thanksgiving travelers predicted to top 46 million
AAA is predicting that nearly 47 million U.S. residents will travel at least 50 miles away from home during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The figure, 46.9 million, is a 0.6 percent increase compared to 2014 travel in the Thanksgiving period, which is defined as the Wednesday through Sunday surrounding the holiday. The auto club said this year will see the highest number of Thanksgiving travelers since 2007 if the prediction is accurate. AAA attributed part of the predicted increase …
N.C. Museum of Art holds groundbreaking ceremony for park expansion
Submitted Article November 19, 2015 Art
Wednesday the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of its park, which is expected to be completed by next summer. The expansion will add tree-lined parking lots, bike and walking paths, and a central elliptic lawn for museum and community programming. The long-term plan for the Museum Park includes a new campus entrance and streetscape, increased paved parking capacity, woodland and meadow restoration, additional trails and infrastructure, improved sustainability measures and additional outdoor …
Governor McCrory Announces New Juvenile Offender Re-Entry Program Wins Federal Grant
Courtsey of Senator Angela Bryant Governor Pat McCrory announced that North Carolina is one of three states to be awarded a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) grant to implement an innovative reintegration of juvenile offenders into the community. "Our strategy focuses on improved assessment, delivering the appropriate education or workforce training and family engagement so they can be the support system for their child when they re-enter the community," Governor McCrory said. "Our youth must be given every chance to …
Vance County Board of Commissioners Special Called Meeting November 23rd, 2015
Submitted Article November 19, 2015 Business, County Business
Chairman Archie B. Taylor, Jr. has called a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners for Monday, November 23, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. in the commissioners' conference room. The purpose of the meeting is to enter into closed session to discuss legal matters related to Semprius.
Thursday Open Line
The first automatic toll collection station went into service on this date in 1954. It was installed at the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway. Motorists dropped coins into a wire mesh hopper, triggering a green light that told them to go ahead. The idea soon caught on at toll roads around the country, reducing the number of booth attendants and propelling cars and trucks on their way. There are some 3,300 miles of toll roads in …
Vance County Farm-City Week: Soil Health: The Foundation Of Food Production
What's the difference between dirt and soil? The simple answer, dirt is dead and soil is alive! Soil is comprised of air, water, decayed plant residue, organic matter (living and dead organisms), and mineral matter (sand, silt, clay). Healthy functioning soil needs to be able to sustain and nourish plants, soil microbes, and beneficial insects. Healthy soils are porous, allowing air and water to move freely through them, and are often home to earthworms. A balance between the chemical and …
NCDMV License and Theft Bureau Inspector Named Recipient of 2015 Governor's Award for Excellence in Heroism
Raleigh – License and Theft Bureau Inspector Talaya D. Vaughn of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles was honored today with the Governor's Award for Excellence in Heroism for her July 2014 rescue of a crash victim from a burning vehicle. She received the award in an afternoon ceremony at North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. The rescue occurred while Inspector Vaughn was |
ady. Even to this day, I marvel at it. In fact, stage fright would be an interesting curiosity if it's consequences weren't so significant.
Indeed, I've watch fellow performers battle stage fright throughout my career. Usually, they do so with little success. That's the reason I've created Goodbye Butterflies because there is a way beyond this scourge.
I'd like to share with you some of the surprising facts I've learned about stage fright in helping performers with it. I'll also share a couple of big secrets that prevent most performers from finding their way beyond it.
—Dr. David Lee Fish
Five Surprising Facts
Let's start with the surprising facts. Actually, there are many more than five when it comes to stage fright, as I reveal in the Goodbye Butterflies online training course. The following are just some of the more important ones.
click on tabs to reveal each fact
Fact #1
Stage fright can make you feel so alone as you stand in front of an audience. But you're far from it. Stage fright (including speech fright) is actually the most common fear of people everywhere.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a full 75% of us suffer from stage fright. In fact, it beats out all other fears, including spiders, heights, and even circus clowns. Believe it or not, it even beats out the fear of death itself.
This fact led comedian Jerry Seinfeld to quip, "So you're telling me that a funeral, most people would prefer to be the guy in the coffin than the guy giving the eulogy? Surprisingly, the answer seems to be yes.
And it's not just amateurs and young performers who get nervous. One study found that a full 70% of professional orchestra musicians experience such intense stage fright that it mars their playing.
The second fact is that you're in great company if you experience stage fright. Let me show you what I mean.
Here are just a few of the famous musicians who've suffered from it.
Fredrick Chopin
Of course, more than musicians experience stage fright. Here's a short list of well-known actors who've also battled it.
Nicolle Kidman
Lawrence Olivier
Great company indeed. These lists show that you can obviously suffer from stage fright and still enjoy a successful career as a performer. But you don't need to suffer.
Through mindfulness, you can learn to find your way beyond stage fright to achieve more of your full potential and even enjoy the spotlight.
Despite its prevalence, speech fright is a silent menace. People simply don't talk about it much. Why?
It's likely out of embarrassment with a dose of insecurity thrown in for good measure. After all, who wants to admit to being tripped up by the same thing that strikes third-grade spelling bee contestants? "I can't let people know a successful executive like me gets nervous speaking in front of others. I'll lose their respect, and they'll think I'm a loser."
The cost of our silence can be immense. First, it's what makes us feel we're alone in suffering from it. It also helps stoke the belief that there's something wrong with us when we experience stage fright. After all, you don't hear anyone else talking about it.
When I lead a group of performers who experience stage fright, I like to ask them to share a little about their experiences with it. Typically, it's the first time in their lives they've had an open discussion about their anxiety. It winds up being quite reassuring, even liberating. "You worry about that too? I thought I was the only one."
That's the reason the Goodbye Butterflies online training course includes an optional forum for you to share your experiences with stage fright, anonymously if you wish. You can also lend support to one another.
Here's another surprising fact. Three simple factors are behind speech fright.
First, you perform in front of others. But it doesn't need to be a large audience. It can be just one person, and he/she doesn't even need to be present physically but can instead be on the other end of a phone call, Skype session, or the like.
The second factor behind speech fright is that the audience judges on your performance (or at least you feel it's judging you). Sometimes that judgment is formal, like during an audition. Other times, it's more informal, like how enthusiastically the audience applauds.
The third and most crucial factor that determines when stage fright strikes is that the audience's judgment constitutes some type of danger or threat. This aspect of stage fright is often overlooked but central.
In the Goodbye Butterflies online training course, I reveal how the threat or danger you perceive when you get nervous is often very real. It's just that less-consequential surface worries conceal it.
With the help of what is known as the downward arrow technique, I help you drill down beneath your surface worries to reveal the deep danger or true threat that triggers your stage fright. You may be surprised at what you find.
Getting nervous when you speak in front of others is a natural phenomenon, not a malady or illness. What we call speech fright is simply the manifestations of the body's autonomic nervous system preparing you to fight or flee from a perceived threat. In other words, it's the hardwiring that protects us from danger. It's essential to survival.
So, don't think you're somehow broken in experiencing speech fright. Far from it. In fact, I tell my students that getting nervous proves their perfect, perfectly human. Of course, natural or not, speech fright can cause you to be stuck, that's the real issue.
2 Big Secrets
What sets apart performers who find their way beyond stage fright from those who never do? They know a couple of secrets about it, and most have simply stumbled open them.
That's pretty much how it was for me when I was a young performer. I just tried applying what I had learned in practicing Zen to my own stage fright and found that it worked, almost magically. I was shocked that something so simple worked so well.
The Mindfulness Movement has brought important scientific validity to the truth behind these secrets. It's also inspired me to develop the Goodbye Butterflies 7-Day Solution.
By the way, you don't have to keep these secrets. By all means, share them freely so we can help all performers find the way beyond stage fright.
click on tabs to reveal secrets
The first secret is that there is no cure for stage fright, per se Again, it's a natural human phenomenon, the body's autonomic nervous system preparing you to fight or flee from a perceived threat, and that system is essential to our survival.
There will always be times when you become nervous performing in front of others. To put it in perspective, imagine setting as a goal never getting sad or angry again.
In therapy, they call that a dead man's goal, because it's the type only a dead person can achieve. The same goes for never having moments when you experience stage fright. I'm sorry, but that's pretty much an unattainable goal.
So, don't waste your time trying to find a cure-all for your nervousness when you perform.
Here's the second secret about stage fright.
While there isn't a cure, there is an effective way beyond it. As reported in respected media sources like the New York Times, Psychology Today, and TIME Magazine, our modern age is discovering something age-old traditions have known all along.
The answer for maladies like stage fright is found in the simple power of mindfulness.
Stage fright is like the type of finger cuff toy that we played with as kids. What happened when you try to pull and tug to get it off your fingers? Its grip just got tighter. How did you escape? By doing the opposite.
The analogy with stage fright is that actively trying to fight it doesn't work. Your thoughts fuse with your anxiety all the more. What does work is mindful acceptance of your worried thoughts. Through mindfulness, your anxiety's hold on you loosens, it fades into the background, and you enjoy a more workable situation.
The type of mindfulness I'm talking about isn't difficult to achieve once you understand the ins and outs of it. It's simple and no-nonsense, and that's important. What good is an approach that's too complicated to call on when you need it most—when you're in the throes of anxiety?
With mindfulness, you can also start to see results almost immediately. Your mindful abilities will increase with experience, but you don't have to wait months or even years to begin seeing benefits.
I hope you found these facts and secrets about stage fright interesting. Even more, I hope they've started changing your perspective to leave you with a sense that there is a way beyond this needless menace.
I'll keep you posted by email about the upcoming section of the Goodbye Butterflies online training course.
For now, please help spread the message about the mindful answer to stage fright by liking Goodbye Butterflies on Facebook. To do so, just click on the Like button below. You can also leave a comment or ask a question at the bottom of the page. Finally, don't forget to share information about Goodbye Butterflies with others you think might benefit from it.
I look forward to helping you find your own way beyond stage fright.
Help spread the word about Goodbye Butterflies by clicking on Like.
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worth preserving throughout time. The aim of the present study was to explore the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors in this behavior. Three hundred and ninety pairs of adult female twins provided information about whether they breastfed their children and for how long. Three variables were analyzed: initiation and duration for the first baby, and mean duration for the complete offspring. Polychoric correlations were consistently higher for monozygotic twins, supporting a role for genetic factors (0.49 vs. 0.22 for initiation; 0.44 vs. 0.22 for duration in the first newborn; and 0.52 vs. 0.31 for duration on average). Model-fitting analyses found that in the best-fitting model, variance was explained by additive genetic and non-shared environmental factors, with estimated heritabilities ranging from 0.39 to 0.52 in the measures studied. The rest of the variance would be due to unique environmental factors. We conclude that genetic factors have a significant impact on the complex behavior of breastfeeding.
Height, Age at First Birth, and Lifetime Reproductive Success: A Prospective Cohort Study of Finnish Male and Female Twins
Karri Silventoinen, Samuli Helle, Jessica Nisén, Pekka Martikainen, Jaakko Kaprio
The associations between height and reproductive success in humans have attracted long-time scientific interest, but in addition to rather mixed previous results, little is still known about the background mechanisms of these associations. We analyzed the association of adult height with age at first birth and lifetime reproductive success using a twin study design that is able to optimally take into account family background and estimate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors. Information on live births as of June 2009 for 7,830 Finnish twins born 1950–1957 was extracted from the national population register. We found evidence for non-linear associations in men, as men in the third sex-specific height quintile had the highest probability of having one to two children, or three or more children at individual level analyses, and also to have any children when analyzing twin pairs discordant for height. Furthermore, the probability of having a spouse was highest in the third height category in men. Short stature was associated with earlier age at first birth in females, explained by correlated genetic factors, but not with lifetime number of children or having a spouse. Our results suggest that average stature may give some advantage for reproduction in males. In females, genetic factors explained the association between short stature and young age at first birth, which may suggest the role of hormonal factors.
A Geometric Morphometric Assessment of Hand Shape and Comparison to the 2D:4D Digit Ratio as a Marker of Sexual Dimorphism
Paul G. Sanfilippo, Alex W. Hewitt, Jenny A. Mountain, David A. Mackey
Twin studies are extremely useful for investigating hypotheses of genetic influence on a range of behavioral and physical traits in humans. Studies of physical traits, however, are usually limited to size-related biological characteristics because it is inherently difficult to quantify the morphological counterpart – shape. In recent years, the development of geometry-preserving analytical techniques built upon multivariate statistical methodologies has produced a new discipline in biological shape analysis known as geometric morphometrics. In this study of hand shape analysis, we introduce the reader already familiar with the field of twin research to the potential utility of geometric morphometrics and demonstrate the cross-discipline applicability of methods. We also investigate and compare the efficacy of the 2D:4D ratio, a commonly used marker of sexual dimorphism, to the fully multivariate approach of shape analysis in discriminating between male and female sex. Studies of biological shape variation utilizing geometric morphometric techniques may be completed with software freely available on the Internet and time invested to master the small learning curve in concepts and theory.
Current Practice and Attitudes of Australian Obstetricians Toward Population-Based Carrier Screening for Inherited Conditions
Zornitza Stark, John Massie, Belinda McClaren, Liane Ioannou, Nicole Cousens, Sharon Lewis, Sylvia Metcalfe, Martin B. Delatycki
An anonymous survey of Australian Fellows of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was conducted with the aim of understanding current practice and attitudes toward population-based carrier screening for inherited conditions in the setting of routine pregnancy care. Of 1,121 Fellows invited to complete the online questionnaire by e-mail, 237 (21%) responded, and of these 156 were practicing obstetricians and completed the whole survey. Of the respondents, 83% expressed support for population-based carrier screening for at least some conditions, with 97% supporting carrier screening for β-thalassaemia, and 83% supporting carrier screening for cystic fibrosis (CF). A small proportion of obstetricians reported offering carrier screening as part of routine pregnancy care (20% for β-thalassaemia, 8% for CF, 5% for fragile X syndrome, and 2% for spinal muscular atrophy). The main practical barriers identified for screening were cost, time constraints, and availability of supporting services. Addressing these issues is crucial for the successful implementation of population-based carrier screening programs in Australia and internationally.
Epidemiology of Twin Births in Southeast China: 1993–2005
Xinrong Lu, Jun Zhang, Yinghui Liu, Ting Wang, Yanyu Lu, Zhu Li
Recently, there has been a significant increase in the rate of multiple births in most developed countries. However, few population-based studies have been conducted in China regarding the epidemiology of twin births in recent years. We performed a descriptive analysis of twin births from 1993 to 2005 using data from a population-based perinatal care program in southeast China. The twin birth rate in southeast China was 0.65%, and the twin birth rates from 1993 to 2005 fluctuated between 0.60% and 0.70%. During the three periods of 1993–1996, 1997–2000, and 2001–2005, the twin birth rate increased from 0.57% to 0.71% in urban areas (p =.005) and from 0.59% to 0.68% in mothers who had an education level of high school or higher (p =.046). After 2000, the twin birth rate of primiparae 30 years of age and older significantly increased from 0.72% to greater than 1.20%. We concluded that the twin birth rates in southeast China from 1993 to 2005 stayed constant in the overall population but increased in certain subgroups of women, presumably due to increased use of fertility treatment and the development of assisted reproductive technology.
Neurodevelopmental Outcome Among Multiples and Singletons: A Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit's Experience in Turkey
Zeynep Eras, Banu Mutlu Ozyurt, Gozde Kanmaz, Omer Erdeve, Evrim Durgut Sakrucu, Serife Suna Oguz, Fuat Emre Canpolat, Nurdan Uras, Ugur Dilmen
Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the neurodevelopmental outcome at 12–18 months' corrected age between multiples and singleton preterm infants. Methods: We designed a prospective study of preterm infants (≤32 weeks gestation) born and hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit between November 2008 and November 2009, whose assessments were performed at 12–18 months' corrected age. Neurodevelopmental impairment was defined as the presence of any one of the following: moderate or severe cerebral palsy, severe bilateral hearing loss or bilateral blindness, mental developmental index score, or psychomotor developmental index score less than 70. Results were compared for both multiples and singleton infants. Results: One hundred and fifty-nine multiples and 211 singleton infants were assessed at 12–18 months' corrected age. The neurodevelopmental outcome including all parameters at 12–18 months' corrected age in multiples was not significantly different from singleton preterm infants. Conclusions: Multiple gestation in preterm infants is not associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairment at 12–18 months' corrected age compared with singleton preterm infants. For further information, long term and high participation in neurodevelopmental follow-up and evaluation at pre-school age will be needed.
Fetal Behavior and Heart Rate in Twin Pregnancy: A Review
Iva Tendais, Gerard H. A. Visser, Bárbara Figueiredo, Nuno Montenegro, Eduard J. H. Mulder
Fetal movements and fetal heart rate (FHR) are well-established markers of fetal well-being and maturation of the fetal central nervous system. The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the available knowledge on fetal movements and heart rate patterns in twin pregnancies. There is some evidence for an association or similarity in fetal movement incidences or FHR patterns between both members of twin pairs. However, the temporal occurrence of these patterns seems to be for the most part asynchronous, especially when stricter criteria are used to define synchrony. The available data suggest that fetal behavior is largely independent of sex combination, fetal position, and presentation. Conversely, chorionicity appears to have some influence on fetal behavior, mainly before 30 weeks of gestation. There is preliminary evidence for the continuity of inter-individual differences in fetal activity and FHR patterns over pregnancy. Comparisons between studies are limited by large methodological differences and absence of uniform concepts and definitions. Future studies with high methodological quality are needed to provide a more comprehensive knowledge of normal fetal behavior in twin pregnancy.
Twin Pregnancies: Evaluation of Major Depression, Stress, and Social Support
Glaucia R. G. Benute, Debora C. R. Nozzella, Cecilia Prohaska, Adolfo Liao, Mara C. S. de Lucia, Marcelo Zugaib
Background: Twin pregnancies are at increased physiological and psychosocial risks. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of major depression |
ozyme, greatly improves the generation of an infectious RV from cDNA (23). We therefore included these sequences in our RV vectors. Using the new c89.6PG-Pr160 instead of p89.6PG-Pr160, we were able to recover 89.6PG-Pr160 in 2 out of 24 wells of transfected cells.
Both HIV-1 Pr160 and Env are expressed from 89.6P-RVG-Pr160.To ensure the expression of the HIV-1 proteins by the recombinant RV, cell lysates from SPBN-333-, SPBN-333-Gag-, SPBN-Pr160-, or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160-infected cells were analyzed by Western blotting with an antibody directed against HIV-1 p24 or Env. As expected, p55 was detected for all three Gag-expressing viruses, whereas p24 was only present in cell lysates from SPBN-Pr160- or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160-infected cells (Fig. 6A, lanes 3 and 4). Immunoblotting with a gp120-specific antibody detected one specific-band at about 120 kDa from 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 lysates (Fig. 6B, lane 8). Whereas the presence of functional protease was indicated by p24 in the lysates from 89.6P-RVG-Pr160-infected cells, the expression of functional HIV-1 Env from 89.6PG-Pr160 was analyzed by a fusion assay in a human T-cell-line (Sup-T1). Because wild-type RV infects cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis, the RV glycoprotein (G) can only cause fusion of infected cells at a low pH (56). In contrast to SPBN-Pr160-infected cells, large syncytium formation was detected in Sup-T1 cells 48 h after infection with 89.6PG-Pr160 (see Fig. 8).
Western blot analysis of recombinant RV expressing HIV-1 Gag-Pol and Env. BSR cells were infected with SPBN-333, SPBN-333-Gag, SPBN-Pr160, or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 (MOI of 2) and lysed 48 h later. Proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and subjected to Western blotting with antibodies specific for HIV-1 p24 (α-p24) (A) or HIV-1 Env (α-gp120) (B). (A) Expression of HIV-1 p55 from SPBN-333-Gag, SPBN-Pr160, or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 was confirmed with an HIV-1 Gag-specific antibody, and the cleavage product, capsid p24, was detected in SPBN-Pr160 and 89.6P-RVG-Pr160, indicating that functional protease is being expressed in both viruses, but not the control viruses SPBN-333 and SPBN-333-Gag. (B) A band at the expected size of gp120 was detected in 89.6P-RVG-Pr160-infected cell lysates, but not in the control lysates.
As described above, the HIV-1 RT assay allows for the detection of functional HIV-1 RT and the quantification of the expressed amount of protein. One concern with 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 was that the introduction of Env upstream of Pr160 would reduce the expression of Pr160 located further downstream. It has been shown for VSV that transcription is attenuated by about 20 to 30% at each gene junction (24). Therefore, BSR cells were infected at an MOI of 5 with 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 or SPBN-Pr160, and 24, 48, and 72 h later, we determined the amounts of RT expressed. The results show that both viruses expressed similar amounts of 4 to 6 ng of RT 48 to 72 h postinfection, which indicates that the likely attenuation at the Pr160 mRNA level did not seem to result in lower protein production of active RT (Fig. 7). The functional expression of HIV-1 89.6P Env was confirmed by a fusion assay on Sup-T1 cells (Fig. 8).
Recombinant RV expressing HIV-1 Env, Gag, and Pol produces functional reverse transcriptase (RT). BSR cells were infected at an MOI of 5 with SPBN-333-Gag, SPBN-Pr160, or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160, and samples were analyzed for RT activity 24, 48, and 72 h after infection. Comparable levels of RT activity were detected in SPBN-Pr160- and 89.6P-RVG-Pr60-infected cells 24, 48, and 72 h after infection. This indicates that the insertion of an additional foreign gene (SHIV 89.6P-RVG) upstream of Gag-Pol does not reduce the RT activity from BSR-infected cells. Control infection with SPBN-333-Gag showed only background levels of RT activity.
Expression of functional HIV-1 envelope from recombinant RV expressing HIV-1 Env and Gag-Pol. Sup-T1 cells, a human T-cell line, were infected with SPBN-Pr160 or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 at an MOI of 0.25 for 48 h and observed for formation of syncytia. Large syncytia (B, solid arrows) were observed in cells infected with 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 (B), but not in those infected with SPBN-Pr160 (A), indicating functional HIV-1 envelope is being expressed by the recombinant RV expressing HIV-1 Env, Gag, and Pol.
In the next step, we analyzed the growth of 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 by both multicycle one-step growth curves. As mentioned previously, all Env-containing rhabdoviruses grow to a lower titer than rhabdoviruses containing other foreign genes. This finding is also confirmed by the data presented in Fig. 9A. However, at least part of the slower spread observed in the multicycle growth curve is probably due to the location of Env within the RV genome, and similar findings were made for the recombinant RV expressing Gag from a location between the N and P proteins (31). However, the observed titer of 89.6-RVG-Pr160 is sufficiently high for use in vaccine approaches (Fig. 9B). Of note, our previous research results with highly attenuated RVs expressing HIV-1 Gag showed that neither a reduced titer nor a slower spread of these vaccine vehicles interferes with their immunogenicity (31).
Multicycle-replication and one-step-growth curve of 89.6P-RVG-Pr160. BSR cells were infected with SPBN-Pr160 or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 at an MOI of 0.01 (multicycle growth [A]) or 5 (one-step growth curve [B]). Aliquots of tissue culture supernatants were collected, and viral titers were determined in duplicate as indicated.
Finally, we wanted to analyze whether the expression of the large Gag-Pol precurser protein in the case of SPBN-pr160 or the expression of two large proteins from the 89.6P-RVG-Pr160 vaccine vector interferes with the immunogenicity of RV-based vector in a small animal model. For this approach, BALB/c mice were vaccinated once intramuscularly with 106 FFU of SPBN-Pr160 or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160. Six weeks postimmunization, mice were challenged intraperitoneally with 107 PFU of vaccinia virus Gag. Five days after challenge, two mice in each group were sacrificed, and spleens were removed and stained with the Kd-p24 tetramer specific for an HIV-1 Gag p24 epitope. As shown in Fig. 10, about 12 to 16% of the CD8+ cells were tetramer positive after challenge with vaccinia virus expressing Gag, and similar numbers were previously detected for mice immunized by the same route with the RV vector expressing only HIV-1 Gag, indicating that the expression of multiple and large genes does not result in an attenuation of the cellular immune response.
Splenocytes stained with the Kd-AMQMLKETI major histocompatibility complex-peptide tetrameric complex. Mice were immunized with 106 FFU of SPBN-Pr160 or 89.6P-RVG-Pr160, and 6 weeks postimmunization, mice were challenged with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing HIV-1 Gag. Five days later, splenocytes were isolated and cells were stained with FITC-conjugated rat anti-mouse CD8 antibody and the Kd-AMQMLKETI MHC-peptide tetrameric complex.
Here we describe the generation and characterization of two RV-based vectors that express the HIV-1 Gag-Pol precursor protein alone or in addition to a chimeric HIV-189.6P/RV G protein. These recombinant viruses express functional HIV-1 Gag, protease, and RT in addition to HIV-1 Env. The expression of the Gag-Pol protein resulted in the formation and release of both immature and mature HIV-1 VLPs. The functional expression of the major structural proteins of the HIV-1 genome makes these recombinant RVs attractive vaccine candidates, because they closely mimic important events in the HIV-1 life cycle, such as release of VLPs and fusion of cells.
Viral vectors are attractive candidates for vaccine vectors and are widely used as vaccine vehicles against HIV-1 (for review, see references 30 and 46). However, cloning limitations and stability are obstacles for the use of a large |
its current early stage, fills in an important gap in our knowledge of the
diversity of planetary systems around nearby stars. Direct imaging searches with the best
conventional AO systems (e.g. Keck/NIRC2, VLT/NaCo, Subaru/HiCIAO) are sensitive to very massive planets
($M$ $\gtrsim$ 5--10 $M_{J}$) at wide separation ($a$ $\sim$ 10-30 $AU$
to 100 $AU$) and young ages ($t$ $\lesssim$ 100 Myr), which are not detectable by the radial
velocity and transit methods \citep[e.g.][]{Lafreniere2007b,Vigan2012,Rameau2013,Galicher2013}.
Planets with these masses and orbital separations pose a stiff challenge to planet formation theories
\citep[e.g.][]{Kratter2010,Rafikov2011}.
Young self-luminous directly-imageable planets provide a critical
probe of planet atmospheric evolution \citep{Fortney2008,Currie2011a,Spiegel2012,Konopacky2013}.
The directly-imaged planet around the nearby star $\beta$ Pictoris ($\beta$ Pictoris b) is a particularly
clear, crucial test for understanding the formation and atmospheric evolution of gas giant planets
\citep{Lagrange2009,Lagrange2010}.
At 12$^{+8}_{-4}$ Myr old \citep{Zuckerman2001}, the $\beta$ Pictoris system provides a way to probe
planet atmospheric properties only $\approx$ 5--10 Myr after
the disks from which planets form dissipate \citep[$\approx$ 3--10 Myr, e.g.][]{Pascucci2006,Currie2009}.
Similar to the case for the HR 8799 planets \citep{Marois2011,Fabrycky2010,Currie2011a,SudolHaghighipour2012},
$\beta$ Pic b's mass can be constrained without
depending on highly-uncertain planet cooling models: in this case, RV-derived
dynamical mass upper limits when coupled with the range of plausible orbits ($a$ $\sim$ 8--10 AU)
imply masses less than $\sim$ 10--15 $M_{J}$ \citep{Lagrange2012a,Currie2011b,Chauvin2012,Bonnefoy2013},
a mass range consistent with estimates derived from the planet's interaction with the secondary
disk \citep{Lagrange2009,Dawson2011}.
Furthermore, while other likely/candidate planets such as Fomalhaut b and LkCa 15 b are probably made detectable by
circumplanetary emission in some poorly constrained geometery \citep{Currie2012a,Kraus2012}, $\beta$ Pic b's emission
appears to be consistent with that from a self-luminous planet's atmosphere \citep{Currie2011b,Bonnefoy2013}.
Other objects of comparable mass appear to have formed more like low-mass binary companions.
Thus, combined with the planets HR 8799 bcde, $\beta$ Pic b provides a crucial reference point with
which to interpret the properties of many soon-to-be imaged planets with upcoming extreme AO systems like
$GPI$, $SCExAO$, and $SPHERE$ \citep{Macintosh2008,Martinache2009,Beuzit2008}.
However, investigations into $\beta$ Pic b's atmosphere are still in an early stage compared to
those for the atmospheres of the HR 8799 planets and other very low-mass, young substellar
objects \citep[e.g.][]{Currie2011a,Skemer2011,Konopacky2013,Bailey2013}. Of the current
published photometry, only $K_{s}$ (2.18 $\mu m$) and $L^\prime$ (3.78 $\mu m$) have photometric
errors smaller than $\sim$ 0.1 mag \citep{Bonnefoy2011,Currie2011b}. Other high SNR detections such
as at $M^\prime$ were obtained without reliable flux calibration
\citep{Currie2011b} or with additional, large photometric uncertainties due to processing \citep{Bonnefoy2013}.
As a result, the best-fit models admit a wide range of temperatures, surface gravities, and cloud structures
\citep[e.g.][]{Currie2011b}. Thus, new higher signal-to-noise/precision and flux-calibrated photometry at
1--5 $\mu m$ should provide a clearer picture of the clouds, chemistry, temperature, and gravity of
$\beta$ Pic b. Moreover, new near-to-mid IR data may identify distinguishing characteristics of $\beta$ Pic b's atmosphere,
much like clouds and non-equilibrium carbon chemistry for HR 8799 bcde \citep{Currie2011a,Galicher2011,Skemer2012,Konopacky2013}.
In this study, we present new 1.5--5 $\mu m$ observations for $\beta$ Pic b obtained with $NaCo$ on the
\textit{Very Large Telescope} and $NICI$ on \textit{Gemini-South}. We extract the first detection at the 3.09 $\mu m$ water-ice filter; the first
high signal-noise, well calibrated H, [4.05], and $M^\prime$ detections; and higher
signal-to-noise detections at $K_{s}$ and $L^\prime$ (2.18 and 3.8 $\mu m$). To our new data, we
add rereduced $\beta$ Pic data obtained in $J$ (1.25 $\mu m$) and $H$ (1.65 $\mu m$) bands and first presented in
\citet{Bonnefoy2013}, recovering $\beta$ Pic b at a slightly higher signal-to-noise and deriving
its photometry with smaller errors.
We compare the colors derived from broadband photometry to that for field substellar objects with a range of spectral types to
assess whether $\beta$ Pic b's colors appear anomalous/redder than the field sequence like those for planets around HR 8799
and $\kappa$ And; planet-mass companions like 2M 1207 B, GSC 06214 B, and 1RXJ 1609 B \citep{Chauvin2004,IrelandKraus2011,Lafreniere2008a};
and other substellar objects
like Luhman 16B \citep{Luhman2013}. We use atmosphere modeling to constrain the range of temperatures,
surface gravities, and cloud structures plausible for the planet. While previous studies have shown the importance
of clouds and non-equilibrium carbon chemistry in fitting the spectra/photometry of directly-imaged planets
\citep{Bowler2010,Currie2011a,Madhusudhan2011,Galicher2011,Skemer2012,Konopacky2013}, here the assumed sizes of dust
particles entrained in the clouds plays a critical role.
\section{Observations and Data Reduction}
\subsection{VLT/NaCo Data and Basic Processing}
We observed $\beta$ Pictoris under photometric conditions on 14 December to 17 December 2012 with the NAOS-CONICA instrument \citep[NaCo;][]{Rousset2003}
on the \textit{Very Large Telescope} UT4/Yepun at Paranal Observatory (Program ID 090.C-0396).
All data were taken in pupil-tracking/angular differential imaging \citep{Marois2006} and data cube mode.
Table \ref{bpiclog} summarizes the basic properties of these observations. Our full complement of data during the run includes
imaging at 1.04 $\mu m$, 2.12 $\mu m$, $K_{s}$/2.18 $\mu m$, 2.32 $\mu m$, 3.74 $\mu m$, $L^\prime$/3.78 $\mu m$,
Br-$\alpha$/4.05 $\mu m$, and $M^\prime$. Here, we focus only on the $L^\prime$, [4.05], and $M^\prime$ data,
deferring the rest to a later study. Each observation was centered on $\beta$ Pictoris's transit for a total
field rotation of $\sim$ 50--70 degrees and a total observing times ranging between $\sim$ 30 minutes and 59 minutes.
To these new observations, we rereduce $J$-band and $H$-band data first presented in \citet{Bonnefoy2013} and
taken on 16 December 2011 and 11 January 2012, respectively.
The saturated $J$ band science images are bracketed by two sequences of unsaturated images obtained in neutral density filter
for flux calibration. While there were additional frames taken but not analyzed in \citeauthor{Bonnefoy2013}, we found these
to be of significantly poorer quality and thus do not consider them here. In total, the $J$-band data we consider
covers 40 minutes of integration time and $\sim$ 23$^{o}$ of field |
Commotion in 2005, the End Fuel Poverty campaign in 2006 and Righteous Promotions in 2006.
In 2006, Now or Never and Norwich Anarchists became two distinct (yet amicable!) entities. Since then Norwich Anarchists have made efforts to create a formal structure, and focus on positive projects that have relevance to people's lives such as the End Fuel Poverty Campaign.
Links/Affiliations
Norwich Anarchists is an open organisation and is informally linked with lots of different organisations and groupings in the area. The most intimate links are with Norwich Social Centre Group, The Great Commotion, Now or Never, Earth First, East Anglian Animal Rights Coalition, Norwich Class War and the East Anglia Social Forum. However, Norwich Anarchists has no formal links or ties to any organisation.
If something is a decision for the whole group we use the following process:
1) We aim for consensus of all present. (read: agreement)
2) If we fail to reach a consensus we go for a consensus of the people on our official decision making list (read: the membership)
3) If that fails then a vote of the decision makers.
NOTE: Most decisions don't need this formal process, as they are mainly what individuals want to do. In addition, most projects or activities that Norwich Anarchists set up are in fact independent entities.
Decision Making List
To get on the list requires full acceptance of all the people currently on the list.
Our regular organising meetings take place on the second Wednesday of the month at Keir Hardy Hall (Norwich Workingmens Club). The meeting runs from 7PM til 8PM. We meet up before at 6:30 in the bar below, and most often end up in there afterwards.
We use a facilitator – someone who makes sure that everyone gets a chance to speak. We also take minutes for each meeting, which are emailed around our internal email list after each meeting.
These are some facilitation guidelines that were on the old standard agenda that I made in May 2004
* Try and arrange the room so that everyone sits in a circle and make sure you are seated where you can see everyone.
* At the start of the meeting ask people for items for an agenda and then stick to that agenda. If people start speaking on topics rather then the one under discussion interrupt them politely and tell them you are adding that item to the agenda.
* Ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to speak:
** Generally it's a good idea to ask people to put up their hand when they want to speak and then to take a list of people waiting. In most situations its a very good idea to put people who have not yet spoken to the top of this queue.
** If the discussion is just taking place between a few people and in particular if it is just between two it is often a good idea to suggest going around the circle and giving everyone a chance to speak
** Pay attention - people who are less confident about speaking will often indicate that they want to speak in minor way (eg briefly half put up their hand). A good chair will spot this and encourage them to speak
** Control yourself - while the chair can speak in debates you should try and speak the least and always put yourself at the end of the queue. There is nothing worse then a chair who feels they are entitled to comment after every single speaker. Be very strict with yourself
** Don't allow people speaking to insult other people in the room. If they do interrupt and make it clear that this is not acceptable
* If the discussion is going around in circles with the same people making the same points again and again you should point this out and ask if people want to continue the discussion or; i) Move to a vote, ii) Postpone the discussion to later in the meeting or the next meeting.
* If there is any disagreement on what to do you should call an immediate hand vote on whether or not to continue the discussion and then on what to do with the discussion.
* If it appears a decision has been reached (ie everyone is agreeing) then write down what you think the decision is then read this back to the meeting.
* If it appears a vote is necessary then make sure the exact question to be voted on is written down and then read this question back to the meeting before taking the vote. This is very important in case there is later disagreement over what exactly was decided.
Email: norwichanarchists@hotmail.com
Online forum: http://libcom.org/forums/norwich-anarchists
Post: Norwich Anarchists, PO Box 487, Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 8WE.
Come along to a meeting or contact us. Good places to find us are at our regular Free Shop on the 8th (see details), or at our regular benefit gigs on the first Friday of the month at The Cricketers Rest.
Aims and Principles
These are taken straight from the website - I feel that maybe we should change/remove the first paragraph
Norwich Anarchists is an umbrella group that seeks to promote and campaign on various political, social, economic, environmental and animal rights issues.
As a group we believe that society would be better for everyone if run along anarchist lines. In terms of organisation we wish primarily to have freedom from all imposed authority. As anarchists we are against all forms of goverrnment and wish to see local communities run by direct democracy, so that people are in control of their lives and communities.
We aim for economic as well as political change. We want freedom from economic exploitation. Under the current capitalist system, the working and middle classes do not receive the full products of our labour. The ruling class, who own the means of production, land and resources profit from our labour and our ideas. We believe this to be an unfair distribution of land and resources. We therefore support the abolition of capitalism and any other economic systems that create social classes.
We wish to create a classless society, where people interact with each other as equals, not as servants and masters. We want freedom from discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, nationality or spiritual beliefs. We support various forms of active struggle against these forms of discrimination.
We believe in unity within the anarchist movement. We wish to bring anarchists of all forms together so we can fight our common enemies. We may not agree on everything concerning what we want, or even the actions we should take to create an anarchist society, but as we are all anarchists, we have enough things in common for us to work together.
rich wrote:
Just a couple of points regarding the history. Norwich Anarchists was formed in 2001. NA and NoN! became separate entities in 2005. Norwich Anarchists did exist as a group before the formation of NoN!, albeit only a few friends wanting to get together. NoN! very quickly became the sole focus until many more people got involved with the paper and it was felt we wanted to widen the scope of our activities, so started having regular meetings. NA was formed by ex-members of Norwich Unemployed Action Group, a splinter group from Norwich Solidarity Federation. As both groups collapsed in 1996 a specifically anarchist void was left. The group's founding intentions were to reflect the diversity of views and strands within the anarchist movement uniting on what we had in common. As well as protests, stall and fundraising, publicity stunts and the dissemination of information were also big aspects of the group's past activities. NA had a fairly formal structure from quite early on - even if different from how it is now.
I appreciate that this is only a very brief history and you're wanting to keep this as short as possible, just wanted to correct a few factual errors and have my 2 cents as someone who was involved in the formation of the group and therefore can recollect some of the earlier days.
Nice one Tug! I was going to email you the history bit for checking anyhow. Is it OK to lift most of what you just wrote?
Yeah go for it dude, use what I said how you see fit - maybe mention Norwich ABC?
Cheers dude!
I always feel that a letter writing meeting is barely worth calling ABC, but yeah we should mention it somewhere in there. I think we'll probably use what you've written pretty much verbatim, then run it by you again. How many years have I been trying to extract this information from you? Only by printing lies and slander have I been able to draw you out!
Yeah I know we're probably one of the weaker ABC groups but at least we're doing something. I think we can also include Wilkinsons and the stuff we've done with O Campbell as ABC related and who knows what we'll do in the future. If it's mentioned it at least give people the opportunity to enquire and get involved.
Here's the new version: what do you think?
History of Norwich Anarchists
Norwich Anarchists was formed in 2001. Now or Never! (the group's newspaper) quickly became the sole focus of the group. More people got involved and widened the scope of the group's activities and started having regular meetings. The group's founding intentions were to reflect the diversity of views within the anarchist movement, uniting on what the group had in common. Protests, stalls, fundraising, publicity stunts and dissemination of information were the group's main activities.
In 2003 Norwich Anarchists spawned a student group based at UEA. In 2004, Norwich Anarchists took on their largest single project, The Norwich Anarchist Bookfair, which ran from 2004 to 2006. Other activities include but aren't limited to the Free Shop started in 2004, setting up The Great Commotion in 2005 |
09, 2017 1:55 pm)
oh wow. Thanks.
Postby Hektor » 3 years 9 months ago (Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:43 pm)
EtienneSC wrote: According to a letter sent to Professor Faurisson, Horst Mahler was asked to return to prison (at age 81) to serve the remaining three and a half years of his sentence for revisionism in Cottbus-Dissenchen prison (Oststr. 2, D-03052 Cottbus) by a Munich official from 19 April 2017 at the latest (letter of 5 April 2017).
I consider writing to him and to encourage others to do the same.
EtienneSC wrote: He writes: "My thoughts will be accepted because they are true [...] The names of the judges who have participated in this persecution will be for ever stigmatized." His remarks about Judaism (as he understands it) are not kind, it must be said, but he is clear that it is a spiritual battle with high stakes for the German people.
I noticed that Horst Mahler (Hegel-fan) turned from philosophical to spiritual in expressing his thought. I'm not denying that the spiritual may have relevance, but it will be esoteric to many in present day Germany. Of course there will be people buying into that as well, but the "religious touch" may isolate them, when conveying the message to broader audiences. The Christians are the new pagans, or seen in that light. Most of the Western world has some kind of an unstated religion. They don't call it that - don't call it religion this is. But it's some kind of humanitarianism they follow, mostly with a materialistic outlook on things. It's nevertheless a religion, even if it's essentially secular. Something that everyone can believe in regardless of being a church member, muslim, agnostic or whatever. I said pagans, indeed people that have a traditional religious view are seen like pagans were seen with the emergence of the Christian Church in Europe. At least that's how I imagine it was like from what I read about this era. The thing with this is that what this means is that, if you don't have that supposedly "enlightened" view of the world where all people are equal, democracy is the thing that gives us freedom and prosperity, scientists are always objective, when invoking consensus, only the physical world exists, education will automatically make people better, but religion is for old, backward people; if you don't share those views you're essentially not taken serious. They even don't care, if you're right or wrong. You're automatically assumed to be wrong, because your words don't carry power as they're outside the "consensus". What people care about is
a) Does the person have an appropriate degree in the field he's talking about? Preferable a phD from an esteemed university.
b) Is what he says in line with "existing consensus"?
c) Other status symbols. While, if you're from business or the military that may actually count against you. Preferable you must come from academia or charity then that counts. Church may make you suspect though.
I believe Mahler is spot on that the Holocaust keeps the present regime going, but there is definitely more one may have to deal with. At least if the person accepts science and critical thinking one may have a ground to have a talk with. But it's not a guarantee. Even those with a pretense of objectivity will use their wit to find all kinds of arguments that help them sticking to some flawed main stream views.
Postby Dresden » 3 years 9 months ago (Sat Apr 15, 2017 2:14 pm)
Here is the video with English subtitles:
Postby hermod » 3 years 9 months ago (Sun Apr 16, 2017 10:40 pm)
"we have not precisely investigated [...] how it is possible that the majority still swallows these formidable lies they have been tormenting us with for 70 years." - Horst Mahler
"they can only operate with their lies because they misuse our special sensitivity for morality. And so it was Jews, not Goebbels, who discovered that "The lie must just be big enough and repeated endlessly to be believed as truth." And what did we learn in school? That this the maxim of National Socialist propaganda. But the truth is laid down in a book written by the Jew Edward Bernays. [...] Bernays wrote [the book] 'Propaganda' [...] Bernays developed this and said: "We can force through any lie. It just has to be big enough so that a normal person says, 'Well that cannot be a lie!'. Then the lie cannot be recognized as such. And the lie has to be repeated continuously. Then it is believed and is powerful because it is the belief in a 'truth.'" And we do not dare to recognize these principles as part of a Jewish 'weapons factory' in order to cast us down. They jus simply claimed that these were the Maxims of Goebbels. Goebbels quoted from Bernays' book 'Propaganda' in order to convey the enemy propaganda to the Germans. And then they lie and say, "These were his maxims. This how he manipulated people." The Germans are manipulated " - Horst Mahler
A must watch...
https://didi18ungraindesable.ru/2017/03... ur-gagner/
"But, however the world pretends to divide itself, there are ony two divisions in the world to-day - human beings and Germans." – Rudyard Kipling, The Morning Post (London), June 22, 1915
Postby hermod » 3 years 9 months ago (Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:28 am)
According to Vincent Reynouard, Horst Mahler has just left Germany and won't go back to jail willingly.
Sannhet
Postby Sannhet » 3 years 8 months ago (Mon Apr 24, 2017 10:37 pm)
Where is he seeking asylum?
The wind is blowing
Contact katana
Postby katana » 3 years 8 months ago (Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:00 pm)
Here is the English transcript of the speech given by Horst Mahler on Jan 9, 2017 on the genocidal "mission" that organized jewry is engaged in against non-jews, especially Whites and in particular Germans, and the need to fight back through exposing this diabolical "mission" to all — KATANA
Horst Mahler — We are Fighting to Win — TRANSCRIPT
https://katana17.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/horst-mahler-we-are-fighting-to-win-transcript/
"Some stories are true that never happened." — Elie the "Weasel"
BLOG: https://katana17.com/wp/
Here's the transcript of Horst Mahler's April 2017 speech prior to his imminent return to prison for "hate speech", aka, telling the truth about the ongoing genocidal pogrom against Whites by Organized Jewry — KATANA.
Horst Mahler - Speech Before Returning to Prison - TRANSCRIPT
https://katana17.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/horst-mahler-speech-before-returning-to-prison-transcript/
Postby Dresden » 3 years 8 months ago (Fri Apr 28, 2017 1:15 am)
Thank you, katana!
Postby EtienneSC » 3 years 8 months ago (Mon May 15, 2017 3:45 pm)
Horst Mahler arrested in Hungary. Monday 15 May 2017, following asylum application:
http://www.nq-online.de/nq_10_111321111-1-_Holocaust-Leugner-Horst-Mahler-will-Asyl-in-Ungarn.html
http://www.dw.com/en/report-german-neo-nazi-horst-mahler-arrested-after-seeking-asylum-in-hungary/a-38843986
Postby hermod » 3 years 8 months ago (Mon May 15, 2017 7:44 pm)
EtienneSC wrote: Horst Mahler arrested in Hungary. Monday 15 May 2017, following asylum application:
Bad news...
Horst Mahler, German Holocaust Denier, Is Arrested in Hungary
By SEWELL CHANMAY
LONDON — An 81-year-old former Marxist urban guerrilla who became a far-right extremist and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for Holocaust denial was arrested in Hungary on Monday after illegally leaving Germany, officials said.
The German news media reported that the extremist, Horst Mahler, had announced he was seeking asylum in Hungary, where the rightist government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly provoked the European Union with crackdowns on the press, political opponents, refugees, judges and academic institutions.
Ken Heidenreich, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Munich, said in a telephone interview that his office had been informed that Mr. Mahler had been arrested in Hungary.
Hungarian officials initially said that they did not know about any arrest or asylum request, adding that if Mr. Mahler applied for asylum, he would be rejected, because he is a citizen of a European Union member country — namely, Germany.
On Monday afternoon, however, the police in Hungary announced that Mr. Mahler had been detained in Sopron, a city in the west of the country, near the border with Austria. Officials said it was likely he would |
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In point of reality, getting |
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ic about when he went to see the original at the local fleapit…cinema in my hometown, in Wales. (Bear in mind that I haven't seen the film for a number of years, so please forgive any lapses in memory, and also the fact that the cut I saw was the original version of it – more of that later…).
Let me set the scene: for years I had been an avid reader of OMNI magazine (whose fiction editor was award-winning anthologist Ellen Datlow), which featured a mix of science articles interlaced with fiction (from both old and new authors) and art. OMNI magazine was the arena in which I first discovered the utterly bizarre and alien paintings of Swiss artist Hans Ruedi Giger, and those images were something of a revelation. They changed my whole perception of and approach to art, even going so far as to prompt me to pursue art as a profession and to take up the airbrush as a means of painting. Anyone casting a glance at my artwork will instantly recognise his influence upon my vision, for better or worse.
Anyway, you can imagine the sense of excitement and anticipation when I heard that a new science fiction/horror film was being released which featured, as one of its 'attractions', a creature designed by Giger himself. I remember it being featured in all the genre media magazines of the time, and I suppose I avidly and greedily bought and devoured them all. Occasionally there would be photographic hints published of what the alien would look like, whetting my appetite even further. This was one film I was more than looking forward to. The film was finally released on 1 November 1979 in the UK, and my friends and I were desperate to go and watch it.
And so we did – there was only one little problem, however: the film was certificated 'X' (today's equivalent is '18') and we were all underage (but not by much in my case). One of us was only sixteen, I think. So we all had to rehearse our birth-dates, the right dates but with a year consistent with being eighteen, just in case we were asked. And yes, we were interrogated on our ages, and I recollect that I nearly fluffed my rehearsed birth-date – typical of me, really.
There were two local cinemas in my hometown: the County Theatre (which was one of the finest examples of an art deco building in Wales and which was subsequently demolished in an unparalleled act of civic vandalism by the local council to make way for their new offices – an act which they later apologised for) and the Palace Cinema, which was a fine example of faded, decrepit glory. It was the latter which was showing Alien, naturally.
So, we settled into the red velvet fold-down seats which had definitely seen better days (in other words, there was very little velvet and very little red left on them). The place was packed to the rafters, too, which even then was something of a rarity.
Back in those days, way before the rise of the multiplexes with millions of films and screens to choose from, the whole cinema experience was very different: for a start, they always showed a short film before the main feature, but I can't for the life of me recall what it was – although there's a vague recollection of it being a Warner Brothers cartoon of some description (odd, I know).
Imagined terrors pre-film
Now, let me confess something here. When I was a child and even as a teen, I was very, very nervous of 'horror' films. Horror literature never bothered me, but on-screen depictions did. Of course, I loved all the black and white ghost and monster films, especially the ones produced by Universal. But anything beyond that I regarded with a certain amount of dread, for reasons that even today I am unable to satisfactorily explain. To make matters worse, at least in my imagination, was the fact that this was the first 'X' horror film I'd ever gone to watch in a cinema. There were a lot of my own horrors running around my head, even before the film begun.
Eventually, the famous Pearl & Dean advert break was over, and the certificate telling us "This film has been certified as an 'X'" was splashed all over the screen. Then that credit sequence begins, with the word ALIEN starting to form out of gradually-appearing lines above the names, followed by the shot of the Nostromo. So far so good – nothing too scary about it at all. And then, of course, there was the scene of John Hurt approaching one of the egg sacs and peering over it. The tension was now beginning to mount, something nasty was about to happen and it was at that moment my companion chose to turn to me and say something along the lines of "You're sweating, mate – you alright?" It was then the Facehugger exploded out of the egg sac, to attach itself to Hurt's face.
I must have jumped a mile. And yes, I was sweating quite profusely and my heart was fit to burst out of my ribcage. And that neatly leads me onto the next bit which conspired to give me a coronary – the chestburster scene, where the 'baby' alien eats its way out of John Hurt's stomach amidst a welter of spraying blood, guts and much screaming. I was beginning to think at this point that I would end up like Mr. Hurt's character, i.e. not making it home. Luckily, however, I made myself stay for the rest of the film, especially since, a) I'd paid good money to see it and b) I was determined to see what Giger's creature looked like in the round.
"What Giger created was like nothing that had been shown on-screen previously"
I will say that the manner in which Scott carefully built up the tension leading up to the final reveal was masterful in the extreme. Those brief hints gave subtle clues as to what this organic killing machine was like but, even so, the final reveal was everything I'd hoped for. It also confirmed my opinion that Giger was the only artist capable of depicting the truly alien, since what he'd created was like nothing that had been shown on-screen previously. Like my other favourite film, Hellraiser, here was an instantly iconic creation, a creature which would resonate with and scare audiences for years to come. That lean, reptilian, skeletal monster with the strange canopied head and extendable second inner jaw just blew everything that had gone before out of the water. And let me tell you something else: the very creature itself epitomised the merciless brutality of nature, whether bred on this planet or elsewhere, and no other cinematic representation of such a quality had ever given me cause to be startled and frightened by the implications of what would ever happen should we come across a species like this. That was a truly startling thing in itself, a fictional creation digging through my head and planting thoughts of that nature in my brain.
I shall emphasise that last point with a personal anecdote. Fast-forward to the late eighties, and a meeting in a wine bar with an old college friend. We'd lost touch and, through a mutual acquaintance we'd renewed our friendship. Anyway, he told that he was working for Jim Henson's Creature Workshop and had worked on various well-known films (he was to work on Farscape, as well). I also learned that he had worked for Image Animation, creating creatures for Clive Barker's Nightbreed. I was intensely jealous, I can tell you.
Anyway, he invited me down to his house one evening. When I got there, he told me to make myself comfortable in the lounge, but that I would have to turn the lights on. I was vaguely aware of something standing on the left as I walked in – but when I switched the light on I received the shock of my life. There, on my left, was a full-size Alien, with both arms and second jaw extended, looking like it was poised to pounce on me. Remember, these creatures are over 9 feet (2.74 metres), a totally imposing and intimidating height to be looked down from. Seeing one in'real-life' only serves to underscore the idea that, should we ever encounter something similar, our doom may be at hand.
Alien – the cocoon scene
As promised, here's a brief note on the version screened at that cinema, which had me perplexed for years. I've seen the film several times since that cinema experience, but I remembered a particular scene which never seemed to appear in any of them, what I called 'the cocoon scene'. For a long time I thought I'd simply imagined it but, about ten years or so ago, a friend bought the boxed set of all four films in their director's cut versions. And, indeed, there it was – the cocoon scene. That made my day. I discovered that for some reason that scene had been excised from all subsequent prints – never found out why, but there it was.
Alien then was, in some respects, the first modern sci-fi/horror film which destroyed any notion that beings from another planet were benign benefactors, arriving on Planet Earth in order to help us progress beyond our primitive, savage impulses and natures. Here was a creature whose sole purpose was killing and reproducing, a parasitical monster writ large, and that the universe was a far harsher and malign entity than we'd ever envisaged, despite the beauty that it's capable of. The film could be seen as a warning – and it still is, even today.
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aby, MP
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Ms PLIBERSEK (Sydney—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (12:26): I'm not sure that you are very tolerant in question time, but thanks for the warning.
The SPEAKER: I just warn her: I don't have a sense of humour before question time.
Ms PLIBERSEK: I'm rising today to support the resolution that the message from the Senate be agreed to. I thought I was going to be able to agree with the Attorney-General as well, because he started by saying that this matter deserves sober and cautious consideration. I completely agree that this is a very important motion and a very important matter that does deserve sober and cautious consideration. Sadly, the Attorney-General then went on to take us on a tour through a horror show of what would happen if we introduced a national integrity commission in Australia. If indeed what he was describing, that we'd be looking at 30-year-old breaches of workplace codes of conduct, was the outcome, I'd be the first to line up behind him and say that's not what we want in this country.
But nobody is proposing a national integrity commission that would look at 30-year-old breaches of workplace codes of conduct. What we are saying on this side, what the crossbench are saying and what the Senate has said is that where there is systematic and serious misconduct we ought to have a body in this country that is able to find it, examine it and then refer it, if there is cause for criminal charges, to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, the Australian Federal Police or an appropriate body.
I am one of those people who is proud of the fact that I believe Australia is a corruption-resistant country and that we have low levels of corruption by international standards. I believe our public servants are, by and large, dedicated, good people who do their work with integrity every day. I believe the same of members of this place and the other as well. I believe the vast majority of my colleagues, even the ones I disagree with every day, work hard in the national interest. But we can't put our heads in the sand, because we know, from looking at the state based integrity commissions, that there are exceptions to this principle. We know, from looking at the work of these state based integrity commissions, that when we catch people we do a very good public service, because we restore the faith of our electors in our parliamentary democracy—in democracy itself—by saying that if something goes wrong there is somewhere to complain to and someone who can examine that complaint.
I'm from New South Wales so I've had plenty of opportunity to see up close the work of an effective integrity commission. You can point to plenty of Liberal ministers and members of parliament on the other side who've resigned because of allegations of corruption, including recently when a member who was caught on tape resigned, causing a by-election. But we had our own, on our side. We had two former ministers jailed—one for five years and one for seven years. I and I know my colleagues would be the first to say, 'That is good. That is good for us as a party. That is good for us as a democracy.' We are prepared to be examined with all of the same scrutiny as we wish on our opponents. That is good for our democracy. I've got to say, seeing Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald jailed were two of the happiest days of my life, because it was like cutting a cancer out of the Labor Party. I'm happy that it happened. I am, first of all, prepared to say I don't believe that there is a great deal of corruption in Australia but I'm equally prepared to say that where there are these instances, it is vital for our democracy that we can find them out. I saw the open letter from 32 judges to the Prime Minister about this. I think the point made in that letter is important. It said:
When this confidence and trust is diminished, pessimism, divisiveness and conflict increase; and social cohesiveness is harmed.
We need to reassure Australians that, at a federal level, they can trust the integrity of our democratic processes. The judges went on to say:
Existing federal integrity agencies lack the necessary jurisdiction, powers and know-how to investigate properly the impartiality and bona-fides of decisions made by, and conduct of, the federal government and public sector.
These 32 people are in a better-than-average position to have an opinion on this and to know the difference that a national integrity commission would make.
The member for Indi has proposed a way forward here. We have laid out our own principles that we would apply, and the Leader of the Opposition went through those seven principles. In fact, the integrity committee that has been sponsored by the Australia Institute has proposed a number of other ways forward in this area. I think the fact that we have three different sets of proposals shows how important it is to take a bipartisan approach here. The Attorney-General said that we should have a sober and cautious approach to this, and I agree. The best way that we can have a sober and cautious approach to designing a national integrity commission is for there to be a bipartisan approach, where the government—after rejecting the need for a national integrity commission for as long as they have—set aside those objections and agree to work with us, the member for Indi and others on the crossbench, on a detailed approach that looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the various state integrity commissions, looks at what can be improved in those state commissions and proposes publicly an approach that can be examined by people who have an interest, like |
neither can it subscribe to further integration – yet the eurozone is speeding towards fiscal union and all EU states bar the UK and Denmark are legally obliged to join. It is therefore clear that, at some point new membership terms will need to be defined, but how? Crucial to this will be what becomes policy in the Conservative Party's next manifesto.
We have a precedent to follow as we have been here before, (in November 2009) – the last time the Conservatives set out detailed proposals on the UK's relationship with the EU. The Czech President had just bowed to the inevitable and signed the Lisbon Treaty, creating a strategic problem for the party leadership that it could no longer ignore. On the one hand Conservative MPs, (and more importantly candidates) were viscerally hostile to the Treaty, generally believed the EU had gone too far and wanted powers back. On the other the Conservative leadership did not to wish promise anything it knew would be difficult to deliver and (rightly or wrongly) to say anything that could lead to a hostile reaction from Sarkozy and Merkel. What came out of the frantic internal discussions was set out in a speech by David Cameron's on 4 November 2009.
The speech committed the Conservatives to an attempt to undo some effects of the Lisbon Treaty but not to full scale renegotiation and definitely not a referendum, apart from on future transfers of power to Brussels. But David Cameron also stated "of course we can return to this subject in a manifesto for the parliament after the next one…" and, in the event he failed to achieve his ends:
"we would not rule out a referendum on a wider package of guarantees to protect our democratic decision-making, while remaining, of course, a member of the European Union."
So it is Conservative policy (Coalition excuses aside) to consider a referendum if it proves impossible to achieve anything this Parliament – which is looking increasingly likely. And the million dollar question: a referendum on what, exactly?
Well, here are the options that could go in a manifesto:
In/out, binary referendum: This would commit the Conservatives to a public vote on EU membership, with the options being the status quo versus full withdrawal from the EU.
Pros: It would post a clear, binary question in a referendum and satisfy a fraction of the parliamentary party.
Cons: Both answers would be wrong. A "stay in" would kill off efforts to radically reform the EU (which an overwhelming majority of the British electorate wants), while an "out" vote would trigger more questions than it answers (e.g. alternatives to membership – EEA, Swiss-style bilateral deals, Customs Union, WTO rules). It would also fundamentally split the Conservatives while uniting everyone else (Lib Dems, Labour, Business and Media).
No referendum – a manifesto commitment to renegotiate: A commitment to seek to renegotiate its membership terms and so gain a popular mandate via the general election.
Pros: It gives an incoming government flexibility to negotiate when the time is right.
Cons: It does not answer the desire for a referendum or give an explicit and provide the forceful show of opinion that might be needed to aid negotiations.
A mandating referendum: This seems to be what David Cameron was hinting at in 2009. A referendum would grant the government a mandate to renegotiate the treaties with the other EU states.
Pros: It could give a clear expression of the British people's desire to repatriate powers.
Cons: It would immediately bog an incoming government down in a referendum campaign many people would not understand. What happens if nothing is achieved in the negotiations? What happens if the referendum fails to attract a good turnout or people vote no? It would be a bit like holding a referendum on who we want to win the Euro 2012.
A confirmatory referendum: An alternative to the above is to promise to renegotiate the UK's EU membership and put the outcome of the negotiations to a referendum.
Pros: It is clear what the electorate are giving their approval to.
Cons: If nothing much is achieved people in favour of a wider negotiation may not vote, feel let down or potentially vote No. What happens if they vote no?
A mandatory and confirmatory referendum: This option would allow for two referenda – one before renegotiation and one after.
Pros: It is the purest option democratically and it's clear what the vote would be on.
Cons: It could involve voter fatigue and shares some of the pitfalls of 2 and 3 above.
A reserved referendum: In this case the manifesto would commit the Government to renegotiation, but with the 'nuclear option' of a far wider referendum if the negotiations fail to achieve a significant repatriation of power.
Pros: This would give the incoming Government some bargaining power, would show it meant business and give it some flexibility.
Cons: It would be up to the government to decide if its negotiating mandate had been met so potentially avoiding a more in-depth examination of the UK's membership of the EU.
A multi-stage, multi-option referendum: A final option, which is gaining traction, is to combine some of the above scenarios. This could involve French-style rounds of referenda, i.e. a first round would involve in, out or renegotiate, with a second round involving a vote on the two runner-ups.
Pros: It would fairly capture the options on the table and potentially give a UK government a very strong mandate.
Cons: Again, some of the same problems re-emerge, for example, when will the electorate vote, ahead of the re-negotiation or afterwards? The whole process could also become prohibitively complex.
There's then the question of what would actually be entailed in a re-negotiation package with respect to what powers a government would actually wish to ask back. Working with an All Party Parliamentary Group on EU reform, Open Europe is currently setting out a number of areas where powers, in various forms, could flow back to the UK, putting its relationship with Europe on a sustainable footing (see here, here, here and here ).
The ground is moving under our feet – the status quo is no longer an option.
We still have a long way to go, and more so than in any other area, the Conservatives may be overtaken by events, as it's still anyone's guess exactly where the eurozone – and therefore the EU – is heading. But it's absolutely clear that Conservatives, of all ranks, need to start to seriously think this through.
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Pictures; The Bela Lugosi Blog.
The movie starts out in the middle of a supernatural crime scene as two bobbies descend down a dark spiderweb-laden stairwell searching with their torch only to discover a listless body at the bottom. An familiar old man, emerges rambling about murder. The cops discover another body, but this one is a vampire branding a stake through his heart.
The fuzz cuff the old man and haul him off to Scotland Yard. For a brief moment, I think how fantastic it would be if Sherlock Holmes was assigned to consult on the case.
Scotland Yard confirms my suspicions that the old man in custody is Dr. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan). The Commissioner, Sir Basil Humphrey (Gilbert Emery), interrogates the doctor and gets a summary of the entire Dracula novel/movie in about two minutes. Van Helsing covers his entire vampire escapade including Dracula's trek from Transylvania to London, the boxes of earth, and random victims being drained of blood.
Basil is skeptical and expresses there is no way his city has or will be overrun by vampires. He tells Van Helsing, who openly admits he murdered Dracula, that he'll either be committed or sent to the gallows.
Van Helsing demands the commissioner send for Dr. Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger), an old student of his, who is now a shrink. He feels he did humanity a favour by staking the vampire and has no doubt about his own innocence, hence the reason for the doctor not a lawyer.
A mysterious lady wrapped in a long black cape (Gloria Holden), shows up at the Whitby police station and demands to see Dracula's body. The bumbling bobby on duty denies her entry. She pulls a True Blood maneuver and "glamours" him with her giant tacky ring and piercing stare before stealing the corpse for a barbecue.
How do you like your stake? The "mysterious lady wrapped in a long black cape" cremates Dracula's body. Picture: Universal Pictures; The Bela Lugosi Blog.
The woman chars Dracula's body to a crisp and does a little chant in Sam and Dean Supernatural-exorcism style. Excitedly, she returns home and explains to her manservant, Sandor (Irving Pichel), that the evil spell is now broken. He disagrees and explains he still sees death in her eyes. This leads to a little discussion about "twilight" and "lullabies," which totally made me laugh as I thought back to Edward and Bella.
Before morning she creeps out for a snack and uses her signature move again. She hypnotizes a complete stranger and runs home to give her blood stained dirty laundry to Sandor before jumping in the coffin for the day.
Janet Blake (Marguerite Churchill) drives out from London to the moors to pick up Jeffrey before he engages in a fox hunt. She explains he has been summoned by Scotland Yard to help with a case concerning his past professor, Dr. Van Helsing. Jeffrey immediately heads back to London with Janet and vows to clear Van Helsing's name.
The mystery woman finally reveals her identity at a dinner party where Janet and Jeffrey just happen to be; she is Countess Marya Zaleska, who strolls in and quickly becomes the centre of attention. She tells her audience "I never drink…wine." For back then, it was a funny one-liner to drop.
Jeffrey discusses Van Helsing's vampire theory and instantly gets her attention. He explains that anyone with obsession issues can be cured if they release their mind. She plans a date with Jeffrey to discuss the subject further and right away I could see where this is going.
Despite Janet's jealous reaction, Jeffrey meets the countess at her place and comments there are no mirrors. He discusses addiction and uses alcoholism as an example. He says fighting the urge is the key and you can see her wheels turning. She thinks Jeffrey can fix her vampirism since cremating Dracula didn't cut it.
Later that night the countess visits her art studio in Chelsea. Sandor goes out to find her a model and waits by the river. He creepily approaches a young blonde (Nan Gray), takes her back to the flat and then the tacky ring comes out again.
The next day, the blonde is found wandering the streets and admitted to the hospital. Through hypnosis, Jeffrey makes some discoveries and when he sees two puncture marks on her neck, he realizes that Van Helsing may have been right all along.
Scotland Yard thinks that Dracula may have faked his own death in Whitby and is now killing in London. Van Helsing disagrees and explains there could be other vampires. He reminds Basil and Jeffrey about boxes of earth and no mirrors. Then, Jeffrey's wheels start turning.
Jeffrey tries to get the countess on his hypnosis machine made of mirrors. She freaks out and explains she is leaving the continent that night forever, but would like him to accompany her. Jeffrey says no and she gets pissed.
Sandor kidnaps Janet for leverage. The countess hopes Jeffrey will trade his life for Janet's. Jeffrey tracks down the countess in her studio. She admits to being Dracula's daughter and gives Jeffrey the slip. He then hops on a plane to Transylvania and finds her in Dracula's castle.
The silly bugger goes alone and confronts her. He barters with a local to get a ride to Borgo Pass and hoofs it the rest of the way.
The countess' end game is let Janet live only if Jeffrey becomes one of the undead so they can then spend eternity together. She figures if she can't get rid of the curse, she might as well have some man candy on her arm.
Two's company, three's a crowd: Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden), Sandor (Irving Pichel) and Dr. Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger) stand off. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Picture: Universal Pictures; Wrong Side of the Art!.
Sandor doesn't take the news of the countess offering another man the dark gift lightly. He says what about your promise to me? I think someone is a little jelly.
This made me think back to the film What We Do in the Shadows (2014) where Deacon (Johnathan Brugh) promises to turn his familiar Jackie (Jackie van Beek), into a vampire. He prolongs the transformation for years and instead makes Jackie his domesticated slave who takes care of dry cleaning, dishes, housework, appointments and finding victims.
Sandor takes matters into his own hands. As Jeffrey arrives, he tries to shoot him with a crossbow and misses. Cold heartedly the countess explains to Sandor it is her castle, her rules and to deal with it. She offers Jeffrey eternal life. He calls her crazy and turns her down.
Armed with his trusty crossbow again, Sandor surprises me and shoots the countess in the heart. I guess if he can't have the dark gift, no one can. She dies, Janet comes out of her coma, and Jeffrey shoots Sandor with his gun. The calvary from Scotland yard arrives just in time to clean up the mess.
All's fair in love in a crossbows. Instead of going for the typical stake through the heart this film mixed things up a little bit. Picture: Universal Pictures; Steve Hoffman Music Forums.
I think whoever was the marketing wiz that thought up the tagline for the cinema poster should have been fired. "She gives you that weird feeling," isn't exactly the best way to put a spin on a vampire movie. Not to mention they show how she is offed right on the poster. Talk about a spoiler alert!
When we first got introduced to Dr. Van Helsing, I jumped back to my Virgin's View on Dracula and double checked it was the same actor from the intro credits. Funny enough, it was, which in my eyes makes this a sequel of sorts or a fan fiction spin off like the Twilight saga has endured.
The movie starts with Dracula dying, we meet a familiar face, add in a few new characters and boom, we have a sequel. Is it really? I have no idea yet.
The dysfunctional relationship between Jeffrey and Janet reminds me of the one between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940), one of my favourite films. Jeffrey bosses her around, Janet exhibits bouts of jealousy when he is hangs out with the countess and they crack jokes all the time. The two have a definite spark between them. You don't really know how deep it runs till the end, when Jeffrey is willing to give his life for Janet.
Another character that stood out to me from the film was Sandor; his facial features instantly reminded me of Benicio Del Toro. I don't recall Del Toro ever playing a vampire, but I could be wrong. I remember he starred in The Wolfman (2010).
Twins: Could Benicio Del Toro and Irving Pichel be long lost blood relatives? Picture: (L) Flip the Movie Script.; (R) From Midnight, with Love. Photo montage by Anthony Hogg.
As with some of the older vampire films, I am noticing a pattern. We are shown next to nothing for the gore factor, which I guess can be attributed to the era. I was surprised at how quickly the film climaxed and finished. Everything was over in about two minutes. I remember |
May 25. Not. Arch. 115, fol. 166v-167v., Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh.En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 356 - Notice served on Jan Wijboutsz. at the request of Duarte Fernandes concerning sugar that was seized by the ships of Louis de le Beque. 1609, July 28. Not. Arch. 116, fol. 172v-173, Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 360 - Deed based upon an interrogation held at the request of Gaspar Lopes Homem, Duarte Fernandes and Sebastião de Leão concerning transshipping goods at sea that came from Brazil. 1609, August 14. Not. Arch. 196, fol. 325-326v., Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyning. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 362 - Freight contract between Duarte Fernandes and skipper Claes Beyaert. 1609, September 18. Not. Arch. 116, fol. 221-221v., Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyning. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 370 - Notice served in the name of Anthonio Wither, merchant of the English nation in Antwerp'on Duarte Fernandes concerning a delivery of Colchester baize. 1609, December 16. Not. Arch. 117, fol. 148-149, Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 379 - Freight contract between Duarte Fernandes and skipper Jan Pietersz. from Leek. 1610, March 3. Not. Arch. 119, fol. 18-18v., Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 397 - Freight contract between Duarte Fernandes and skipper Hendrick Michielsz. fromZaandam. 1610, July 1. Not. Arch. 258, fol. 16v.-17, Not. Jacob Meerhout. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 407 - Power of attorney of Duarte Fernandes and Gabriel Lopes to Manoel Cardoso Milão in London to collect distrained sugar. 1610, August 19. Not. Arch. 62, fol. 187v., Not. David Mostart 0 Deed in Latin. Mentioned by Kellenbenz, p. 143, note. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 412 - Freight contract between Duarte Fernandes and skipper Jacob Jacobsz. from Ter Schelling 1610, August 26. Not. Arch. 119, fol. 231-232, Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 794 - Power of attorney of the parties " interested ina cargo of seized sugar coming from the ship Na. Sra. de Piedade " to Bento Henriques to collecthe compensation for the sugar from the Admiralty of West- Friesland and the N oorderkwartier. 1614, December 17. Not. Arch. 137, fol. 182-182v., Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 7, No. 2 (JULY 1973), pp. 266-279.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 1933 - Isack Pauwelsz. from Rotterdam, skipper of the ship De Trouwe, large 90 lasts, declares that the following people are owners of this ship that is ready in Enkhuizen to sail for the Canary Islands. 1619, November 21 Not. Arch. 625, p. 368-369 ; Not. Sibrant Cornelisz. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THE PORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 16, No. 1 (MARCH 1982), pp. 61-84
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 351 - Power of attorney of Duarte Fernandes, also in the capacity of trustee of Antonio Rodrigues de Moura and brothers, to Antonio da Costa d* Oliv eira in London, to obtain restitution of sugar that was loaded in the ship the "Bis s chop van Bremen" [ Bishop of Bremen]. 1609, May 25. Not. Arch. 115, fol. 166v-167v., Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THEPORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 356 - Notice served on Jan Wijboutsz. at the request of Duarte Fernandes concerning sugar that was seized by the ships of Louis de le Beque. 1609, July 28.Not. Arch. 116, fol. 172v-173, Not. Jan Fransz. Bruyningh. En NOTARIAL RECORDS IN AMSTERDÃ RELATING TO THEPORTUGUESE JEWS. In: Studia Rosenthaliana: Journal for jewish literature and history in the Netherlands, University Library of Amesterdã. Vol. 5, No. 1 (JANUARY 1971), pp. 106-124.
Koen, E. M., and Lehmann Ruth P., Nr. 360 - Deed based upon an interrogation held at the request of Gaspar Lopes Homem, Duarte Fernandes and Sebastião de Leão concerning transshipping goods at sea that came from Brazil |
Great Lakes, then on to Ottawa and, finally, Montreal, the terminus of her journey. Light edge wear, very small bump at bottom corner of boards - migrates into a few adjacent pages, sun faded at top/bottom edges of spine, light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, slight fading to spine colour, very light browning to edges of text block, small foxing mark on fore-edge of text block. Dust jacket has moderate to heavy edge wear/wrinkling - mainly on spine edges and on flap-folds, some small to medium edge chips, old tape repairs on inside. now in a mylar sleeve.
2 Campbell, Robert E. Foreword by T.U. "Tommy" Primrose. I WOULD DO IT AGAIN: REMINISCENCES OF THE ROCKIES.
Toronto Ryerson Press 1959 First Edition Hard Cover Very Good- Good-
204 pp, 8 5/8" H. B&w photographs. "Urged many times to write the story of his life, Mr. Robert Campbell, now in his eighty-eighth year, finally acceded to the request. The result is this very readable book of reminiscence, rich in humour and history, adventure and anecdote, told by a master storyteller. In a breezy and colloquial style the author tells of his experiences in and around Banff, of his political life, experiences in the army during World War I, and his encounters with important visitors in the Canadian Rockies. This is not only a fascinating story, but a valuable record of early days when the Rockies were just beginning to attract attention as a tourist centre for the world." A few scattered very small light stains on page 49, light edge wear, small bump at three corners, very light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine. Dust jacket has light to moderate edge wear/wrinkling, creases at top of rear panel, several edge tears archivally taped, light rubbing/soiling.
3 Duncan, Dorothy NOTHING MORE COMFORTING: CANADA'S HERITAGE FOOD.
Toronto Dundurn 2003 1550024477 / 9781550024470 First Edition Hard Cover Very Good Very Good-
250 pp, small 8vo (7 1/2" H). "(A) reflection of our society: an eclectic mix of many different cultures and traditions. Dorothy Duncan - with her extensive knowledge of heritage foods - has chosen her favourite 'Country Fare' columns from the popular 'Century Home' magazine for this wonderful book on Canada's heritage cuisine. Each column focuses on one particular food or ingredient, and is followed by historical facts and traditional recipes for you to try at home. Fast food restaurants and instant foods will never replace our seasonal and regional specialties: maple syrup, fiddleheads, rhubarb (pie plant to our ancestors), asparagus, corn on the cob, Saskatoon berries, and McIntosh apples. The recipes in this book take advantage of Canada's unique foods, creating a taste that is distinctly Canadian." Faint soiling to fore-edge of text block, tiny faint soiling mark on copyright page. Dust jacket very light wrinkling, minor soiling. Postage for this light item will be reduced to most destinations.
4 Duncan, Dorothy. Signed NOTHING MORE COMFORTING: CANADA'S HERITAGE FOOD.
Toronto Dundurn 2003 1550024477 / 9781550024470 First Edition Hard Cover Very Good Very Good Signed by Author
250 pp, small 8vo (7 1/2" H). SIGNED BY AUTHOR ON TITLE PAGE. "(A) reflection of our society: an eclectic mix of many different cultures and traditions. Dorothy Duncan - with her extensive knowledge of heritage foods - has chosen her favourite 'Country Fare' columns from the popular 'Century Home' magazine for this wonderful book on Canada's heritage cuisine. Each column focuses on one particular food or ingredient, and is followed by historical facts and traditional recipes for you to try at home. Fast food restaurants and instant foods will never replace our seasonal and regional specialties: maple syrup, fiddleheads, rhubarb (pie plant to our ancestors), asparagus, corn on the cob, Saskatoon berries, and McIntosh apples. The recipes in this book take advantage of Canada's unique foods, creating a taste that is distinctly Canadian." Small bump at bottom corner of rear board, tiny bump at bottom corner of front board. Dust jacket has some small areas of very light edge wrinkling, minor rubbing. Postage for this light item will be reduced to most destinations.
5 St. Lawrence Starch Company Ltd. BEE HIVE AEROPLANE PICTURES. ST. LAWRENCE STARCH COMPANY WWII PHOTO CARD PROMOTION. 48 CARDS INCLUDING SOME DUPLICATES, 1 FLYER & 1 MAILING ENVELOPE. (BEEHIVE / BEEHIVES.)
Port Credit, Ontario St. Lawrence Starch Company Unbound Very Good
48 cards (circa 1942) from the St. Lawrence Starch Company's WWII "Bee Hive Aeroplane Pictures" sales promotion, plus a flyer for "List No. 2" showing 42 planes and describing the rules for obtaining the cards, plus 1 shipping envelope, 7 cardboard dividers and 1 contemporary newspaper clipping. In the early 1940s, the St. Lawrence Starch Company temporarily suspended its enormously popular Hockey Photo promotion, introducing this series in its place. As with the hockey cards, the keen collector had to send in one Bee Hive Syrup label or two starch product labels for each picture - this collection represents a lot of syrup tins! The cards are made up of a matte card backing (47 orange and 1 red, approx. 7 11/16" wide by 5 3/8" high) with a b&w photograph (approx. 6 11/16" wide by 4 1/2" high) glued by its top edge. The orange cards have the plane's name beneath the photograph and further description underneath, while the red card has the name/description on the verso of the photograph. The full 42 cards on the enclosed List are present, although some are possibly from later printings as there were corrections as the series developed. The full list of cards (as per the captions) is: 1. Vickers-Armstrong Supermarine "Spitfire"; 2. Hawker "Hurricane"; 3. Boulton Paul "Defiant"; 4. Bell "Airacobra"; 5. Fairey; 6. Lockheed "Hudson"; 7. Bristol "Blenheim"; 8. Vickers-Armstrong "Wellington"; 9. Blackburn "Skua"; 10. Fairey "Swordfish" (with Wheels or Floats); 11. Boeing 4 Engine "Flying Fortress" B.17C.; 12. Short "Sunderland"; 13. Curtiss SBC-4 "Helldiver"; 14. Armstrong Whitworth "Whitley"; 15. Boeing Super "Flying Fortress"; 16. Lockheed P-38 "Lightning"; 17. Martin "Maryland"; 18. Consolidated B-24 "Liberator"; 19. Consolidated Model 29 - 4 Engine Patrol Bomber; 20. Consolidated Model 28 PBY "Catalina"; 21. Curtiss P-40 "Tomahawk"; 22. Grumman "Sky-Rocket"; 23. Martin B-26 "Flying Torpedo"; 24. "Harvard" Advanced Trainer No. 2.; 25. "Hurricane" Testing Its Guns; 26. Handley Page "Hampden"; 27. "Lysander"; 28. Bristol "Bombay"; 29. Bristol "Beaufort"; 30. Bristol "Beaufighter"; 31. Republic 2 P.A. "Guardsman"; 32. Vought-Sikorsky XOS2U-1; 33. Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt"; 34. North American N.A. 73 "Mustang"; 35. Martin 187 "Baltimore"; 36. Fairey "Albacore"; 37. Vultee "Vanguard"; 38. Douglas "Havoc"; 39. Douglas A20A "Boston" 3; 40. Douglas D.B.-18 "Digby"; 41. Grumman "Martlet"; 42. Vought-Sikorsky XF4U1. Additional cards: Fairey - 2 Place Bomber and Fighter (red backing); Short "Stirling (2 copies / orange backing); Handley Page "Hallifax" (orange backing); and duplicates of the Bell "Airacobra" and Bristol "Beaufort" (orange backing). The cards are generally in very good condition with the occasional faint crease and some wrinkling from the affixing glue. The glue wrinkling is more pronounced on a few cards, notably numbers 18, 26 & 27. Cards 8, 26, 27 & 32 each have a crease to the bottom right corner of the backing and card 30 has a crease across the bottom right of the photograph. The flyer has been folded in half, has some black scuffing, a very small corner crease, and one tiny perforation. The mailing envelope (approx. 8 1/2" x 9 1/2") is in poor condition with tears, creases, and pieces missing including the metal fastener. It is dated Mar. 26 '42 and has the following typed across the top, indicating the pictures included in the order: "Lock.Blen.Well.Whitley.Light.Short.Stirl." The divid |
came along with the clocks hitting zeros. The Flames head coach has played in far bigger bowls before while leading Ole Miss but given his fall from grace in Oxford and the medical issues that saw him coaching from a hospital bed, among other things, this year, he certainly might savor this one a little bit more than most would think. The Cure Bowl might not mean much to the average fan but to Freeze and the young Liberty program, it was a historic postseason game and, just as important, result.
Liberty out front of Georgia Southern as halftime arrives at the Cure Bowl
Run Pass Option > Triple Option, at least through one half of play from the Cure Bowl.
Looking to become the latest program to win their first ever bowl game (barely two days into this year's postseason), Liberty notched a 16-7 lead over Georgia Southern at halftime in Orlando as the entertainment value of the game far outpaced the total points produced.
Flames QB Stephen 'Buckshot' Calvert (220 yards, 1 TD) was responsible for one of the big plays, hooking up with Johnny Huntley for a 57 yard score in the first quarter to score the program's first ever points in a bowl game. That was not the only time the scoreboard was updated in Liberty's favor but it was the most memorable for Hugh Freeze's team as they looked very solid in their first postseason taste in Year 1 of even being eligible for it.
If there was one surprise in the game though, it was was the general absence of Antonio Gandy-Golden. The receiver is third in the country in yards and had nine touchdowns in the regular season but notched just two receptions in the first half for 18 yards.
A lot of that had to do with the Eagles' defensive game plan to bring pressure and force quick throws. It would have worked a lot better had their own offense done much of anything to help out too, as they mustered just one lengthy scoring drive. Otherwise Georgia Southern simply failed to move the chains and committed a number of key penalties to hamper their other efforts.
Eagles QB Shai Werts also made a bit of history, throwing his first interception all season (and first since late 2017). While not normally known for throwing the ball in the option offense, he actually attempted 10 passes in the half — completing four of them for 20 yards and otherwise scrambling on pretty much every dropback. Wesley Kennedy III was one of the few offensive bright spots as a result, scoring the team's lone touchdown while rushing for 51 yards.
This one has had a bit of a strange vibe as the two teams have threatened to either break things open or get back into it. We'll see how the second half plays out but the contrast in styles should at least provide for some added interest in what could be a rather historic day for one of the two programs involved in this one.
Tags: Antonio Gandy-Golden
College Football Bowl Preview: Your Dec. 21 Viewer's Guide
By John TaylorDec 21, 2019, 10:40 AM EST
Your trusty and semi-daily college football bowl preview that today takes a quick-hit look at the Dec. 21 bowl menu, which on opening weekend features six games. Included in that is a battle of 10-win teams and, most notably, the Chris Petersen Bowl.
WHO: Central Michigan (8-5) vs. San Diego State (9-3)
WHAT: The 14th New Mexico Bowl
WHERE: Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
WHEN: 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
THE SKINNY: Talk about going from worst to (nearly) first. Last season, Central Michigan went a school-worst 1-11. This season, under first-year head coach Jim McElwain, CMU won the MAC West title and came within six points of winning in the conference championship game. … With a win, San Diego State will reach 10 (or more) for the fourth time in five seasons. The Aztecs have already won seven or more games each of the past 10 seasons. … Here's a statistic to note: The Chippewas are undefeated (8-0) when they rush for at least 140 yards this season. … Here's another statistic, this one to chew on: The Aztecs are currently second nationally in run defense, giving up 72.3 yards per game. … Of the 54 touchdowns CMU scored on offense, 35 came on the ground. The Aztecs' seven rushing touchdowns allowed are the fourth-fewest in the country. … Do you sense a key-to-the-game vibe I've got going on here? … If not, how about this one: San Diego State hasn't given up more than 23 points in any game this season, while CMU is 0-5 when they score fewer than that number in 2019. … This game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two football programs.
THE LINE: Central Michigan, +3½
THE PREDICTION: San Diego State 23, Central Michigan 15
WHO: Liberty (7-5) vs. Georgia Southern (7-5)
WHAT: The 5th FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
WHERE: Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
THE SKINNY: Cure Bowl fact: All four previous games have been decided by 10 or more points. … In just its second season at the FBS level, Liberty has qualified for its first bowl berth. So pleased with the program's progress, university administrators have already handed first-year head coach Hugh Freeze a contract extension. … While not quite the neophyte as their opponent, Georgia Southern will be playing in just its third bowl game. In fairness, they have only played at the FBS level for six seasons. … The Flames and Eagles have one common opponent this season: FCS Maine. GSU beat them 26-18, while Liberty won their matchup 59-44. … Another similarity? Both teams went 2-2 in the last four games of the regular season. … To say that GSU is run-heavy is a bit of an understatement. The Eagles' 261.5 yards rushing per game is eighth nationally and second in the Sun Belt. To further highlight how ground-dependent they are, leading passer Shai Werts has rushed for nearly as many yards (683) as he has thrown for (704). … GSU's run-pass ratio this season is 621-136. … For those curious, the Flames' give up 192.7 yards per game on the ground, which is 100th in the country. … One final note: Liberty's starting quarterback goes by the nickname "Buckshot" — and Stephen Calvert's thrown 26 touchdowns vs. just five interceptions — so I know who I'm going with.
THE LINE: Liberty, +4
THE PREDICTION: Liberty 34, Georgia Southern 21
WHO: SMU (10-2) vs. Florida Atlantic (10-3)
WHAT: The 6th Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
WHERE: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida
WHEN: 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
THE LINE: FAU, +3
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
WHO: Florida International (6-6) vs. Arkansas State (7-5)
WHAT: The 6th Camellia Bowl
WHERE: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
THE SKINNY: A win in the second-to-last game of the regular season clinched bowl eligibility for Butch Davis and Florida International for the third time in his three seasons at the Conference USA school. The fact that it came at the expense of Davis' old school, Miami, was simply icing on the cake and still makes me ROTFLMAO every single time I think about it. … Blake Anderson's wife lost her brave fight with cancer in mid-August and, after being away for a couple of weeks, the head coach rejoined the team in Week 2. Over the last nine games of the year, the Red Wolves went 6-3. … One of the best matchups of the early bowl season could be Omar Bayless vs. the FIU secondary. The Arkansas State All-American has caught 84 passes (tied for ninth nationally) for 1,473 yards (second) and 16 touchdowns (second). He's also averaging 17.5 yards per reception. Conversely, FIU is sixth in the country in allowing 178.5 yards passing per game. The Panthers give up just 6.45 yards per attempt as well. … If you're a gambling man/woman, and I'll bet you are, keep this tidbit in the back of your mind as you open your wallet: The first five Camellia Bowls have been decided by a combined 17 points. Average score, rounded down? 31-27.
THE LINE: FIU, +2½
THE PREDICTION: Arkansas State 24, FIU 23
WHO: Boise State (12-1) vs. Washington (7-5)
WHAT: The 28th Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
WHERE: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
THE LINE: Boise State, +3½
WHO: Appalachian State (7-5) vs. UAB (6-6)
WHAT: The 19th R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
THE LINE: UAB, +16½
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or other object was second nature. That couldn't really be done at this time of day though. Shadows and light bounced off everything as if in a chiaroscuro. She was aware that she might stand out more during the day than at night, and that she wasn't really in tune with her day-time stalking, so instead of stopping when the hooded figure sneezed, she slowed her pace considerably and made to look idly at the shop windows as she walked. If the person knew what they were doing, that would have been enough to set alarms off. But they continued walking, so Finn thought she was in the clear.
Apparently that was only for the time being though, because maintaining her distance didn't seem to be working all that well. Her legs wanted to do more work than she needed them to, and they were quickly shortening the gap between herself and the hooded figure. That, she supposed, was enough to finally trigger the person to take action. They stopped moving, and asked why she was following them, Finn taking note that it sounded like a man's voice. There were ways around that though, and if the hood didn't mask enough, a voice changing charm or potion certainly would.
Despite the prickly feeling that her skin received upon hearing his question, Finn continued walking, going right past him, and acting like she had completely ignored him. As she did so, her hand tightened around her wand. Now that her back was to the accuser, she was going to be at a severe disadvantage if it came down to a duel. Stopping at another shop window a few yards away from where the hooded person had ceased their walking, Finn stared blankly into the window. If he let it go, she would as well. Making a big enough mistake to be caught like that was embarrassing. She didn't need to get into a potentially deadly duel over a stupid error.
Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2017 17:16:05 GMT -7
Albus was beginning to think that maybe he was really mental, because even though he had stopped in his tracks, the footsteps kept going. Not only that, but a woman with blonde hair walked past him as if nothing was happening. Albus's mind was running at a hundred miles a minute, as it had been from the moment he sneezed. It was entirely possible that he was just being paranoid, and the woman happened to be going in the same direction as he was, and she hadn't been following them… but why, then, were their footsteps almost perfectly in sync, and why did she only manage to pass him when he stopped? There was so much about the situation that didn't add up, but Albus also wasn't all that good at math, and he was worried that this was all going to be one huge mistake. Al knew that he only had a limited window of opportunity – in a few seconds the woman was going to be out of earshot and then he would never know whether or not he was actually being followed. The Slytherin didn't even take the time to take a deep breath before making his decision – his instincts hadn't failed him yet, and he was going to have to let them lead him. "I said, why are you following me?" Albus said, repeating himself louder, his words clearly directed at the woman who had just walked past. His fingers were itching to draw his wand and have some sort of protection, but the woman hadn't shown herself to be dangerous yet, and Albus didn't want to jump the gun – especially if his instincts had failed him for the first time. Al still didn't move, simply staring the woman down as best as he could, hoping that would somehow convince her he was serious.
Post by finn kylie nottingham on Dec 17, 2017 22:49:51 GMT -7
This guy wouldn't let up. Finn wasn't exactly afraid from his words alone, but there had been plenty of times where the criminal was still an incredible duelist and force to reckon with. Judging someone by their appearance was the last mistake she would be making today. Enough people did that with her as it was. Being a hypocrite would have probably gotten her killed years ago. Regardless, it didn't seem like her walking past him and stopping to look inside another window was enough. He was asking why she was following him again. Finn continued to ignore the comment, unsure of how to proceed. She could either continue on her path down the alleyway, pretending that she didn't hear him both times he asked but also exposing her back to a potential attack if he was dangerous or she could address him and either fight or defuse the problem. It was Knockturn Alley though, and calming an issue was almost impossible most of the time. That was one of the reasons why she hated having to be here so often for her personal work.
"Sorry, following?" Finn asked as she turned to face the cloaked man. Option number two it was. Both of her hands were in her pockets, so there was no way he would know which one contained her wand if she needed to use it. She could also disapparate if absolutely necessary, but concentrating on a place to go to would be difficult in the opening act of a duel. "If you don't want people walking behind you, this isn't really the best place for that," she said a little annoyed that he was questioning her own motives in all of this. It was obvious that he was the shady character here even if she was the one doing the stalking. Who the hell walked around with an entire cloak and hood on during this time of day?
The blonde woman turned around to face him, still apparently playing dumb. Albus's gut continued to insist – scream, really – that she had been tailing him, and now was really not a good time for him to be second-guessing his instincts. That was the sort of thing that got people killed. The blonde said something about not being around this place if he didn't want people walking behind him, and the Slytherin rolled his eyes. "Do you think I was born yesterday?" Albus snapped. He was aware that he probably should have been keeping his cool, but it felt so good to lash out at someone, especially since he hadn't allowed himself to snark at any of his family members for a long while. Albus was frustrated, and he wasn't in the mood for games, at that was obvious in his tone of voice. Having an argument in the street wasn't something that he was used to… but Albus would be lying if he said it wasn't foreign either. "There's a difference between walking behind someone and tailing them, wouldn't you say? Normally when you walk behind someone you don't sync your steps up with theirs, do you?" There was some kind of synchronization that was required for walking in the same space as someone else, but not when you were that far away from them, and it normally wasn't that precise, either. "If you just told me what the hell you wanted then we could both be done with this." Albus said. Sure, it wasn't very spy-like to just come out and say what you wanted… but Al was still learning.
Great he was going to argue with her. It wasn't all too often that she got annoyed with people, but this was definitely one of them. His whole demeanor and how he was approaching the situation was immature. Coupling that with his snarky comment about being born yesterday and Finn started to furrow her eyebrows at him. Nothing she had done so far had warranted this kind of behavior out of the guy. Sure, he was paranoid as hell for some reason and she had been trailing him (which was somewhat commendable on his part for picking up on it so fast), but usually encounters like this ended with someone stunned or blown backwards down the alleyway. In her few chance duels since coming to England, sparse words were said aside from incantations. New York was more yelling and blasting harmful curses back and forth until the other side was completely incapacitated. The finesse and tact that the British had with their dueling was astounding and equally scary. But in this instance, Finn felt like she had the upper hand. Controlling her emotions was the first step, in the off chance the man attacked her. He would be wild while she had a plan.
"Easy there," she tried to reason, pulling her free hand from her pocket and lowering it down in the space in front of her. "No need to get upset because someone was walking behind you closely." Finn tried to omit the whole 'calm down' speech because that always had the opposite effect from what was intended. Unfortunately she wasn't always the best at defusing high-stress situations and she felt like it was going to eventually show in whatever this was becoming. Her rough and tumble nature was more suited to jumping straight into a hairy situation and getting out. Figuring out other ways wasn't typically necessary for her. "I don't want anything," she said, narrowing her eyes and shaking her head to feign confusion. "But you should be more careful around here if you think someone like me is out to get you."
Jan 19, 2018 8:00:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2018 8:00:51 GMT -7
Albus hated this. He hated this whole damn situation and he hated even more that the woman in front of him was trying to paint him as the irrational one when he would bet his wand on the fact that she had been following him. He wasn't going to waver on his convictions just because of a few pretty words. He was a Slytherin – he was the one who normally enchanted other people to see |
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Haitian Creole Language Statistics/Facts
Haitian Creole, referred to as Creole/ Kreyole, is a French-based Creole language spoken by an estimated 9.7 to twelve million people, that is, the entire population of Haiti as well as by nearly two to three million Haitian communities living in several nearby countries, among them Dominican Republic, which had 159,000 by (1987), Bahamas, about 200,000 in New York, USA, a smaller number in Canada and Puerto Rico, Cuba and French Guiana, Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe and Belize. Haitian Creole borrows from 18th century French and several Central and West African languages such as Wolof, Fon and Ewe as well as Arabic.
Although 90% of Haitian Creole is based on French, it differs from standard French because of the lack of grammatical gender and verb inflection. The Haitian Creole language is outstanding for being the most widely spoken Creole language in the world. If you are already familiar with French, you should find this language easy to learn.
Due to efforts of Félix Morisseau-Leroy, Haitian Creole has been recognized as an official language since 1961 when it joined French as the second language of instruction in Haiti's education system since its independence in 1804. Haitian Creole was granted legal and educational status in Haiti though it acquired a lower status than standard French. Its official status was maintained under Haiti's 1987 constitution. The use of Haitian Creole in literature has risen since its orthography was standardized in 1979. Morisseau was one of the first and most influential Haitian Creole authors. Today Haitian Creole is prevalent in poetry, grammar and the mass media.
Haitian Creole Dialects
Dialect Details
Main Dialect Divisions Correspond to the regions of the country: West (including the speech of Port-au-Prince); South; and North, Northwest and Center (Hall 1953). The dialect of Port-au-Prince provides the reference point for other dialects, which are differentiated by their sound features and vocabulary.
Saamaka A dialect developed from both Portuguese and English languages. It is estimated that Saamaka has 30% Portuguese vocabulary, 70% English and is 10% African. And this is considered a "radical" mix. The Saamaka speakers live along the Suriname River and are descendants of slaves who fled the plantations already in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Fablas Plateau Haitian Creole was developed out of Linguistic influences from Wolof (Benjamin 1956), Fon, and Ewe (C. Lefebvre) of West Africa by slaves who had fled from their Masters. According to van de Vate, Fablas had not been influenced by European language forms.
French Creole Also referred to as Louisiana Creole French. It is a French based language spoken by the Creole people of the South and South West of the State of Louisiana, and in Northern California (San Francisco Bay, Sacramento, Plumas, Tehama, Mono and Yuba Counties). The dialect is a merger of and Latin American, French and African dialects.
Faublas-Pressoir Tradtional writing system. Adapted version of oldest Haitian Creole from the French spelling conventions and modified by McConnell, Laubach, Pressoir and Faublas.
Countries Where Haitian Creole Is Spoken
Canada (Quebec)
Haitian Country Data
Country: Haiti
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Semi-Presidential Republic: President Jovenel MOISE
Currency: Haitian Gourde
GDP (ppp): $1,800
Government Type: Semi-Presidential Republic
Industries: Textiles, sugar refining, flour milling, agriculture and cement. Tourism is the leading source of revenue for Haiti.
Located in the Greater Antillean archipelago, the Republic of Haiti is a Caribbean country with a population between 9.7-12 million people situated in Hispaniola where the Dominican Republic is also found.
Haiti is a semi-presidential republic, multiparty democracy where the president is the head of state and is directly and popularly elected. The current president, Jocelerme Privert was elected in 2016. The Prime Minister acts as head of government and is appointed by the President from the majority party in the National Assembly. Together they exercise Executive power. Legislative authority is exercised by both government and the two chambers of the National Assembly. The government is unitary and rules through departments.
Unemployment and underemployment are both rampant, with more than 2/3 of the labor force in the informal sector. Tourism is the leading source of revenue for the country. Two-fifths of all Haitians depend on the agriculture, engaging mainly as small-scale subsistence farmers. The Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, of December 2006, has boosted apparel exports and investment by providing duty-free access to the US. Haiti suffers from a lack of investment, partly due to limited infrastructure and a lack of security.
Departments/Regions of Haiti
Haiti has ten administrative departments/regions with capitals as follows:
Nord-Ouest (Port-de-Paix)
Nord (Cap-Haitien)
Nord-Est (Fort-Liberte)
Artibonite (Gonaives)
Centre (Hinche)
Ouest (Porte-au-Prince)
Grand'Anase(Jeremie)
Nippes(Miragoane)
Sud(Les Cayes)
Sud-Est(Jacmel)
The departments are further divided into 41 arrondisements and 133 communes. These serve as second and third level administrative divisions.
Haitian Creole Language History
A Creole is a language that has developed from other languages, but has been localized and thus internalized by children as their vernacular. Theories about Creole languages are varied. Several scientists consider Creoles similar because they originate from African languages, while other linguists see the similarity in their universal grammar; they see Creole languages as the purest examples of universal grammar.
There are many theories on the formation of the Haitian Creole language. One such theory proposes that a type of Creole had started developing on West African trading posts even before the importation of African slaves into the Americas, and that since many of those slaves were being kept for some time near these trading posts before being sent to the Caribbean, they would have learned a rudimentary Creole even before getting there. A second theory claims that Haitian Creole was largely developed locally when slaves speaking languages from the Fon family started to merge them with vocabulary from the French language.
The existence of Haitian Creole during the pre-Columbian era is not known because the Taino Indians, who migrated from India and were the first inhabitants of Haiti, spoke a totally different language from Haitian Creole. The latter was developed by the West African slaves brought to the island by European settlers during slave trade in the 17th century and the French colonization experience.
Haitian Creole is believed by some to be the result of contact between European romance languages, namely French and Spanish, and Ewe, a West African language spoken in Ghana, Togo and Benin. Others believe that it is a derivative of a pidgin spoken by Portuguese and French sailors in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Pseudo-scientific racist theorists are said to have considered Haitian Creole an inferior language to European languages. This misconception was only eradicated by the linguist Noam Chomsky's concept of language universals which defined language in terms of its semantics and syntax, phonology, morphology and lexicon, and the development of Haitian Creole alphabet. Like other Creoles, Haitian Creole has been regarded negatively because of its perceived relation to pidgin and the difficulty in establishing its origin.
Haitian Creole is defined according to the universal components of language, namely; syntax, semantics, lexicon, morphology and phonology. Even though its syntax, semantics and morphology (grammar) differ substantially from French, it is considered a member of the group of French-based Creoles since a large section of its lexicon comes directly from the French language.
The Haitian Creole language is composed of 32 sounds based on official orthography and Haitian Creole alphabet: a, an, b, ch, d,e, en,f, g, h,l,k, m, |
. As Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy in this alternate world, even August begins to question what is real or not.
August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth. From Goodreads.
I was really surprised by The Wicker King by K. Ancrum, as it wasn't the story I expected. With the way the book is described, I thought it was going to be a contemporary novel mixed with a high fantasy story. But it's not; it's completely contemporary, with August going along with what Jack's seeing because he thinks that will help. Despite the surprise that The Wicker King wasn't what I expected, it was bloody brilliant.
However, despite being brilliant, it's not a book I enjoyed. The Wicker King is intense. A game Jack and August used to play as a child has become much more to Jack now; he's seeing the world of the Wicker King over the real world. As his hallucinations get progressively worse, he can barely see our world at all. In his world, he is the Wicker King, and there's a prophecy written on the walls. The powerful stone has gone missing, and without it, the world is growing weaker and darker, and if the stone isn't put back by his champion, August, the Cloven King, a dark and evil king, will attack and take over. To Jack, this is completely, completely real, in the sense that he can see it all; he knows he shouldn't be seeing it, but because he is, he can't help but be affected by what he sees - and it scared him; not so much that he's seeing it all, but what he sees. As the world grows weaker, the things he sees get scarier, and the more he starts losing control. He ends up barely holding on by a thread. And he thinks, maybe, if he and August find the stone and put it where it needs to be, maybe the hallucinations will stop. And August goes along with it, because he doesn't know how else to stop it. He's worried if he tells adults and those in authority, Jack will get locked up, and August can't have that, because he needs him.
It's really interesting how The Wicker King is told. Even though it's not in verse, it reminded me very much of a verse novel; the chapters are very short, most around a page or less, and it's less a narrative that flows from one chapter to the next, and more looking at snapshots of moments in their lives as Jack gets progressively worse. Throughout the book, there are photos, notes, a map, police reports, mix tapes and CDs, detention slips, and so forth, all that look so real, like photographs of each of these things. And they don't just give an interesting element to the story, but give the story more credibility, that Jack and August are real people, and all these things are the evidence of their lives. The formatting of the story was incredible, to; the pages offer a visual representation of Jack's decline - the worse he gets, the more the pages change from normal, to slightly smudgy around the edges, to darker smudges that spread over the pages, until eventually the pages are completely black with white text. So even before you read the chapters that are coming up, you anticipate Jack getting worse, because you can see it coming.
Because there are so many extra elements added to the book - the photos, the notes, etc - The Wicker King is a very quick read, and I found, with the narrative as it is, just short, snapshot chapters, I didn't get to become emotionally attached to August and Jack like I would have liked. I cared, but it was at a distance. Even so, this story was so intense - it was overwhelming. Putting aside August's hallucinations for a moment, their relationship is just so unhealthy. Thankfully, Ancrum wrote an author's note that helped me understand their relationship better, but I spent the book thinking these two should absolutely not be friends. Jack has his moments where he turns really nasty, and is actually quite violent to August. He thinks of August as his; there's a moment when they're kids and August almost drowns in a river. Jack saves him, but he's angry that August nearly died, telling him he's not allowed to go, because August is Jack's - he belongs to him. Yet in his most vulnerable moments, he clings to August like a child to their mother. And August looks after Jack, and takes care of him, like a parent would. But at the same time, he needs Jack to tell him what to do. Jack makes demands, and August does what he's told. Even if, once Jack's hallucinations become much worse, Jack demands he does more and more dangerous things - things that could end his life. They desperately need and crave each other, because their parents aren't around; Jack's parents are always away on business trips, they are never home, and August's mum has agoraphobia, and will not leave her basement. Not only will she not leave her basement, but she also seems to have checked out emotionally; when August tries to talk to her, she cannot tear her eyes away from the TV, and it's like she's barely listening to him. Neither Jack nor August have their parents, so they try to get what they need from each other. Their co-dependent in a big way, and it's massively unhealthy. I can't even begin to describe the need they have for each other. The thought of being apart from each other doesn't bear thinking about. And it's because of this that August tries to help Jack, though does so in completely the wrong way; instead of getting him help, he goes along with Jack in trying to fulfil the prophecy.
It's probably no surprise that, as the story goes on, their relationship evolves, even if August is oblivious to it. It's quite clear that Jack is in love with August. And to the reader, it's also obvious that August is in love with him, too, but he doesn't realise itecause their relationship is so screwed up, and because he doesn't have many examples of love in his life. Everyone around him can see it accept him; people talk to him about it, without actually saying "you're in love with/attracted to Jack!", but because they don't come right out and say it, he has literally no clue what they are talking about, and they're very strange conversations for him.
Trying to help Jack affects August's own mental health. By the end of the story, he has anxiety, and this part of the story was done so well. His worry for Jack, watching him deteriorate even more with each passing day, and the dangerous things they keep doing, take their toll, and he starts having panic attacks, and they were just so well written. I could really see myself in August in those moments. August also stops eating, and develops stress fuelled anorexia, as Ancrum confirms in this interview. He becomes too stressed to eat, though Jack seems to think he's forgetting to eat. He loses quite a lot of weight very quickly, and people are beginning to notice and comment on it. Jack starts to worry about him, and at one point will only talk to August about something if August eats the apple Jack gives him. He also becomes a pyromaniac. I found this really interesting, because I didn't realise pyromania was a mental illness. I just thought a pyromaniac was someone who liked fire and burning things, but pyromania is actually an impulse control disorder. For August, he needs fire. With everything that's going on, he gets more and more overwhelmed, and it keeps building up and up and up, and he's left with this uncontrollable desire to light a fire, and once he's lit a fire and watches it, there's this sense of relief and release, and he's able to let go, temporarily, of everything that has built up. It's almost as if he doesn't light a fire, he will explode. And for the most part, he's not actually endangering anyone; it starts off small, without him even realising, with cigarettes. Then it moves on to setting fire to books, to then gathering wood in a clearing in the forest, and starting a bonfire, that he will stay and lie next to all night, watching until the last embers burn down. It was fascinating to read, but also heartbreaking. All his mental illnesses develop because he has no-one to turn to, really. He would normally turn to Jack, but it's Jack with the problem, so he's dealing with this all on his own. It's probably also important to state that co-dependency is also a mental illness, so there's a lot that both Jack and August are dealing with - though, what Jack is dealing with, what he's seeing, isn't actually related to a mental illness, we discover, there's something else going on, which is why he knows he shouldn't see what he's seeing.
There was one moment that really illustrated to me what Jack is dealing with. As I said, he knows he shouldn't see what he's seeing, but he does, and it's taking over what's real. For example, when they visit Rina, a woman they befriend over the course of the story, instead of seeing her house, he sees a hill, and when they're in the house, they're on top of the hill lying on the grass. He doesn't see the house at all. The only thing that really anchors Jack is August. He sees real people, but they get confused with his |
it will be attacked is dramatically increased. As the body is defending what it can the possibility of certain types of cancer is also raised. The HIV and/or AIDS disease can go undetected with no signs or symptoms for up to ten years. Scientists believe that the disease came from a chimpanzee and humans acquired it or became infected with it when they would hunt and eat these animals. Some of the factors that put African American women at a more vulnerable state in being infected with HIV and/or AIDS are barriers to testing and treatment, including poverty, limited access to healthcare or prevention education. Studies have shown the direct link of poverty in African American women to be consistent higher HIV and/or AIDS infection rate. The environmental factors that make African American women more vulnerable to HIV and/or AIDS are poverty with limited education. The consequences of not a having primary or secondary prevention or intervention strategy leads to higher infection rates of African American women. There are several modes of transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency virus which can cause the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The largest contributor to this is having unprotected oral, vaginal and anal sex. Other means of transmission can be men having sex with other men, having sex with someone who is already infected, having sex with someone who has been in a prison setting, sharing needles or having sex with someone who......
Breast Cancer and African American Women
...Running head: TARGETING BREAST CANCER AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3 Background…………………………………………..……………………………………………4 Preparing and Adapting to the Field..……………………………………………………………..5 Medical Anthropology Fieldwork Methodology...………………………………………………..6 Ethnographic Fieldwork Data Analysis …………………………………………………………..9 Reflective Comments/ Conclusion……………………………………………………….…….....9 References………………………………………………………………………………………..11 Targeting Breast Cancer among African American Women in Nash County: A Proposal to Identify Enabling and Reinforcing Factors of Seeking Preventative Screening Services Introduction Ethnographic field work is an excellent strategy in understanding and describing a cultural group. Field work is also an asset in performing a needs assessment in the planning phase of developing health promotion interventions. As described by Bailey (2002), "ethnographic techniques are integral tools for galvanizing and mobilizing communities for social action relative to generating a promotion and disease prevention agenda." (Bailey, 2002) This paper serves as a proposal to conduct a medical anthropology field work project to assess reinforcing and enabling factors that promote the use of early detection and preventative breast cancer screening services among African American women. The study design consists of a qualitative ethnographic approach utilizing observation and focus group methodology....
Domestic Violence in African American Women
...Runninghead: Domestic Violence Domestic Violence in African American Women Jennifer Rhoad The College of New Rochelle Abstract According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition, domestic violence is: "the inflicting of physical injury by one family or household member on another; also: a repeated or habitual pattern of such behavior." Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV), is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation. Domestic violence, so defined, has many forms, including physical aggression or assault (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, throwing objects), or threats thereof; sexual abuse; emotional abuse; controlling or domineering; intimidation; stalking; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect); and economic deprivation. Alcohol consumption and mental illness can be co-morbid with abuse, and present additional challenges in eliminating domestic violence. Awareness, perception, definition and documentation of domestic violence differ widely from country to country, and from era to era. Domestic Violence: A Survivor's Perspective Domestic violence and abuse isn't limited to obvious physical violence. Domestic violence can also mean endangerment, criminal coercion, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, trespassing...
Health Promotion in Hiv African American Women
...HIV Prevention in African American Women Introduction From its origin, HIV/AIDS has been defined as a sexually transmitted disease associated primarily with white homosexual men. In fact, African Americans are the racial/ethnic groups that are mostly influenced by HIV/AIDs. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, by the end of 2008, an estimated 240,627 blacks with and AIDs diagnosis has died in the United States (CDC, 2012). Contrary to the evident statistics affecting the African American population as a whole, there remains a small amount of research studies, dedicated towards HIV/AIDs healthcare promotion and prevention strategies specifically designed for the African American women. However, there are a large proportion of African American women affected by HIV/AIDs. In 2009, black women accounts for 30% of the new estimations of HIV infections among blacks. The rate for HIV infections as compared to other populations is 15 times more than white women, and three times as high for Latina women (CDC, 2012). This is confirmed by social media, primarily directed at African American males. In regards to the African American women, personal beliefs, cultural practices, and social norms act as a backdrop in determining the risk behavior of acquiring HIV/AIDs. This study serves to address the need for prevention strategies among single African American women of 18-22 years of age in college from the middle socioeconomic class. The subjects for the study...
Heart Disease Among African American Women
...Disease among African American Women Ciatta Jones, RN Excelsior College Abstract Heart Disease remains the number one killer among women. However, African American women have a higher rate of heart disease than any other ethnic group or demographics and subsequently have an increased mortality rate among other nationalities. They are disproportionately outnumbered when it comes to the obesity rate, stroke and diabetes amongst other groups such as the Caucasians and Asian's. Contributing factors are decreased awareness and knowledge of heart disease, a low self perception regarding risk factors, ongoing behaviors that are not modified such as smoking, alcoholism, eating fried and salty foods and sometimes the inability to get to medical facilities and clinics. With more education about heart disease and an increased perception of risk, people's minds will become transformed and will be motivated to modify risk factors related to heart disease. Differences in knowledge and comprehension levels are greater amid those that have a higher educational level. Continual health promotions, fairs, seminars and preventative efforts must continue for us to see positive outcomes associated with a desired behavior change. Keywords: African American, heart disease, women, risk factors, education Heart disease among African American Women The death threat of heart disease is greater than that of AIDS and breast cancer collectively. It is the number one killer of women and......
African American Women and Interracial Dating
...decisions to date interracially for African American women consist of a great deal of struggle, due to the criticism brought on within their community and society. The African American community is currently experiencing a shortage of available men for African American women to choose from due to incarceration and unemployment. While the community as a whole is showing improvement in areas such as social status, education, decrease in poverty, and health, the rise can mainly be attributed to the African American woman. With the increased success of African American women at a rate higher than that of the African American man, women have started considering dating other races. The Family Dynamic of an African American Woman Interracial marriage is not entirely accepted amongst today's society. Within the African American community, there remains a lot of resistance. The common scenario in the past has been African American male/Caucasian woman; nevertheless, we are starting to see a rise amongst, African American woman/Caucasian man. Consequently the expectations set by the African American family are set higher for an African American women to date and marry within her own race. Due to those expectations the African American woman places, a great deal of consideration when choosing whether or not she will date outside of her race. At the same time, there are many external and internal forces at work threating the African American community: low expectations set by......
... Maria Montessori "It is the child who makes the man, and no man exists who was not made by the child he once was." –Maria Montessori Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy. She was well schooled and an avid reader since her mother came from a family who valued education and her father financial manager for a state-run industry. Education for Italian women was not very common at this time, so it was definitely seen as a gift. Maria was not only an Italian physician but also an educator and innovator. Maria opened the first Montessori school which was called the Casa dei Bambini or Children's House. The school was built in Rome in 1907. Her educational methods were built on the way children naturally learned. Montessori learning differed from regular learning in the sense that Montessori learning used all five senses. In the beginning of her life, Maria grew up in Rome, which opened the doors to many libraries and museums. Rome also had many fine schools. Maria was a great, ambitious student and she refused, even at an early age, to let the expectations for women stop her. One example of this was Maria attending an all-boys school at age thirteen to become an engineer. After some time, she decided that engineering was not for her and she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. Maria applied at the University of Rome's medical program only to find out that later, she would be rejected. Being the persistent person that she is, she did not......
African American Women & Beauty
... |
the Frown plays out in a futurist dystopia. The riff turned into a movement, and then into something that threatened to reach the length of a Mahler symphony. At page 200 I checked out and began Rose of Lebanon.
Aini's book also caught me up immediately, in part because the central narrative takes place in the early weeks of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. I served many months in Lebanon in the aftermath of that invasion, and so it's part of my biography.
Here, too, the author shares her name with her alter-ego. Lea is serving at a rear signal corps base in Jaffa and opposes the war. Once a week, she sneaks out of her base and takes a bus to the military hospital at Tel Hashomer, adopting the pseudonym Vered (Rose in Hebrew) on her visits to a wounded soldier she had heard about on the news. He may or may not be able to hear and understand the tale that Vered begins to tell him as she sits at his bedside, her story of growing up in a Greek-Jewish working-class family in south Tel Aviv. It's a story of repressed trauma, repressed love, and repressed identity, for this Saloniki family's culture is very different from that of the young Lea's Ashkenazi schoolmates, even though it shares the shadows of the Holocaust with them.
Most of the individual scenes in Rose of Lebanon are well-conceived and convincing. The problem, though, is that there are too many of them. For each one that moves the larger story along or provides new insight into a character, there is another that simply distends the tale. Most novelists produce first drafts containing many finely-crafted scenes that ultimately must be tossed in the trash bin; making those painful cuts is part of the writer's craft. Aini didn't do enough of that, so I set her book aside.
The copy of Artur that I found at the book stop in our neighborhood community garden might just be the same one I bought and then gave away when it first came out, to much praise, in 2011. Back then, I read a few dozen pages before getting bogged down. When I saw it at the book stop last summer I picked it up again, wondering whether the fault had been with me. Maybe nine years back, my ability to parse oneiric Hebrew prose and my knowledge of the Tanach and Hebrew literature was not sufficiently up to snuff for me to appreciate the author's biblical and literary references. I really ought to like this book, I told myself when I began my second attempt. After all, I love Agnon, whose Hebrew prose is inflected with the language of the Bible, Talmud, and Midrash; so too the intertwining of myth and reality of which Haim Be'er is the Hebrew language's finest living master.
Seri's story, and the language he tells it in, are of that genre. It is set in one of Mandate-era Jerusalem's old neighborhoods, the Jewish underground attempting to drive out the British. The narrator is the younger son of a family of grotesques; the father is a midget, the mother mad. They all live with the boy's grandparents, who hate their family, their neighbors, Ashkenazim in general, and the British in particular. Seri expertly creates the mysterious and baffling milieu that the narrator finds himself living in, a kind of horror show of passions and death wishes and misalliances, largely devoid of the one thing the boy most needs, a mother and father's love. Seri's dysfunctional family seems to be a distorted reincarnation of those of the book of Genesis—doomed to reenact their tragedies, but without the divine presence that grants the biblical stories meaning and hope.
Believe me, I like books that are difficult, enigmatic, and exacting. But even a slow story must keep readers invested in the project of reading it. It need not be the plot—it can be the poetry of the language or the choreography of the characters' movements in the space they occupy. The intricate and melodic prose used by Agnon and Be'er work like an opera's score, as do the subtle metamorphoses of the spatial relations between S. Yizhar's characters. One of my most rewarding reading experiences over the last two years was Anthony Powell's leisurely twelve-novel, four-volume A Dance to the Music of Time. Currently, I'm immersed in Miriam Borenstein's wonderful Hebrew translation of Olga Tokarczuk's The Books of Jacob (712 pages). Some critics slammed Amos Oz's A Tale of Love and Darkness (593 pages) for being too verbose, but I don't think a single word was wasted. There were episodes in Amir Gutfreund's When Heroes Fly (672 pages) that I would have advised cutting had I been his editor, but they were few and far enough between that they didn't make me set the book aside.
The three cases I offer here are only the most recent of many such experiences since I read my first novel in Hebrew nearly half a century ago, with dictionary at hand and a pencil to write in marginal translations. Why are so many modern Hebrew novels much longer than they should be?
I suspect that editors at Israeli publishing houses may share in the blame. Israeli editors are honored figures; their names are even given in book reviews in Hebrew publications, along with the book's title, author, and publisher. But their work is indiscernible to the reader. When I read a novel, whether lean or obese, I have no way of knowing whether the book's physique reflects the author's or the editor's work. Kats's book was edited by Oded Wolkstein. To the best of my knowledge I haven't read any other book that he edited, so I don't have enough evidence to convict him. Over the years I've read many novels edited by Yigal Schwartz, one of the most senior, active, and respected figures in the field. Some are exemplary in their tightness of structure and prose—Sami Michael's Aida (271 pages), and David Shütz's White Rose, Red Rose (255 pages), are two examples that come to mind. But his name also graces both Aini's and Benaya Seri's books. I can only surmise that when he's working with an author who knows how to pare down his prose, Schwartz accepts and endorses this; but when he's given an overly long manuscript, he is too indulgent of his authors. Perhaps this lenience has its roots in the traditional Jewish reverence for texts; perhaps, because most Hebrew authors will never be published in other languages and compete in larger markets, editors here tend to let novelists publish what might best be termed the author's cut of their works. If the author is a good critic of his own writing, that can be salutary. If she is overly fond of everything she writes, it can be disastrous.
But I want to stress, before Wolkstein and Schwartz send me angry letters or hire lawyers to sue me, this is just speculation. One of the few windows I've had into how Israeli editors work indicates that they are indeed doing their jobs, at least to some extent. When, some years before his untimely death, I asked Gutfreund about the gargantuan length of When Heroes Fly, he told me that his editor cut down the original manuscript by a third.
While I'm an editor myself, I do not think editors are always right. They can do damage as well. I very seldom set aside a contemporary English novel because it feels bloated. Indeed, the opposite is often true. I often get the feeling that they have been whittled down to the point of losing the complexity I seek, either by editors or by authors who fear— probably correctly—that this is what they need to do to get their book published.
But maybe it's about me. Maybe my tastes just don't represent what most Israelis want from local fiction. Still, to use a phrase coined by the influential and difficult Hebrew writer Yosef Haim Brenner, I stand on my right to cry out.
"I dislike arguments of any kind. They are always vulgar, and often convincing," thunders Lady Bracknell, Miss Prism's employer, at the end of Wilde's play. She has just heard that the hapless governess in her employ lost the manuscript of her three-volume novel many years ago, left in a handbag that she had deposited and then forgotten in the cloakroom of the Victoria Station. But it's not the loss of a bloated work of fiction that has enraged Lady Bracknell. Also abandoned in the handbag was a baby, Lady Bracknell's nephew. The comedy ends with all the loose ends tied up and two weddings in the offing. But no one reads Miss Prism's three-volume novel.
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Haim Watzman is a Jerusalem-based writer, journalist, and translator. His short stories are regularly published in the Times of Israel and he blogs here.
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have worked all their lives, paid taxes, raised families and supported their communities but have never been able to cast their vote to elect a single Senator.
Some people have asked why not reform instead of abolish. But there have never been any credible and workable reform proposals that would give the Seanad a distinct and necessary role in our parliamentary system.
In fact, there have been 10 reports on Seanad reform since 1937 which have all been left gathering dust. It has proved over the decades to be an undemocratic, irrelevant and fundamentally unreformable institution.
In the wake of the disastrous economic crisis, every institution of the State must have hard questions asked of it. The Seanad has simply been unable to answer any of these questions or justify its role in any way.
Labour believes a one chamber parliament directly elected by all of the people of Ireland is sufficient to meet the needs of a modern parliamentary democracy and that it is more than time to abolish the Seanad.
Please vote no to defend democracy
by Cllr Bill Tormey
THE attempt by the Government to abolish the Seanad is a clever ploy to avoid responsibility for the generality of Irish citizens who live outside the immediate 26 county jurisdiction.
A true democracy respects and values the participation of all of its citizens. Yet in reducing the number of TDs from 166 to 158 and eliminating the Seanad, the talent pool in the Oireachtas will be stretched even further.
That will mean even more "advisors" and party hacks on the State payroll to cover the shortfall in expertise among the political class. Irish citizens north of the border and abroad will be entirely ignored as participants in the direction taken by the Irish State.
At present, postal votes are used to elect University senators and the electorate may live anywhere in the world. So there is a ready template to reflect the broad swathe of Irish citizenry through reform of the Seanad.
Holding the services to the Irish people to account is not a noticeable feature of the whipped cowed TDs of Dáil Eireann. Over 50 per cent of Dáil legislation is abruptly terminated by the party whips. It's called a guillotine and it operates to block examination of bills.
There are rafts of European regulations and laws that have to be overseen by parliament and there is no chance of any detailed examination if there are insufficient numbers present with no Senate.
The Government's finance claim of e20 million saved has been blown out of the water.
This claim that the Seanad is undemocratic is also spurious. The public elects councillors and TDs. These elect most members of the Seanad and so the election is proxy democracy.
TDs are elected to the Dáil and they elect the Taoiseach. The people do so again by proxy. There are six university senators elected by thousands of graduates. The Government has been too incompetent to pass a law to give effect to widening the third level franchise as passed in a previous referendum.
It is arrogance on an industrial scale that the Government offer the people a referendum and not a preferendum on this issue. Because there is no choice for reform offered this time, it is better to keep what we have and force them into reform.
Irish citizens in the north and abroad deserve our respect and support. Say No to the Government.
Fine Gael councillor erects posters calling for No vote in Seanad referendum
Dublin City Councillor Professor Bill Tormey said there was never a vote in Fine Gael on abolishing the Seanad and is calling for a No vote next month.
The posters have been erected in parts of north Dublin
Image: Picture provided to TheJournal.ie
A FINE GAEL councillor in north Dublin has openly defied his party's position by erecting posters calling for a No vote in the Seanad abolition referendum next month.
Professor Bill Tormey, a councillor for the Ballymun Finglas area, erected the posters yesterday in the Glasnevin, Drumcondra and Finglas areas of north Dublin on the same day that Fine Gael launched its campaign for a Yes vote.
The posters refer to him as 'Cllr. Prof. Bill Tormey' and urge voters to 'Please Vote No' but do not state in which referendum with two being held on 4 October.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Tormey said that there was a never a vote within the party on the decision to abolish the Seanad and said he is in favour of reforming the upper house.
"It was decided centrally," he said of the party's decision to abolish the upper house – first announced at the Fine Gael presidential dinner in 2009.
He added: "To just say Yes or No is lazy politics. It's reform but reform doesn't mean improvement of the situation."
Noel Rock, a Fine Gael candidate for the local elections in the area, criticised Tormey, saying: "It's disappointing: he doesn't even make it clear which referendum he's opposing.
"It just looks like opposition for the sake of opposition, and an attempt to get himself some publicity."
Fine Gael said it is policy not to comment on internal party matters and added it would not be in a position to comment until it has spoken to Tormey.
'Absolutely absurd'
Tormey also criticised the party's arguments for abolition saying the claim that one per cent of the population elects the Seanad is "absolutely absurd".
He explained: "The Taoiseach is elected by 166 TDs, a witheringly small number of individuals in the country.
"To say one is perfectly alright and ignore and pillory the other situation (in the Seanad) where someone is elected by a proxy vote, by councillors is absurd."
Tormey also disagreed with the Yes campaign argument that other countries of a similar size to Ireland have only one parliamentary chamber. "I am Irish, I am not a Dane, I am not a Swede," he said.
He confirmed that he did not use party funds to produce the posters, saying he paid for them himself but declined to say how many he has put up.
On the possibility that Fine Gael might ask him to the posters down he said: "I will deal with that as it comes."
Tormey, a specialist in chemical pathology and general internal medicine, has been a Fine Gael councillor since 2004 and unsuccessfully contested the last two general elections in Dublin North West. He also failed to get elected to the Seanad in 2011.
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Points made by Minister Bruton on RTE's This Week re abolition of Seanad
Please find a briefing note on the Referendum attached. The Party launched its poster campaign at the weekend.
Personalised leaflets for councillors should be ordered through your Regional Organiser.
· Every family and business in the country has had to change and adapt and politics must too
Reply- Accountability, competence and secrecy are factors that bedevil the Irish political system. Currently, the country is rules in essence by the cabinet economic core of four ministers none of whom have training in economics and finance; none of whom would be qualified to apply for a job as a financial director of a major company but all of whom want to abolish the Seanad, which if reformed could have competent people elected to such a body to the advantage of the country.
In the UK, expertise in the Lords is used to address national problems and report on solutions for and against proposals and laws and hold detailed enquiries into national incidents and problems. The government wants to define abolition of a representative body as a way forward in a parliamentary system that guillotines most bills and takes its cues overwhelmingly from the permanent civil service or nods through European regulations without debate and dissection.
Pathetic really..
· Only two out 16 small countries in the OECD have 2 houses
Reply: There is no compelling reason why Ireland should imitate OECD small countries. Politics in Ireland is a participation sport and we are the better for it. IN the US, politicians have to persuade others as to the value of their positions to pass votes and laws. In London,'rebellions' in parliament do not result in mas expulsions of MPs. Valuable politicians often end their careers in the Lords and don't have to prove Enoch Powell's assertion at all political careers end in failure. (I will ignore the rejoiners on Brian and the Bert)
· 1% of our population participated in its election
Reply: That is only true in the literal sense. Only just over one hundred people elect the Taoiseach to that post but thousands elect their proxies, the TDs. There are fewer proxy voters for Senate Panel Elections because voter turnout in Council elections is lower. But the universities have a large vote even if the electorate is elitist. ( Few claim that reform is not necessary). Thus that 1% claim is disingenuous and again is
Pathetic really
· 90% of Senators were appointed by politicians
Reply: Those politicians are elected to represent the people and the politician electorate is broader based that the TDs. So that is a populist barrel scraping denigration.
· The Taoiseach's nominee guarantees a majority
Reply: This is a statement of the blindingly obvious as if it is in the current context somehow a disgrace.
· Last time the Seanad delayed legislation was in 1964
Reply: Well if the Taoiseach ensures a guaranteed majority to obey orders, is this point anything except predictable. How many amendments to Bills originating in the Sean |
we're reusing but we did hang Ikea glass-front cabinets next to the fridge. And we've started a wall-to-wall TV stand and bookcases for the living room…all made with Ikea cabinets!
I hired an architect for the barn renovation and he planned the general layout (electricity, outlets, plumbing, etc.) so I started from there and worked with the Ikea design software. I took my design to the store and an employee helped me finalize the layout (and told me about the clearanced hood!). I located a bottle rack on the right side of the stove so the oven wouldn't open next to the wall. The white version of the rack was 40€ and the stainless was 80€. I chose the white. In the "as-is" section, I found a stainless rack for 14€!! It made the trip home with me.
For the guesthouse, I needed a functional and low maintenance kitchen that would fit in with the general mood I wanted for the whole space. The kitchen is open to the dining area and living room. My first choice was based on an inspiration photo I had found on Ikea's website – oak-colored doors for the lower cabinets and white cabinets on top. But once I saw them in real life, I didn't like them so much. So I turned to a combination I had seen elsewhere. Your very own choice of black-brown for the lower doors and white for the top.
I assembled all the cabinets myself. At the time, my hubby was recovering from an appendectomy so he couldn't help at all! But since the installation stretched over several months, he was able to help me hang the upper cabinets (even though I did almost everything else alone). I asked for help when I needed it. Since pros were working in the barn alongside me, I asked a carpenter to help me with a piece of wood that needed to be cut with a circular saw (which I don't have). A friend of mine helped me with the back of the peninsula and the baseboards. My brother-in-law installed an under-cabinet light and the hood. Even my eight-year-old nephew tried his hand at the counter tiles!
I knew I couldn't buy counters from Ikea without renting a truck so I decided against it. (I live >2 hours away from the nearest store.) Besides, the barn's crooked walls would have made it very difficult to perfectly cut a counter without proper tools and advanced skills. Instead, I decided to buy tile-able counters and tiles. I custom built the whole thing. I built a wood frame around the peninsula so it's sturdy and doesn't flip over. The wood (which is actually flooring!) on the back and side is nailed onto the frame like tongue and groove.
The day I went to Ikea to buy the kitchen, they were rearranging the hardware aisle and were out of stock on all the nice pulls. Instead of buying so-so pieces, I bought pulls I liked better at a big box store.
I had plumbers in for the barn remodel and they supplied the faucet. I bought the sink on sale. The plumbers installed both.
How long was it from design to finished kitchen?
I bought the kitchen in February 2013 and it was fully installed by the end of July 2013. I bought it early because sales were going on. I knew I wouldn't start installation right away. The drywall wasn't even up yet!
First, I focused on painting the spaces I had saved for myself. (The painter did all the ceilings and the walls that required scaffolding.) I got very bad tennis elbow which prevented me from working for a month. In the end, it took two months on and off to tackle the whole space.
How long have you lived with your kitchen? Have you encountered any problems?
I don't "live" with my kitchen since it's in the guesthouse. But tourists who have stayed here like it very much! They like the layout, the view from the window over the sink, the simplicity and the airy feel.
The only problem I've encountered was a broken dowel in one of the upper cabinets which loosened the tightness of the installation. My hubby helped me take the cabinet down and I changed the dowel (on both sides, you never know!) so it's nice and secure now.
You mean besides the pride of having it done almost all by myself?! I like that in real life it's exactly like it was on the Ikea software. The design software is reliable if you use it correctly. I also like that it's open and light on the walls but grounded with darker lower cabinets. It ties in really well with the rest of the space.
I think my least favorite thing is the counter. I need to fix a crack that has appeared between two rows of tiles and I think it would have been nicer to have carpenters install a custom solid counter. But I couldn't justify the cost of that in any way, especially since it's not for personal use. It will have to do!
Yes, I would definitively recommend Ikea as a source for a kitchen remodel. I know that they have changed the Faktum line (it's Metod now) so I'm not as familiar with it as I was with the previous one. I've purchased Ikea kitchens in 1997, 2003 and 2013. I've seen the line evolve and become sturdier and easier to install so I'm confident this new line will be as easy to use as the old one.
I've never bought appliances from Ikea (except for the hood) so I can't vouch for them.
Yes, I would definitively consider Ikea for a future kitchen remodel. Although, once in my lifetime it would be nice to experience a big project entirely taken care of by the pros!
Thank you, Ariane, for sharing your experience and letting me feature your lovely guesthouse kitchen. I can't get over that stone wall, the soaring ceilings and those steel framed windows! Congrats on turning your barn into a functional and profitable space. Kudos to you for chasing your dreams!!
UPDATE: If you are interested in staying at Ariane's lovely guesthouse in France, you can find more information here and here.
Okay, readers, who suddenly feels the urge to renovate an old barn? Yeah, me too. Even though most of the items sourced in this kitchen aren't available in the U.S., the story and ideas have my wheels turning. Please thank Ariane for sharing her kitchen barn remodel. English isn't her first language but she did wonderfully!
Do you have an Ikea kitchen (it doesn't have to be 100% Ikea) you would like to share on House*Tweaking? If so, please contact me at housetweaking@gmail.com for consideration. Thank you in advance!
Wow! How amazing. It hard to believe thats an ikea kitchen! It looks so good. I love the property as well. The entire transformation is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this with us Dana. Keep em coming!
I'm not really into dark cabinets but those are really doing it for me! I think it's part of what makes the whole thing work. May need to reconsider our kitchen plans coming down the line in the next few years.
I love this post and your blog! I stumbled upon it several months ago and just want to let you know you are a true inspiration to me. My husband and I just recently purchased a 1950's mid century ranch on the west side of Cincinnati. We moved from a 7 year old house that we built but it just lacked the uniqueness we were looking for. We are anxious to revamp this house and I visit your blog daily to check on your progress and to get ideas. When we do remodel, we are leaning towards an IKEA kitchen, so I love seeing posts about people that have actually used them and their thoughts on how they hold up.
I'm totally obsessed with that deep window well! Everything is so beautiful!
Impressive! Would you (and Ariane) consider a link to the information regarding her guest house for readers who may be considering a trip to France?
I just included that info in the post! Find it towards the end of the post.
I love this series. Thank you and to those that are sharing their experiences.
We did an Ikea kitchen too in our 1952 home in Southern California 3 years ago and LOVE it. It's not completely Ikea, but we used all Ikea cabinets and pendants. We did all the demo ourselves, had a contractor help with recessing a beam, plumbing, marble counters, and moving a couple walls, but the kitchen cabinet assembly and installation, island building, appliance installation, paint, crown molding, etc was all us. I'd love to send you the photos if you are interested.
Wow!! What a great find; love the inspiration!!
I love these Ikea kitchens! I especially love that this one hails from the French countryside, I took a vacation there last summer and I can't wait to go back. Will definitely be looking into Ariane's guesthouse for inspiration AND vacation!
Thank you all for those kind words :) I'm totally thrilled to have my barn and its kitchen on House*Tweaking. Thanks again Dana for having me. Merci beaucoup!
Oh and Ariane, your barn and kitchen looks gorgeous! Congratulations!
Thanks a lot Gina!
Love the idea of this series. I did IKEA also (sent you an email) because I had a few friends who had good experiences so we went with it because it fit our |
sensible business reasons for the closure and not NCsoft being evil for the joy of it.
A lot of people seem to be looking for a smoking gun around the cancellation of CoH/V: that CoH/V in itself was profitable. As I've said before, I think that's true – under certain conditions / assumptions, CoH/V probably was a profitable title. But at the same time, I don't think Paragon Studios was a profitable studio with only CoH/V's revenue coming in. There was at least one other title under development as well as two previously abandoned titles, meaning a lot of expenditure but no expectation of new revenue for at least a few years.
The challenge that some people seem to have is around why you'd shut down something if it was profitable, but it's not that uncommon. If a title (or product or service, for that matter):
wasn't profitable enough to meet its targets;
was profitable now but had a future expectation of going into a net loss situation;
was a less profitable investment than its alternatives; and / or
risked defecting to become the competition
then there is a solid business case for reallocating its operational dollars elsewhere.
Even if solid evidence emerged tomorrow that CoH/V was undeniably profitable, it doesn't prove that NCsoft's decision was objectively wrong or a poorly thought out. Subjectively a number of people disagree and think that CoH/V should have been left operating, but CoH/V's revenue had been on the decline for quite a while with no signs of recovery. Something was going to give at some point; it just happened more suddenly than expected.
22 thoughts on "City of Heroes / Villains: Putting Claims To The Test"
Hunter Pritt says:
A part of the reason things went sour is not that it was shut down, but how. Suddenly and with no respect for the players. The game Glitch was shut down with such a respectful way. Where the players of CoH felt they were just tossed out the door.
Yes, I agree with that – NCsoft didn't look good in suddenly locking out Paragon Studios staff just before a long weekend.
If the Kickstarter / management buy-out rumour is true though, it could provide a part explanation for that – NCsoft would have been aware (or would have thought) that Paragon Studio may have been talking to outside parties about funding, so moved to lock down their assets when they decided the studio was to be closed.
To my knowledge, this is the first time NCsoft has been so 'rough' in their treatment of a studio they are closing. Maybe it's just the first time they've been reported as acting like this, maybe the people in charge of it were very clumsy, maybe I've missed the reports of what happened when Auto Assault of Dungeon Runners was closed.
At the risk of being accused of ethnic stereotyping, it is consistent with business practices in Korea for NCSoft to have hit the Paragon Studios staff out of the blue with pink slips on a Friday; it is regarded as preserving face for the employee being fired to have it happen quickly so that they don't have to come back in to work again with the shame of failure attached to them. Without confirmation from NCSoft that this is in fact why the firing was done the way it was, it's all theorization; however, this interpretation is consistent with the comments about NCSoft on glassdoor.com that the managment of NCSoft North America imposed Korean cultural expectations on the North American staff with little recognition or awareness of the difference between Korean and US culture.
I've seen that claim too, but can't vouch for its cultural accuracy. Especially since Paragon Studios did come back to work later on. But as you say, that's a hypothetical.
It was also the Friday before a long weekend. It may have just been a convenient date.
Captain-Electric says:
This blog post is currently being discussed over on the Titan/SaveCoH forums:
http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,8102.0.html
Steve Dannell says:
I didn't think the claim for expenses of $4M/yr was for Paragon, but for CoH (30/80 people, some devs definitely still worked at PS but disappeared from the CoH boards, still posting very occasionally on non CoH topics with their rednames). My guess is that PS expenses were closer to the $12M that CoH brought in. There was also rumoured to be some dodgy accounting around the buying of store points that meant they weren't credited to CoH but to NCSoft directly under some circumstances (possibly till they were spent), and that artificially deflated the revenues (I know I had the best part of $50 worth of unspent points at shutdown).
I'm just reporting the claim made in the MMORPG.com article attributed to their anonymous source. It did look wonky to me too.
My understanding is that NCsoft has always handled the payment systems, so that they collected all the revenue and then paid it off to their studios. So it's possible that Paragon Points aren't treated as revenue for Paragon Studios until they are spent, and then they were some kind of internal fund transfer. There's a degree of accounting sense to that. However, there's been so much mud thrown at NCsoft in how they do business that it can be hard to work out what was actually going on and what is baseless accusation.
Do you still have Paragon Points on your account? Can you get them refunded?
I still have the points, they're lost, they refunded any bought just before the closure announcement, but mine were bought months before to get my newly created second account the privileges it needed.
Whether CoH was profitable or not, the unanswered question is why NCSoft wouldn't take $8-10M and unload it rather than simply closing it down. This is the question fuelling IMO most of the bitterness among the ex players. In other words "OK, you want no part in CoH, just hand it over for a reasonable fee to somebody who does". The burying of the game strikes most of us as some sort of malice and is fuelling the internet bile.
I've always asked the question, "Who buys CoH/V?". There are a limited number of other potential MMO buyers out there and the question assumes that NCsoft is willing to sell and can reach an agreement with the other party. As the rumours indicated, both Trion and Valve might have been options. Or they might have been just rumours. Richard Garriott also was mentioned as a potential buyer.
To date NCsoft hasn't appeared willing to sell any of their failed MMOs. Then there's the'reasonable fee' question – if CoH/V is drawing in US$12m a year, selling the game for US$8 – $10m means they are selling it for less than a year's revenue. That would be a bargain for whoever picked it up at that price (and most MMO sales are fire sales that offer up the IP for relatively low amounts, so even interested MMO buyers would have been looking to lowball NCsoft anyway). The new owners may end up growing CoH/V and stealing players from other NCsoft titles, which would be a terrible result for NCsoft.
It's a much safer from a management perspective for NCsoft to shutter their old games. At the very least they aren't handing a number of players directly to a competitor. And it doesn't matter that much if a number of CoH/V players say they'll never play an NCsoft title ever again if the next title they launch picks up more than they lost (and on that ground, Guild Wars 2 did start out strong).
A key thing to be considered here is. Very few MMOs get completely shut down the way CoH was, the norm when a game becomes unprofitable is to slash all non essential expenses. Running the game on a skeleton frame for little cost to the company. This shows good faith to the players. That the time and money they invest into a MMO from them will never be completely lost.
NCSoft has made moves like this before. So I choose to never spend my time and money on their games because there's a better chance I'll lose my investment with their MMOs than with other MMOs. One thing I'm extremely bitter about is I bought $100 worth of Paragon points 3 days before the (out of nowhere) shutdown announcement. I did this because they were advertising many new things we could soon get with our points. Including Super pack 2. But I never got the chance to buy what they advertised. I wasn't eligible for a refund because they only refunded Points bought AFTER they announced the shutdown. Which no one bought, So that was another sleezy move. Having the appearance of refunding people without actually giving back much. This is why I think it's no large stretch to call it unethical. It's unethical to promise someone something, then not deliver it after getting their money for it.
In the alternate universe where CoH/V players find out that NCsoft has slashed Paragon Studios back to a skeleton crew I would predict that it wouldn't have been taken as an act of good faith. Games that go into maintenance mode typically enter a death spiral they can't leave while the player base exits.
But yes, that's often typical of how MMOs are treated. So you end up with cases like the Matrix Online, which had something like 1 developer working on it. NCsoft has generally elected not to walk down that path – they support a MMO until it's apparent |
not reside. The situation is akin to owning a condominium. The condominium is yours, but it comes with a contract between you and the condominium association. In it, you agree to pay fees in exchange for specified services and to abide by the rules of the association. Of course, you have an equal vote with the other condominium owners concerning the budget and rules. However, if you have no intention of abiding by these rules, then you have no right to reside. Indeed, if the rules strike you as tyrannical, then you should move. There are many other places to live in the housing market.
Libertarians object that they should not have to move to another country if they wish not to abide by the social contract. Admittedly, this is a rather drastic and unappealing option; most people would be dismayed by a system that does not allow its members to solve their problems in place, but simply tells them to move elsewhere. Hold onto this dismay for a moment; we will show how libertarianism produces the same problem, only worse.
The libertarian objection to the social contract is inconsistent with their philosophy for two reasons. The first is that this is not an argument they would support concerning any other type of contract -- indeed, libertarians are spirited defenders of contracts in all other cases. The only difference between the contract of a condominium complex and that of a nation is the number of residents and level of complexity. Why, then, should one be honored, the other dishonored?
The second inconsistency is with their faith in markets. There is a market of nearly 200 nations to choose from, which is a very rich choice indeed, especially compared to domestic markets. (Can you name a brand of soup other than Campbell's or Lipton's?) Most people would have no trouble recognizing that the millions of foreigners trying to immigrate to the U.S. are the equivalent of customers making a selection on the market of social contracts. The same opportunities exist for libertarians. If they object to this market of contracts for any reason, then they must explain why recreating the same system on a smaller scale would prove any better.
Put another way, the objection to moving is inconsistent with the libertarian goal of awarding individuals sovereign rights to their property, since that would essentially recreate the market of nations on a smaller scale in our society. That is, landlords and business owners would become the rulers of their own pocket principalities, and renters and workers who disliked their conditions would simply be advised to look elsewhere on the market for jobs and apartments. Libertarians balk at the same principle on a larger scale, but they can't support a market of sovereign property owners only in those cases where it suits them.
Libertarians also object that there is no libertarian country to emigrate to. But if libertarians cannot find exactly what they want on the market of nations, that's because no one realistically expects a market to supply customers with exactly what they want -- just as no market produces cars which let you travel at the speed of sound and get 2,000 miles per gallon. And although libertarians may not find their desired nation, they would in fact find many nations with greater libertarian features than the U.S. Many Third World countries, for example, have far smaller tax rates and public sectors than ours. Most are less burdened with business regulations. Chile, for example, underwent 17 years of radical free-market reform under the guidance of the University of Chicago, and reduced its government as much as was humanly possible. (The result was South America's worst income inequality and pollution problems.) Some, like Somalia, even practice pure anarchy and Social Darwinism.
Of course, few people would want to live in these places. The flow of international emigration is from low-tax Third World countries to high-tax First World countries, not vice versa. And there is a reason, at least among democratic countries, why the richest and most appealing nations have the highest taxes. Liberals argue that prosperity results when the people commission their governments to look after the common interest; this comes in the form of economic infrastructure (like highways), public goods (like national defense) and law and order (not just against street crime, but business crime as well). Libertarians want a free lunch; they want the prosperity of America combined with the low taxes and regulation of Angola. However, this combination doesn't exist for a reason.
In fact, the "market of nations" is one that libertarians would applaud in any other circumstance. It is an anarchic international system with no super-government controlling emigration. And this market has been exposed to the concept of individual freedom for over 200 years. The complete lack of purely libertarian nations is therefore a problem for them. One could say that the winners in this free market are those nations which receive the most immigrants. Why, then, does immigration generally flow from the low-tax Third World to the high-tax First World? (To say that they are attracted to the handouts of the welfare state is to miss the point; why are welfare states generally richer than non-welfare states in the first place?) And why have governments almost universally grown larger, not smaller, over the last 200 years?
They can deny that there is a market of nations, in the face of obvious evidence that there is one.
They can claim it is not really a free market because force is involved. That is true: places like Cuba do not allow their citizens to emigrate. But then they cannot explain how the finer granularity they propose for their own system will stably solve this problem. At an ultimate level, the force must be there to determine ownership.
They can try to explain the lack as a market failure, but this conflicts with their rhetoric about market failures being due to interference within state controlled markets.
If they ignore that rhetoric, and demand some sort of regulation to produce the results they want, we then get to chide them for impractical inconsistency, and ask why we shouldn't regulate other markets as well.
Some libertarians protest that they have never signed the contract. But our society has long recognized the validity of implied contracts. For instance, eating dinner in a restaurant obligates you to pay for it, even though you haven't signed anything. Another example is boarding a train; passengers can often board without buying a ticket beforehand, but their mere presence on the train obligates them to buy one when the conductor comes around to collect. The train owner gets to set the method of agreement: he does not have to require any other proof of agreement than the passenger's boarding.
In fact, children are one of the greatest reasons why we need a social contract, and why it needs to be kept ongoing. Both children and immigrants represent continually arriving newcomers to the contract and the society it shapes. Therefore, they deserve an equal voice in renegotiating the contract (when of age), if we are pay anything more than lip service to the concept of equal opportunity in our society.
Consider what the libertarians propose in its stead: 100 percent property rights to individuals, which means that rich families could afford to send their kids off to college, and then on to lucrative careers; poor families would be trapped in intergenerational poverty. This is the makings of a caste system. Libertarians claim it is unfair that an accident of birth should condemn a person to live under an involuntary social contract. But they see nothing wrong with letting an accident of birth condemn a person to live under an involuntary economic contract. The social contract, with its periodic democratic elections, is the only system that gives newcomers the chance to voice their agreement and help shape the contract.
There are other reasons for a perpetual contract. Perhaps the most important is the U.S. is the owner of its territories, and there is no statute of limitations on either ownership or the rules stipulated by owners for the use of their property. Another reason why the contract needs to be kept ongoing is because law and order and the defense of property need to be kept ongoing.
Many libertarians criticize the social contract because it doesn't resemble other contracts. However, there are many different types of contracts, each with its own unique features, and just because they differ doesn't mean they are not contracts. Contracts come in many forms: written, oral and implied. Some rely on the courts or other third parties to correct breach of contract, others rely on their own enforcement mechanisms to primarily correct breach of contract (such as a landlord's stipulation of a cleaning deposit).
Some criticize the social contract because it can be unilaterally modified by the government. But so can other types of contracts: condominiums are a prime example. If the condominium association creates rules you don't agree with, you can try to persuade the other voting residents to change them. Or you can move somewhere else. There are other examples of unilaterally modified contracts: insurance and utility companies both can change their rates without your permission, and the best you can do is vote with your feet.
Another objection is that the social contract doesn't treat its members equally -- that is, it takes more from one group and gives more to another group. But so do insurance companies.
Yet another objection is that it's unfair for one of the members of the contract to be its enforcer. But our government is separated into independent branches, creating a system of checks and balances to prevent abuses of power. Citizens also have the vote, which allows them to control how the enforcer enforces.
Finally, some object that if you have to move to change your social contract, you are forced to dispossess yourself of your immovable property. That's just wrong: there are any number of absentee owners of property in the US. However, you are not being robbed of your property: you get to exchange it for its market value. You won't get a better deal with any rental when you have to |
ольського, який сам був при смерті Вернигори і записав його віщування.
Суть переказу
Персонаж одного з найбільших польських національних міфів. Український пророк козак Вернигора передбачив Коліївщину, крах Речі Посполитої наприкінці XVIII століття, довгі роки неволі, але врешті відродження Польщі та її процвітання.
Суть легенди про Мусія Вернигору: Вернигора — уродженець Лівобережної України. Близько 1766 року у його родині сталася трагедія. Вернигора вбив свою матір і брата. Про мотиви цього вчинку не повідомляють. Після цього він покинув рідне село й перебрався на Правобережжя, яке тоді було у складі Речі Посполитої. Пережитий шок стимулював апокаліптичні видіння. Вернигора став проповідувати в стані афекту, потім упадав в апатію і сон. Осів у Корсуні, де ним опікувався староста Суходольський. Він же уперше записав його пророцтва. Під час Коліївщини Вернигора підтримав Барську конфедерацію, вістря котрої було скероване проти Росії, опам'ятовував гайдамаків, навіть їздив на Запорозьку Січ й у Кримське ханство з метою прихилити на бік конфедератів запорожців і татар. Сам переховувався від гайдамаків.
Помер 1770 року. Під час російсько-турецької війни 1806—1812 років на прощу до могили Вернигори ходили селяни ледь не з усіх закутків України, тому царат заборонив прощу. Невдовзі могилу змила повінь (Вернигора передбачав, що могили не матиме).
Вернигора в літературі
Вернигора фігурує в творчості класиків польської літератури:
Станіслава Виспянського (в його славетному «Весіллі»).
Северина Гощинського — «Вернигора».
Юліана Словацького («Сон срібний Соломеї», «Беньовський», «Вацлав»).
Еразм Ізопольський в 1843 видав в «Atenaceum» думу про Вернигору.
Михайло Чайковський присвятив йому окремий твір — «Вернигора, український пророк, історична повість», який уперше вийшов друком у Парижі 1838 року.
Польські письменники, як-от Міхал Чайковський (українського походження), малювали Вернигору як українського козака, що виступав проти гайдамаччини (1768) і був ясновидцем, що провіщав будучину Польщі й України (зокрема, передбачив незвичайно точно три розділи Польщі).
Про Вернигору згадував Іван Котляревський в своїй «Енеїді», щоправда, розмістивши його в пеклі («…тут був Вернигора Мусій»).
Одна з найвідоміших картин Яна Матейка — «Вернигора». На першому плані на ній зображено дитину, що символізує світле майбутнє для поляків.
Є ще картина «Вернигора» Яцека Мальчевського.
Після 1926 року в літературних колах «Вернигорою Бельведерським» називали Юзефа Пілсудського.
Пророцтва Вернигори
Пророцтва Вернигори згідно з Йоахимом Лелевелем:
В польському краю незабаром зробиться великий заколот і брат змаже руки кров'ю брата свого і будуть грабежі, чужі вояки нароблять багато злого й вежі наповняться невільниками, потому із трьох сторін велика частина краю буде розірвана.
Поляки в ненависті до свого короля довго будуть продаватися, врешті вибухне пожежа війни й велика частина Польщі буде розібрана на три частини.
Один далекий нарід, замордувавши короля, повстане так, що стане страшним багатьом королям і князям, здавить одне королівство, а в відібраному від того малому краю повстане частина поляків і новий уряд (тлумачення цього пророцтва: Велика французька революція 1789 року)
У третьому році після повстання поляків буде у великій частині світу війна; потому посунеться силач Заходу й на чолі народів піде на Схід і Смоленськ здобуде, але в кінці буде скинений із вершка могутності й буде вигнаний на острів (Наполеон І Бонапарт)
Будуть з'їжджати |
\ \mathcal{P}_{k,r} =\left(
\begin{array}{c}
\mathcal{P}^{(1)}_{k,r} \\
\mathcal{P}^{(2)}_{k,r} \\
\end{array}
\right),\ \ \Omega_k = \left(
\begin{array}{cc}
\Omega^{(1)}_{k} & \\
& \Omega^{(2)}_{k} \\
\end{array}
\right),
\end{equation*}
where $$\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r},\mathcal{P}^{(1)}_{k,r},
\Omega^{(1)}_{k} \in \mathbb{R}^{r\times r},\
\mathcal{L}^{(2)}_{k,r}, \mathcal{P}^{(2)}_{k,r}\in
\mathbb{R}^{(k-r)\times r},\ \Omega^{(2)}_{k}\in
\mathbb{R}^{(k-r)\times (k-r)}.$$
Similarly, let us denote by $v^{(1)}$ the (block) vector, of
dimension $r$, containing the fundamental stages, and by $v^{(2)}$
the (block) vector, of dimension $k-r$, with the silent stages. One
then obtains the equations:
\begin{equation*}
\left(
\begin{array}{c}
v^{(1)} \\
v^{(2)} \\
\end{array}
\right)=u\otimes q_0+hc\otimes q'_0+h^2\left(
\begin{array}{c}
\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r} \\
\mathcal{L}^{(2)}_{k,r} \\
\end{array}
\right)
\left(
\begin{array}{c}
\mathcal{P}^{(1)}_{k,r} \\
\mathcal{P}^{(2)}_{k,r} \\
\end{array}
\right)^{\intercal}\left(
\begin{array}{cc}
\Omega^{(1)}_{k} & \\
& \Omega^{(2)}_{k} \\
\end{array}
\right)\otimes I_d\left(
\begin{array}{c}
f(v^{(1)} ) \\
f(v^{(2)} ) \\
\end{array}
\right),
\end{equation*}
which can be written as
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
&v^{(1)}=u^{(1)}\otimes q_0+hc^{(1)}\otimes q'_0+h^2
\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r}\mathcal{P}^{\intercal}_{k,r}\Omega_k\otimes
I_d\left(
\begin{array}{c}
f(v^{(1)} ) \\
f(v^{(2)} ) \\
\end{array}
\right),\\
&v^{(2)}=u^{(2)}\otimes q_0+hc^{(2)}\otimes q'_0+h^2
\mathcal{L}^{(2)}_{k,r} \mathcal{P}^{\intercal}_{k,r}\Omega_k\otimes
I_d\left(
\begin{array}{c}
f(v^{(1)} ) \\
f(v^{(2)} ) \\
\end{array}
\right),\\
\end{aligned}\label{v1v2}%
\end{equation}
where $c^{(1)}=(c_1,\ldots,c_r)^{\intercal}$,
$c^{(2)}=(c_{r+1},\ldots,c_{k})^{\intercal}$, $u^{(1)}$ and
$u^{(2)}$ are the unit vectors of length $r$ and $k-r$,
respectively.
From the first formula of \eqref{v1v2}, it follows that
\begin{equation*}\mathcal{P}^{\intercal}_{k,r}\Omega_k\otimes
I_d\left(
\begin{array}{c}
f(v^{(1)} ) \\
f(v^{(2)} ) \\
\end{array}
\right)=(h^2
\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r})^{-1}\otimes I_d [v^{(1)} -u^{(1)}\otimes
q_0-hc^{(1)}\otimes q'_0].
\end{equation*}
Inserting this result into the second formula of \eqref{v1v2} yields
\begin{equation}\begin{aligned}&v^{(2)}\\=&u^{(2)}\otimes
q_0+hc^{(2)}\otimes q'_0+h^2 \mathcal{L}^{(2)}_{k,r}(h^2
\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r})^{-1}\otimes I_d [v^{(1)} -u^{(1)}\otimes
q_0-hc^{(1)}\otimes q'_0]\\
=&\big(u^{(2)}-A_1u^{(1)}\big)\otimes
q_0+h\big(c^{(2)}-A_1c^{(1)}\big)\otimes q'_0+A_1\otimes I_d
v^{(1)},\end{aligned}\label{v2 result}%
\end{equation}
where $A_1=\mathcal{L}^{(2)}_{k,r}(\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r})^{-1}.$
Then, by setting the matrices
$$B_1=\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r}\mathcal{P}^{(1)\intercal}_{k,r}\Omega^{(1)}_k,\ \ B_2=\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r}\mathcal{P}^{(2)\intercal}_{k,r} \Omega^{(2)}_{k},$$
substituting \eqref{v2 result} into the first formula of
\eqref{v1v2} results in a discrete problem involving only the $r$
fundamental stages
\begin{equation*}\begin{aligned}v^{(1)}=&u^{(1)}\otimes q_0+hc^{(1)}\otimes q'_0+h^2 B_1\otimes I_d f(v^{(1)})+h^2 B_2\otimes I_d f(v^{(2)})\\
=&u^{(1)}\otimes q_0+hc^{(1)}\otimes q'_0+h^2 B_1\otimes I_d f(v^{(1)})\\
+&h^2 B_2\otimes I_d f\Big(\big(u^{(2)}-A_1u^{(1)}\big)\otimes
q_0+h\big(c^{(2)}-A_1c^{(1)}\big)\otimes q'_0+A_1\otimes I_d
v^{(1)}\Big).\\\end{aligned}\label{v1 result}%
\end{equation*}
Let
\begin{equation}\begin{aligned}\Psi(v^{(1)})=&v^{(1)}-u^{(1)}\otimes q_0-hc^{(1)}\otimes q'_0-h^2 B_1\otimes I_d f(v^{(1)})\\
&-h^2 B_2\otimes I_d f\Big(\hat{u}\otimes q_0+h\hat{c}\otimes
q'_0+A_1\otimes I_d
v^{(1)}\Big)\\\end{aligned}\label{v1 result}%
\end{equation}
with $$\hat{u}=u^{(2)}-A_1u^{(1)},\ \ \hat{c}=c^{(2)}-A_1c^{(1)}.$$
The application of the simplified Newton method for solving
\eqref{v1 result} then gives
\begin{equation} [I_{rd}-h^2\tilde{C}\otimes J_0] \delta_{l}=-\Psi(v^{(1)}_{l}), \ \ v^{(1)}_{l+1}=v^{(1)}_{l}+\delta_{l}, \label{Newton method v1 result}%
\end{equation}
where $J_0=\frac{\partial f(q_0)}{\partial q}$ and
\begin{equation}\label{tilde Cc}\tilde{C}=B_1+B_2A_1
=\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r}\mathcal{P}^{(1)\intercal}_{k,r}\Omega^{(1)}_k+\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r}\mathcal{P}^{(2)\intercal}_{k,r}
\Omega^{(2)}_{k}\mathcal{L}^{(2)}_{k,r}(\mathcal{L}^{(1)}_{k,r})^{-1}\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times
r}.\end{equation}
The following result holds true for the matrix $\tilde{C}$.
\begin{mytheo}\label{ |
1904, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, conducted by Sergei Rachmaninoff
5 March 1910, New York, first performance in the USA (in German), conducted by Gustav Mahler
29 May 1915, London, first performance in England (in Russian); staged by Vladimir Rosing.
Voice type
St. Petersburg premiere,
19 December (O.S. 7 December) 1890
(Conductor: Eduard Nápravník)
Kiev premiere,
31 December (O.S. 19 December) 1890
(Conductor: Iosif Pribik)
Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow premiere,
(Conductor: Ippolit Al'tani)
Herman tenor Nikolay Figner Mikhail Medvedev Mikhail Medvedev
Count Tomsky baritone Ivan Melnikov Dementyev Bogomir Korsov
Prince Yeletsky baritone Yakovlev Tartakov Pavel Khokhlov
Chekalinsky tenor Vasilyev II
Surin bass Frey
Chaplitsky tenor Kondraki
Narumov bass Sobolev
Master of Ceremonies tenor Yefimov
Countess mezzo-soprano Mariya Slavina Mariya Smirnova Aleksandra Krutikova
Liza soprano Medea Mei-Figner Aleksandra Matsulevich Mariya Deysha-Sionitskaya
Polina contralto Mariya Dolina Gnucheva
Governess mezzo-soprano Maria-Wilhelmina Pilz (Pilts)
Masha soprano Yunosova
Boy-Commander spoken
Prilepa soprano Olga Olgina
Milovzor contralto Fride (Friede)
Zlatogor baritone Klimov II
Chorus, silent roles: Nursemaids, governesses, wet-nurses, strollers, children, gamblers
Act 2 Intermezzo
Prilepa, or Chlöe soprano
Milovzor, or Daphnis contralto
Zlatogor, or Plutus baritone
Chorus, silent roles: Cupid, Hymen, shepherds and shepherdesses
Note: The contralto roles of Milovzor and Polina and the baritone roles of Zlatogor and Tomsky can be performed by the same singers. Prilepa has occasionally been double cast with Liza.
Time: The close of the 18th century
Place: St. Petersburg, Russia
During the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–96), children are at play in a St. Petersburg summer park pretending to be soldiers. Two soldiers — Tsurin and Chekalinsky — enter, the former complaining about his bad luck at gambling. They remark that another soldier, Herman, seems obsessed with the gaming table but never bets, being frugal and methodical. Herman appears with Tomsky, who remarks that his friend hardly seems like his old self: is anything bothering him? Herman admits he is in love with a girl above his station whose name he does not even know. When Prince Yeletsky, an officer, strolls into the park, Chekalinsky congratulates him on his recent engagement. Yeletsky declares his happiness while Herman, aside, curses him enviously. Yeletsky points out his fiancée, Liza, who has just appeared with her grandmother, the old Countess, once known as the Venus of Moscow. Catching sight of Herman, the two women note they have seen him before, staring at them with frightening intensity. Herman realizes that Liza is his unknown beloved. When Yeletsky and the women leave, Herman is lost in thought as the other officers discuss the Countess: known as the Queen of Spades, she succeeded at gambling in her youth by trading amorous favors for the winning formula of Count St. Germain in Paris. Tomsky says only two men, her husband and, later on, her young lover, ever learned her secret, because she was warned by an apparition to beware a "third suitor" who would try to force it from her. Musing on the magical three cards, the others lightly suggest that such a combination would solve Herman's problems. Threatened by approaching thunder, all leave except Herman, who vows to learn the Countess' secret.
At home, Liza plays the spinet as she and her friend Pauline sing a duet about evening in the countryside. Their girlfriends ask to hear more, so Pauline launches into a sad ballad, followed by a dancelike song. As the merriment increases, Liza remains pensively apart. A Governess chides the girls for indulging in unbecoming folk dancing and asks the visitors to leave. Pauline, the last to go, urges Liza to cheer up; Liza replies that after a storm there is a beautiful night and asks the maid, Masha, not to close the French windows to the balcony. Alone, Liza voices her unhappiness with her engagement; she has been stirred by the romantic look of the young man in the park. To her shock, Herman appears on the balcony. Claiming he is about to shoot himself over her betrothal to another, he begs her to take pity on him. When the Countess is heard knocking, Liza hides Herman and opens the door to the old woman, who tells her to shut the windows and go to bed. After the Countess retires, Liza asks Herman to leave but is betrayed by her feelings and falls into his embrace.
Not long afterward, at a masked ball, Herman's comrades comment on his obsession with the secret of the winning cards. Yeletsky passes with Liza, noting her sadness and reassuring her of his love. Herman receives a note from Liza, asking him to meet her later. Tsurin and Chekalinsky sneak up behind him, muttering he is the "third suitor" who will learn the Countess' secret, then melt into the crowd as Herman wonders whether he is hearing things. The master of ceremonies announces a tableau of shepherdesses. Liza slips Herman the key to her grandmother's room, saying the old woman will not be there the next day, but Herman insists on coming that very night. Thinking fate is handing him the Countess' secret, he leaves. The guests' attention turns to the imminent arrival of Catherine the Great, for which a polonaise by O. Kozlovsky is played and sung in greeting.
Herman slips into the Countess' room and looks in fascination at her portrait as a young woman. Their fates, he feels, are linked: one of them will die because of the other. He conceals himself as the old lady approaches. The Countess deplores the manners of today and reminisces about her youth, singing "Je crains de lui parler la nuit" (Laurette's Aria) from André Grétry's opera Richard Coeur-de-Lion. As she dozes off, Herman stands before her. She awakens in horror as he pleads with her to tell him her secret. When she remains speechless, he grows desperate and threatens her with a pistol — at which she dies of fright. Liza rushes in, only to learn that the lover to whom she gave her heart was more interested in the Countess' secret. She orders him out and falls sobbing.
In his room at the barracks, as the winter wind howls, Herman reads a letter from Liza, who wants him to meet her at midnight by the river bank. He imagines he hears the chorus chanting at the old Countess' funeral, then is startled by a knock at the window. The old woman's ghost appears, announcing that against her will she must tell him the secret so that he can marry and save Liza. Dazed, Herman repeats the three cards — three, seven, ace.
By the Winter Canal, Liza waits for Herman: it is already near midnight, and though she clings to a forlorn hope that he still loves her, she sees her youth and happiness swallowed in darkness. At last he appears, but after uttering words of reassurance, he starts to babble wildly about the Countess and her secret. No longer even recognizing Liza, he rushes away. Realizing that all is lost, she commits suicide.
At a gambling house, Herman's fellow officers are finishing supper and getting ready to play faro. Yeletsky, who has not gambled before, joins the group because his engagement has been broken: "unlucky in love, lucky at cards." Tomsky entertains the others with a song. Then Chekalinsky leads a traditional gamblers' song. Settling down to play, they are surprised when Herman arrives, wild and distracted. Yeletsky senses a confrontation and asks Tomsky to be his second if a duel should result. Herman, intent only on betting, starts with 40,000 rubles. He bets the three and wins, upsetting the others with his maniacal expression. Next he bets the seven and wins again. At this he takes a wine glass and declares that life is but a game. Yeletsky accepts his challenge to bet on the next round. Herman bets the ace but is confronted by Yeletsky with the winning card — the queen of spades. Seeing the Countess' ghost laughing at her vengeance, Herman takes his own life and asks Yeletsky's and Liza's forgiveness. The others pray for his tormented soul.
Principal arias and |
for emulation. "On the contrary, the most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective." — Margaret Sanger. "The Eugenic Value of Birth Control Propaganda." Birth Control Review, October 1921, page 5.
"Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race."
— Margaret Sanger. Woman, Morality, and Birth Control. New York: New York Publishing Company, 1922. Page 12.
"We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population and the minister is the man who can straighten out the idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members." — Woman's Body, Woman's Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America. p. 332-333, New York: Grossman Publishers, 1976
"[Because of birth control], child slavery, prostitution, feeble mindedness, physical deterioration, hunger, oppression and war will disappear from the earth. There will come a Plato who will be understood, a Socrates who will drink no hemlock, and a Jesus who will not die upon the cross. These and the race that is to be in America await upon a motherhood that is to be sacred because it is free." Margaret Sanger. Woman and the New Race. Brentanos, 1922, page 161
In addition to her racist ideologies, Sanger, like her other New World Order cohorts, was committed not to reducing the global population but a New Age in which a "new race" of humanity could enter the New World Order. And this Order would celebrate human intellect and achievement while eliminating Biblical Christianity.
As detailed in our article on the X-Men: First Class movie, the founders of the eugenics movement saw their work as spiritual. They felt eugenics was their religion and were committed to carrying out its satanic agenda. Their first publication was called Lucifer Magazine in honor of Satan himself.
The Lucifer Light-Bearer Journal whose name was later changed to the more acceptable 'Journal of Eugenics.'
Later on the name of the magazine was changed to the American Journal of Eugenics. But at its core, the eugenics movement leads right back to Satan. And of course the sin of murder of the innocent, in this case, the unborn is a critical element.
Today, Planned Parenthood still is disproportionately located in predominately African American and/or Latino neighborhoods. According to a 2009 study of the entire nation, 83% of abortion facilities are in minority neighborhoods. Pastor Patrick Dye of Macedonia Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina was so outraged at the injustice that he used his church sign to call out Planned Parenthood for promoting abortion in minority neighborhoods.
Macedeonia Baptist Church used their sign to protest the actions of the abortion industry.
"I cannot be silent and just say that's somebody else's problem or I'm not dark enough to care about that issue. I can't do that," Pastor Dye told WIS-TV. "This is the crime of America." Dye told the station that Planned Parenthood is targeting African-Americans to get abortions. "Planned Parenthood purposely locates in minority communities," Dye told WIS. "The Planned Parenthood clinic is located at the edge of a white community, but right there within walking distance of the housing project on Forest Drive and Two Notch Road." (source).
President Obama, a Christian, has been an outspoken advocate of abortion.
President Barak Obama, the first African American President, who professes to be a Christian, has been an ardent supporter of murder of the unborn. He has said on record that abortions will allow his daughters to not have to deal with a "mistake" of pregnancy and be "punished" with a baby. Not only is Obama in favor of abortion, he even opposed laws to protect babies who happen to survive an abortion. Rather than provide medical care to those babies who are able to live through the horrific abortion procedure, Obama voted to have the babies receive no medical care (as shown in the video below):
Obama said it was his Christian faith that led him to "evolve" and support gay marriage based on the principle "do unto others as you have them do unto you." His support for homosexual rights has been so strong, he has been dubbed by Newsweek Magazine as "America's First Gay President." Why has he not "evolved" on the issue of murder of the unborn? Does the Golden Rule not apply to them?
Planned Parenthood continues to heavily market itself to the African American community. This year it sponsored the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, one of the largest African American cultural events in America. The Planned Parenthood booth featured TV personalities, singers and political leaders such as the Reverend Al Sharpton.
Godly Statistics
In areas of spirituality, African Americans are over-represented.
While these statistics are incredibly sad there are some very positive and phenomenal statistics when it comes to the African American community and their spiritual lives. According to the Pew Research Forum, over 90% of African Americans identify with a Christian denomination. Among the other findings:
"Additionally, several measures illustrate the distinctiveness of the black community when it comes to religious practices and beliefs. More than half of African-Americans (53%) report attending religious services at least once a week, more than three-in-four (76%) say they pray on at least a daily basis and nearly nine-in-ten (88%) indicate they are absolutely certain that God exists. On each of these measures, African-Americans stand out as the most religiously committed racial or ethnic group in the nation. Even those African-Americans who are unaffiliated with any religious group pray nearly as often as the overall population of mainline Protestants (48% of unaffiliated African-Americans pray daily vs. 53% of all mainline Protestants). And unaffiliated African-Americans are about as likely to believe in God with absolute certainty (70%) as are mainline Protestants (73%) and Catholics (72%) overall". (source)
Despite centuries of slavery, Jim Crow laws, segregation and oppression, African American people in large numbers have been over-represented in belief and worship of The Lord. These statistics should be celebrated. So while the Earthly blessings may have been disproportionately denied a group of people due to American's history, they are certainly disproportionately rich in eternal blessing and salvation in Jesus Christ. However with the mass media, Hollywood, apostate churches and the first African American President pushing the use of Planned Parenthood as a means of "reproductive freedom" and "women's rights" the respect for the Bible's standards on life has waned.
The Bible is clear – life begins at conception.
Pray against the efforts of Planned Parenthood and the New World Order agenda to reduce the population for the "fit races." The Bible is clear that life begins in the womb and it should not be a place of danger but a place of love and nurturing. When Jacob was tricked into marrying both Rachel, the love of his life, and her sister Leah, they had the children who would be come the namesakes of the tribes of Israel. Notice how the Bible describes each child:
And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. Pray for Christians across America to no longer compromise on this issue. — Genesis 30:22-24.
Life in the Bible begins at conception. Pray for a spiritual revival of God's standard for the value of innocent life and pray that all people, of all nationalities, can hear God's Word and heed it in repentance and love.
Prosperity Pastor Creflo Dollar Requests $65 Million To Buy New Luxury Jet
Chinese Government Demolishes Christian Megachurch
285 Christian Converts arrested in Iran - Pastor has Death Sentence Overturned
Prayers For Charleston
Christian Cafe Owner Threatened with Arrest for Displaying Bible Verses
Christians in Mexico: "Leave this Town or Be Crucified"
Report from Eritrea: 3 More Christians Die in Prisons. Total Deaths Now at 21
The Pink Ouija Board - The Occult for Kids
Filed Under: Christian News, Political Issues
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jameccia says
Great article B&E. I think some of this may come from the churches not preaching about the sin of abortion enough. I use to attend Victory and never once have I heard a sermon about abortion or even classes about the sin of it. On top of not teaching the danger of fornication and adultery. If you are not fornicating or committing adultery you can not get pregnant unless you're raped. These two sins opens the gates of hell for most people. I didn't realize the numbers were go high though. Thanx B&E….
Beginning and End says
You're welcome. And thanks for making a great point about the lack of preaching on this issue.
misc says
I'm an Afro American woman, and I've had an abortion… I'm actually in the middle of this issue.. I believe it was |
'S SAND CAMO MATERIAL!
It is going to take us some time to update all of the listings to include all of the flag color options. If the flag that you want has not been updated yet, you can still place your order online. Just list in the comment section that you would like to change the flag color to pink or purple. In order to get to the comment section of the order form, you must choose a flag color. Just pick one, It doesn't matter. We will always email you back to verify your order. To see what the shades look like, check out the BLANK FLAGS category.
I'm confused, do you have checkered flag material available?
Sorry at this time we have not found checkered flag material that is a high enough quality for our standards.
What are the flags made out of?
The flags are made out of "Sport Nylon" or "200 Denier Oxford Nylon".
Both fabrics have a Dupont finish that is supposed to help resist water.
These flags are NOT the cheapy flags that everybody else sells. They are made to last MORE than one riding season. We've had customers tell us they've been using the same flag for 3+ years.
Put it this way....You will probably get tired of your flag before it wears out.
Can I mount my flag on my truck, car or motorcycle and drive it down the highway/freeway?
Are you crazy!!!! These flags are "trail flags". Don't call us up when you stupidly put it on your car/truck and drive it down the road at 75 mph and complain that your flag looks not so perfect.
What did you think was going to happen!
These flags can take a beating but they are not made for the highway/freeway!
Will my flag fit on a lighted whip?
YES, since we make these flags all to order, we can adjust the sleeves of the flags so they will fit your lighted whips. When we email you back with your order recap, just let us know you have a lighted whip. Or add it to the comment section of the order form. It's located towards the end of the checkout process.
How is my image put onto the flag?
Images are embroidered onto the material on BOTH sides of the flag.
We can't have your riding around with one side blank!
Can I put a photograph of my atv, dirt bike, sand rail, girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, cat, dog on a flag?
No. It's too hard to put photos of people, animals, or objects on flags.
We can do cartoon characters, drawings, logos, etc.
BUT NO PICTURES OF REAL PEOPLE OR OBJECTS.
Do you charge a setup or digitizing fee?
If you go to your local shop or look online, digitizing would cost you anywhere for $100-$250 for 1 design and that's just CRAZY!!! If we are unable to digitize your logo, there is always the option of using a 3rd party to digitize your logo. Fair warning, it's expensive!
I like the flag that is listed on your website, but what changes can I make to it?
You can change anything and everything. All flags listed on the website can be changed to suit your needs. You can change the flag color. You can change the logo color. You can change the font color. Don't like the style of of font used, you can change that too. You can change the names or sayings on the flags. The possibilities are endless. Whatever you want, you can have. When ordering, just list everything you want on your flag in the comment section of the order form. If no comments are left, we will assume that you want your flag just as pictured. But don't worry, we will email you back to verify exactly what you want on your flags.
Where is the comment box located?
Towards the very end of the checkout process, their is a tiny box labeled "comments".
List everything that you want on your flag in that box. Don't worry, we'll email you back verifying your order so we make your flag exactly how you want it.
What if I already have a whip/pole, how do I attach one of your flags to my pole?
The flags come with easy installation directions along with a zip tie and metal clamp that will attach the flag to your pole.
There is a nylon strap inside the sleeve of the flag. Simply slide your pole through the sleeve of the flag. Using your thumb and index finger, push the top of the flag down exposing the nylon strap. When the nylon strap is exposed, take the cable tie and secure it around both the nylon strap and whip. Cut off any excess cable tie. Repeat the same process for the bottom of the flag, but instead of using the zip tie, use the metal clamp. Tighten down hose clamp with a screwdriver so it secures the strap to the pole. Push the flag material back up. When done properly, you will not be able to see the zip tie or metal clamp.
Do the flags come with poles?
NO. Sorry the flags DO NOT come with poles.
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE A POLE?
It's too hard for me to ship poles these days. Plus it's really expensive. The post office charges me an arm and a leg to mail them plus I have to buy the shipping tubes which aren't cheap. But to help everybody out, I will tell you where I get them from and they are a lot cheaper than what everybody else sells them for!!!! They will run you 4-5 DOLLARS!!!!
I buy the 48" AND 72" black or white poles.
The 4 foot 5/16 poles are 48" 312 poles.
This company just sells the poles. They don't come with mounts. So if you don't already have one, you would have to purchase a quick release holder. You can find them online for about $10.
How do I clean my flag?
Clean with soapy water and a damp cloth.
How do I order a custom flag?
My design has been approved. How do I order my flag?
Once your design has been approved you can either request a bill to be emailed to you or you can come back into Devil Woman Flags and use the listing on the homepage that says "Purchase Custom Designs Here" ALL CUSTOM FLAGS MUST BE PAID FOR IN ADVANCE BEFORE WE WILL EVEN WORK ON YOUR DESIGN OR MAKE YOUR FLAG.
I just want a saying on my flag. Do I have to fill out the "Have a Design In Mind" form?
No. If you just want a saying on a flag, there is no need to fill out the "Have a Design In Mind Form". You can either purchase your flag using the "Purchase Custom Designs Here" link located on the homepage of Devil Woman Flags or you can use a listing under "Font Choices". Use the listing that corresponds with the font you would like used on your flag. Another cool thing to check out. Go to dafont.com You can type in your saying and it will give you a preview of what your saying will look like. I can download their fonts to my computer to use for your flag. All I need to know is the name of the font.
How soon will I receive my flag once I have placed an order?
Flags are made on a first come, first serve basis. Since these flags have become so popular, it usually takes at least a week to receive your order. BUT if you need your flag sooner or by a specific date, please let us know and we will try our best to get your flag to you in time. During Holidays such as HALLOWEEN, THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS, PRESIDENT'S DAY, SPRING BREAK, MEMORIAL DAY, LABOR DAY and 4th OF JULY, we are backed up at least 2-3 weeks on orders. If you are planning to order flags during these times, please order early to ensure that you will receive your flags in time for your trips. We try very hard to ensure that everybody who needs their orders by a specific date, receives them by the date needed.
Once you place an order, we will keep you updated on the status of your order.
Why does it take so long for me to receive my flag?
Devil Woman Flags is just a small business. And we really mean just a SMALL business. It's only me (Barbara) making the flags. While my kids are at school, I sit here all day long and sew. But don't worry, if you need your flag by a specific date, just let me know and I'll try my best to get your flag to you in time. I'm rarely unable to fulfill a request. But please don't order your flag on Wednesday and expect to receive it by Friday. I'm fast, but not that fast!
I just placed my order. What happens now?
We will email you back to verify your order. We want to make sure we understand exactly what you want on your new flag(s). If you place an order on the weekend, we will email you back Monday morning.
How are the flags shipped?
We ship all of our items via US Post Office.
Devil Woman Flags currently accepts PAYPAL, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, checks and money orders.
HOW DO I TALK TO A REAL PERSON? I DON'T WANT TO PLACE MY ORDER OVER A WEBSITE?
It's easy plus I like talking to people!!!! Just give me a call at |
1: Variadic templates -- Euclidean distance on tuples
`std::tuple` is a standard library type that represents a collection of heterogenous elements. It is an extension of the old-fashioned `std::pair` type for more than two types. Here are some basic operations you can perform with tuples:
```
std::tuple<int, std::string, double> tup(42, "Alfred", 3.14);
tup = make_tuple(17, "Henrietta", 0.0);
std::string name = std::get<1>(tup);
```
Implement the following function, that finds the Euclidean distance between two points in *n*-dimensional space represented by tuples of integers or floating-point values:
```
template <typename Tup1, typename Tup2>
double euclidean_distance(Tup1 const &tup1, Tup2 const &tup2);
```
Euclidean distance is defined by the following formula: `sqrt( (x[0] - y[0])^2 +... + (x[n] - y[n])^2 )`, in other words the square root of the sum of square differences pair-wise between two points.
Usage example:
```
auto distance = euclidean_distance(make_tuple(1, 2), make_tuple(4, 6));
// distance should be sqrt(3^2 + 4^2) = 5
```
Hints:
* Use the `std::get<I>(tup)` function to obtain a tuple element at index `I`
* Note that the `std::get<I>` function works only if the parameter `I` is a compile-time constant; you can't just write a `for` loop that goes over all the elements in the tuple :-)
* The inner calculation can be recursive in terms of the current tuple element index with a base case 0
* Even if the tuples have a mix of integers and floating-point elements, do all the calculations with `double`s
* To find the number of elements in a tuple, use the `std::tuple_size` class template (e.g. if `Tup1` is a type of a tuple, `std::tuple_size<Tup1>::value` is the number of elements in the tuple)
> If you're really stuck, fill in the following skeleton that contains the core of the recursive solution:
>
template <int I> struct helper {
template <typename Tup1, typename Tup2>
static double sum_squared_deltas(Tup1 const& tup1, Tup2 const& tup2) {... }
};
template <> struct helper<0> {
template <typename Tup1, typename Tup2>
static double sum_squared_deltas(Tup1 const& tup1, Tup2 const& tup2) {... }
};
#### Lab 2: Compile-time computation -- `get<T>` for `tuple`s
C++ 14 introduces a very useful function for working with tuples: `get<T>`. Here's an example of how it works. Note that if the type doesn't appear exactly once in the tuple, the result should be a compilation error (not a runtime exception).
```
auto tup = std::make_tuple(4.0, "Evelyn", 52);
std::get<double>(tup) = 3.0;
std::cout << std::get<int>(tup) << '\n';
```
If you already have a standard library that supports C++ 14, good for you, but we're still going to implement this facility ourselves. Here is the general sketch of a possible solution:
* Build a class template `count` that you can invoke as follows: `count<T, T1, T2,..., Tn>::value` which returns the number of times `T` appears in the list of types that follow. This can be done by a simple specialization for `count<T>` and `count<T, Head, Tail...>`.
* Build a class template `find` that you can invoke as follows: `find<T, T1, T2,..., Tn>::value` which returns the first index at which the type `T` appears in the list of types that follow. This can be done in a very similar way to `count`. (If `T` doesn't appear in the list of types specified, you can cause a compile-time error or simply return -1.)
Now, the `get<T>` function can use these helpers to call the standard `get<I>` function:
```
template <typename T, typename... Ts>
T& get(std::tuple<Ts...>& tup) {
static_assert(count<T, Ts...>::value == 1, "T must appear exactly once");
return std::get<find<T, Ts...>::value>(tup);
}
```
#### Lab 3: Trait and member detection -- `operator==` constraint for linear search
We would like to assert the necessary constraint when performing a linear search (such as what the STL `find` algorithm does). Specifically, the element we're looking for must be "equatable" (using `operator==`) to the elements in the input sequence.
Starting from the following code, add a static assertion that verifies the above constraint (in other words, checks that `val` can be compared to `*first` using `operator==`).
```
template <typename It, typename T>
It linear_search(It first, It last, T const& val) {
for (; first!= last &&!(val == *first); ++first)
;
return first;
}
```
There is no single correct solution, because there are many options. For example, you can try using the `void_t` approach, or the `constexpr`-function-based approach, to detect whether the necessary member exists.
> Note: Visual Studio 2015 doesn't have full support for expression SFINAE yet, which means your code might fail if you use the standard `void_t` approach. Try a different compiler, or Visual Studio 2015 Update 2.
#### Lab 4: Trait and member detection -- strings aren't containers, arrays are
The solution we built for detecting containers (`is_container`) is adequate for classic STL containers like `vector` and `map`, but it has two issues:
* It thinks `string` is a container, because it has a nested `::iterator` type. Although it is technically correct, we don't really want to treat strings as containers for the purpose of serialization or debug-printing.
* It thinks built-in arrays (like `int[5]`) are not containers, because they don't have a nested `::iterator` type. Again, for the purpose of serialization we would actually want to treat built-in arrays as containers.
Begin from the following `is_container` detector and fix the two problems above. Test your changes by using static assertions and also by using the `dump` method to print out a string and an array, and make sure you get the desired behavior.
```
// NOTE: Your standard library might already define void_t, in which case this declaration is not required
template <typename T>
using void_t = void;
template <typename T, typename = void>
struct is_container : std::false_type {
};
template <typename T>
struct is_container<T, void_t<typename T::iterator>> : std::true_type {
};
template <typename T>
void dump(std::ostream& os, T const& val);
template <typename T>
void dump(std::ostream& os, T const& val, std::true_type) {
os << "<<< begin container of type " << typeid(T).name() << " >>>\n";
for (auto const& elem : val) {
dump(os, elem);
}
os << "<<< end container >>>\n";
}
template <typename T>
void dump(std::ostream& os, T const& val, std::false_type) {
os << "plain value: " << val << '\n';
}
template <typename T>
void dump(std::ostream& os, T const& val) {
dump(os, val, std::integral_constant<bool, is_container<T>::value>{});
}
```
> Hint: specialize `is_container` for strings and arrays. Specifically, strings are instantiations of the `std::basic_string<CharT, Traits, Allocator>` template, and arrays can be detected by specializing for their type and element count: `template <typename T, size_t N> struct is_container<T[N]>...`.
#### Lab 5: Overload management with `enable_if`
A common pattern with library classes that want to eliminate unnecessary copies is a constructor that takes a *universal reference* (also known as *forwarding reference*). By |
travelers from Easter Island must have crossed the oceans thousands of years ago and colonized Pakistan. Sadly, they left behind their giant-stone-statue-staring-out-to-sea technology, and thus caused their descendants in Pakistan to miss out on a really great gig selling fake stone heads to tourists. The moral of the story: always consider the marketing tie-ins! Believe it or not!
– Bob Jarvis - Reinstate Monica
Apophenia. Pareidolia
It seems I was a great linguist when I was 3, fluently reading and writing Rapa Nui and Indus Valley.
– Greg
The supposed relationship between rongorongo (the Rapa Nui script) and the Indus Valley script was proposed in a 1932 article by the Hungarian engineer Vilmos Hevesy (Guillaume de Hevesy).
I'm not sure where the picture in the question is from, but many of the symbols shown do look very similar to those in de Hevesy's article:
At the time, there were very few accessible rongorongo texts for comparison, so it was not immediately apparent that several of the rongorongo glyphs illustrated in Hevesy's publications had been modified and the supposed relationships were, in fact, spurious.
Dr. Alfred Métraux was the first to highlight the problem in a 1938 article published in the review Anthropos. The demolition of de Hevesy's theory is detailed and brutal. In the article, Métraux observed that:
In order to stress the likeness between two signs, Mr Hevezy has too often changed the proportions between the respective elements of the signs.
However, there was no suggestion that de Hevesy had perpetrated a deliberate fraud, or that his 1932 paper had been a hoax. Rather, the most vitriolic comments in Métraux's paper were reserved for those who had uncritically accepted de Hevesy's 1932 theory.
Dr Métraux sent a copy of the article, with a dedication to Sr J. Imbelloni, of the Argentine Museum of National History. Sr Imbelloni, writing in the Journal of the Polynesian Society, commented on the matter as follows:
... most of the analogies exist only in Hevesy's reproductions, whereas they disappear when compared with those of the original series, "this gentleman, moved by his enthusiasm, having slightly modified the original symbols, and accentuated similitudes which otherwise might perhaps never have suggested themselves."
The quote is, presumably, from the dedication. So, over-enthusiasm from de Hevesy, but a failure to properly peer-review his work by Métraux's fellow professionals.
Although there are some similarities between some symbols in the two scripts, these are relatively few in number. On the other hand, there are significant differences differences between them - not least in the direction of writing. As Dr. Métraux observed in his 1938 article:
No unbiased man who studies the tablets and the Indus script can fail to notice the enormous difference, not only in the system, but in the form and type of the signs.
If you are interested, the full story is described in Rongorongo: The Easter Island Script : History, Traditions, Texts by Steven R. Fischer, (pp147-153).
To date, the rongorongo script remains undeciphered, but the work of Thomas Barthel in the 1950s (notably, his 1958 book Grundlagen zur Entzifferung der Osterinselschrift), has catalogued the Rongorongo corpus. On the basis of that catalogue, Dr Barthel argued that Rongorongo was not a development unique to Easter Island, but was part of an original Polynesian heritage.
sempaiscubasempaiscuba
While the theory could have been sensational, I suspect that Hinducentric works are responsible for most of its spread. That raises the question, then, of how sensational it was, and how broadly the original "hoax" spread. The original hoax is the most historical part of this answer... not saying that's a bad thing.
@JohnDee I think it is unfair to characterise de Hevesy's work as a 'hoax'. He was certainly over-enthusiastic in looking for parallels between the scripts, but probably not much more than that. The theory certainly spread around the world. It was one of the catalysts for further research into the rongorongo script. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the theory was comprehensively demolished by Dr. Métraux, it keeps re-appearing - often (but by no means always) on sites which also reference ancient aliens & the Illuminati!
– sempaiscuba
The other thing is pictographic glyphs aren't exactly random; they are meant to represent real-world things which a person might want to record. The odds of two unrelated pictographic writing systems both having stick-figure representations of a person as glyphs have to be nearly 100%.
– T.E.D. ♦
@T.E.D. Yep. And that reductionist pattern we recognise in those anthroponorphic sticks that are similar. The more abstract ones diverge in total. Unfortunately many tables showcasing our phoenician alphabet also only display a subset, establishing the short excerpt sample 'tradition' like in the OP, despite less than 30 glyphs being necessary for total comparison. Even that seems too long for most.
– LаngLаngС
It should be now regarded as a legitimately researched line of possible inquiry that turned out to be completely bogus based on spurious correlational observations.
An early enthusiast for this observation was Albert Étienne Jean-Baptiste Terrien de Lacouperie who noted in 1894 in his book
"Beginnings of writing in central and eastern Asia, or, Notes on 450 embryo-writings and scripts":
A closer comparison with plates i. to viii. of the Elements of South Indian Palceography soon showed me that I was on the right track. And a further study of the Vaihu characters and their analysis by comparing the small differences (vocalic notation) existing between several of them, convinced me that they are nothing else than a decayed form of the above writing of Southern India returning to the hieroglyphical stage. With this clue, the inscriptions of Easter Island are no more a sealed text. They can easily be read after a little training. Their language is Polynesian, and I can say that the vocabulary of the Samoan dialect has proved very useful to me for the purpose.
It is useless to dwell on the importance of this little paleographical discovery for the history of civilization, and its dissemination eastwards.
(p30)
Unfortunately, this guru has kept much of his secrets. No further evidence for this claim appears, but it is equally easy to read the slightly esoteric "everything's connected" theme as a hint.
Q: What's the explanation for the similarities seen between the Rapa Nui script and the Indus Valley Script? … Is it really a coincidence?
No, it is not even a coincidence. While some glyphs, as presented above, may seem similar, looking at the originals tells quite a different story. The number of glyphs that have some resemblance from each scripts is indeed quite low altogether.
The two systems are apart in space, time, culture, language, history, you name it. There is not much connection to be found at all, except that both were developed by human beings and compared by Western scholars. Some of those researchers may have been quite motivated to see something. So much so that when this was first reported they distorted the sparse evidence that was available. A tendency that apparently survived outside of academia.
This is a funny story since sites like "ancient wisdom" still inspire great confidence to the notion that there is a very mystical connection (Easter Island - Indus Valley Scripts). As it is discussed frequently (Quora: How can you explain the similarities between the writings found on Easter Island and the ones found in the Indus Valley (two places 20,000 km away)?) some look at the scholarly debate seems to be instructive.
In the first half of the 20th century a heated debate ensued; examples:
Guillaume de Hevesy: "The Easter Island and the Indus Valley Scripts. (Ad a critical study Mr. Métraux's)", Anthropos, Bd. 33, H. 5./6. (Sep. - Dec., 1938), pp. 808-814:
Thus, I think, enough proofs have been furnished of the biassed spirit and moreover of the levity with which Métraux has dealt here with a scientific matter. As to several other statements of his, no less inaccurate then those I have mentioned his stricture on the above, including Cuna-Script, I rely upon the authority of Prof. von Heine-Geldern (whose superb study of the Easter Island script happily appears in this same number of the "Anthros" determine whether there is substantial of nor them. I leave pos"), to any Likewise, it to the readers of these lines to decide whether a prejudiced attitude may be a sufficient excuse for the way in which Métraux has worked - or not worked.
In any case they will agree that one cannot take very seriously the meddling in science of a person, who, like Métraux, employ such slipshod, frivolous and methods for his studies as I have when the prevaricating shown, especially authority particularly refers, Hunter, regard to whom he viz. declares with that he has read it "with and when another work |
ipas. "Nobody anticipated this kind of success. Nobody saw this tsunami coming." As part of the government program, car dealers provided vouchers, of either $3,500 or $4,500, to consumers who trade in used vehicles with low fuel efficiency. The consumers used the vouchers to purchase new vehicles. The dealers destroyed the engines with a sodium silicate solution, and then the cars were scrapped.
But not everyone views this type of scrapping as beneficial to the environment. Michael Wilson, executive vice president of the Automotive Recyclers Association, described the destruction of the engine as a wasteful process. The transmission in a clunked car also becomes unusable, he said. The engine and the transmission are the most valuable parts of any vehicle and require the most resources to manufacture, Wilson said. "To produce an engine takes more energy than any other part," said Wilson. "We think that [Cash for Clunkers] is going to have a minimal environmental benefit to it, if any."
Maybe so, but Osann of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy said the program may have pushed consumers to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles. "It appeared that most of the truck owners who participated in the program drove away in a car," said Osann. "We did not anticipate that." And Pipas, the Ford analyst, said the program had a "halo effect." He said it steered consumers toward fuel-efficient vehicles like his company's Focus.
The Focus was one of the most popular vehicles purchased by consumers participating in the program, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Edmunds.com, along with the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. "Programs that benefit the economy and benefit the environment are strange bedfellows," said Pipas. "They usually don't share the same hotel room, or the same hotel."
Bank of Israel Raises Key Rate, First Bank to Act
The Bank of Israel raised the benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, the first central bank to lift rates since signs of an easing in the global recession started in the second quarter. Governor Stanley Fischer increased the lending rate to 0.75 percent, the Jerusalem-based central bank said today in a statement, after keeping it at a record low since March. Two of 12 economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast the increase, while the rest expected Fischer to hold the rate steady.
The decision "strikes a balance between the need to moderate inflation and the need to continue to support the recent recovery in economic activity," the bank said. "Setting the interest rate at the low level of 0.75 percent continues to represent an expansionary monetary policy." Fischer has been backing away from economic stimulus measures since July 27, after the inflation rate slid into the target range for only one month before rebounding back out. The Israeli, French, German and Japanese economies all returned to growth in the second quarter, prompting Fischer to say on Aug. 21 that "the first signs of global growth have appeared."
"We have a picture of economic recovery right now, which you see elsewhere in the world," said Jonathan Katz, an economist at HSBC Securities who predicted the increase. At the same time, "Israel is one of the few countries in the world where inflation is running above target at three and half percent, and Fischer's mandate is to try and bring it down between 1 and 3 percent." The shekel strengthened to 3.7957 per dollar at 6:06 p.m. from 3.8110 just before the decision. The benchmark Mimshal Shiklit closed down 0.05 shekel at 105.65 before the decision.
Israel posted inflation rates of 3.5 percent in July and 3.6 percent in June, above the 1 percent to 3 percent target range. Fischer had cut the key interest rate to a record 0.5 percent and purchased foreign currency and government bonds to bolster an economy that contracted an annualized 3.2 percent in the first quarter. The steps taken by the central bank appear to be working. The economy expanded an annualized 1 percent in the second quarter and an index of leading economic indicators increased a preliminary 1.2 percent in July, the third consecutive gain.
Fischer announced on July 27 that he would halt bond purchases and on Aug. 10 that he would end set purchases of foreign currency. He said the bank would buy foreign currency in the event of "unusual movements" in the shekel. The bank bought some $200 million in the foreign-currency market on Aug. 18, according to Moshe Nir, a currency trader in Tel Aviv at Mercantile Discount Bank Ltd.
Higher interest rates and an end to purchases of foreign currency run the risk of strengthening the shekel. Forty-five percent of Israel's gross domestic product comes from exports and the shekel has gained about 3 percent against the dollar since June 30, reducing company profits. "If they start hiking rates there will be much more pressure on the currency to appreciate," said Tevfik Aksoy, an economist with Morgan Stanley & Co. "Exports have yet to recover."
Bank of America Shuns Sales of Card Debt, Ducks Subprime Label
Bank of America Corp., saddled with the worst credit-card default rates among its biggest rivals, is shunning the asset-backed securities market it tapped for $13.7 billion last year. JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and American Express Co. are among issuers that sold $21 billion of card-backed debt this year through the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, a Federal Reserve lending program to spur bond sales. Bank of America, the only major card-issuer that didn't sell any, lacks enough quality loans in its credit-card trust to sell TALF bonds without being labeled a subprime issuer.
"I don't doubt that Bank of America would like to re- engage that market," said Michael Nix, who helps manage $600 million, including shares of the lender, at Greenwood Capital Associates in Greenwood, South Carolina. "The credit-card securitization market is starting to thaw, but there still isn't a lot of demand, so the cost of issuance may be higher than the bank thinks is worthwhile." Bank of America's 13.82 percent credit-card default rate in July, the highest among the biggest lenders, helps explain why loans in its credit-card trust are shy of the threshold that would allow it to sell debt through TALF and be labeled a prime issuer.
Just 68 percent of the loans have FICO scores above 660, Barclays Capital said in an Aug. 17 research note. Anything below 70 percent brands the issuer subprime, and investors who buy such debt can demand extra protection against the possibility of default. FICO scores are consumer-credit ratings compiled by Fair Isaac Corp. "It's an artificial constraint on B of A," said Louisiana State University finance professor Joseph Mason, who is also a senior fellow at the Wharton School. "We're beginning to see the perverse incentives of a lot of these emergency government policies that were set up on an ad hoc basis. They're starting to skew funding availability for commercial banks."
Banks that don't sell asset-backed bonds can find cash from other sources such as customer deposits to make new loans and pay down expiring debt. As cheap financing dwindles, credit-card profits may be squeezed, said Morgan Stanley analyst Vishwanath Tirupattur. Bank of America's default rates are moving in the opposite direction from competitors. In July, the U.S. average fell to 10.52 percent, marking the first monthly decline since September, according to Moody's. The only major card lender with a higher rate than Bank of America is Advanta Corp., which said it may not survive after cutting off almost 1 million small- business accounts. Advanta is unwinding its credit-card trust after defaults surged to more than 20 percent.
The top six U.S. credit card-backed bond issuers have a combined $375.1 billion in outstanding securitizations. Bank of America has the most securitized debt, at $93.9 billion, followed by JPMorgan, Citigroup, Capital One Financial Corp., Discover Financial Services and Amex, according to Morgan Stanley. While Bank of America stands out as the sole major issuer that hasn't sold card debt this year, such sales are falling. They plunged 38 percent last year to $58 billion as the credit crunch sapped demand, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. There were no bond sales this year until March, when the Fed started TALF. The Fed last week extended TALF for three more months.
Some banks may be issuing less asset-backed debt as they prepare for accounting changes mandated by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board to take effect next year. The rules will require banks to carry all securitized loans on their balance sheets, threatening the capital relief that had been one of the "hallmark benefits" of selling the debt, JPMorgan said in an Aug. 7 report. Bank of America, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Amex and Discover have taken steps to stanch losses and thwart ratings cuts on card-backed bonds. Remedies include removing weaker accounts and boosting the cash cushion that protects investors from losses by issuing new classes of securities and keeping them on balance sheet.
Capital One, whose defaults rose to 9.83 percent in July, is the only top credit-card issuer that hasn't tried to support its trust, said Credit Suisse analyst Moshe Orenbuch. The McLean, Virginia-based bank in June sold $1.65 billion of card- backed bonds outside of TALF, Bloomberg data show.
Remember me? Wall Street |
ons as both a bottom-up emergence by citizens/commoners and a radical municipal administrative configuration. Starting with an exploration of the relationship between cities and the commons, with a particular focus on the recent revival and growth of urban commons, we attempt to answer the question of why urban commons are so crucial for a social-ecological transition. Then we review grassroots initiatives for urban commons transitions both in the global north and south, but with specific attention towards the municipal coalitions of Barcelona, Bologna, Naples, Frome and Ghent.
As a conclusion we propose an institutional framework for urban commons transitions. We look to answer the following questions: i) what can cities do to respond to the new demands of citizens as commoners; ii) what their role may be in facilitating a social-ecological transition; and iii) what institutional adaptations would favour such a role.
This report was written by Michel Bauwens and Vasilis Niaros and co-published by the P2P Foundation and Heinrich Böll Foundation. Below we will present the executive summary, click here to download the full report.
Chapter 1 – The Centrality of Urban Commons in the Social-Ecological Transition
In the context of this report, the commons are viewed as a shared resource, which is co-owned and/or co-governed by its users and/or stakeholder communities, according to its own rules and norms. It is therefore a combination of:
an 'object' of cooperation, or resource, which is shared or pooled;
an activity, i.e, commoning as the maintenance and co-production of that resource; and
a mode of governance, the way decisions are made to protect the resource and allocate usage, which is related to property formats.
Defined in such a manner it is clearly distinguishable from both the private and public/state forms of managing and owning resources. Commons can be found in every social arrangement, in every region and time period. This wider framework allows us to see the re-emergence of urban commons in our particular historical conjuncture.
To begin with, tribal societies as well as the class-based societies that emerged before capitalism have relatively strong commons, and they are essentially the natural commons. They co-exist with the more organic culturally inherited commons, such as folk knowledge. These are social systems that do not systematically separate people from their means of livelihood.
With the emergence and evolution of capitalism and the market system we see the second form of commons becoming important, i.e. the social commons. When market-based capitalism becomes dominant, the lives of the workers become very precarious, since they are now divorced from the means of livelihood. This creates the necessity for the generalization of this new form of commons, distinct from natural resources, which are essentially aimed at mutualization of risk and strengthening the collective power of the workers.
Since the emergence of the internet, and especially since the invention of the web, we see the birth and rapid evolution of a third type of commons: the knowledge commons. Distributed computer networks allow for the generalisation of peer to peer dynamics, i.e. open contributory systems where peers are free to join in the creation of shared knowledge resources, such as open knowledge, free software and shared designs. But we should not forget that knowledge is also a representation of material reality, and thus, the emergence of knowledge commons is bound to have an important effect on the modes of production and distribution. We would then emit the hypothesis that this is the phase we have reached today, i.e. the 'phygital' phase in which we see the increased intertwining of 'digital' (i.e. knowledge) and 'physical'.
The first locations of this intertwining are the territorial commons and the urban commons. Urban commons are the locus where digital knowledge and culture, and the material re-organization of a post-capitalist mode of exchange and production, converge into new ways of organizing provisioning systems where citizens are 'commonifying' the infrastructure needed for this transition.
We believe that cities are becoming a crucial transnational governance structure in the current conjuncture. It is clear that urbanisation is a very strong trend in the demographic organization of our world. The urban commons offer challenges for the actors and institutions within the city context in the following ways:
a contributory democracy is a challenge to representative democracy: Since the French Revolution, our legal and political system has ignored the commons, which had been radically enclosed by capitalism, and our institutional systems are largely based on the private-public dichotomy. The emergence of contributory communities around the commons is a challenge to the existing system. Citizens and their associations are making a claim to govern a resource 'according to their own rules and norms', and as commons, outside of the public-private dichotomy;
a generative economy is a challenge to market power: Capitalism was born with the enclosures of the English and Scottish countryside, which were previously commons, and has thus been associated as a system that is hostile to commons. Generally, competitiveness often requires extractive practices towards nature and people. The re-emergence of urban commons requires a generative economy for its further health and expansion which succeeds in creating meaningful livelihoods that are compatible with the natural commons and the survivability of humans on the planet; and
the commons is a challenge to traditional civil society organisations: With the emergence of the labour movement in the 19th century, and with the wave of nonprofits and NGOs since the sixties, civil society has been organized. But the commons creates a different type of social organisation. Unlike the'scarcity' view that motivates traditional NGOs, where the logic is how to direct scarce resources to solve a particular problem, the new logic is one of 'abundance', i.e. platforms are built that allow people to direct their energy towards collective problem-solving.
Chapter 2 – Recent Developments in Urban Commons Transitions
The existence of sophisticated urban commons policies that facilitate local initiatives in the Global North is evident. Many cities in the western/northern world have taken turns towards participatory, sharing and commons-oriented policies. However, there is an increasing number of integrated citizen coalitions that operate in cities, with little or no support from local authorities. These projects are multi-year, multi-stakeholder, and integrative. Such projects are very careful in defining their inner governance and relations with external parties, such as governments and businesses, to avoid being co-opted or captured by them. Quite a few of them are struggling to adapt the proper governance model, between 'horizontalist' aspirations and'vertical' needs for institutionalisation. Most projects are now moving to poly-centric governance models. Whether bottom-up or top-down, all projects include participatory processes, which points to a deep cultural shift. In addition, local initiatives in the Global North have a strong interest in both social and ecological sustainability.
Contrary to the case of Global North, cooperation between local initiatives and governmental institutions, especially at the national level, is problematic for nearly all projects in Global South. On the one hand, the indifference of the authorities is evident even if a project is successful and has a positive impact on the city. At issue here is the inability of governmental personnel to understand the logic of commoning, especially when it is 'extra-institutional' i.e. happening outside the sphere of both government, business, as well as 'classic' NGOs. Further, the majority of the projects in Global South are 'integrative', meaning that they are not 'one issue' projects that focus on one dimension, but they have holistic visions of both the problem and the methods needed to overcome them. Community integration and collective intelligence is balanced and integrated with individual 'passionate' contributions.
This report explores cases of city councils that offer alternatives to the incumbent municipal form. The aim is not to be all inclusive but rather to explore the different approaches of city councils that are aligned with the proliferation of the commons and facilitate citizen participation in city-making. The cases chosen in this review are not random but represent different logics at work that cities can choose from; they are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary.
Barcelona is significant because it is the expression of a new radical municipalism that seeks to bypass the current limitations of the nation-state and has a majority political coalition and movement, En Comú, that refers explicitly to the commons. It illustrates how movement activists can work with existing political parties to create new platforms that foster greater participation in governance. Bologna is the paradigmatic case for developing new institutional processes for public-commons partnerships. Through this case, it is illustrated that new kinds of experimentalist and adaptive governance and legal tools are needed to allow citizens and other actors to enter a co-design processes for the city. Naples is a more radical version, explicitly catering for commons-based occupations and claims on public spaces. Milan presents a version less radical and more mainstream practice of the 'integrated sharing city', which has the merit of seeing the various forms of mutualization of infrastructure, mainly collaborative consumption, as a key strategic development for any city. The case of Frome illustrates how local councils can play a key role in enabling communities to increase their resilience and face their challenges, while it is not following the political agendas of a party since a coalition of civic forces has ousted traditional political representation. Last but not least, Ghent is the first attempt to craft an entire urban commons focused transition plan on the city level.
Ghent is not an isolated case of course. The developments we have witnessed there are an echo of what has happened in other European, and global cities. We propose new forms of public-commons partnerships, and the commonification of public services that address |
at the issue.
Nowadays, not only do people consider travelling as a chance to relax but they also think it is a way to self-improve. It will be a great opportunity to try new things such as traditional cuisine, music, custom. In my country, I have seen many visitors being very excited and surprised when they tasted our food or when they wore Aodai. If you travel to other countries just to view landscapes, you will obviously waste a perfect chance for learning new things.
However, there are various aspects against this argument. Some people think that it is really hard for travellers to follow local customs and behaviour because they are totally different and they may not be able to adapt to the traditions. If visitors are welcomed despite all the differences, they will feel comfortable and may travel to that country again. Besides, it is also very beneficial for the local people to experience new culture in their home countries. Consequently, the host country should greet culture differences. Almost all people in my country find it very exciting when they have a foreign guest. They can also accept the differences easily.
Personally, it is always good to have more experiences, even for the visitors or the local people. Moreover, it is not very frustrated to try new things or to accept new things. What important is the knowledge you get and the feelings you have been through. Therefore, visitors to other countries should try to follow local customs and behavior and the host countries should welcome culture differences as well.
There are many reasons why visitors should try to behave like locals.
First of all visitors can easily avoid conflicts and express respect for locals and their cultural and religious feelings by behaving like them. Probably the most obvious examples are for tourists to avoid drinking alcohol, wearing revelling clothing and kissing in public if locals consider this behaviour inappropriate.
Nowadays globalisation and tourism already have heavily impacted local customs and traditions so differences between many countries have been evened out. It can be vital for the survival of local customs and traditions that visitors respect them and show some interest.
In addition visitors are more likely to gain insight into a host county and it's culture by following local customs. Even if they do not know the details culture their behaviour can show interest and locals are probably more welcoming towards visitors behaving sensible.
On the other hand I don't think visitors can or should follow local customs in any case. With cultural difference often being subtle visitors might simply lack knowledge about the local customs. Certainly language barriers, lack of time or interest contribute to keeping visitors from having detailed knowledge of what is considered adequate behaviour. Furthermore if visitors try to imitate a local custom in a dilettantish way it can come across as respect less and inadequate.
Generally some aspect of local customs might clash with the visitors expectations of their stay or holidays in the host country. It is clear that not being able to wear a bikini in public will probably conflict with visitors coming to a country for a beach holiday.
Another point is a host country might profit significantly from tourists vesting and it is reasonable to expect some degree of tolerance and openness towards visitors from the local population.
In summary after considering both point of views I think visitors should make a basic effort to adapt their behaviour in a way that does not conflict with local customs in a foreign country to make their stay more enjoyable for themselves and locals. This might not always be possible or desirable for the visitors so there are times when visitors are better off to follow their own customs.
With the advancement of technology and globalization, lots of people travel to other countries either for the sake of vacations or for official purpose. It is argued that the foreigners have to follow the local customs and behaviors. However, there is an opposite view that is not in the support of the argument. The essay will take a closer look on both sides of the situation.
Group of people who wants to have a multi-culture society favors to welcome other cultures. Firstly, it is one of the ways to learn new traditions and customs of the other regions. Host country will be able to learn exciting things free of cost. Secondly, we cannot force the tourists to learn local languages and adapt the local culture. To some extent, ethically and morally it is unfair, everyone has a freedom to follow its own traditions and this is also in accordance with the democratic system of the government. On the other hand, foreigners should not humiliate the customs of the natives. They should respect their norms and religion.
Whereas, other group of people have a stance that visitors should follow the local traditions, lifestyle and culture. According to them, it is very important in order to preserve our heritage. They also argued that it is beneficial for the visitors as well because they would be able to communicate and understand better if they have some knowledge of the local culture. Moreover, they can enjoy variety of food, festivals and other stuff that would not be available in their own country.
To sum it up, I am of the view that there is a need to have a balance attitude towards this approach. Locals and visitors both should show tolerance and behave and adapt that is appropriate.
Nowadays tourism has developed so much that we can visit to the other countries easily. Sometimes people have problem with integration to different culture, traditional. One group of people think that tourists have to pursue demeanor and usage of arrived country however others believe that receiving country should encourage these differences. I am going to discuss both opinions and give my own view.
Firstly when we go to the other countries we must respect theirs laws, cultures, mentalities and behave look like intelligent person because when some people come to our country we call them to be carefully with our city, population and do not dirty. Visitors have to know their alcohol limit, how to wear. For example in Islam countries they do not drink alcohol and women wear very close.
On the hand this is not say that population of the inviting country does not welcome of their guests. While visitors come, restaurants and shops could sell different thinks, cookers for increasing their profit. For instance UK has a lot of Islamic cuisine with halal food and Hindi, china cooking and UK is tolerant country where all the people from different countries can feel themselves at home.
In conclusion I think we can go to other countries we can live there and we have to respect that people and they should be tolerant and hospitable at least because they earn much money from visitors. However we do not forget our national traditions which come to us from our forefathers.
The higher standard of living in the modern life gives people a lots of chances to travel overseas. There is always the controversial issue that some people suggest that incoming tourists should obey the local customs and behavior while others do not agree.
In the first place, people travel to relax and have different experiences about the life in the surrounding world. The culture is different from country to country, visitors may find it hard to adjust other local customs and behavior, and however, it is more exciting to try something new in the land they visit. For example, many tourists cannot hide their interesting when trying the Aodai in Vietnam and enjoys some specialty such as bun bo Hue, Quang noodles, pho. Moreover, it is highly appreciated if the visitors follow the local life style in host country.
On the other hand, many argue that the host country should welcome differences. The visitors will feel being at home if they can follow their own customs and behaviors. In fact, there always occurs culture-shock since when some visitors enter other country they cannot understand the cultural differences from the host country. Furthermore, it is true that there are increasingly tourists visiting,the host country will be benefited in terms of economy and politic.
Travelling over all world recognize people more culture and tradition habits about these countries that they visit.
People they visit others countries read about these countries to know their culture and behavior because they believe in the visitor should follow custom and behavior its country that they visit. People who believe in this manner they think contravene the custom.
On other hand, some people think when they stay on their custom they will recognize population that country at their culture and custom,by using this manner they will encourage people to visit their country. Population host country may be prefer to follow your custom to gain more information about your country.
In addition, people travel to exchange knowledge, culture, tradition and custom.so; the county that visited will welcome to know different culture and custom.
Nowadays, Tourism and Travel is one of the most popular field which can produce a sum of money. Many countries rely heavily on these field to capitalise their income. In order to complete this task, a country should welcome its tourists, make them feel comfortable and happy in the country they visit.
Some countries has given a freedom to its tourist. For instance, in Bali, Indonesia, Tourist are allowed to kiss in public. In the other provincies in Indonesia, this such action is usually unallowed. As a result of this freedom, Bali has a lot of foreign visitors, despite of the natural beauty such as beach Bali has to offer.
However, Some of the countries decide to stick with his old and traditional role such as Saudi Arabia. This country has very strict laws which can be drawbacks for tourists. For example, there's a rule which says every person should wear an appropriate clothes. This can be a disaster for foreign people, especially for them who are coming from a country which has a cold weather. I believe that they want to feel the heat by using a tank top, bikini, etc. Hence, Most of foreign visitor in saudi arabia just want to do their religion's quest which is to visit Mekkah, apart from this, don't expect any tourist will intend to visit Saudi Arabia.
In conclusion, It's very advantageous to welcome your guest. Be wise and accept all the cultural differences they have as long as those doesn't really hurt your country. Don't just make them feel |
dehydration. This investigation compares the efficacy and tolerability of the nonfasting ketogenic diet (NFKD) and the conventional initial-fasting ketogenic diet (IFKD). Methods. Forty-one children with intractable epilepsy were treated with the NFKD, beginning with a gradual increase in calories with no initial fasting or fluid restriction. This NFKD population was compared retrospectively with 83 recent historical control subjects who were treated with the IFKD. Efficacy, tolerability, time until strong ketosis, and occurrence of complications were compared. Results. Fourteen (34.1%) patients became seizure-free for at least 3 months after the NFKD, compared with 29 (34.9%) after the IFKD. There was no significant difference in days until strong urinary ketosis between the 2 groups. The incidence of hypoglycemia was also not significantly different between the groups as most other laboratory findings, although the blood urea nitrogen was elevated in 24.1% of the IFKD group and in only 12.2% of the NFKD patients without statistical significance. Conversely, moderate dehydration was significantly less frequent in the NFKD group (12.2%) than in the IFKD group (62.7%). Finally, these results were reflected to the shortening of the hospitalization period in the NFKD group. Conclusions. These observations suggest that initial fasting and fluid restriction are not essential for the KD and that the tolerability of this treatment may be improved. These data support our intention to conduct a formal, prospective, randomized trial comparing 2 forms of the KD.
Published - 2004 Dec
Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
10.1542/peds.2004-1001
Dive into the research topics of 'Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Ketogenic Diet Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Fasting Medicine & Life Sciences 57%
Ketosis Medicine & Life Sciences 12%
Dehydration Medicine & Life Sciences 10%
Drug Resistant Epilepsy Medicine & Life Sciences 5%
Blood Urea Nitrogen Medicine & Life Sciences 5%
Dong, W. K., Hoon, C. K., Jung, C. P., & Heung, D. K. (2004). Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet. Pediatrics, 114(6), 1627-1630. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2004-1001
Dong, Wook Kim ; Hoon, Chul Kang ; Jung, Chae Park ; Heung, Dong Kim. / Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet. In: Pediatrics. 2004 ; Vol. 114, No. 6. pp. 1627-1630.
@article{833778c26c0c4ed9ab4728ec233ed697,
title = "Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet",
abstract = "Objective. The ketogenic diet (KD) is traditionally introduced with an initial period of fasting and fluid restriction that is difficult and sometimes complicated by moderate dehydration. This investigation compares the efficacy and tolerability of the nonfasting ketogenic diet (NFKD) and the conventional initial-fasting ketogenic diet (IFKD). Methods. Forty-one children with intractable epilepsy were treated with the NFKD, beginning with a gradual increase in calories with no initial fasting or fluid restriction. This NFKD population was compared retrospectively with 83 recent historical control subjects who were treated with the IFKD. Efficacy, tolerability, time until strong ketosis, and occurrence of complications were compared. Results. Fourteen (34.1%) patients became seizure-free for at least 3 months after the NFKD, compared with 29 (34.9%) after the IFKD. There was no significant difference in days until strong urinary ketosis between the 2 groups. The incidence of hypoglycemia was also not significantly different between the groups as most other laboratory findings, although the blood urea nitrogen was elevated in 24.1% of the IFKD group and in only 12.2% of the NFKD patients without statistical significance. Conversely, moderate dehydration was significantly less frequent in the NFKD group (12.2%) than in the IFKD group (62.7%). Finally, these results were reflected to the shortening of the hospitalization period in the NFKD group. Conclusions. These observations suggest that initial fasting and fluid restriction are not essential for the KD and that the tolerability of this treatment may be improved. These data support our intention to conduct a formal, prospective, randomized trial comparing 2 forms of the KD.",
author = "Dong, {Wook Kim} and Hoon, {Chul Kang} and Jung, {Chae Park} and Heung, {Dong Kim}",
doi = "10.1542/peds.2004-1001",
journal = "Pediatrics",
publisher = "American Academy of Pediatrics",
Dong, WK, Hoon, CK, Jung, CP & Heung, DK 2004, 'Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet', Pediatrics, vol. 114, no. 6, pp. 1627-1630. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2004-1001
Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet. / Dong, Wook Kim; Hoon, Chul Kang; Jung, Chae Park; Heung, Dong Kim.
In: Pediatrics, Vol. 114, No. 6, 12.2004, p. 1627-1630.
T1 - Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet
AU - Dong, Wook Kim
AU - Hoon, Chul Kang
AU - Jung, Chae Park
AU - Heung, Dong Kim
N2 - Objective. The ketogenic diet (KD) is traditionally introduced with an initial period of fasting and fluid restriction that is difficult and sometimes complicated by moderate dehydration. This investigation compares the efficacy and tolerability of the nonfasting ketogenic diet (NFKD) and the conventional initial-fasting ketogenic diet (IFKD). Methods. Forty-one children with intractable epilepsy were treated with the NFKD, beginning with a gradual increase in calories with no initial fasting or fluid restriction. This NFKD population was compared retrospectively with 83 recent historical control subjects who were treated with the IFKD. Efficacy, tolerability, time until strong ketosis, and occurrence of complications were compared. Results. Fourteen (34.1%) patients became seizure-free for at least 3 months after the NFKD, compared with 29 (34.9%) after the IFKD. There was no significant difference in days until strong urinary ketosis between the 2 groups. The incidence of hypoglycemia was also not significantly different between the groups as most other laboratory findings, although the blood urea nitrogen was elevated in 24.1% of the IFKD group and in only 12.2% of the NFKD patients without statistical significance. Conversely, moderate dehydration was significantly less frequent in the NFKD group (12.2%) than in the IFKD group (62.7%). Finally, these results were reflected to the shortening of the hospitalization period in the NFKD group. Conclusions. These observations suggest that initial fasting and fluid restriction are not essential for the KD and that the tolerability of this treatment may be improved. These data support our intention to conduct a formal, prospective, randomized trial comparing 2 forms of the KD.
AB - Objective. The ketogenic diet (KD) is traditionally introduced with an initial period of fasting and fluid restriction that is difficult and sometimes complicated by moderate dehydration. This investigation compares the efficacy and tolerability of the nonfasting ketogenic diet (NFKD) and the conventional initial-fasting ketogenic diet (IFKD). Methods. Forty-one children with intractable epilepsy were treated with the NFKD, beginning with a gradual increase in calories with no initial fasting or fluid restriction. This NFKD population was compared retrospectively with 83 recent historical control subjects who were treated with the IFKD. Efficacy, tolerability, time until strong ketosis, and occurrence of complications were compared. Results. Fourteen (34.1%) patients became seizure-free for at least 3 months after the NFKD, compared with 29 (34.9%) after the IFKD. There was no significant difference in days until strong urinary ketosis between the 2 groups. The incidence of hypoglycemia was also not significantly different between the groups as most other laboratory findings, although the blood urea nitrogen was elevated in 24.1% of the IFKD group and in only 12.2% of the NFKD patients without statistical significance. Conversely, moderate dehydration was significantly less frequent in the NFKD group (12.2%) than in the IFKD group (62.7%). Finally, these results were reflected to the shortening of the hospitalization period in the NFKD group. Conclusions. These observations suggest that initial fasting and fluid restriction are not essential for the KD and that the tolerability of this treatment may be improved. These data support our intention to conduct a formal, prospective, randomized trial comparing 2 forms of the KD.
U2 - 10.1542/peds.2004-1001
DO - 10.1542/peds.2004-1001
JO - Pediatrics
JF - Pediatrics
Dong WK, Hoon CK, Jung CP, Heung DK. Benefits of the nonfasting ketogenic diet compared with the initial fasting ketogenic diet. Pediatrics. 2004 Dec;114(6):1627-1630. https://doi |
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Since its creation in 1920, the Miss France beauty contest has been a major event in the French cultural landscape. Organized each year, this competition selects the most beautiful woman in the country and rewards her with the prestigious crown. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at everything you need to know about the contest: from its history and its creation, to the famous question "how to become a Miss France candidate" to seduce the jury and its general manager. Sylvie Tellier. Discover everything you need to know to win the title of one of the most famous beauty contests in France!
The story of Miss France
The beauty contest was created in 1920 by Maurice de Waleffe. At the time, it was one of the world's first major beauty pageants and quickly became a popular event. The competition is open to all young women aged 18 to 24, of French nationality or permanent residents in France. To become a candidate, you must be at least 1.70 m tall and also have a clean criminal record. In addition, candidates must not be married or have had plastic surgery. The Miss France committee is responsible for organizing the competition each year. It is composed of a president, two vice-presidents, a general secretary and a treasurer. The current president of the committee is Alexia Laroche-Joubert, Sylvie Tellier is the general manager of the contest. Geneviève de Fontenay was president of the Committee from 1981 to 2007. Since 1987, the competition has been broadcast every year on television. Regularly presented by its historic host Jean-Pierre Foucault, the Miss France election has also inspired other competitions, such as Miss Europe or the Mister France competition.
How to become a candidate?
To be eligible, candidates for the election must apply on the Miss France website. The deadline for submitting applications is generally set at the beginning of September. The candidates are first elected to represent the regions of metropolitan France and overseas that are Guadeloupe, Reunion Island and Tahiti. The events usually take place in October and November, and the final of the Miss France contest takes place at the end of December. Applicants must also pass a general culture test in order to be able to participate in the competition. This test includes questions on French history, literature, geography, current events and other cultural topics.
Maeva Coucke, Miss France 2018
The jury of the beauty contest
The jury of the Miss France beauty pageant is made up of French personalities such as journalists, celebrities, singers or actors. The jury of the beauty contest changes every year, and it is generally composed of seven members, namely a or a president, three women and three men. All of them are experts in different fields, such as fashion, beauty, culture or even journalism.
The diamond crown
The crown symbolizes the beauty, elegance and power of French women. The current crown was created in 2022 by jeweler Mauboussin. It is composed of diamonds, amethyst and tourmaline. This crown, which weighs more than 400 grams and costs around €30,000, also displays Miss France's values of happiness, purity and passion. Its creation required nearly 90 hours of work.
The Miss France ranking and the dauphines
The election is not a beauty contest where the winner is chosen at random. The jury classifies all the candidates and chooses a first, a second, a third and a fourth runner-up. The Miss France crown goes to the woman who obtained the best ranking from the jury. During the year of her reign, she traveled throughout country and around the world to participate in exceptional events or charity events for an association. The young woman placed in second position is named first runner-up. Her role is important because she may have to replace the beauty queen in case of absence or in case of dismissal.
How much does the winner of the competition earn?
Miss France is not only a beauty queen, she is also an ambassador for French culture and business. She earns a salary of about €5000 gross per month during her reign. On the evening of her election, she can receive numerous gifts from her sponsors, such as a Peugeot e-2008 electric car, jewellery and trips.
Preparation of Miss France in Reunion
Famous Miss France
One of the most famous Miss France is probably Christiane Martel. She was elected in 1957 and represented our country in the Miss Universe competition. Christiane Martel is also known for her career as a singer, she has released more than ten albums. Very present in the news, on social networks where they appear on video or in the People press, the most famous Miss France since the 80s remain:
Nathalie Marquay (Alsace region), elected in 1987
Linda Hardy (Pays de Loire region), elected in 1992
Mareva Galanter (Tahiti), elected in 1999
Elodie Gossuin (Picardie region), elected in 2001
Alexandra Rosenfeld (Lanquedoc region), élue en 2006
Valérie Bègue (Réunion), elected in 2008
Malika Ménard (Normandy region), elected in 2010
Laury Thilleman (Brittany region), elected in 2011
Marine Lorphelin (Bourgogne region), elected in 2013
Camille Cerf (Miss Nord Pas-de-Calais), elected in 2015
Iris Mittenaere (Nord Pas-de-Calais region), elected Miss France and Miss Universe in 2016
Amandine Petit (Normandy region), elected Miss France in 2021 at Puy du Fou
The Miss France brand
The Miss France brand is a prestigious international symbol. She represents the elegance, beauty and power of French women around the world. The Miss France contest was created in 1952 by Geneviève de Fontenay and is today owned by the production company Miss France SAS. The company, based in Paris, is a subsidiary of the Endemol group and is responsible for organizing and supervising the competition, as well as all the selection of Misses at regional level.
Diane Leyre, winner of the 2022 competition
Diane Leyre is the current Miss France. She was crowned on the evening of December 11, 2021 in Caen and thus succeeds Amandine Petit. Aged 24, Diane Leyre is 1.77m tall and has an international business degree. She thus becomes the 92nd Miss France to win the title. Chosen among the 29 regional misses, Diane Leyre represented, during her election, the Île de France region.
Indira Ampiot crowned Miss France 2023
The 97th edition of the famous beauty contest took place on Saturday 17 December 2022 in Châteauroux, the French city where actor Gérard Depardieu was born. The contest was won by Indira Ampiot, a young candidate just 18 years old. The young woman representing Guadeloupe was elected ahead of Miss Nord-Pas-De-Calais and Miss Franche-Comté, who became first and second runner-up respectively. Elected Miss France 2023, Indira Ampiot succeeds Diane Leyre who passed on the crown to her on the evening of the election.
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Saul extended his rule, capturing neighboring kingdoms. He fought enemies on every front—Moab, Ammon, Edom, the king of Zobah, the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he came up with a victory. He became invincible! He smashed Amalek, freeing Israel from the savagery and looting.
He gathered an army, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hand of its plunderers.
and fought bravely. He defeated Amalek and delivered Israel from the hand of those who were plundering them.
He acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.
He fought bravely and defeated the Amalekites. He saved the Israelites from their enemies who had robbed them.
He fought bravely, striking down the Amalekites and delivering Israel from the hand of its enemies.
He fought bravely. He won the battle over the Amalekites. He saved Israel from the power of those who had carried off what belonged to Israel.
He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.
And he gathered an army and attacked the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.
He acted with strength of heart and destroyed the Amalekites. He saved Israel from those who came to rob them.
He performed great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them.
He did valiantly, and struck down the Amalekites, and rescued Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
And he gathered an army, and struck Amalek, and delivered Yisroel out of the hands of them that plundered them.
And he did valiantly, and smote the Amal′ekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
He did so with valor, defeating the Amalekites and delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.
He fought bravely and defeated the Amalekites and rescued Israel from the onslaught of all those who plundered her.
He did valiantly and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
And when his host was gathered together, he smote Amalek; and delivered Israel from the hand of his destroyers. (And then when his army was gathered together, he killed the Amalekites; and so he saved Israel from the hands of their destroyers.)
And he maketh a force, and smiteth Amalek, and delivereth Israel out of the hand of its spoiler.
1 Samuel 14:471 Samuel 14:49
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Photographing a rodeo
Well it's that time of year again… a chance to dust off your akubra and don your finest RM Williams (or if you're a city slicker like myself, anything in your wardrobe a little bit country). The Mareeba Rodeo is just around the corner and for a glimpse of rodeo culture, it's a great opportunity, just an hour's drive west of Cairns.
Along with chaps in chaps, holding on for dear life on the backs of bucking broncos and bristling bulls, there's a load to shoot during any rodeo. Capturing those moments takes some skill, a little bit of knowledge and a whole lot of luck. Anyway, here's some tips to help you take home some memorable rodeo shots…
Overhead shot of bull rider in bucking chute. Canon 16-35mm lens @ 17mm, f8 @ 1/400 sec, ISO 500
A DSLR capable of a couple of frames of second will allow you to capture the action, with at least two zoom lenses (say, 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses). If you're ringside or perched up in the stands watching on, you'll probably need a bit more focal length reach… so a 1.4 or 2x extender or a 300-400mm lens will help you get in closer. A wide angle or fish-eye lens will also give some interesting perspectives, if you can get up close to the action.
Unless your shooting at night, you can probably ditch the flash. Just crank up the ISO so that you can use a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action (at least 1/500 sec). Also if you're at the bucking chutes, flash can spook the livestock, which can earn you some harsh words from the cowboy fraternity.
Bull rider in bucking chute. Canon 15mm fish-eye lens @ 15mm, f11 @ 1/125 sec, ISO 200
Cowboy spurs. Canon 24-105mm lens @ 65mm, f8 @ 1/40 sec, ISO 200
Where to Shoot From
Rodeo rings generally have high 8 ft fences and for good reason… they need to be able to keep in bulls that can weigh up to a tonne and are highly unpredictable. Most rings also have an inside channel for livestock to be moved from a staging area to the bucking chutes. Climbing up on any rodeo fence has it's dangers, but if you keep your wits about you and always keep an eye on what's going on in the ring, they can be great vantage points. Alternatively, you can try to shoot through the fence railings or get down low and shoot from ground level.
Bull rider in action. Canon 16-35mm lens @ 24mm, f8 @ 1/500 sec, ISO 400
One of my favourite locations to shoot from is from the competitors area and around the bucking chutes. Again this is something you do at your own risk, and really depends on how strict the rodeo organisers are with photographers. If you do get access, be alert, keep out of the way and don't interfere with the competitors or the livestock handlers.
For something like bull-riding, the closer you can get to the bucking chutes, the better… as the action happens immediately the gate is opened. For other events, like the steer wrestling or calf roping, a ringside position directly opposite the chutes will allow you to get head on shots of the action, though you'll probably need a long lens.
Cowboy runs for safety. Canon 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, f8 @ 1/1000 sec, ISO 200
How to Shoot
For most of the action you'll want to freeze motion, so high shutter speeds are critical. Use shutter speeds of 1/500 sec or faster. Use high ISO's if you need to (often I'll use 400 or 800 in sunny conditions or around 1600 in overcast conditions) and shoot in manual exposure mode if the lighting is consistent. Otherwise use shutter speed priority, to lock down your shutter speed. Use fast lenses (with large maximum apertures, like f2.8) and use large apertures, f2.8 – f5.6 to enable faster shutter speeds and to separate your subjects from the background.
Other times, say for the roping events, you might want to try a bit of panning action, with a slower shutter speed (1/30 to 1/125 sec) to blur the background and give the sense of speed.
When capturing moving action, be sure to switch your camera's auto-focus mode to servo to track the subject.
Panning shot of cowgirl in breakaway roping. Canon 16-35mm lens @ 25mm, f8 @ 1/60 sec, ISO 100
What to Shoot
The heart-in-mouth excitement of the bull-riding is undoubtedly the highlight of any rodeo. Capturing the tense moments just before the ride (in the bucking chutes), the rugged and frenetic action of the ride, and the triumphant conclusion or back to earth thud of a bull-riding fail is what's it's all about. The jagged unpredictable nature of the ride make it a tough one to follow photographically, but try to shoot tight to get the enthralling expressions of the rider and onlookers.
Bull rider holding on. Canon 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, f5.6 @ 1/1250 sec, ISO 400
The Saddle Bronc Riding is a mix of style and control as the rider clings perilously one-handed to the back of a bucking bronco. Bareback Bronc riding is similar, but with the cowboy in for a wilder ride, without the use of a saddle or rein. Horse and rider getting air, spills, tumbles and epic moments happen in the space of a few seconds.
Saddle Bronc Rider. Canon 100-400mm lens @ 300mm, f5.6@ 1/3200 sec, ISO 400
Barrel racing is a fast-paced horesback sprint as riders are timed completing a route around a series of barrels. Use a high shutter speed to freeze motion as they round their marks or a slow shutter to give the feeling of speed, using panning.
The Rope and Tie is a great spectacle of skill and and teamwork between horse and rider, as he first tries to lasso his calf at speed and then dismounts to flank it on it's back and bind three legs. Get a position opposite the chutes and use a long lens to capture the action.
Calf roping. Canon 100-400mm lens @ 360mm, f7.1 @ 1/800 sec, ISO 250
Steer wrestling is all about timing and co-ordination as the rider pulls alongside his steer, leans over to grab the steer's horns and then uses his weight and strength to slow it down and lever it onto its side. Again, most of the action tends to happen in the middle of the ring, so you'll need to be shooting from as close as possible ringside.
Steer wrestling. Canon 100-400mm lens @ 350mm, f6.3 @ 1/1000 sec, ISO 400
Team roping involves two riders as they combine to try to catch and then control a steer… one attempts to lasso it's back legs while the other lassos its head, stopping it's motion and then binding its back legs.
Team roping event. Canon 100-400mm lens @ 235mm, f8 @ 1/800 sec, ISO 400
Don't just restrict yourself to photographing the action inside the ring, look for candid shots of both the competitors and spectators. If you're like me, rodeo culture can seem as foreign as any overseas country, which can be a great thing. Try to tell the story of the day, with images that reflect both the events and the culture and fashions of the people in attendance. Have fun and hold on tight…
Canon 70-200mm lens with 1.4x extender @ 280mm, f4 @ 1/640 sec, ISO 400
Portrait of rodeo cowboys awaiting bull ride. Canon 24-105mm lens @ 24mm, f8 @ 1/125 sec, ISO 400
Low angle shot of bull rider in action. Canon 16-35mm lens @ 20mm, f8 @ 1/500 sec, ISO 400
Portrait of an indigenous rodeo cowboy. Canon 24-105mm lens @ 82mm, f5.6 @ 1/1250 sec, ISO 200
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Cairns Photo Courses is run by pro photographer Andrew Watson and offers a range of photography courses, tours and workshops for photographers of all levels and interests.
From learning the photographic basics, to helping you develop your creative instincts and skills, Cairns Photo Courses can provide group or private photography tuition in some of the region's most scenic locations.
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gracious at its first appearance, becomes worrisome when constantly repeated in the minor mode.
The Allegro molto scherzo is of a rough Beethovenian stamp, predicated on the play of small repeated motives, frequent syncopations, and sudden contrasts between piano and forte. Its Trio middle section is a gently swaying Ländler that counts as one of the few moments of sustained lyrical repose in this quartet.
The rondo finale, marked Presto, is a kaleidoscope of seemingly contradictory emotional states. Alternating between the driving vehemence of its tarantella refrain in the minor mode and the almost celebratory spirit of its major-mode episodes, this movement is bound together by its boundless energy alone, an energy that seems to transcend major-minor distinctions. Witness its whirlwind coda, that clearly signals an intention to end the work in the major mode only to switch back to the minor for its last hurrah, yet with no loss of breathless exuberance.
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor K 457
In 1785 Mozart's Sonata in C minor was published together with the composer's Fantasia in C minor as a single opus, with the Fantasia forming a kind of introductory 'prelude' to the sonata. Given that the Fantasia was composed many months after the sonata, scholars are divided as to whether this was Mozart's intention or simply a clever marketing ploy on the part of his Viennese publisher. Certainly, the common key of C minor and a shared fondness for heightened musical drama link the two works. Not to mention how the practice of combining an improvisatory movement with a more formally rigorous one has traditional roots in the Baroque pairing of fantasy and fugue.
And yet this three-movement sonata is entirely capable of standing on its own. It is a small sonata with big ideas: operatic in its wide range of emotions, orchestral in many of its effects (especially its imitation of alternating orchestral 'choirs' of instruments), and pianistic in its unabashed display of quasi-virtuosic keyboard techniques, all of which have been cited as possible influences on – and perhaps even models for – some of the early sonatas of Beethoven in a minor key.
The work opens with an imperious fanfare: an arpeggio rising dramatically over more than an octave. This abrupt gesture looks back to a similar instrumental effect associated with mid-18th-century orchestras in south-west Germany called the "Mannheim rocket" while at the same time looking forward to a similar opening in Beethoven's first piano sonata, the Sonata in F minor Op. 2 No. 1.
Cowering in the upper register of the keyboard where this fanfare left off is a timid little answer full of plaintive sighs. A subsequent repeat of this Punch & Judy show establishes from the outset the wide emotional range that this sonata will claim for itself. Indeed, off-beat accents and abrupt juxtapositions of loud and soft are recurring features of the movement, features that may have given Beethoven ideas to follow up on.
The movement's second theme, singing out in the major mode atop a burbling Alberti bass is more sociable, with hand-crossing replies echoing up from the bass. But even this theme is not immune to unexpected interruptions. One of the most dramatic is a passage of broken-chord figuration that extends from the bottom to the very top of the fortepiano keyboard of Mozart's time, an indication that this movement may have been written for the composer's personal use, with his own hand in mind. He was known to be a bit of a show-off at times, we hear.
The second-movement Adagio is no less spectacular in its own way. It is a study in melodic ornamentation and remarkable for the myriad possibilities that Mozart finds to decorate its simple melodic structures, structured around chord tones that sit on top of an audaciously rudimentary harmonic undergirding. Slow movements are not normally the place for virtuoso fireworks, but included in the decorative detail of this slow movement are breathtaking ecstatic runs spanning more than three octaves that astonish the ear.
The Allegro assai finale is a rondo that returns to the restlessness mood of the first movement, typified by the confrontational manner in which its opening refrain melody is structured. It begins piano with a series of suspensions that evoke a feeling of whimpering pathos, but then turns on a dime to become aggressive and insistent, with shoulder-poking repeated notes ringing out forte in a foretaste of the rondo refrain from Beethoven's Pathétique Sonata. Even the coquettish quality of this rondo's interludes cannot mask the troubled atmosphere evoked by its many sudden changes in dynamics and the searching quality of its numerous dramatic pauses. This is Mozart at his most 'Beethovenian'.
Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major K 414
Mozart's twelfth piano concerto was one of three composed in 1782 for sale to the Viennese public by advance subscription, the 18th-century equivalent of 'crowd-sourcing'. A major selling point of these'subscription' concertos (K. 413, 414 & 415) was that they were composed not only for concert use but also for performance at home by a fortepiano and string quartet, as the wind parts were not structurally important and could easily be dispensed with.
The Concerto in A major K. 414 has always been the favourite of the set, perhaps because it displays so well the one trait that sets Mozart's piano concertos apart from those of his contemporaries, i.e., their 'operatic' quality. A piano concerto by Mozart is poles apart from the concerto genre as practised in the Baroque era, when the soloist was treated as part of the orchestra, playing along during the tuttis and emerging from time to time to play 'lead breaks' before folding back into the ensemble texture again.
Mozart's soloist is an operatic diva, a faultlessly courteous one, of course, but one who is definitely the star attraction of the show. Her entrance is a major event in each movement, one that we are made to wait for. The form of Mozart's first movements, with their 'double exposition' of themes parallels the ritornello form of the operatic aria, and for the same reason. The opening orchestral tutti not only presents the major themes of the movement but more importantly, as in opera, it builds up anticipation for the soloist's first utterance.
Moreover, Mozart is in no way loathe to trust the piano with lyrical, even sentimental melodies requiring a sustained'singing' tone in the gracious manner of Italian opera, unlike Haydn, whose vigorous and 'knuckle-y' keyboard style often presupposes a certain crispness of touch. Furthermore, the soloist's cadenzas in a Mozart piano concerto serve not only to display the technical facility of the performer, but also through their changes of tempo, their sudden hesitations, their succession of moods, they convey the capricious 'personality' of the character that the instrument plays in the musical drama.
The first movement of the A major concerto is remarkable for the profusion of themes that it presents—four in the orchestral exposition alone. The second of these themes is accompanied by a leering countermelody in the viola that evokes the intimacy and camaraderie of chamber music more than the starched formality of the concert hall. The development section, as it would be called in sonata form, reveals just how wobbly is the notion that the Classical concerto is simply a sonata arranged for soloist and orchestra. Not only does the piano introduce an entirely new theme to start things off, but it then goes on to snub all the themes of the exposition, immersing itself deeply in the minor mode, like the contrasting B section of an operatic da capo aria, reaching a climax of excitement in a thrilling series of high trills followed by a multi-octave scale plunging to the bottom of the keyboard. This concerto simply oozes personality, with cadenzas provided for all three movements.
The second movement opens with a direct quote from an overture to Baldassare Galuppi's La Calamità dei cuori written by Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782), youngest son of J. S. Bach. Mozart had met and been befriended by J. C. Bach while still a young child, so the elder composer's death earlier in the year has been suggested as the motivation for this tribute. And certainly, the many unusual passages in the minor mode in this movement support that view.
The last movement is a sonata rondo with a great profusion of themes but a quite eccentric formal structure. The orchestra briefly introduces two themes, the first a skipping tune decorated with trills followed by a unison passage featuring a repetitive motive of three notes descending by step. When the piano enters, however, it ignores both of these, choosing instead to spin out its own tune. It does eventually get around to taking up the tunes presented by the orchestra, but more surprises await when the piano cadenza ends up in a dialogue with the orchestra! Filled with thrills and spills, this concerto gave its Viennese audience quite an exhilarating ride.
Posted in 18-19 Season, Blog, Our Artists, Program Notes | Tagged arts, cello, Ch |
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if |
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What can you do with a chemistry degree?
Our #ChemistsAndCareers page showcases the great variety careers that one can pursue with a degree in chemistry or biochemistry, and the diversity of the individuals in them. It features both UWEC alumni success stories, as well as other chemists and biochemists that are making valuable contributions to the field, their organizations, and the world.
Mr. Brian Meeuwsen
Environmental Health and Safety Specialist
Hydrite Chemical Co.
B.S.: UW–Eau Claire
Brian is a Wisconsin native, born and raised in the Appleton Fox Cities area. When Brian was considering colleges, he was attracted to UWEC by the appeal of a small, manageable campus, as well as the dual focus of the Chemistry-with-Business-Emphasis major. During his studies at UWEC, Brian worked in Dr. Bart Dahl's research lab conducting organic syntheses and creating new chemical compounds. He graduated in December, 2013, and was working in the chemical industry shortly thereafter.
Hydrite Chemical was founded in 1929, as a company that supported the leather tanning industry, which was extensive in the Milwaukee area at that time. Their name is play on the names of certain chemical substances ("hydrites") and a reference to the tanning industry ("hyde-right"). Today, they are based in Brookfield, WI, and are one of the largest providers of chemicals and related services in the United States. They offer expertise in chemical distribution, food and dairy sanitation, food and beverage ingredients, chemical processing, water treatment, foam control, and compliance management. Their specialty products enhance many common consumer products; ingredients that make food and beverages more flavorful, chemicals for water treatment, as well as cleaners and sanitizers.
Brian initially joined Hydrite as a Quality Control Chemist and served in this role for four years at the Hydrite facilities in Cottage Grove and La Crosse, WI. In 2018, he moved to Milwaukee to start his role an Environmental Health and Safety Specialist, serving three distinct facilities in that area. Both aspects of his degree are helpful in his current position; he uses his expertise to educate his team to work safely around chemicals, conduct industrial hygiene monitoring, and coordinate with local, state and federal compliance agencies.
Brian states that the most rewarding part of his role is "helping ensure that my coworkers get to work safely and go home the same way that they came in".
Dr. Beatrice Ngatcha
Attorney and Patent Agent
Lavery Lawyers
B.S.: University of Yaoundé, Cameroon
M.S.: Laval University, Quebec, Canada
Ph.D.: Laval University, Quebec, Canada
J.D.: University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Chemists sometimes enter the legal profession, where there is a shortage of technically-trained personnel that are needed for patent and product liability law.
After nine months into her post-doctoral appointment, Dr. Beatrice Ngatcha knew she wanted to work outside the laboratory, but wasn't sure about how to make the transition. She ultimately decided to become a patent agent trainee, with only a vague idea of what a patent agent was and did.
Now she is an attorney, and works at Lavery, the largest independent law firm in Quebec. Lavery is involved in a wide range of legal fields, including intellectual property law, which is Dr. Ngatcha's primary focus. Even within this narrow legal context, Lavery's expertise spans many industries, and each has distinctive characteristics and challenges, as well as a specific legal framework. Therefore, Dr. Ngatcha's job is very different from day to day, because she interacts with wide range of clients from these various industries.
What Dr. Ngatcha likes the most about her job, is that she works on a broad range of technologies across the entire chemical field, becomes aware of the latest developments, and interacts directly with researchers.
Ms. Amber Kraft
Research Chemist
Catalytic Combustion Corporation
Bloomer, WI
Amber grew up on her family's farm and went to high school in Barron, WI. She transferred to UW-Eau Claire from UW-Barron County (now UWEC-BC) after earning her associate's degree, and chose UWEC because it was in close proximity to home and more cost-effective than other four-year universities. In the department, she did liquid-crystal research with Dr. Wiegel, and was also a member of the ACS-Student Affiliate. She graduated in May, 2018 with an ACS-Biochemistry major.
Catalytic Combustion Corp. specializes in emission control technology, and develops products that help remove harmful substances and noise from process exhaust. Their catalysts are used in a wide range of applications, ranging from large manufacturing and power generation operations to small household appliances. A common place that you'll find their products is in food service; with their catalysts in place, small commercial ovens can operate in confined spaces (e.g., a mall food court), without the need for an extensive ventilation system to meet local operating codes. (Chemistry is everywhere!)
Amber was initially hired as a lab tech at Catalytic's a manufacturing plant, and has since been promoted to a Research Chemist position. In this role, she develops new chemical formulations for catalysts to make them more effective and efficient at 'cleaning' exhaust air. She also develops new applications for their products, such as 3D printing and commercial cooking, and also assists with quality assurance testing.
She writes, "My work is always challenging me in new ways, since we work with such a wide variety of applications on top of our research. That is what I find to be the most enjoyable aspect of my job."
Dr. Rolande Hodel
AIDSfreeAfrica, Ossining, NY
M.S.: University of Kansas
Ph.D.: City University of New York
Originally from Germany, Dr. Hodel was studying psychology on a study abroad program at Kansas State University where she met Dr. Gunda Georg, a professor of medicinal chemistry and fellow German. This meeting re-sparked her interest in in chemistry, and she switched her program of study to chemistry, ultimately enrolling in the KSU graduate program. She completed her MS degree at Kansas State prior to earning her PhD at CUNY-Queens College in New York City.
Dr. Hodel held a variety of "bench chemistry" jobs, until one day her life took an unexpected turn. After meeting the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, who had just given an inspiring talk about how his country had managed to begin making its own AIDS drugs. She then turned her attention to Africa, and founded her own non-profit, AIDSfreeAfrica, in 2006. The mission of AIDSfreeAfrica is to help Africans become self-sufficient in producing pharmaceuticals — in particular, drugs needed to help people living with HIV/AIDS.
On the job, Dr. Hodel spends her time raising funds, speaking in public, writing grants, training and supervising volunteers in the US and Cameroon, and negotiating contracts with African agencies. She also consults with drug production and drug supply chain management, and also implements and supervises income-generating programs in specifically Cameroon. Part of her time is also spent networking; building connections among universities, pharmaceutical companies, and other organizations in the US and Africa. Even though she is far from the lab, she is still drawing in her expertise in chemistry.
Learn more about Dr. Hodel and AIDSfreeAfrica on the ACS career profiles site: ACS Career Profile: Hodel
Dr. Anna Waller
Presidential Management Fellow
US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC
Ph.D.: University of Illinois
Anna hails from White Bear Lake, MN and attended UWEC from 2011 to 2015, majoring in Chemistry, Latin American Studies, and Spanish. She studied abroad for a year and Chile (she is an avid traveler), and did research with Dr. Phillips for three years. After graduating from UWEC, she did an internship with UNIVAR Inc. in St. Paul before pursuing her PhD in Food Science at Illinois. During her final year she held a Fulbright Scholarship while completing her doctoral research in Mexico.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers programs that create domestic and international marketing opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. AMS also provides the agriculture industry with valuable services to ensure the quality and availability of wholesome food for consumers across the country. The Presidential Management Fellows Program is the flagship leadership development program for individuals who will ultimately implement and manage public policies and programs.
Anna works within the Food Disclosure and Labeling Division of the USDA, where she is responsible for communicating with the food industry and consumers about the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. She also serves as a subject matter expert on biotechnology for the division. Her favorite part of the job is interacting with the food industry and being able to make a difference in the way our food supply is labeled and marketed.
We would love to hear from you! Use the contact form below send us your questions, or make an appointment to talk directly about various career options and how our programs prepare |
12, p. 2481-2500 20 p.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation
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Liang, X., Crecea, V. & Boppart, S. A., Oct 1 2010, In : Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences. 3, 4, p. 221-233 13 p.
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Ding, H., Wang, Z., Nguyen, F. T., Boppart, S. A., Millet, L. J., Gillette, M. U., Liu, J., Boppart, M. D. & Popescu, G., Dec 1 2010, In : Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience. 7, 12, p. 2501-2511 11 p.
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Ding, H., Berl, E., Wang, Z., Millet, L. J., Gillette, M. U., Liu, J., Boppart, M. & Popescu, G., Jul 1 2010, In : IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics. 16, 4, p. 909-918 10 p., 5443519.
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Deluca, S., Duncan, G. J., Keels, M. & Mendenhall, R. M., Dec 1 2010, In : Housing Policy Debate. 20, 1, p. 7-25 19 p.
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Kang, W., Rajagopalan, J. & Saif, M. T. A., Dec 2010, In : Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Letters. 2, 4, p. 282-287 6 p.
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Boustany, N. N., Boppart, S. A. & Backman, V., Aug 15 2010, In : Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering. 12, p. 285-314 30 p.
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Piruska, A., Gong, M., Sweedler, J. V. & Bohn, P. W., Mar 1 2010, In : Chemical Society Reviews. 39, 3, p. 1060-1072 13 p.
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Wilson, B. A. & Ho, M., Aug 1 2010, In : Future Microbiology. 5, 8, p. 1185-1201 17 p.
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Cyclotides
Gold nanorod crystal growth: From seed-mediated synthesis to nanoscale sculpting
Murphy, C. J., Thompson, L. B., Chernak, D. J., Yang, J. A., Sivapalan, S. T., Boulos, S. P., Huang, J., Alkilany, A. M. & Sisco, P. N., Apr 1 2011, In : Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science. 16, 2, p. 128-134 7 p.
Health literacy: Critical opportunities for social work leadership in health care and research
Liechty, J. M., May 2011, In : Health and Social Work. 36, 2, p. 99-107 9 p.
High-throughput screening for modulators of protein-protein interactions: |
(with biblatex-apa in TeXnicCenter) Today I encountered an issue with biblatex and it seemed I had to update the biblatex package to the newest version to fix this.
So I went for a complete update of my MikTeX installation (installed all possible package updates... maybe that was a mistake, dunno). I knew I needed the newest biber (1.7) then, so I downloaded that. Log says biblatex is v2.7a. On the way I also updated to the newest apa6.cls and to TeXnicCenter 2.02 stable (32-bit on Win 7, used a beta before).
Before doing all this stuff, everything compiled properly... but now I get these Warnings like citation undefined... empty bibliography, undefined references etc. Any help would be highly appreciated!
Here is my TeXnicCenter config of biber:
Here is the working example, notice that I got backend=biber:
\documentclass[man,12pt,a4paper,noextraspace,donotrepeattitle,longtable]{apa6} % 12 pt., doppelter Zeilenabstand usw.
\usepackage[latin1]{inputenc} % für ä,ö,ü,Ä,Ö,Ü,ß usw.
\usepackage[english,ngerman]{babel}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc} % für exakte Darstellung von Umlauten wie Ä
\usepackage{lipsum} % Dummy-Text
\setlipsumdefault{8} % Standard-Einstellung: Verwendung nur eines Lipsum-Paragraphs (in diesem Fall des achten)
\setlength{\LTleft}{0pt} % linksbündige Tabellen (longtable)
\usepackage{environ}
\usepackage{threeparttablex}
\usepackage{textgreek} % griechische Buchstaben im Text-Modus
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ von apa6.cls automatisch geladene Packages
% booktabs, etoolbox, lmodern, threeparttable
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Scriptsize (ca. 8pt) Für Anmerkungen in Tabellen
\makeatletter
\g@addto@macro\TPT@defaults{\scriptsize}
\makeatother
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bibliographie/Biblatex/Literatur
\usepackage{csquotes}
\usepackage[style=apa,sortcites=true,sorting=nyt,backend=biber]{biblatex}
\DeclareLanguageMapping{ngerman}{ngerman-apa}
\DefineBibliographyStrings{ngerman}{ % ändert den Titel des LV von Literatur in Literaturverzeichnis
references = {Literaturverzeichnis}
}
\DefineBibliographyStrings{ngerman}{% % ändert "u. a." in "et al."
andothers ={et\addabbrvspace al\adddot},
andmore ={et\addabbrvspace al\adddot},
}
\addbibresource{Literatur.bib} % lädt LV-Datei
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
% Hier werden die (Unter-)Überschriften neu definiert (d. h. nicht fett usw.)
\makeatletter
\renewcommand{\section}{\@startsection {section}{1}
{\z@}
{\b@level@one@skip}
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\renewcommand{\paragraph}{\@startsection{paragraph}{4}{\parindent}%
{0\baselineskip \@plus 0.2ex \@minus 0.2ex}%
{-1em}%
{\normalfont\normalsize\itshape\addperi}}
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%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++ TITELBLATT
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
\title{title}
\shorttitle{shorttitle}
\renewcommand{\rheadname}{Kolumnentitel} % Running head übersetzt
\author{\null C A}
\affiliation{
\null
Universität
Fachbereich
Institut
Fachgebiet
}
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++ ZUSAMMENFASSUNG / ABSTRACT
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
\abstract{\noindent
\textit{Theoretischer Hintergrund:}
\textit{Fragestellung:}
\textit{Methode:}
\textit{Ergebnisse:}
\textit{Schlussfolgerungen:}
\begin{otherlanguage}{english}
\clearpage
\section{\normalfont\normalsize\abstractname}
\textit{Background:}
\textit{Objective:}
\textit{Methods:}
\textit{Results:}
\textit{Conclusions:}
\par
\end{otherlanguage}
}
\patchcmd{\maketitle}{\abstractname}{Zusammenfassung}{}{} % Umbenennen des ersten Abstracts in "Zusammenfassung" mit Paket etoolbox
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\vspace*{.1\textheight} % Vertikaler Abstand zum oberen Seitenrand
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++ Deckblatt
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
\begin{center}
Title
\null
Wissenschaftliche Arbeit
\null
Universität
Fachbereich
Fachgebiet
\null
vorgelegt von
\null
C A
\null
\selectlanguage{ngerman}Bla, den \today
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\pagestyle{otherpage}
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\thispagestyle{titlepage}\maketitle % Einfügen der Titelseite
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++ EINLEITUNG
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
\section{Einleitung}
\lipsum
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++ METHODE
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
\newpage{\section{Methode}}
\subsection{Überblick}
\lipsum
\subsection{Stichprobe}
\subsection{Material}
\subsubsection{Stimulusmaterial}
\paragraph{Wortpaare}
\lipsum
\subsubsection{Geräte/Apparaturen}
\subsubsection{Aufgabe}
\lipsum
\subsubsection{Fragebögen}
\paragraph{Index}
\lipsum
\paragraph{Screening}
\lipsum
\paragraph{Inventory}
\lipsum
\cite{MacLeodetal2002}
\subsubsection{Übungen}
\lipsum
\subsection{Versuchsablauf}
\lipsum
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++ ERGEBNISSE
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%+++ DISKUSSION
%+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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%+++ Literatur
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vice president-elect Sophia Liu '17 into office within a week of their election. Davis said he learned of the pending transfer Monday at 11 p.m.
Lewin complainant tells of harassment
By Austin Hess Jan. 27, 2015
A 32-year-old woman living in France has provided Inside Higher Ed with records of sexually explicit messages from former professor Walter Lewin — the same materials that she had sent to MIT and which had served as the basis for a sexual harassment investigation that led to the revocation of Lewin's emeritus title and the removal of his popular online physics lecture videos.
Lewin Twitter contained sexual comments to fans
Walter Lewin, the former MIT professor with whom the Institute severed ties last month over a sexual harassment probe, appears to have publicly tweeted sexually suggestive and explicit comments to fans of his popular online physics lecture videos.
U.S. CTO Smith to be 2015 speaker
By Austin Hess Dec. 9, 2014
Megan Smith '86, chief technology officer of the United States and a former Google executive, will be MIT's commencement speaker for the Class of 2015.
Two Seamless members say hackathon misattribution was unintentional
By Kath Xu and Austin Hess Nov. 14, 2014
Since the publiation of an article in The Tech about allegations of plagiarism against HackMIT contestants on the Seamless team, HackMIT organizers and two members of Seamless have stated that the videos they presented as output of their own code in the hackathon's final presentation were actually published by Microsoft Research. Both these two contestants and the organizers said that the misattribution was unintentional, while a third member of the Seamless team has sought to publicly distance himself from the project.
LCA banned five years, brothers move out Sunday
By Austin Hess Oct. 31, 2014
The national organization of Lambda Chi Alpha announced Thursday that it had suspended the MIT chapter of LCA for at least five years. The MIT News Office said that the brothers of the fraternity would be required to move out by Sunday and that the building would close.
Can fraternities be feminist?
By Austin Hess Sep. 30, 2014
The Tech received an email from William A. Frezza '76 a bit over a week ago containing a submission to our opinion section asserting, "Drunk coeds represent the gravest threat to fraternities." Identifying himself as the "president of the alumni house corporation" of MIT Chi Phi, he portrayed female undergraduates as the true cause of accidents at fraternities, universally hapless beings unable to consume alcohol responsibly, and a steady source of "false rape accusations."
All-FSILG ban is for rush fairness
When Boston decided to impose a 49-person limit on gatherings at MIT fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups in the city last week, MIT extended the restriction to those in Cambridge and Brookline to "maintain equity among the FSILGs during new member recruitment," according to Matthew D. Bauer, a spokesman for the Division of Student Life.
Austin Travis, grad student in chemistry, dead at age 26
By Austin Hess Sep. 9, 2014
President L. Rafael Reif emailed the MIT community last Friday afternoon to announce that chemistry graduate student Austin L. Travis, 26, had died Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Graduate student Austin Travis dead
President L. Rafael Reif emailed the MIT community Friday afternoon to announce that chemistry graduate student Austin Travis, 26, had died Wednesday.
Party ban expanded to all fraternities, sororities, and ILGs as Boston, MIT seem at odds
By Austin Hess and Leon Lin Sep. 5, 2014
Large parties and gatherings are once again effectively banned at MIT fraternities, campus officials announced Wednesday afternoon, three days after a woman was injured in a fall from a window at the now suspended Lambda Chi Alpha.
Greek events banned again, now restricting all FSILGs in wake of 'intoxicated' fall
Parties and large gatherings are once again effectively banned at MIT fraternities, campus officials announced Wednesday afternoon, just days after a woman fell from a window at Lambda Chi Alpha. The student, who survived, was reportedly intoxicated, according to MIT Police logs, which listed the incident as alcohol-related. MIT prohibits alcohol at fraternity events during rush, which began last Saturday. The MIT chapter of LCA is now under suspension by both its international organization and MIT.
Drug, alcohol, hazing policies undergo major modifications
On Aug. 26, Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo emailed all MIT students to announce changes to the Mind and Hand Book, a set of guidelines and rules that apply to undergraduates and graduates. The alcohol and drugs and hazing policies were updated significantly, while minor changes were made to other policies, including those on sexual misconduct.
Student injured in fall from window at MIT Lambda Chi Alpha Student is not affiliated with MIT
A student not affiliated with MIT fell from a window at the MIT chapter of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday and sustained injuries of unspecified severity according to Kimberly Allen of the MIT News Office.
FSILG leaders approve of new social gathering policy
By Austin Hess Aug. 29, 2014
Interfraternity Council president Haldun Anil '15 emailed MIT fraternity members late Thursday to announce that fraternity presidents had approved a new FSILG social events policy to address the assembly limits imposed by the Boston Licensing Board in October 2013, which had prevented fraternities in the city from holding parties. The announcement came shortly over a day before the scheduled start of fraternity Rush, during which many houses host parties for freshmen.
Prayer expunged from graduation after op-ed
By Austin Hess Jun. 6, 2014
Religious prayer, a part of the commencement invocation in previous years, will no longer be included in the ceremony, according to a message from members of MIT's Commencement Committee sent to undergraduates in May.
Institute announces new environmental initiative
By Austin Hess May. 9, 2014
MIT announced Thursday a new initiative on the environment meant to "promote transformative, cross-disciplinary research," according to a press release.
No. 6 rejoins IFC after years away
By Alex Delmore and Austin Hess May. 6, 2014
MIT's fourth oldest fraternity, The Number Six Club (No. 6), has rejoined the Interfraternity Council after being an Independent Living Group for almost six years. No. 6, MIT's chapter of Delta Psi, had left the IFC in 2008 due to disagreements over the Clearinghouse system used during Rush.
'Major gift' endows new food, water lab
MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel '78 has provided a "major gift" to establish the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS) according to an MIT press release.
Pair raises $500K, preparing to rain bitcoins on undergrads
By Austin Hess and Leon Lin Apr. 29, 2014
Donors have committed to give $100 in bitcoin to each of MIT's about 4,500 undergraduates this fall. Jeremy L. Rubin '16 and Daniel B. Elitzer, a first-year Sloan MBA student, are spearheading the project, which they hope will sow the seeds of an innovative bitcoin 'ecosystem' at MIT.
MIT Delta Upsilon suspended until 2016
The Delta Upsilon International Fraternity has suspended its MIT chapter until spring 2016, MIT announced Wednesday. MIT has also withdrawn recognition of the fraternity's chapter as an independent living group.
Late-night T service starts strong
By Austin Hess Apr. 8, 2014
The MBTA's extended late night hours of service, which began March 28, mean that the T and certain bus routes will now run for nearly 90 minutes longer on Friday and Saturday nights. The final trains from downtown stations will leave at about 2:30 a.m. during extended hours, according to the MBTA's website.
Student plans cover new surgery benefit
By Austin Hess Mar. 18, 2014
The MIT Medical Transgender Health FAQ website now lists a "Surgery" benefit of up to $50,000 per year as part of coverage available to transgender patients under the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan. The added coverage is for gender affirmation surgery (GAS), also known as gender reassignment surgery, in which some transgender individuals undergo procedures to modify their physical sex characteristics to match those traditionally associated with their transitioning identity.
Graduate student Hadi Kasab dead
By Austin Hess Mar. 8, 2014
Kasab was a graduate student in Computation for Design and Optimization and was a resident of the Sidney Pacific graduate residence.
Student innovators may get new legal resource
By Austin Hess Feb. 18, 2014
President L. Rafael Reif sent a letter to the MIT community Saturday evening clarifying the Institute's support for the student creators of Tidbit, the Bitcoin-harvesting hackathon project, which was the subject of a subpoena from the State Attorney General of New Jersey served to Jeremy L. Rubin '16. The response, which also includes a proposal for a new "resource for independent legal advice" for students, comes after Professor Hal Abelson PhD '73; Ethan Zuckerman, director of the MIT Center for Civic Media; and Nathan Matias G released a widely-circulated open letter advocating that MIT take an official stance on the matter.
Terror strikes, four are slain, Boston prevails, and MIT remembers
Tragedy struck Boston, Cambridge, and MIT this year with the bombing at the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday Apr. 15 and the shooting death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier |
do not think that any nation is hopeless to change; however, I think that some nations do require a lot more effort than others to become changed. - Verv
JohnRawls
Rank: Absolutely Corrupt (x7)
Joined: 21 Jun 2009 17:17
Ideology: Centrist
Location: Eu/Estonia
By B0ycey - 18 Nov 2021 23:20
Rugoz wrote: If this jerk hates QE so much, he should hope for even more inflation, because only that can end QE.
But what if QE has caused the inflation? It certainly hasn't helped.
B0ycey
Joined: 12 Sep 2016 16:19
By Rugoz - 19 Nov 2021 11:45
B0ycey wrote: But what if QE has caused the inflation? It certainly hasn't helped.
Hopefully it has, that's the point of QE and/or deficit spending.
P.S.: The article is still bullshitting about real wages shrinking
Rugoz
Ideology: None
Rugoz wrote: P.S.: The article is still bullshitting about real wages shrinking
Well wages in general aren't keeping up with inflation given it is 4.2% so he isn't wrong. But really this comes down to production ceasing and an increase in the money supply. The talk of transitory seems to have taken a back seat and the BoE is talking about interest rate rises now. But that won't help much given this isn't internal but an external affair and reducing UK spending habits won't help much when the whole world is vying for the same commodities.
It was barely a year ago oil had a negative price at the height of lockdown and now petrol at the stations are at record highs simply because the world is trying to catch up. Gas the same. Europe didn't buy gas when demand was low and have no reserves now so are paying through the nose. Russia are trying to manipulate that to gain long term contracts and you have the BS with NS2. Ultimately this is a sellers market. It will remain so for a while yet, but the question is can the market keep up? Probably not. And Austria is locking down again and I wonder which muppets in government is going to follow suit. But it was what people wanted. So perhaps the catastrophe was everyones mistake and I think people are waking up to this and trying to find excuses which should be obvious. Our 'Just in time' economy doesn't work if you stop the supplylines and the result is inflation.
B0ycey wrote: Well wages in general aren't keeping up with inflation given it is 4.2% so he isn't wrong.
He is wrong, see figure 2:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlab... vember2021
Rugoz wrote: He is wrong, see figure 2:
There is nothing that suggests that wage growth has beat inflation, on the contrary, it is quite clear that inflation is ravaging growing upwards having overtaken real wage growth a long time now. This becomes even more pronounced when one leaves the averages and goes by segment.
Have you measured total inflation from a date to another?
Aside from moans and groans you have not made an argument.
Something in the article has triggered you, but nobody cares.
noemon wrote: There is nothing that suggests that wage growth has beat inflation, on the contrary, it is quite clear that inflation is ravaging growing upwards having overtaken real wage growth a long time now. This becomes even more pronounced when one leaves the averages and goes by segment.
Well yes he did. Here is Estonia for Example:
Wage Growth:
Inflation:
UK wages
UK Inflation
JohnRawls wrote: Well yes he did.
Averages do not tell any story, and they are quite worthless, the 'wage growth" for July-September is not real wage growth, not even nominal wage growth. But down to the fact that several low paid jobs were unfulfilled, shooting up the average pay for the total population.
Rugoz's source tells you that if you actually bother to read it:
Paragraph 2, the one Rugoz cited as "his" evidence:
ONS UK wrote:
2.Main points for July to September 2021
Annual growth in average employee pay has been affected by temporary factors that have inflated the headline growth rate, these factors are now reducing and having a smaller impact on growth rates; base effects refer to the latest months being compared with low base periods when earnings were first affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; and compositional effects where there has been a fall in the number and proportion of lower-paid employee jobs, therefore increasing average earnings.
Interpreting average earnings - base and compositional effects
Interpreting average earnings data is difficult at the moment. In July we published a blog: How COVID-19 has impacted the Average Weekly Earnings data, which explains the complexities of interpreting these data. The blog highlights different approaches that can be taken to estimate an underlying rate, while explaining there is no simple answer. In particular, there are temporary factors that we refer to as base and compositional effects, which have increased the headline growth rate in earnings above the underlying rate.
The base effect refers to the comparison of the latest months with the low base periods between April and August 2020, when earnings were affected by the coronavirus pandemic and negative pay growth rates were seen. The blog explains that there are a number of ways you can try to strip out these base effects, but there is no single method everyone would agree on. We have tried a couple of simple approaches. Neither approach is perfect: the first requires an estimate of what would have happened without the pandemic, and the second assumes that wage growth was constant over the last two years, which we use to generate a range for the base effect.
As we move through the year, the base effect will start to reduce. We have started to see this in the most recent data where for certain sectors, the base effect is minimal but for sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and wholesaling, retailing, hotels and restaurants, we are still seeing a base effect present in the August data.
The composition effect is where pay growth has been affected by a changing composition of employee jobs, which has increased average pay and needs to be considered when interpreting average pay growth. This is explained further in the Measuring the data section.
Moreover, "wage growth" includes NI and Tax contributions that have also increased this year and which account for a large part for the "wage growth", but these are not money pocketed by the employee but by the state.
As I and many others already said, there is no doubt that inflation has overtaken real wage growth in the UK and especially when you take it down by segment. Take the real wage growth after tax of income earners up to 80k per year(less than 2%) that form 95% of the labour force and take the 200% crude oil price increase(or 40% increase at the forecourt) and the 40% food price increase and you have a much better picture of how inflation is beating wages by a big margin actually for the 95% of the actual population.
Naysayers distort reality with flatened averages very much like corporate douches who try to trick people by interplaying between segment and total.
40% commission for sales above £50, 20% commission for orders below £50, employee averages orders at £52, believes he will get 40% for his total orders but 99% of his orders are below £50 and 1% way above £50. You are attempting to play the same game here to justify your erroneous opinion.
By SueDeNîmes - 20 Nov 2021 17:00
Nobody, including central banks, likes QE. It is a symptom, not of fiscal irresponsibility, but of elite obesession with inflation and deficits. As George Osborne advocated:
"monetary activism, fiscal responsibility, and supply side reform.
Monetary activism to keep interest rates low and stimulate the economy.
Fiscal responsibility to restore confidence and rebuild our battered public finances."
QE is a last-ditch, desperate attempt to make that work; like trying to fill your kettle by flooding the upper floor. The OP article kinda acknowledges that in careful, guarded language, then shoehorns it into an argument for same-old-same-old fiscal conservatism.
SueDeNîmes
Rank: 31% Corrupt
noemon wrote: Paragraph 2, the one Rugoz cited as "his" evidence:
I wrote figure 2, not paragraph 2.
It literally shows real wage growth.
noemon wrote: Averages do not tell any story, and they are quite worthless
The article says "the average worker is being subjected to a real terms pay cut".
You could argue he means the majority of workers, but median real wages are also growing:
Across all jobs, median weekly earnings in April 2021 increased by 5.3% from a year earlier on a nominal basis; when adjusted for inflation, they increased 3.6% in real terms over the year;
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlab... nings/2021
SueDeNîmes wrote: Nobody, including central banks, likes QE. It is a symptom, not of fiscal irresponsibility, but of elite obesession with inflation and deficits. As George Osborne advocated:
QE enables fiscal expansion. But there's hardly an alternative unless you have an export-driven economy and can manipulate the exchange rate.
Rugoz wrote: The article says "the average worker is being subjected to |
won't move the slice more than a painfully impotent tick at a time.
Yes, while you're working all this out and seeing these digital tantrums for the first time, "Bread" is funny — not laugh-out-loudly so, because the games that broke this genre in did so with more absurdity, charm, surprise and shock, but amusing at least.
But "Bread's" temperament and sluggishness spell a quick demise for the joke. And once the joke wears off and all that remains is you, these not-quite controls, these not-quite physics, a fickle edibility meter and the constant threat of one wrong anything — from you or the game — undoing 20-plus minutes of monotonously careful maneuvering that had sapped all pretense of being fun to play at around minute four, "Bread" feels less like amusement, or even a game, and mostly like digital antagonism that's designed to be enjoyed by everyone but the person tasked with playing it.
(That, after only three failed attempts, each level tosses in an invincibility power-up that makes failing the level completely impossible is quite telling in multiple interpretative ways. An unspoken admission that the developer recognizes but has no interest in intelligently reconciling the laughable imbalance between the task at hand and the tools provided to complete or even just enjoy it? Or just yet another way for game and audience alike to mock the poor soul who ponied up the $13 sacrifice? All of the above? Take your pick. No wrong answers here.)
The shame in all this is that some genuine novelty peeks through all that contrived aggravation. When you discover, possibly by accident, that you can toast your bread without a toaster, it's enough to wonder if "Bread" could have been a clever environmental puzzle game instead of a practical joke. Physics are sometimes employed to clever effect, even if these instances are telegraphed by the standout placement of certain objects in each area. "Bread's" end-of-level grading system takes toasting technique into account, and had it gone all in on this pursuit and left the willfully obtuse control scheme giggles behind, it could have been a genre unto itself instead of an also-ran.
"Bread's" story mode — which is punctuated by interstitial text that, to its credit, pays off with a clever conclusion and remains amusing long after your smile might fade everywhere else -- accompanies a series of secondary modes that all engender their own ill will in their own special ways.
There's a multiple-item fetch quest mode in which you play as a cracker that's susceptible to breakage as well as dirt and bad physics and is, as such, even more tedious to control. There's a very basic racing mode starring a bagel that's amusing except for the part where you steer a bagel that occasionally betrays everything you're doing with the controller, and there's a zero G mode that's amusing except for the part where you bang your head against a stubborn control scheme that feels like that aforementioned quicksand with a side of frozen tundra mixed in.
Finally, there's a destruction mode, starring a presumably stale baguette, that should be the cathartic foil to the antagonistic game that envelopes it. But even here, where failure is nearly impossible and the only task is to create as much chaos as possible in two minutes' time, a diving framerate and the worst, most not-of-this-earth physics in the entire game join forces to pry aggravation from the jaws of mindless fun.
At that point, with all other options exhausted, the only recourse is to quit the game, fire up the Live From PlayStation app, find a stream of someone else playing "Bread," and experience the game as it's most likely intended to be experienced. Only here — when you set out to revel in someone else getting their turn at comedic misery but instead experience pangs of empathy while watching an increasingly dispirited fellow player attempt to justify 13 evaporated dollars by chasing it with countless wasted minutes — does "Bread" feel like a product whose intent and result are in strangely perfect alignment.
PS4 Release Date Revealed
Here -- In this seemingly ordinary looking Best Buy lies the answer you have probably been waiting for.
Have you pre-ordered your PS4 or plan to get one but do not have the slightest idea of when the system will be available? You may have a general idea or a nebulous time frame as to when the PS4 will be released. For example, you may have heard the rumor that the PS4 will be launched some time before the holidays, 2013. The question you may have is -- how much time before the holidays arrive will the PS4 be available and is there a specific release date for the PS4?
Could the release date be just days before Christmas, since some video game companies like to schedule launches around the holidays? Or maybe the release date will tie in with Black Friday. Since Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days before Christmas, it would be strategic timing on Sony's part to release the PS4 on a day when just about everyone will probably be out shopping anyway. There's nothing quite like a big shopping day like Black Friday to launch a new, highly anticipated video game system, especially for those holiday shoppers who like to get their shopping done early.
Can you find the system inside Best Buy that shows the release date for the PS4? Hint: It's in the picture to your left.
Putting speculations aside, could it be that somewhere out there in the video game biosphere, there is someone or a group who knows without a shadow of a doubt the release date for the PS4? Certainly Sony knows, but to date, they seem to be taking their time getting the word out. I guess Sony may be satisfied that it has done enough by sharing with you at E3, 2013 how much you will have to fork over to get your hands on a PS4 -- namely $399.99. Maybe the company is of the mindset that the price is enough information for you right now. However, I will wholeheartedly disagree. I think Sony should share when this game will be available when known, without any leaks, teasers, etc. I'm sure Sony knows that news regarding video game systems or even video games for that matter involve providing answers relative to the Who, What, Where, Why and When.
If you picked this Pre-order touch screen system, you were correct as to the source for the release date for the PS4.
You already probably know the Who -- Sony; the What -- PS4; the Where -- Whereever video game systems are sold; the Why --Releasing new generation video game system; but until now you probably did not know the When. Exactly when will the PS4 be released?
The answer lies in what I would describe as an impressive pre-order display touch screen system located at a particular Best Buy I went to recently. Using the touch screen, you can pre-order video games and/or the new video game systems. While I was at Best Buy, using the touch screen, I decided, on a whim, to select the video game consoles category since I was curious as to what would be displayed for the PS4. I touched the screen that showed a picture of the PS4 -- when lo and behold -- I saw it! There before me on the big screen was the release date for the PS4.
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so take a look and you will see what I saw as the availability, release, or launch date for the PS4. Rather than me telling you the date -- check out the visual below.
Pre-order touch screen at Best Buy shows availability date for the PS4 as 11/30/2013
There you have it -- practically in black and white -- that the release date for the PS4 is 11/30/2013. In my opinion, it is beneficial to know the specific release date for the PS4 for planning purposes -- however; there is a caveat. If you are interested in pre-ordering the PS4, unlike Amazon or other places that do not require a deposit, you will have to pay a $25.00 deposit if you pre-order from Best Buy.
The PS 4 will be available on 11/30/2013, and will require a $25.00 deposit if you pre-order from Best Buy.
Regarding the $25.00 deposit -- when you look at the big picture, if you already plan to spend $399.99 for the new video game console -- along with the cost of the video games you plan to buy for the PS4 -- paying a $25.00 deposit to pre-order the PS4 now may not be such a big deal.
As for me, I plan to continue to enjoy playing video games on my PS3, for now, even if the PS4 is probably a steal, when compared to the $499.99 price for the Xbox One when it launches. As the release date for the PS4 gets closer -- of course, this could change.
That being said, I'm looking foward to getting an up close and personal look at the PS4 on the store shelves when it releases on November 30, 2013.
Published in Mom's Minute Blog
Lies, Damned Lies and Game Trailers
Mark Twain has been noted as saying, there are three type of lies. Lies, damned lies, and statistics. If Twain played videogames, the quote would probably be 'There are lies, damned lies, and game trailers'. Since the earliest days of videogame consoles, developers have used a slew of different ways to entice gamers to make a purchase. And none |
F have just launched the above video to promote the Samsung Galaxy Note. The Galaxy Note is Samsung's smartphone / tablet hybrid featuring a much bigger screen than your average smartphone. Based on the idea that "bigger is better", and inspired by recent videos like the frog and lizard playing with smartphones, TVF took the Galaxy Note to Thailand and gave it to Peter the elephant.
The footage is apparently all real, and to prove it TVF uploaded some unedited out-takes as well.
Campaign Credits
Project name: Elephant plays with Galaxy Note
Client: Samsung
Creative agency: The Viral Factory
Director: Matt Huntley with The Viral Factory
Guinness's Green Carpet For All The Patrick's
Tomorrow, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Guinness Storehouse will be putting out the green carpet again for all the Patricks and offering them free entry into the Storehouse. As you may remember, last year everybody by the first name of Patrick, Patricia, Paddy, Padraig, Trish, Tricia or Patsy and all the variants thereof, were treated to a special VIP Patrick experience in the Guinness Storehouse on St. Patrick's Day.
This year will be no different!
On arrival at the Storehouse, Guinness's VIP Patricks will receive a specially designed Very Important Patrick Pass, free entry, complimentary food tastings and Pour the Perfect Pint Sessions during the day. The exclusive St. Patrick's Day menu offered will be complete with authentic Guinness beef stew specially designed by the Guinness Storehouse cuisine team on FIVE.
Aside from great food and delicious pints, the three day St. Patrick's Festival will play host to a fantastic selection of live music from home grown and international talent including Four Men and a Dog, bluegrass collective Tupelo, vocal ensemble Eclectic Spree and London jazz band Brassroots plus many more.
Storehouse visitors will also have the oportunity to take part in a global Guinness World Record Attempt to create the biggest welcome and make St. Patrick's Day the Friendliest Day of the Year. Part of this will see a friendly Phone available for Patricks to call family or friends for free anywhere in the world.
For full details on the festival and the World's Friendliest Day Guinness World Record Attempt log onto www.guinness-storehouse.com.
Use The Force With Xbox360 Kinect
----Press Release----
KINECT FOR XBOX 360 – TRANSFORMING FAMILY TIME IN THE LIVING ROOM
Feel the force as a Jedi and explore the magical world of Pixar with Kinect for Xbox 360
Ever dreamt of becoming a Jedi and battling with Darth Vader in your living room? Or joining Woody from Toy Story in a fast paced adventure in your own home? Soon these dreams will become a reality with Kinect for Xbox 360 and two highly anticipated partnerships with Disney·Pixar and Star Wars, which will see these iconic brands come to life in fun and innovative ways for families to enjoy in the home.
Exciting new games such as "Kinect Star Wars ™" and "Kinect Rush: A Disney·Pixar Adventure", will give both parents and kids the chance to jump in and out of the fun with no controller required. The power of Kinect places you in the Star Wars Universe to live out the ultimate Jedi fantasy. Stunning visuals and graphics transport you into many of the worlds in the movies where you can train to be a Jedi, pilot iconic ships and Speeder Bikes, race Pods, dance for Jabba the Hutt and much more.
In "Kinect Rush: A Disney·Pixar Adventure", Kinect transforms you into a unique character to help your Pixar friends and dive into five exciting movie worlds to discover hidden secrets and solve puzzles. Become a superspy in "Cars", save the day as a robot in "Toy Story", adventure through Paris as a clever rat in "Ratatouille", stop the Omnidroid as a superhero in "The Incredibles", and help Karl as an intrepid Wilderness Explorer in "UP".
In addition to these titles, Kinect for Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest selection of games and experiences for the whole family to enjoy including "Double Fine Happy Action Theatre", "Kinect: Disneyland Adventures" and the "Kinectimals" franchise.
Parents and caregivers will also be assured by the Family Settings provided by Xbox 360. These offer tools and resources to help them decide who their children can interact with online, what video games can be played and for how long, and what movies can be watched etc. to ensure safer and healthier gaming habits.
Kinect for Xbox 360 is a great value for the whole family. The all-in-one Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect includes the new Xbox 360 4GB console, Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures," priced at ERP €299. Or for those who have an Xbox 360 console1 at home, the stand-alone Kinect for Xbox 360, priced at ERP €149.99, includes the Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures," and works with the 45 million Xbox 360 consoles currently in homes worldwide.
Smirnoff's St. Patrick's Day Cocktail
Chances are when it comes to March 17th most people will reach for a pint of Guinness or even a snifter of Irish Whiskey to celebrate St. Patrick. If, however, a pint or straight short don't tickle your fancy, Smirnoff are on hand with their St. Patrick's Day cocktail, the Smirnoff Irish Shamrock. This zesty cocktail is crafted using Smirnoff vodka infused with natural lime flavours and muddled with sugar cane syrup and fresh limes.
Jo Gibson, Smirnoff Brand Manager for Western Europe said, "Smirnoff Irish Shamrock is the ideal cocktail for those wanting to celebrate both St. Patrick's Day and the onset of spring. Designed to tickle the taste buds, it's easy to make and tastes great".
Smirnoff Irish Shamrock
Smirnoff Lime 50ml
Limes 1 chopped (16 pieces)
Sugar cane syrup 20ml
1. Muddle limes & sugar cane syrup in base of highball glass
2. Fill glass with crushed ice
3. Add vodka stir thoroughly
4. Retop with crushed ice and garnish with lime wedge & straw
PopCap Launches Solitaire Blitz
This week, PopCap Games announced the launch of Solitaire Blitz, their social twist on one of the world's most popular card games. The aquatically themed social card game debuted in February through a gradual beta launch before becoming available to the entire Facebook user base four days ago.
"We've taken the world's most well-known card game and created an exciting new social version using PopCap's incredibly popular time-based Blitz mechanic made famous by Bejeweled Blitz and Zuma Blitz," said Scott Willoughby, marketing manager for PopCap Games. "We've evolved a traditionally solitary pastime into a friendly, shared experience that's fun for all ages."
PopCap Games is a leading developer, publisher and operator of video games. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000, was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2011, and has a worldwide staff of more than 600 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. PopCap's games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship franchise, Bejeweled, has sold more than 50 million units.
Become A Character in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Sony is offering the chance for one lucky Irish person to be a part of gaming history and create their own character in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception for PlayStation3.
In 'Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception' the game characters are not just animations, they're played by real actors, acting out the scenes in a performance capture studio. Sony is offering the chance to be part of Uncharted history and become a playable game character through a new competition launching this Friday 9th March on the Sony Ireland Facebook fan page - The Uncharted Audition by Sony!
However, not only will the winner get to create their own in-game multi-player character, but they will get to do it in L.A. while also meeting the Naughy Dog Inc. creative team behind the game. The winner will also get the unique opportunity to experience the behind-the-scenes of motion capture.
To win, competition entrants will partake in a series of three challenges to prove they have what is takes to be as good as Nathan Drake.
The three challenges which include:
'Name like Nathan Drake', creating a compelling name for themselves as an action hero
'Move like Nathan Drake', submitting a video of themselves demonstrating their moves and agility
'Act like Nathan Drake, recording a voiceover to a muted game scene, testing their creativity and voice acting skills
From across Europe, there will be 10 finalists selected to compete at a live event in L.A, where one lucky winner will be chosen to win the grand prize of a trip to the Naughty Dog Inc. studios to be a part of gaming history and leave their legacy in the
The competition opens this Friday 9th March and closes on Sunday 18th March at 24:00 GMT.
Become A Character |
, requesting medical assistance. The crew said the pirates had been in control of the bridge, but the crew had retained control of the steering and engineering spaces.
BZ. NORKs. Go figure.
Can we earmark "George One?"
Of the millions Congress earmarks in the DOD budget that does nothing and the fleets of 40-year old aircraft we spend money to just make shadows on the ramp - can't we fund with the change under the couch to make good on a promise made to all of us? What is that promise? If we die in the service to our nation, if possible our mortal remains will be returned to our family. From a forgotten part of the immediate Post-WWII era, I want to introduce you to three crewmen from "George One," a PBM-5 Mariner: Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, Newport, RI; Frederick Warren Williams, Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class, Huntington, TN and Wendell K. Hendersin, Aviation Radioman First Class, Sparta, WI. Here is part of their story.
By the time crew members were readying George One for the second flight, the waves were thrashing, yanking the airplane against the lines that tethered it to the assisting boats and roughly jostling the guys inside. Robbins and Caldwell managed to attach four jet-assisted takeoff bottles to the seaplane, but the mooring lines were literally shredding the craft's aluminum skin. LeBlanc, another World War II veteran with thousands of hours in PBMs, was unperturbed by the conditions. The Pine Island laid a fuel slick to calm the waters and George One cast off and started its run. After what seemed like five miles, the longest run Robbins had ever experienced, LeBlanc fired the JATO bottles and George
One took wing—into a blinding snowstorm.
Robbins says he wasn't worried, though. He had once received a commendation for a nine-hour flight through fog and clouds in Greenland, and he felt confident in his skills as a radar operator. As Captain Caldwell strapped into the seat in the forward gun turret—now just an observer's seat—Robbins checked his radarscope. Icebergs below registered strong returns.
As they approached the coast, Robbins reported to the flight deck: "Mountain range 20 miles ahead and scattered icebergs." The radar return was clear and strong; the terrain matched the charts. But the weather ahead wasn't clearing. LeBlanc and copilot William Kearns decided to abort the flight and began a long, slow 180-degree turn.
Robbins, standing between the pilots on the airplane's flight deck, felt a slight bump. He heard LeBlanc and Kearns pour on full power.
And then, nothing. He felt like he was floating. He felt a shaking. His shoulder. He looked up; he was kneeling in snow 20 yards from the cockpit, and the flight engineer, Bill Warr, was standing over him. "We're all screwed up, Robbie," Warr said. "I think we're the only ones alive."
We know where those Shipmates are buried too.
While the 6 survivors of the crash were able to make it to the coast for pick up by a sea plane, those three men killed in the crash were left behind, their bodies buried in what was meant to be a temporary grave were buried beneath a specific and well-marked area under the starboard leading-edge of the large PBM-5 wing by their fellow crewmen. Weather precluded the Navy from recovering their bodies at the tail end of Operation Highjump. Its always been the wish of these fellow crewmen, the Navy rescuers and the families to have their loved ones returned to US soil.
In current times, the Navy, wanting to recover the remains of these heroic men, teamed National Science Foundation/Polar Operations (NSF), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Central Identification Lab, Hawaii (CILHI), the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the National Air and Space Administration (NASA,) the U.S. Navy Casualty Office and other agencies to convene several high-level meetings to determine the logistics and feasibility of the George One crew recovery. The USGS, in conjunction with NASA, commissioned a Chilean P-3 Orion Sub Hunter at a cost of $68,000 to 'ping' the site with a highly specialized aerial-borne Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) to pinpoint the George One location and approximate depth of the debris field. The Chilean P-3 located the debris fields approximately 30 to 50 meters below the surface and pinpointed its position to within a.5 by.5 kilometer box.
In 2005 the US Navy halted any further recovery actions lacking known sufficient technology to safely melt down to and recover the remains of the three crewmen.
Well, remember the P-38 we recovered from Greenland a few years back? The same team is ready to go.
Before I even finished the Air & Space articles I had one of those "Aha!" moments. "We've done that! We've done that 5 times! What are they talking about?" I thought.
In 1989, 1990 and 1992 I was lucky enough to be chosen as the photographer of record for the Greenland Expedition Society (GES). After years of research and development, the principals of GES created multiple 268-foot deep shafts and a large cavern at twice the depth of the George One debris field. Our team then maintained that cavern for over 2 months while we disassembled and brought from that cavern to the surface, a WWII P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft. Now known as 'Glacier Girl' that airplane flies with 80% original parts.
It's amazing that all that glacier penetration equipment was developed and never had another use - until now!
As a member of the Greenland Expedition Society I immediately stepped forward to offer the experience and equipment used to recover Glacier Girl to US Navy so that they could bring closure for the wonderful families and great people like Robbie Robbins, George Fabik, Gary Pierson, Garey Jones, the Lopez, Hendersin and Williams families and so many others that have kept this mission alive through sheer love and determination. I've reunited members of the ol' Greenland Expedition Society gang and have the glacier penetrating equipment ready to be built in an effort to get the Navy to reconsider a mission to recover these men for their family and for their nation. The Greenland crew is on board, the equipment ready to be built, the Ground Penetrating Radar crew including 3 geophysicists are all on board. JPAC, NSF Polar Operations, USGS, the US Navy Casualty Office are all very cooperative and even seem to be rooting for us. We're all but ready to go.
What is stopping things?
The last remaining part of the equation is to get the Navy back on board to approve and fund the recovery. A full proposal with options and budgets has already been forwarded to the powers that be @ the Pentagon.
Read all at Lou Sapienza's blog (don't be fooled by the lack of update - he is still standing by from what I have been told). There is also a George One recover team page here, and some media coverage here and here.
Our Shipmates have been waiting for us for a long time in a lonely place. Let's take them home. It is the right thing to do.
Rugby or football?
Hat tip Rich.
Sarkozy is a mench
Because he has managed to do something most of us just fantasize about: dismiss Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes like the hack she is.
BTW, if 60-minutes ever spent time with the French they would know that Sarkozy was just being, well, French with is aide. Note the roll of the eyes. And they claim Bush is clueless about the rest of the world. Notice the cheap shot 60 minutes makes by playing the pre-interview shots. Would they ever do something like that to Hillary?
Also, notice the difference between this video and the one CBS is putting out - they edited out the offer of a handshake and the attempt by Sarkozy to give Stahl a chance to ask a real question. But now, she feels that the most important thing the American people need to hear about the President of France is his soon-to-be ex-wife. BZ President Sarkozy, we think 60 Minutes is garbage too. Don't feel bad, they lie all the time to those they interview. I am just sorry they treated the President of France like he was a Alabama County Commissioner. BZ.
Labels: France, Media
Rotorhead, preflight the Black Helicopter
We have a mission.
The right wing is sowing the seeds for Dolchstoßlegende even while claiming victory or progress or positive trends or however we are euphemizing it today, and there appears to be a significant portion of the Officer Corps who are willing to go along with it. The arrogance of Boylan is not only a symptom of this problem, it is one of the intended outcomes.
We will pick up Cole after we bag that Resistance leader Greenwald - and his little dog too.
...the U.S. military, like everything else, is becoming rapidly politicized, fully incorporated into and following the model of the Republican right-wing noise machine.... the Army's behavior in the Beauchamp case is exactly what one would expect from an increasingly politicized, Republican-controlled division of the right-wing noise machine.
...examine the fact that |
fatally, including a 3-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. Where was Black Lives Matter? Probably shaking down corporations or desecrating statues of white men, because that's what Bill Ayers set them up to do – attack the system of white supremacy – not help black people end their horrific misery.
Over the recent Father's Day weekend in Chicago there were 104 people shot, most of them black, with 14 killed, including a 3-year-old boy and a 13-year old girl. The following Monday, another 41 were shot, 6 fatally, including two women. On Tuesday, 16 more were shot, one killed. Wednesday, 17 shot, one killed. Then Thursday, 2 killed and 12 wounded.
That brought the total murdered by gunshot in the city to 283 so far this year, with another 1,337 shot and wounded, most of them black and male, the vast majority on the South and West Sides of the city, with most of the shooters black and male, though only a handful would be caught, since many were drive-bys.
On Monday, after the Father's Day weekend carnage, Tio Hardiman, a black anti-crime activist stood before television cameras in Englewood, one of the poorest and most violent black neighborhoods in the city, saying with profound anguish: "Where is the outrage for the 3-year-old that was killed, the same outrage when George Floyd was killed by the police in Minneapolis? There should be 30,000, 40,000, 50,000 people on the streets right now shutting down the black community until we get it right."
Sorry, Tio, but there would be no mass media outrage as there was when George Floyd was killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis; no Black Lives Matter or Antifa breaking store windows or burning police cars; no thousands of peaceful black and white college age marchers in manufactured outrage chanting "No Justice! No Peace!" wearing BLM shirts; no Al Sharpton from MSNBC flying in from New York to preach "Murder!" at the funeral of the 3 year old boy as he did over Floyd's casket.
That's because there were no white cops involved in any of the Chicago shootings or deaths over the Father's Day weekend, as there very rarely are in any of the shootings, and because it was just another weekend in the ongoing black-on-black genocide that has been happening since the death of Martin Luther King – a 52 year uninterrupted span of carnage that has witnessed more than 35,000 mostly black men killed by mostly other black men, and five times that number shot and wounded.
There would be no angry, hysterical national news coverage on CNN and the NBC stations either, or on any of the other networks or internet outlets to broadcast the outrage that Tio Hardiman pleaded for. No one would dispatch Black Lives Matter or Antifa thugs to break windows or loot stores to attack the "system of white supremacy" and stir fear among whites.
Nor would young protestors be sent to the streets from Barack Obama's Organizing for Action non-profit or from the Democratic Socialist of America to chant "No Justice, No Peace," because there is no political leverage to be gained from black-on-black violence in the ghettos, especially when no white police are involved, because no one cares.
That's because Black Lives Matter and Antifa were set up and organized as Alinsky attack thugs principally by Bill "I hate (white) America" Ayers, the 1960s bomb making terrorist who lives in his spider hole in Hyde Park near the safe, intellectual University of Chicago, who at age 76 still calls himself a "communist with a small c" and is still weaving his radical webs.
Ayers had help getting BLM off the ground in a big way and into the national media after the Ferguson riots outside St. Louis in 2014, following the shooting of a black youth as he attacked a white off-duty cop. He had the quiet, tacit approval then from his Hyde Park comrade and then president Barack, the man whose political career he helped launch from his and Weather Underground wife Bernadine Dohrn's Hyde Park living room in 1995.
Funding for BLM would come then, as now, largely from billionaire George Soros, the 89-year-old dark messianic founder of the $18 billion Open Society Foundations, who has said: "Destroying America will be the culmination of my life's work." Let's just hope he dies before that happens.
None of them could give a ghetto rat's ass about poor black people or their living hells of violence. In fact, they want more, because black violence causes waves of fear throughout both black and white societies, and fear is their oxygen. Plus, they are in the midst of a presidential election year, and want nothing more – nothing more – than to remove a capitalist president from the Oval Office so they can resume their march toward a globalist/socialist/communist world, with them in charge, of course. Stirring the shame of racism in white society through the media is their main campaign issue and motivator, and Black Lives Matter fear helps that along.
The new black Chicago superintendent of police said after the Father's Day weekend slaughter that much of the shootings were caused by habitual violent felons who were let out of jail and back to the streets, which is part of the Ayer's led plan in the name of "prison reform," though it is more about creating more havoc and fear.
The release of the prisoners was facilitated by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, who Soros helped re-elected last fall with $4 million in campaign contributions, just as he contributed heavily to other states attorney's who let looters and rioters quickly out of jail in New York and Seattle and Los Angeles and Minneapolis to create more havoc following the Floyd riots in those cities.
Now, through the racist fearmongering of a national and internet media controlled by Obama and Soros, Black Lives Matter is now a political force, the arbiters of what is racist, shaking down large corporations like Nike {$40 million) and Reebok ($20 million), lest they be branded and shamed publicly as racists, not to rebuild black families or communities, but to plan and fund other campaigns, like tearing down statues and other symbols of "white supremacy."
Because that is Ayers plan all along – to solve his narcissistic vision of the problem of race in Chicago and the rest of the country, by empowering blacks through the media and attack groups like BLM, stirring racial fears and hatreds, to ultimately take down capitalism and the white middle class, so that everyone is equal and poor and violent like in Englewood, ruled by the likes of himself and Barack and Soros.
In 1969, Ayers always enraged "radical communist" wife Bernadine said: "The best thing that we can be doing for ourselves, as well as for the Black Panthers and the revolutionary black liberation struggle, is to build a fucking white revolutionary movement." In 2008, the year their godson Barack was elected president, they wrote a book The Race Against White Supremacy. Now they seem close to a finish line or sorts.
Ayers is the driving demon behind calls to defund the police. He worked with Barack's Justice Department to demonize cops in Chicago when Justice came in and designated the Chicago Police a "racist organization," fueling black anger against the cops to even greater heights and allowing for more civil rights lawsuits and multi-million dollar settlements, a novel socialist redistribution of wealth in a bankrupted city, though everyone with half a brain understands that such a defunding would create even more havoc and fear in the black communities. But that's what they want.
Ayers is also behind the movement to get Millennials to renounce their "white privilege," bowing in shame and guilt to blacks for their history of segregation and poverty. That guilt is what drives Ayers, who was raised in upper middle-class white suburbia. In his deep, deep, deep narcissism and shame, he cannot begin to see that the ever more elusive solution to the misery and violence in black ghettos is getting them off welfare, providing dignity through work, and rebuilding families with father's involved, so there won't be as many enraged, fatherless boys and men relentless in killing each other.
But that's what Trump wants to do, and Trump is the devil. For Ayers, all the killing in Chicago is "serial murder" by white society, and the black shooters are victims as much as the murdered. Imagine what it would be like inside his twisted, dark soul, though we've had a glimpse these past few weeks.
Now, with the help of Barack and Soros' twisted, brainwashed media, the Ayers' terrorist thugs at BLM have become more popular with the Millennials than Trump, and the racism they have spread though the airwaves is now the main campaign issue for November. As a recent article in The Hill, a Barack favorite, stated, "this movement is about black freedom, not white comfort." Tell that to Tio Hardiman.
As Barack said in his recent $7 million video fund raiser for Joe Biden this week, while Joe looked into the camera and smiled vacantly:
"What makes me optimistic is the fact that there is a great awakening going on around the country, particularly among younger people, who are saying not only are they fed up with the shambolic, disorganized, meanspirited approach to government that we've seen over the last couple of years, but more than that, are eager to take on some of the core challenges that have faced this country for centuries, who are willing to demand an honest accounting of how we think about race in this |
other offensive symbols or images. PG13 | 2002 | Comedy, Romance. View All. WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT FULL CAST.
Genre: Comedy. This week's new batch of movie release dates has some more shuffling around of this Summer's blockbusters, and even next Summer's blockbusters.
Included with STARZ on Amazon for $8.99/month after trial. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Recommended! I have always liked this movie even with Ray in it. Please read the following before uploading, See All Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions. Written By Tom … Start watching now.
Ray Romano is a funny comic actor and the pairing of the two leads is very effective. A terminally mild attempt to revive the populist political comedy pioneered by Frank Capra in the 1930's. A guarded woman who finds out she's dying of cancer but, when she meets her match, the threat of falling in love is scarier than death. All contents are provided by non-affiliated third parties. Share this Rating Title: As.
Download full movie Action Welcome to Mooseport Online.
A US president (Gene Hackman) who has retired after two terms in office returns to his hometown of Mooseport, Maine and decides to run for Mayor against another local candidate (Ray Romano). Source 1 Credit Doug Richardson. We also have release dates for some smaller (and more interesting) movies. Gene Hackman, bristling with wit and energy, is at his amusing best in the robust comedy. Handy has recently broken up with his long-term girl friend and town veterinarian Dr. Sally Mannis (Maura Tierney), and doesn't have the heart for it. More Info. Made of Honor. Cole, meanwhile, has no intention of losing to a hardware store manager. Given that aside it is a decent film and I really like it. Instead, he finds inspiration…. Worth watching though. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2019.
Welcome to Mooseport. But everything changes when the hometown team unexpectedly gets booked in an exhibition match against…, The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost considers himself to be the world's foremost investigator of myths and monsters. Handy, in turn, sees himself in a race for Mayor and boyfriend.
I mean an ex PRESIDENT running in a tight race for mayor vs a local plummer is funny to me. As she deals with the attention, Beth…. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. PG-13; 110 MINS; Comedy, Romance; 2004; 5.1 Surround; A blustery ex-president retires to a small town in Maine, where he is asked to run for mayor - but when a...More. A funny family movie that includes everything from a moose to a sexually deviant dog named Plunger.
I wouldn't go basing my ideals about politics on this movie… What you would expect from a Ray Romano comedy. Search for: Home.
This is a really cute family type movie.
Hoping…, Six men with mid-life anxiety set out for a weekend in the country in an attempt to reconnect with their masculinity. Because the way he sounds is a whiny Easterner, which is his.
Follow STARZ. A US president (Gene Hackman) who has retired after two terms in office returns to his hometown of Mooseport, Maine and decides to run for Mayor against another local candidate (Ray Romano). A 'feel good' movie that will brighten your day! Among movies with moved dates: Welcome to Mooseport, 13 Going on 30, Raising Helen, Mr. 3000, The Notebook and Shall We Dance?. Carl and Jimmy, best friends, walk 70 miles….
Handy suddenly becomes possessed with the idea that he will become mayor and win back the love of his girl. The film is gently funny, has some very funny moments and is nicely filmed--what more can you ask. In the wake of her mother's tragic death, French teenager Junie transfers to a different high school. Nice relaxing and funny movie, very New Englandy, Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2016. After the mayor of Mooseport dies, the town council decides to invite former U.S. President Monroe "Eagle" Cole (Gene Hackman) to run for the office. As the two men vie for the office of mayor, they have to decide what is truly important to them in their lives. Trailer. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2017, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2015, A Very good and enjoyable film about a small town and the arrival of a former president of the USA its funny and well acted with a very good cast that works well together, i recommend to you all, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2016, Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Watch Welcome To Mooseport Online. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Select the department you want to search in. Trailer. Sometimes you just want to watch a movie for fun, to take you away, a movie that has no serious film-making pretensions and is made simply to be funny. HACKMAN plays an EX POPULAR PRESIDENT who somehow gets in a mayor race in MOOSEPORT vs a local PLUMMER. Skip to content. After fishing out coins from a water fountain in Italy, cynical New Yorker Beth Harper finds herself being wooed by several ardent suitors. F.M.B.G. Download Welcome to Mooseport movie free, Welcome to Mooseport 2004 stream, watch Welcome to Mooseport full movie, Watch Welcome to Mooseport 2004 Full Movie in HD, movie Watch Welcome to Mooseport Online megavideo Full Download, Welcome to Mooseport mp4 full movie. All rights reserved. Some of the reviewers obviously need a feather to make them laugh but if you take this film for what it is you will enjoy it. As the competition heats up, Cole's ex-wife Grace Sutherland (Marcia Gay Harden) sweeps into town to stir things up. Do not upload anything which you do not own or are fully licensed to upload. Primary Menu. What they find is a catastrophe so horrible and…, Andy, at the urging of his former mentor and Magic Camp owner Roy Preston, returns to the camp of his youth hoping to reignite his career. Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2007. Now its not caddyshack but this had a funny premise and its share of laughs. It's definitely geared towards the American audience.
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federal level.
In 2009, breaking all the rules, Autism Speaks was able to sneak dedicated funding for autism into a major health bill. A 2012 RFA gave autism a hundred million dollars to build its research centers. Autism now gets over $200 million dollars a year in NIH funding.
One of the differences between autism and chronic fatigue syndrome are autism's huge stable of healthy volunteers. Virtually every disease organization has them, but they have not as yet shown up in ME/CFS. When they do – and my guess is that they will as our efforts get more effective – they will provide a powerful force for change.
ME/CFS is not autism – it doesn't have $25 million backing it (yet) – but it's worthwhile to note that autism was once where ME/CFS Is funding-wise and it wasn't all that long ago. Emily's goal (see below) is to pluck the best practices from different efforts and forge a unique path for ME/CFS.
An Opportunity Looms?
We're living in tumultuous political times. The Republican aren't reaching out to the Democrats and the Democrats have apparently decided that obstructionism is the way to go.
But the Democrats don't want simply to be the party of no, and Republicans want to show that they can do something. Does that leave an opening for chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)? Emily thinks so.
She's found that health issues (the Affordable Care Act aside) are largely bipartisan issues. Emily believes chronic fatigue syndrome is a small enough issue that it can skate below the radar a bit and attract both Democrats and Republicans. (Note that the last Congressional letters were signed by both Democrats and Republicans). She believes that ME/CFS could give legislators an opportunity to show that they can make progress.
So ME/CFS finally did get its funding! I asked Emily how that happened.
How Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Got Funded (!): A Thought Experiment
I asked Emily to look forward to a future where ME/CFS receives ample funding and then to look back and figure out how we got there. This was her response:
"When I envision a world of ample ME/CFS funding, I see several "paths" which could lead us to the results we all want to see. There's the path of profit where private industry (Pharma) recognizes the vast untapped potential market and decides to invest significant resources. There's the path of the "benevolent billionaire," an Elon Musk type who sweeps in with untold riches or the "Charlie Wilson level" placed appropriations benefactor who uses backroom deals and unseen politics to funnel money into our research programs.
When I step back and envision the inevitable success of the ME/CFS community, I don't see a world where a savior figure rides in on a white horse and rescues us. I see a community that unifies, pulls together, and stands strong. I see an injustice made visible and a common awareness of that injustice, which drives action. I see brilliant science utilized by smart advocates informing common-sense bi-partisan policy driven by a unified and accepted community.
I see hard work, setbacks, and failures, but I ultimately come to two common truths. The world where we finally solve ME/CFS is a world where the US government (particularly the US Congress) integrates and acknowledges people with ME/CFS and most importantly it is a world where the ME/CFS community works together and works with others. I see a world where ME/CFS is not an isolated issue in a vacuum but a common ground for a broader context of health equity."
Making a Difference Week for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
ME/CFS advocacy has tended to be reactive, but it isn't anymore. It's pro-active now. Emily at the SMCI and ME Action are forging an organized, well thought-out effort designed to steadily increase our clout and produce the kinds of changes we want.
Next week the next step of the process begins. Building on the two recent Congressional letters, the SMCI and ME Action are going all in. They're coordinating over 50 advocates, representing over 25 districts and territories, in a Washington DC Lobby Day with over 85+ congressional meetings in one day! The day will include a Capitol Hill briefing with a clip from Unrest, district actions and meetings across the country, and call-in and social media actions.
Recent Alert! Emily has discovered that the Affordable Care Act replacement bill that just passed the House eliminated a program called the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) which just so happens to fund the CDC's program on ME/CFS. If the House bill passes in its present form the entire budget for the CDC's ME/CFS program will be zeroed out. The SMCI will send out an alert on this. (Being able to respond quickly to something like this is why we have a professional advocate :))
2017 ME/CFS Advocacy Week
Sign up for the fight to create a better future for ME/CFS here.
This is the most comprehensive effort to create change for ME/CFS in at least the last twenty years. Check out what Emily and the ME Action have cooked up for the big May ME/CFS Advocacy Week.
1 page summary sheet about ME/CFS: DOWNLOAD HERE
Faces of ME/CFS: DOWNLOAD HERE
Webinar Slides: How to conduct your local advocacy District Training: DOWNLOAD HERE
Webinar Slides: How to plan your local advocacy District Training DOWNLOAD HERE
State and District ME/CFS Data: DOWNLOAD HERE
Capitol Hill Briefing Flyer: DOWNLOAD HERE
Institute of Medicine Report Brief: DOWNLOAD HERE
April 6, 2017 ME/CFS Appropriations Sign-on Letter: DOWNLOAD HERE
ME/CFS By The Numbers Infographic: DOWNLOAD HERE
About the Solve ME/CFS Initiative Flyer: DOWNLOAD HERE
About #MEAction Flyer: DOWNLOAD HERE
Advocacy Meetings Talking Points: DOWNLOAD HERE
How to conduct a successful congressional meeting: District Meetings Webinar Training Wednesday May 3 – click here to view the webinar recording: https://youtu.be/ba5zgklexP8
Capitol Hill ME/CFS Briefing: Thursday May 18
Washington DC Capitol Hill Storm: Wednesday May 17
Washington DC Call-in Day: Wednesday May 17
Social Media Storm and International ME/CFS Awareness Day: Friday May 12
Online Congressional Message Deadline: TBD
District Actions and Meetings: Monday May 8 – Thursday May 11
How to conduct a successful congressional meeting: District Meetings Webinar Training Wednesday May 3
How to plan your local advocacy: District Meetings Webinar Training April 19 – click here to view the webinar recording: https://youtu.be/awLjiyYhexQ
The first training for local district advocates was held on Wednesday April 19 at 10:00AM PT/1:00 PM ET and focused on setting up and preparing for your local meetings. This webinar featured our own Director of Advocacy and Public Relations, Emily Taylor and the Congressional Chair of #MEAction, Gail Cooper.
Find much more on the SMCI's 2017 ME/CFS Advocacy Week Page.
GET FREE ME/CFS AND FIBROMYALGIA INFO
Like the blog you're reading? Don't miss another one.
Get the most in-depth information available on the latest ME/CFS and FM treatment and research findings by registering for Health Rising's free ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia blog here.
Lizzie on May 6, 2017 at 12:45 pm
thank you so much for this very encouraging article, and thanks so much Emily and all others working on our behalf …
Cort Johnson on May 6, 2017 at 1:25 pm
I think Emily provides a missing piece for us – a professional advocate who is developing a long term plan to get us the money we need to end the suffering.
This comment is from Elle (it went the wrong part of the website)
Ellen Weinerman on May 6, 2017 at 12:48 pm
I am so happy to hear of the hard work by such dedicated people to help those of us who cannot advocate for ourselves. I have had ME since I was a teenager but not diagnosed until 8 years ago. I am so sick & tired of not only BEING sick & tired but of the puzzled & questionable looks on the faces of family & friends when I tell them what is wrong with me. I don't even call my illness ME any longer — I just say that I have a virus that won't go away. I can't deal with the questions & advice I get suggesting I should "PUSH" myself to do things & not to "give in" to my pain. THANK ALL OF YOU FOR TRYING YOUR VERY BEST TO HELP FIND A CURE & heal us all of this horrific illness.
Best regards Elle
Hang in there Elle! Did you happen to read this article-
http://www.wfdd.org/story/nih-study-aims-unravel-illness-known-chronic-fatigue-syndrom
e – by Miriam Tucker about the NIH Intramural Study?
This study is taking longer than we would all wish but the possibilities that they find something really important are high. Keep up the faith!
Janelle on May 7, 2017 at 5:36 pm
Thanks for this encouraging and very informative article, Cort.
Beverly Hutchinson on May 9, 2017 at 11: |
'd be uncomfortable going that far," Stoughton says. "The video raises real questions about how this raid was conducted and about whether the shooting was justified, but I think we need to be really careful before accusing an officer of lying."
Stephen Downing, a retired deputy police chief for the Los Angeles Police Department, Katz and Stoughton also had serious concerns about the raid itself. All three found it unprofessional, excessive and unnecessary. "Tactically, they weren't operating as a team," Katz says. "There was apparently no knock and announce. I'm especially troubled by the battering ram at the back door, which probably alarmed Russell. And you can see in the video that Weatherford is running for the front door before the ram even hits the back door." Indeed, the police informant in the case later said that when the battering ram first hit the back door, Russell told her he thought they were being robbed. All three experts also questioned why the police would conduct a volatile no-knock raid while their informant was still inside the building.
"I really question the decision to do an unannounced raid here," says Stoughton. "This is a search warrant, not an arrest warrant. They provided no evidence that Russell was violent. Why not knock and announce? Or wait until the house is empty to go in and look for evidence?"
Here again, Downing is far less withholding with his judgment. "A total cowboy operation," he says. "The manner of dress is totally unacceptable. You cannot tell that they're police officers."
It's worth noting that this raid came at a time when the state was cracking down on illegal gambling operations, particular poker games. In one raid conducted about a year earlier, 72-year-old Aaron Awtry got into a gunfight with officers attempting to raid the small-stakes poker game he hosted at his home in Greenville. The police fired more than 20 shots. Somehow, only Awtry was wounded. As he fell, he reportedly said, "Why didn't you tell me it was the cops?" The police claim they knocked and announced, but other players said they never heard it. Awtry was eventually sentenced to five years in prison.
All three experts also agreed that if they were to evaluate the Russell raid based solely on Weatherford's statement, the shooting of Russell would appear to have been justified. And all three said the video portrays an entirely different incident.
Taken at face value, Weatherford's statement provides cover for the sloppy planning and execution of the raid. If he did indeed announce himself as a police officer multiple times, give Russell several warnings, repeatedly order Russell to drop his weapon and held his fire until Russell refused to comply, then the surprise tactics become irrelevant, and Russell bears the brunt of the responsibility for his own death. If he didn't give Russell ample warning, the police here gave Russell every reason to think he was being attacked, then killed him when he attempted to defend himself.
This is where SLED is supposed to come in. "In any investigation, but especially in an officer-involved shooting, discrepancies between witness statements and the physical evidence have to be pursued," Stoughton says. "Maybe you can't resolve those discrepancies. But you have to try. Failure to do that is a fundamental flaw in any investigation."
SLED Special Agent Glen McLellan's summary report of the raid, which was sent to Fourth Judicial Circuit Solicitor William Rogers, makes no mention of the contradiction between the video and Weatherford's statement. In fact, the word "video" never appears in the report. McClellan does make a one-sentence reference to Specht's body camera, but it's referenced in an especially odd way:
Sgt. Specht was wearing a small camera, which captured the inside of the building as the shooting takes place and he took some photographs of the scene. (Attachment 10).
In the list of attachments, McLellan writes this:
10. Sgt. John Specht's Statement and Copies of Photos from the camera he was wearing
The SLED report seems to suggest that the camera captured only the inside of Russell's house, instead of the critical moments leading up to the shooting. It also suggests the camera took only still photos, instead of the incriminating video it captured. (None of the policing experts interviewed for this series could think of a body camera that takes only still photos.)
"Why would SLED only include still photos?" Robert Phillips, the attorney representing Russell's estate, asks. He then seems to answer his own question. "Still photos won't show how the raid couldn't have happened the way Weatherford described it."
Because of the odd wording in his SLED report, it's difficult to say if McClellan was claiming the photos are stills taken from the body camera, or photos taken with a separate camera. The video does show Specht taking photos with a conventional camera after the shooting. But he wasn't "wearing" that camera. He retrieved it after the shooting. The only camera he was wearing was his body camera. The SLED report not only doesn't mention the video footage, but also it's worded in a way to make the reader believe no such footage was taken.
"I'm really bothered by the still photos," says Stoughton. "Still pictures are not a good way to evaluate a series of events like those leading up to a shooting. They can be misleading. This is the most important kind of case you're going to investigate. A man is dead. I can't think of a good reason why you wouldn't include the video, which provides a more comprehensive record of events."
Phillips had a difficult time getting the police agencies involved to even admit that the video existed. He sent an open records request for the video to the Hartsville Police Department, which employs Specht. The department responded that it had no such records. He sent a similar request to the Darlington County Sheriff's Office and the solicitor's office. He got the same response. His paralegal then contacted SLED. After initially indicating that SLED would have to first prepare the video to be picked up, a SLED representative then emailed Phillips's paralegal to tell her that the agency was no longer in possession of the video and that she should check with the sheriff's office or solicitor's office instead.
Frustrated, Phillips finally asked his private investigator to contact Specht in person. After initially balking, Specht turned over the video on a CD within 48 hours.
Despite the fact that it was a critical piece of evidence in a fatal shooting, in a civil rights lawsuit, and at least at one point in a possible criminal investigation, there appears to have been little effort on the part of SLED, the solicitor's office, or the relevant police agencies to preserve the body-cam footage. The only person who appears to have been in possession of the footage was the officer who was wearing the camera. He also happened to be both one of the subjects of the investigation and one of the targets of the lawsuit.
At worst, the SLED investigator deliberately left the video out of his report, implied in the report that it didn't exist and made no effort to obtain or preserve the video — all of which point to a cover-up. At best, SLED was unaware the video even existed — a pretty significant bout of incompetence for an oversight organization.
The SLED investigators also took DNA swabs from the gun found near Russell's body, ostensibly to check it for Russell's trace DNA to confirm Weatherford's claim that Russell held and pointed the gun at him. But the SLED report itself never indicates whether those test results confirmed that Russell's DNA was on the gun. Notably, Weatherford's only discernible command in the video is when he instructs Russell to "Get your hands up." But that isn't a command an officer would typically give to a suspect holding a firearm. He'd be more likely to tell the suspect to drop the gun.
Based on the SLED report, solicitor William Rogers cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing in December 2011.
"The absence of an investigative interview, even for administrative purposes is astounding," says Downing. Perhaps most telling is the fact that throughout the SLED report, the investigators refer to the police officers as "victims" and Russell as the "suspect." That's odd not only because Russell was the one who was shot eight times, but also because SLED's function in these cases is to investigate whether police officers committed any crimes, not to investigate the underlying alleged offenses that led to the incident. Referring to the officers as the "victims" at the outset isn't proof that the investigation was rigged, but it certainly suggests that the investigators approached it with a less than objective state of mind.
Until now, the video of the raid that took the life of Earnest Russell, Jr. was never made publicly available. Perhaps not coincidentally, none of the officers involved were ever reprimanded or disciplined. Russell's estate recently settled its claims against McIntyre and Specht for $500,000. The claim against Weatherford is still pending.
Video ends troubled law enforcement career
Last October, Richland County Sheriff's Department Deputy Ben Fields was fired after a viral cellphone video showed him slamming a black Spring Valley High School girl to the floor, then throwing her across the classroom.
Subsequent news reports revealed that Fields, a large white man who included powerlifting and bodybuilding among his hobbies, had been sued in 2007 for slamming a black man to the ground, kicking him and macing him after pulling him over for playing his radio too loud. When the man's girlfriend took photos of the altercation with her cellphone, Fields's partner confiscated her phone and deleted the images. The couple sued, but a |
that termites have caused $5 billion in property damage nationwide. According to the Termite Infestation Probability Map developed by the US Forestry Service, Virginia falls in the Moderate to Heavy Zone for termite infestations. This means that regardless of where a home is located in the state, there is a strong probability for a termite infestation. If a home or structure is not treated correctly or if a treatment is disturbed, it does not take long for termites start their "attack" on the home. As their name implies, subterranean termites live below ground. They build shelter tubes or tunnels in areas such as crawlspaces, masonry voids or directly into wood contacting soil. Quite often termites and their damage goes unnoticed for long periods of time because these areas are hidden and either difficult or impossible to inspect. Because of this, the best time to protect a building from future termite damage is during construction especially if chemicals are used. The applicator will have access to areas of the structure at that time which would be inaccessible once construction is complete.
Figure 1 How soon is too soon to get termites? This home in Chesterfield, VA had termites 1 year and 5 months after construction.
Although builders do not apply pesticides to the buildings that they are constructing, they do play a key role in making sure that they are protected from future insect damage. Their role begins when they select a pest management firm to perform the pre-construction termite treatment and ends when they turn it over to the purchaser. A good builder will actively work with the pest management firm to make sure the job is done according to the pesticide label requirements. In order to do that, the builder must first select a reputable company that holds a valid Virginia pesticide business license.
A company's reputation can be determined to some extent by how they bid on the job. Builders should get several bids for a job then compare them. Do not hire a company just because they offer the lowest price! This may seem to make sense economically, but the old adage that "you get what you pay for" is still true even when it comes to termite treatments. If cost alone is the criteria for selecting a business, it is likely the structure will not be treated correctly. A business that provides a bid that is substantially lower than their competitors may not provide a proper and complete treatment. The presentation, The Cost of Preconstruction Liquid Termiticide Treatment, explains how termite treatment costs are calculated. This presentation was developed by Dr. Dini Miller, an entomologist at Virginia Tech.
The Office of Pesticide Services has investigated some businesses and found that they cut costs in one of the following manners.
An employee dilutes the pesticide to a lower concentration. For example, instead of mixing 1 gallon of concentrate with 100 gallons of water, an employee might mix ½ gallon to 100 gallons. This practice makes the pesticide weaker thereby reducing its effectiveness.
An employee applies lower amounts of pesticide by reducing the quantity applied. For example, a label requires application to soil along the foundation at the rate of 4 gallons per 10 linear feet per foot of depth. Calculations determine 200 gallons is required for a specific site, but the business only applies 50 gallons. Again, this reduction in pesticide will result in an ineffective treatment that will not protect the home in the manner intended.
A business skips certain phases of the preconstruction treatment. Example: A company may never return to apply the final perimeter treatment to soil that was placed along the foundation. Untreated soils create a bridge for termites to "attack" the structure.
If a painter were to use any of these tactics when painting a home the quality of their work would be obvious. Plaster patches would be visible through the paint. Streaks would appear on painted surfaces. Knots would stand out in wooden elements. The builder and homeowner would not tolerate this type of work. They would make the painter return and complete the job as contracted. Because the termite treatment is less visible, it is harder to determine whether it was done correctly. In order to prevent this type of work from occurring, the builder needs to be familiar with some basic termite treatment requirements to help them determine whether a company is treating a home properly. To learn more read the Proper Application of Preconstruction Termite Treatments section of this website. This section provides basic information about preconstruction termite treatments and gives examples of how two different types of homes are treated. It also has a Pretreat Checklist for builders. You can also download the brochure with the same title here.
In addition to soil applied termiticides, there are other options for termite prevention and control on new and existing homes. These include termite baiting systems and wood applied termiticides such as borates. The publication Subterranean Termite Treatment Options from the Virginia Cooperative Extension discusses soil applied termiticides and baiting systems as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each type of treatment. Another resource which may be of interest is the publication titled Termite Prevention-Approaches for New Construction from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has developed a resource for builders and homeowners that they can use when researching a business. The Civil Penalty Searchable Database lists businesses which have been assessed penalties under §3.2-3943 of the Virginia Pesticide Control Act during the past three years. In using this tool, builders and homeowners must understand that even reputable companies may have occasional violations. It is also possible, that a business may not be listed because it has never been "caught" performing illegal applications. Builders and homeowners may also contact their local Better Business Bureau to find out if there have been any complaints related to a business. While these resources serve as tools, the best ways to determine whether you should hire a business is to get references from people you trust and to ask the business questions about how they plan to perform the treatment.
Tips for making sure a company performs proper Pretreat applications.
Figure 2 Most termiticides require horizontal surfaces to be treated at a rate of 1 gallon of mixed termiticide per every 10 square feet.
Find out what pesticide is being used and obtain a copy of the label. If the business does not provide a copy, ask for the product name and EPA Registration Number. You can use these to find a copy of the label either online or by contacting the Office of Pesticide Services.
Randomly observe the pest management company while they perform termite treatments.
Prior to their arrival, calculate how much termiticide should be used based on the pesticide label. Compare the quantity they apply to your own calculations. If there is a variation, ask them to explain it based on the label.
Ask the company to open the unsealed container and mix the termiticide while you're observing them (in some cases they may have a partial container from a previous job which is okay).
Requirements for termite protection or treatments of structures are found in the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. The state code is based on the International Building Code. Termite prevention is discussed in Chapter 3 of the Virginia Residential Code. Protection of wood against decay and termites is also addressed in Chapter 23, Section 2304.11, of the Virginia Construction Code. If a pesticide is used then the pesticide business must apply it according to its label. For questions related to the requirements of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code contact your local building code official.
When loans are issued under FHA or VA programs for new construction, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that a treatment method meet their minimum property standards. They recognize that properties which comply with the International Residential Code satisfy these requirements.
HUD requires that the builder provide a Subterranean Termite Protection Builder's Guarantee (HUD-NPCA-99-A) to lenders granting mortgages under FHA or VA programs. This form documents the type of termite treatment or prevention technique used on a site. When a builder signs this form, they certify that the "contract with the pest control company required the treatment materials and methods used to be in conformance with all applicable State and Federal requirements." They also certify that "all work has been completed unless noted on HUD-NPMA 99B." If a pest control company does not apply a pesticide in accordance with the product's label then they are in violation with both State and Federal laws and regulations. Although the builder relies upon the pest control company to provide information related to the treatment, he does have some responsibility in making sure the work is completed in accordance with the pesticide label. Both the HUD-NPCA-99-A form and the related New Construction Subterranean Termite Service Record (HUD-NPCA-99-B) state "Warning: HUD will prosecute false claims and statements. Conviction may result in criminal and/or civil penalties. (18 U.S.C. 1001, 1012; 31 U.S.C. 3729, 3802)." If a builder is knowledgeable that a treatment was not performed in conformance with all applicable State and Federal requirements, he could be prosecuted by HUD.
Although pesticide businesses are required to maintain records of pesticide applications neither the Virginia Pesticide Control Act (Act) or the Regulations grant authority to the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services or the Office of Pesticide Services to regulate termite treatment contracts, warranties or agreements. The Act addresses certification of applicators, licensing of pesticide businesses, and the registration and use of pesticides. Disputes related to termite contracts, warranties or agreements should be directed to the Consumer Protection Section of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The Consumer Protection Section can be contacted by phone at 800-552-9963 (Toll Free) or (804) 786-2042 (Rich |
. 26 Bags of Corn Meal. Consent decree of condemnation. Product ordered released under bond for use as bog feed.1
Armour & Co.7
Goodwin Preserving Co.6
Sugar Creek Creamery Co.5
Kenneth N. Rider Co., Inc.4
Morgan Packing Co.4
butter19
corn meal16
tomato puree14
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Western District of Kentucky[remove]416
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1. (N. J. 6.) MISBRANDING OF CIDER.
O. L. Gregory Vinegar Company
2. 10187. Adulteration and misbranding of No Skipper Compound. U. S. v. 11 Cases of No Skipper Compound. Decree of condemnation and destruction.
Gaines Cooksey, Russellville, Ky.
3. 10227. Adulteration of rye flour. U. S. v. 25 Bags of Rye Flour. Consent decree of condemnation. Product ordered released under bond.
General Baking Co.
4. 10228. Adulteration of whole wheat flour, cracked wheat flour, rye flour, and ryemeal. U. S. v. 16 Bags of Whole Wheat Flour and 10 Bags of Rye Meal (and 1 other seizure action against cracked wheat flour and rye flour). Decrees of condemnation. Portions ordered released under bond; remainder ordered delivered to a charitable institution, for use as animal feed.
Kirchhoff's Bakery, Paducah, Ky.
5. 1035. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. 26 Bags of Corn Meal. Consent decree of condemnation. Product ordered released under bond for use as bog feed.
Wm. C. Hawkins, Paducah, Ky.
6. 10419. Adulteration of dried apple pomace. U. S. v. 34 Bags.
C. E. Opperman Fruit Products Co.
7. 10473. Adulteration of almonds. U. S. v. 111 Bags.
Merchants Wholesale Grocery Company
8. 10504. Adulteration of Harrison's beverage base and Harrison's beverages. U. S. v. 200 Cases of Harrison's Beverage Base and 94 Cases of Harrison's Beverages.
G and G Distributors
9. 10662. Adulteration of tomato puree. U. S. v. 118 Cases (and 2 other seizure actions).
Kenneth N. Rider Co., Inc.
10. 10831. Misbranding of Rapier's Creamo dairy feed. U. S. v. William Frederick Rapier and James Rapier, Copartners, trading as Rapier Sugar Feed Co. Plea of guilty. Fine, $75.
William Frederick Rapier and James Rapier, copartners, trading as Rapier Sugar Feed Co., Owensboro, Ky.
11. 10837. Adulteration and misbranding r of sauerkraut. U. S. v. 71 Cases of Sauerkraut. Consent decree of condemnation and forfeiture. Goods ordered released on bond.
New Albany Canning Corp.
12. 10858. Adulteration and misbranding of tea. U. S. v. 75 Cans of Tea. Default decree of condemnation, forfeiture, and destruction.
Bohea Importing Co., Baltimore, Md.
13. 10897. Adulteration of shell eggs. U. S. v. Jim Moss. Plea of guilty. Fine, $35.
Jim Moss, Cunningham, Ky.
14. 10907. Adulteration of shell eggs. U. S. v. Lem M. Hoskins. Plea of guilty. Fine, $25.
Lem M. Hoskins, Bardwell, Ky.
15. 10908. Adulteration of shell eggs. U. S. v. Francis Marion Harper. Plea of guilty. Fine, $25.
Francis Marion Harper, Bardwell, Ky.
16. 10915. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. Leon Enoch Browder. Plea of nolo contendere. Fine, $750 and costs.
Leon Enoch Browder, Fulton, Ky.
17. 10918. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. Mayfield Milling Co. Plea of nolo contendere. Fine, $750 and costs.
Mayfield Milling Co.
18. 10926. Adulteration of shell eggs. U. S. v. John W. Melton. Plea of guilty. Fine, $25.
John W. Melton, Wrightsburg, Ky.
19. 10943. Adulteration of candy. U. S. v. 44 Cases.
J. and J. Candy Co.
20. 11137. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. Auburn Roller Mills. Plea of nolo contendere. Fine, $750 and costs.
Auburn Roller Mills, a partnership, Auburn, Ky.
21. 1130. Misbranding of Sul-Ray Effervescent Mineral Baths. U. S. v. 33 Packages of Sul-Ray Effervescent Mineral Baths. Default decree of condemnation and destruction.
Sante Chemical Co.
22. 11384. Adulteration of frozen whole eggs. U. S. v. 59 Cans.
Perry C. Hendricks
23. 11413. Adulteration of evaporated pear chops. U. S. v. 660 Bags.
Goodwin Preserving Co.
24. 11499. Misbranding of Sol-A-Min. U. S. v. 366 Packages.
Universal Drug Products, Inc.
25. 1155. Misbranding of Hamby's Dawson Springs Water. U. S. v. Dawson Spring's Water Co., Inc., and William R. Wnitford. Pleas of guilty. Fines, $125 plus costs against each defendant.
Dawson Springs Water Co., Inc., Dawson Springs, Ky., and William R. Whitford, president
26. 11627. Adulteration of dried apple pomace. U. S. v. 1,652 Bags.
Door County Apple Products Co.
27. 11717. Adulteration of brewers grits. U. S. v. 970 Bags.
Kimbell Milling Co.
28. 11862. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. Henry Stanley White (Cadiz Milling Co.). Plea of guilty. Fine, $750 and costs.
Henry Stanley White, trading as the Cadiz Milling Co.
29. 11863. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. Pan American Mills. Plea of nolo contendere. Fine, $450 and costs.
Pan American Mills
30. 11864. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. Virgil H. Burchett (Pembroke Holler Mills). Plea of guilty. Fine, $750 and costs.
Virgil H. Burchett, trading as Pembroke Roller Mills, Pembroke, Ky.
31. 11868. Adulteration of phosphated flour and corn meal. U. S. v. Oscar W. Robinson and Oscar W. Thompson (Pan American Mills). Fleas of nolo contendere. Fine of $150 and costs against each defendant.
Oscar W. Robinson and Oscar W. Thompson, trading as Pan American Mills
32. 11889. Adulteration of butter. U. S. v. Armour & Co. Plea of nolo contendere. Fine, $500 and costs.
Armour & Co.
33. 11940. Adulteration of raisins. U. S. v. 11 Cartons.
California Packing Corp.
34. 1204. Misbranding of Helping Hand Laxative Tonic. U. S. v. 310 Bottles of Helping Hand Laxative Tonic. Default decree of condemnation and destruction.
National Medicine Co.
35. 12120. Adulteration and misbranding of apple butter. U. S. v. Goodwin Preserving Company. Plea of nolo contendere. Fine, $2,000 and costs.
36. 12122. Adulteration of imitation blackberry preserves. U. S. v. 367 Cases.
Charles C. Parks Company
37. 1219. Adulteration and misbranding of chloroform. U. S. v. 2,000 Cartons, 1,000 Cartons, and 1,000 Cartons of Chloroform. Decrees of condemnation. Product ordered released under bond.
Parke, Davis and Co.
38. 12433. Adulteration of corn meal. U. S. v. 32 Bags, etc.
Lanesville Milling Co.
39. 12473. Misbranding of Plough's Prescription C-2223. U. S. v. 52 Bottles, et al., of Plough's Prescription C 2223. Default |
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The civil rights leader, who fought for fair wages and humane treatment for California's farm workers in California, championed principles of nonviolence through boycotts, fasts, and marches. In conjunction with Dolores Huerta, Chavez founded the United Farm Workers of America, an organization devoted to defending the rights of farmhands and field workers across the country.
Earlier this week, the White House honored ten local leaders who "exemplify Cesar Chavez's core values," inviting the activists, farmworkers, and professors to speak at a panel called, "Champions of Change," hosted by HuffPost LatinoVoices blogger, Viviana Hurtado.
On March 10th, 1968, Cesar Chavez breaks his 25-day fast by accepting bread from Senator Robert Kennedy, Delano, California.
Left to right: Helen Chavez, Robert Kennedy, Cesar Chavez Photographer: Richard Darby
One of those "champions" was Rogelio Lona, a a farm worker, activist, and community organizer who worked in the fields of California for more than 47 years.
Unbearable working conditions lead Lona to join UFW in 1972. "We were treated as slaves, we did not have any representation in society, we were discriminated against and there were neither benefits nor labor protections," Lona wrote in a blog on the White House website. Lona said that he accepted the award on behalf of all of those working in America's fields, and was adamant that he will never be done fighting. "Rogelio, the struggle will never end, we must always be prepared," Lona recalls Chavez telling him.
Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy and Cesar Chavez address the audience at an unknown meeting, possibly on the floor of the United States Senate.
Many of the panelists that spoke on Thursday focused on the importance of placing Cesar Chavez's legacy in a modern context. A few of the activists said Cesar Chavez's words should be remembered in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform, the Dream Act, and the on-going struggle to end harsh state immigration laws like those in Arizona and Alabama.
Activists in Tucson, Arizona say that Chavez's fight against discrimination is especially alive in their city. After the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) banned the city's Mexican-American studies program, organizers say that the annual Cesar Chavez march would no longer be held at a local high school because of further censorship from the school district.
According to Laura Dent, an organizer of the Arizona Cesar Chavez Holiday Coalition, the TUSD stipulated that there could be no mention to the elimination of Tucson's Mexican-American studies program in order for it to be held at Pueblo High Magnet School, where it has been held for more than a decade.
"So the Chavez Coalition decided that with that kind of level of censorship, we would just move the staging area of the event," Dent told NPR.
Viviana Hurtado, the moderator of the White House's commemorative panel, told The Huffington Post that she was able to chat briefly with Cesar Chavez's son about what advice his father would give us in a modern context.
Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union,
with McGovern for President supporters ("Grassroot McGoverners" in the language of the time) marching from the Civic Center to Union Square in San Francisco against Proposition 22 which forbade secondary boycotts.
Fall, 1972.
According to Hurtado, Chavez's son believes his father would say, "Don't just be frustrated with the situation ahead of you. Get up and do something. Take action."
Read More: HUFFINGTON POST
Filed Under: LATINO HISTORY Tagged With: Barack Obama, California, César Chávez, Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Tucson Unified School District, United Farm Workers, United States, White House
JOSE HERNANDEZ ALLOWED TO RUN AS ASTRONAUT ON BALLOT
A judge ruled that the former space shuttle astronaut can list his old occupation on the ballot. (Facebook.com/joseforcongress)
California congressional candidate José Hernández (D) will be able to call himself an "astronaut" when his name appears on the ballot, a judge ruled Thursday.
The ability of the former astronaut, who flew on a space shuttle mission, to list that profession on the ballot was challenged by a law firm with ties to Republicans in a state court this week. Judge Lloyd Connelly dismissed the firm's argument that "astronaut" not appear on the ballot because it had not been Hernández's primary profession for over a year, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I was never in doubt that I would be able to use astronaut on my ballot," Hernández said in a statement. "I am glad that common sense prevailed and we were able to defeat this lawsuit and get back to talking about real issues."
Hernández, who is challenging freshman Rep. Jeff Denham (R), publicly called attention to the suit this week. In an interview with Univision News, the ex-astronaut said it made him "flabbergasted," blaming it on his opponents who felt threatened by his personal background.
"I've heard in reports that they probably did some type of polling and they found that referring to me as what my career was last, which was an astronaut — that they probably didn't do too well. So they are throwing everything including the kitchen sink at us," said Hernández.
Denham had no official role in the suit, but the law firm that brought the suit to court, Bell, McAndrews and Hiltachk, has been paid by the congressman's campaigns in the past for legal services.
The firm criticized the ruling in a statement to the Times.
"Allowing a candidate out of nowhere to use the profession of 'astronaut' when he hasn't served in that profession recently, is akin to allowing someone to use a title of'sailor' when they no longer own or operate a ship," spokeswoman Jennifer Kerns said in a statement.
READ MORE: UNIVISION NEWS
Filed Under: LATINO POLITICS Tagged With: Astronaut, California, Denham, Jeff Denham, José Hernández, Lloyd Connelly, Los Angeles Times, public relations, Republicans
IS PEREZ HILTON ON UNIVISION'S "EL GORDO Y LA FLACA?"
March 23, 2012 by Jessica Marie Gutierrez Leave a Comment
photo: celebritytwits.com
Famous blogger for celebrities Perez Hilton will be part of the entourage for Univision's program "El Gordo y la Flaca," the network announced Wednesday.Every Thursday, Hilton will have a segment from California on the show to report on the latest gossip and buzz concerning Hollywood stars.
Hilton – whose real name is Mario Lavandeira – was born in Miami to Cuban parents and is one of the key bloggers for the entertainment industry. His online work arouses among his fans all sorts of feelings – except indifference – and his blog gets an average of 200 million visits per month.
Hilton recently got his first acting role in Spanish, playing the part of a "paparazzo's guru" who gives advice to the protagonist of the MTV Latin America telenovela "Popland."Lavandeira studied drama in college and has appeared in drama series including "The Sopranos," and as himself in reality shows like "Double Exposure" and "Holly's World." EFE
Check Out Blogger Perez Hilton & His New Segment on "El Gordo y la Flaca"
Filed Under: FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT, LATINO ENTERTAINMENT Tagged With: California, Hilton, JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ, MTV Latin America, Perez Hilton, public relations, Sopranos, Univision
WAS NANCY PELOSI IN TEXAS?
February 19, 2012 by Jessica Marie Gutierrez 2 Comments
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, center with microphone, jestures to Congressman Charlie Gonzalez, from the left, and is also joined by congressional candidate Joaquin Castro, state senator Leticia Van de Putte, Mayor Julian Castro at a breakfast rally for Joaquin at Avenida Guadalupe's El Progreso Hall, Saturday, February 18, 2012 in San Antonio. Photo: J. Michael Short, SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS / THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
PELOSI STUMPS FOR JOAQUIN CASTRO
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi whipped up a crowd of party faithful Saturday morning on the city's West Side, stumping for state Rep. Joaquín Castro, who is running to replace Congressman Charlie Gonzalez. Gonzalez is retiring at the end of his term after 14 years in Washington, D.C. Pelosi praised Gonzalez and his father, the iconic Henry B. Gonzalez, whom she served alongside as a newly elected congresswoman on the House banking committee. The senior Gonzalez "stood up for the consumers of America on that banking committee," she said to raucous applause from the 200 or so who turned out for the invitation-only breakfast at Progresso, across the street from the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. It was the first stop for Pelosi, who will spend part of the weeklong House recess in South Texas.
She heads next to Laredo for the annual Washington's Birthday celebration there. On Monday, she'll speak at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M, at the invitation of the 41st |
377agtmpce5 https://coverpath.massmutual.com//?fg=Edmund-Dracup-130241 Please note: Orders to buy or sell securities will not be accepted by email or voicemail messages. Registered Representative of and securities offered through MML Investors Services, LLC. (MMLIS). Home office located at 1295 State Street, Springfield, MA 01111 (413) 737-8400. Member SIPC (www.sipc.org).
Jay Erb Jay Erb, a Chester County park ranger and adventure education facilitator, is also the chair of the North Coventry Parks & Recreation Commission. Jay has been involved with challenge course facilitation, environmental education, and resource management since 1998. He's also the founder and Chief Instructor of the Tae Kwon Do Academy, a not-for-profit martial arts school established in 1987.
Roger Gaskill
Brooke George
Craig Greiner Craig Greiner graduated from the Art Institute of Philadelphia in 1983. He has been working as a graphic designer and art director in the advertising industry for the past 30 years. In 2000, he started Greiner Communications, a design firm serving various Philadelphia area companies and advertising agencies. Craig has been painting since he was a teenager, studying different methods of painting under many local artists. He has had his paintings displayed in local art shows and had two solo shows in 2014. After many years of being a student, Craig believes he knows what differentiates a good class from a great one, and he looks forward to providing that experience to many new artists.
Ingrid Guthrie, RYT, CPT Igrid Guthrie is a Cerftified Yoga instructor and a retired Professional Ballerina.
Phil Haddad Tai Chi instructor since 2009; studied under Master Charles Brynan of the Pear Garden School of Tai Chi, where he learned the Yang style long form, along with the sword and fan forms. He has been teaching in the adult education program for Chester County Night School for the last five years.
Jan Herbster
Rebecca Hobbs, Esq. Rebecca A. Hobbs is a Principal with the law firm O?Donnell, Weiss & Mattei, P.C. with offices in Pottstown and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. She focuses her practice on elder law, special needs planning, estate planning, estate and trust administration, and Veteran?s benefits. Rebecca is Certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Rebecca received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Political Science from Eastern University. She received her Juris Doctorate from Regent University School of Law. She is licensed to practice in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Rebecca is an accredited attorney for the preparation, preservation and prosecution of claims for veterans? benefits before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017 Rebecca was selected for inclusion by the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in the field of elder law. As the National Director of ElderLawAnswers, she hosts a monthly Podcast and Webinar on elder law and marketing topics. She is an active member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA). She is an Editor on the Editorial Board for the NAELA Journal. As a member the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), she serves as a Liaison for the Young Lawyers Divisor to the Elder Law Section Council. Rebecca is also a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association and the Elder Law Committee.
Julia Inslee Julie is an English tutor at Delaware County Community College and a dairy sheep farmer in Chester County. For the past couple of years, eager crafters have come to the farm to learn the art of needle felting. My needle felted critters, table mats, and other fiber arts can be found around the county at various craft shows and farmers markets.
Carousel Instructor
Russ Jones Russ Jones is a past commander of the Main Line Sail and Power Squadron. He holds a Senior Navigator rating from the United States Power Squadron, a US Coast Guard Captain's License, is a Navy veteran, and also has extensive experience in sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere.
Erin Kane
Larry Kaufman Larry Kaufman has bee teaching Comedy Improv for seven years. He is lso a Driving Instructor who has used Improv on the road with his students. He has learned to think fast with beginner students! He has been performing since 2000 with groups such as Full Circle Improv, Second Circle, and has been the leader of Open Circle for the past eight years. He brings a relaxed but enthusiastic attitude to the teaching of improvisation.
Carrie Kaysen Carrie Kaysen has owned dogs since childhood and has been running her own business since 2016. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, has completed the Victoria Stilwell Academy-Certified Dog Trainer (VSA-CDT) program, is a Pro Dog Trainer (PDT) through Absolute Dogs and is a Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI) through Do More With Your Dog. She offers private, in-home training and virtual and in-person classes. Her current partners, Cocker Spaniels Dexter and Bitsy, have had training in manners and obedience, dog sports fundamentals, rally, treibball, agility, scentwork, parkour, freestyle, therapy work, and are Canine Good Citizens. Dexter has earned titles in rally and agility, and both are certified trick dogs. Carrie is passionate about helping owners better understand their dog's challenges and working to resolve them.
Don Knabb
Robert Korbonits Bob has a MS in Agriculture Economics and has worked as a Director at the Department of Agriculture in Harrisburg. He has been raising chickens at his home for the past 3 years.
Katie Lembo Senior Creative Director of Voice Coaches, John Gallogly has been involved in acting, voice work, singing, and performance since he was featured in the "New York's Finest" ad campaign at age nine! John's industry experience, including his work as a professional announcer, allows him to provide broad perspective to our clients. John has been part of the Voice Coaches team since our beginning and has trained and developed demos for aspiring Voice Actors across the country.
Reggie Loper
Mary Ann Maggitti
Isabelle Mattie Isabelle is a native French speaker from Normandy. She has been a private teacher and tutor in French since 1998 and is currently working as a French tutor at the University as well as a translator and private teacher for various companies in West Chester. She teaches French in elementary schools for after-school programs and is a substitute teacher in local high schools.
Bryan McCloskey Bryan McCloskey, MS, CASL & W. Marshall Pearson, Attorney at Law Phone: 484-517-4422 Email: bryan@revisionistwealth.com Address: 107 E. Lancaster Ave., Suite 102, Downingtown, PA 19335 Website: https://revisionistwealth.com/ Jointly taught from two perspectives. Legal perspective by Marshall Pearson, attorney who has been practicing in the area for over 20 years. Financial perspective from Bryan McCloskey, local retirement and investing advisor, specializing in Retirement accounts and Tax Strategy in retirement, over a decade in the business, local to Downingtown.
Cindy McMenamin
David Megay David Megay David Megay has been an attorney in Pottstown and Phoenixville for over 31 years. David is currently with O'Donnell, Weiss & Mattei, P.C. Law firm and specializes in Real Estate and Business Planning
Nick Montalto United States Power Squadron (USPS) Senior Navigator, Certified Instructor, and assistant Education Officer. Courses taught include Sail, Piloting, Weather, and America's Boating Course. Mr. Montalto has crewed or captained on boats from 17 ft. runabout to 46-foot sailing catamaran.
Eo Omwake Eo Omwake, a multifaceted painter residing in Oxford, PA has a lot to offer his viewers. After his graduation in 1964 from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, in Philadelphia, PA he has had many exhibitions worldwide. His paintings have been featured at the Philadelphia Art Museum, Whitney Biennial in NYC, Germany, Canada and Iran, as well as published in multiple magazines such as Art Forum and Art News. Eo has been a founding member in the "Golden Age" of Philadelphia art. He has also been one of the first to experiment with "bad taste" art such as incorporation of glitter and fur into his paintings, as well as the creation of pattern paintings. He has been teaching at the Delaware Art Museum since 1974, and started his own Fine Arts Academy in Chadds Ford in 2003.
Alisa Oswalt Alisa Oswalt, Reiki Master/ Practitioner/ Speaker/ Workshop Facilitator Alisa is a certified Usui Reiki Master Teacher/Practitioner who teaches all 3 Levels of Reiki. She is a practitioner at RainDance Life Center in Royersford, and started a free monthly Reiki Share Community a few years ago to provide support and opportunities to connect for Reiki practitioners. Alisa started in the health and wellness industry in 2014, and is happy to share her gifts of light, healing, and balance. Alisa has a compassionate presence, and her intuition guides her hands and heart to channel energy where assistance is needed |
really like the Business like this and on old Qatar, current LOT and most of Turkish. The new ones are often too...
Not trying to be awkward Lucky, but I will agree to disagree on the better seats. I much prefer the spacious and forward facing seats on the current 777/a330s to the new ones with the coffin area over legs and where you cannot see around the cabin easily. As a broad man I really like the Business like this and on old Qatar, current LOT and most of Turkish. The new ones are often too narrow at the chest and although very private I personally find them claustrophobic and cocooning. I actually like being able to look around the cabin and see the spaciousness.
GuruJanitor Gold
Lots of really interesting and insightful discussion in the comments here, today.
Elijah Gold
@0504traveller. Who cares about your blog...
_ar Member
I lived in Dubai in the 1980s and had uncles/aunts that lived in Kuwait and we used to travel in between. If may offer something - while Kuwait was economically prosperous and liberal in the 60s and 70s by the 80s this had changed. My uncle was trying to move out and get a job in Dubai. There was the opposite of the oil shock as prices declined (or a shock to the Gulf now...
I lived in Dubai in the 1980s and had uncles/aunts that lived in Kuwait and we used to travel in between. If may offer something - while Kuwait was economically prosperous and liberal in the 60s and 70s by the 80s this had changed. My uncle was trying to move out and get a job in Dubai. There was the opposite of the oil shock as prices declined (or a shock to the Gulf now vs. the west in the 70s), and Kuwait also had a lot of political problems. I remember their Emir was almost assassinated (since in my mind it's linked with some Wham songs :-)) and there was bombings, etc. and the general consensus was that things are spiraling down there. We lived with the Iran-Iraq war as background in a way, and Kuwait suffered more because of it. Also, Dubai never had much oil and and has always developed its economy based on trade... it's not so much that they were forward thinking as that they didn't have any choice so it looks now 40 years later that they were smart to diversify their economy. Dubai developed the biggest port in the region back in the late 70s, and launched an airline in 1985 - all because they needed to build an economy without oil.
British Airways had a hopper - I still remember it was Delhi Dubai Kuwait London - flight 147 - that we took between Dubai and Kuwait. No expats really took Kuwait Airways or Gulf Air :-)
I have soft spot for that region but never went back after the first Gulf War...
0504Traveller Guest
I recently flew on Kuwait Airways and it was a mixed experience. The first leg was on an old Airbus which looked and felt like it belonged in the 90's. The service on the plane was also bad as the crew did not care about passengers nor service. The second Airbus was more modern and looked cleaner and fresher, and the service improved somewhat but still was not great (you can read the full review...
I recently flew on Kuwait Airways and it was a mixed experience. The first leg was on an old Airbus which looked and felt like it belonged in the 90's. The service on the plane was also bad as the crew did not care about passengers nor service. The second Airbus was more modern and looked cleaner and fresher, and the service improved somewhat but still was not great (you can read the full review on my blog)
The real issue - in my opinion - is the new terminal they opened exclusively for Kuwait Airways. I traveled there in April and there are functioning gates, two lounges, a coffee shop and a small duty free shop and that is it. They are still building more the airport and more than half of the services are not available. The personnel in the airport are also rude and the lounge that we went to was alright (good for 1-2 hours - not good for the 4+ hours layover we had). After that experience, I vowed never to travel with Kuwait Airways again!
Essam Guest
@Aaron
I agree. One other thing to note is that Kuwait has a different political system than the UAE and Qatar. It's by no means Switzerland but they do have an elected parliament through which every law must go through. It also has the power to remove government ministers and even the Emir (happened with Saad in 2006). Given this system, every public project or new legislation has to go through a long process, so...
I agree. One other thing to note is that Kuwait has a different political system than the UAE and Qatar. It's by no means Switzerland but they do have an elected parliament through which every law must go through. It also has the power to remove government ministers and even the Emir (happened with Saad in 2006). Given this system, every public project or new legislation has to go through a long process, so naturally new development takes much longer than other countries in the region where it is basically a one man show.
Kuwaitis began investing in Kuwait in the mid to late 90s, years before Saddam's death. Lots of international restaurants and new shopping malls, began opening during that time, as well as redevelopment of parts of the waterfront, new water parks, etc. There was also a construction boom, with lots of apartment buildings being built as well.
I think the reason is, the ruling class of Dubai upped their game, while the Kuwaitis just stopped...
I think the reason is, the ruling class of Dubai upped their game, while the Kuwaitis just stopped being so forward thinking. In many ways, they still aren't. As you said, Kuwait may finally start to catch up, but they are still many laps behind places like the UAE and Qatar.
@ Aaron,
From what i hear (don't know how much of it is true) most Kuwaitis ceased to invest in Kuwait after the invasion. Opting instead to invest in Dubai, where I hear was a major reason for it's boom early on. That all changed recently when Saddam died, Kuwaitis starting re-investing in their own country, coinciding with the many constructions/projects around town
@Essam
But that was almost 30 years ago. A country with Kuwait's natural resources shouldn't take that long to recover. And in terms of the physical, it did. Infrastructure was all repaired within a few years, the majority of all damaged buildings repaired within a few years, etc. One could say the war/invasion damaged the psyche of the people and the society as a whole, but again, not sure how the 90/91 invasion is responsible for Kuwait's current problems.
One thing you forgot to mention is the Iraqi invasion and occupation in1990-91 that came from nowhere. The whole country ceased to exist for 7 months. It takes a while to rebound from that.
@Aaron - completely agree with your take, but I will say that having just visited Kuwait, I do think the city will be right on par with Dubai etc. within 10 years or so. The amount of construction is insane, and tons of restaurants, coffee shops (general gentrification) are popping up. The main thing Kuwait has going for it is the people are incredibly friendly, and unlike the UAE where you'll never meet an Emirati,...
@Aaron - completely agree with your take, but I will say that having just visited Kuwait, I do think the city will be right on par with Dubai etc. within 10 years or so. The amount of construction is insane, and tons of restaurants, coffee shops (general gentrification) are popping up. The main thing Kuwait has going for it is the people are incredibly friendly, and unlike the UAE where you'll never meet an Emirati, we had tons of great interactions with Kuwaitis.
@JamesHogan - I'd definitely guess blue collar.
I'd argue you do not need to fly first or biz to/from NYC. We flew economy and had entire rows to ourselves both ways (from NYC had maybe 20 other people total). The perks of visiting unpopular locations.
JamesHoganFan Guest
Kuwait has regularly topped the list of the worst countries to live in and work for Expats im recent years. However not sure if these ratings are mixing blue-collar and white collar workers.
The interesting thing is, Kuwait in the 1960s to the late 80s was the Dubai of that era. It's where foreign expats wanted to go the most in that region, it had the most open lifestyle in the GCC, business was booming, alcohol was legal there until the late 1970s, they had the best airline in the GCC, etc.
Somewhere along the way, they became complacent and spoiled, and have been lapped by the...
Somewhere along the way, they became complacent and spoiled, and have been lapped by the UAE as a whole and arguably by Qatar as well. Bad decisions by the government, too much corruption/cronyism, etc. It's too bad really, Kuwait (not just the airlines) should be on the same level as the UAE and Qatar today, but they aren't. A few too many steps behind.
If anything, Kuwait Airways, in comparison to EK and QR, kind of serves as a good symbol of how things have changed for that country...
Will there be First on the new A330s?
If not, they're following the well-trodden path of introducing a J class that's better than |
asked to examine the public health dimensions of the epilepsies, focusing on public health surveillance and data collection; population and public health research; health policy, health care, and human services; and education for people with the disorder and their families, health care providers, and the public. In Epilepsy Across the Spectrum, the IOM makes recommendations ranging from the expansion of collaborative epilepsy surveillance efforts, to the coordination of public awareness efforts, to the engagement of people with epilepsy and their families in education, dissemination, and advocacy for improved care and services. Taking action across multiple dimensions will improve the lives of people with epilepsy and their families. The realistic, feasible, and action-oriented recommendations in this report can help enable short- and long-term improvements for people with epilepsy. For all epilepsy organizations and advocates, local, state, and federal agencies, researchers, health care professionals, people with epilepsy, as well as the public, Epilepsy Across the Spectrum is an essential resource.
Haunted Nations
Author : Sneja Gunew
Haunted Nations Book Review:
Postcolonialism has attracted a large amount of interest in cultural theory, but the adjacent area of multiculturalism has not been scrutinised to quite the same extent. In this innovative new book, Sneja Gunew sets out to interrogate the ways in which the transnational discourse of multiculturalism may be related to the politics of race and indigeneity, grounding her discussion in a variety of national settings and a variety of literary, autobiographical and theoretical texts. Using examples from marginal sites - the "settler societies" of Australia and Canada - to cast light on the globally dominant discourses of the US and the UK, Gunew analyses the political ambiguities and the pitfalls involved in a discourse of multiculturalism haunted by the opposing spectres of anarchy and assimilation.
Health Professional as Educator
Author : Susan Bastable,Pamela Gramet,Karen Jacobs,Deborah Sopczyk
Health Professional as Educator Book Review:
Health Sciences & Professions
An Integrated Approach to Health Sciences Anatomy and Physiology Math Chemistry and Medical Microbiology
Author : Bruce Colbert,Jeff Ankney,Joe Wilson,John Havrilla
Publsiher : Cengage Learning
An Integrated Approach to Health Sciences Anatomy and Physiology Math Chemistry and Medical Microbiology Book Review:
Unlike any other resource on the market, AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO HEALTH SCIENCES, 2E takes an all-in-one approach to preparing your learners for careers in the health care industry. The book identifies the four basic building blocks of Health Sciences: anatomy and physiology, math, chemistry and medical microbiology, and then presents them in the context of health professions. Medical terminology and physics concepts are also covered. Rich illustrations, theory, practical applications, and humorous anecdotes all join together to help learners connect with the material as they learn it, fostering increased retention and comprehension. As a result, learners will gain valuable knowledge while also getting access to an insider look at health careers through the book's professional profiles. Exercises and case studies complement the comprehensive coverage and sharpen critical thinking skills, making this a complete package for instructors aiming to provide a foundational knowledge in the health sciences. And although the textbook can stand alone, it has capabilities for enhancements with a rich array of extra resources that include videos, animations, interactive games, study questions and a workbook with activities. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.
Invisible Women
Author : Caroline Criado Perez
Publsiher : Abrams
Invisible Women Book Review:
Data is fundamental to the modern world. From economic development, to healthcare, to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this bias, in time, money, and often with their lives. Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women†‹, diving into women's lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor's office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.
Communities in Action
Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Health and Medicine Division,Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice,Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States
Communities in Action Book Review:
In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.
The Women s Health Little Book of Exercises
Author : Adam Campbell
Publsiher : Rodale
The Women s Health Little Book of Exercises Book Review:
Based on the wildly successful Women's Health Big Book of Exercises, this portable handbook offers readers step-by-step instructions (and color photos) on how to perfectly execute the best fat-torching, muscle-toning exercises ever choreographed. This essential workout guide is for any woman--from beginner to expert--who wants to lose weight fast, build strength, and tone those terrible trouble spots, namely the belly, butt, and thighs. Complete with fast, effective workouts for home use or to take to the gym, this easy-to-tote package gives readers access to their favorite routines wherever they go. The guidebook details "main moves" for targeting each major muscle group and then shows readers variations that make the moves more challenging and effective. Other highlights: • The best new exercise to firm flabby arms • The ultimate circuit for a swimsuit ready body • The fastest cardio workout of all time • Plus, 10 new workouts and an exercise log to track progress from start to finish This shape-up manual bulges with hundreds of useful tips, breakthrough science, and cutting-edge workouts from the world's top trainers. Best of all, it'll help readers shape a body that will ensure a longer, healthier, happier lifetime.
Reproductive Geographies
Author : Marcia R. England,Maria Fannin,Helen Hazen
Reproductive Geographies Book Review:
The sites, spaces and subjects of reproduction are distinctly geographical. Reproductive geographies span different scales - body, home, local, national, global - and movements across space. This book expands our understanding of the socio-cultural and spatial aspects of fertility, pregnancy and birth. The chapters directly address global perspectives, the future of reproductive politics and state-focused approaches to the politicisation of fertility, pregnancy and birth. The book provides up-to-date explorations on the changing landscapes of reproduction, including the expansion of reproductive technologies, such as surrogacy and intrauterine insemination. Contributions in this book focus on phenomenologically-inspired accounts of women's lived experience of pregnancy and birth, the biopolitics of birth and citizenship, the material histories of reproductive tissues as "scientific objects" and engagements with public health and development policy. This is an essential resource for upper-level undergraduates and graduates studying topics such as Sociology, Geographies of Gender, Women's Studies and Anthropology of Health and Medicine.
Indian Sex Life
Author : Durba Mitra
Publsiher : Princeton University Press
Indian Sex Life Book Review:
"During the colonial period, Indian intellectuals--philologists, lawyers, scientists and literary figures--all sought to hold a mirror to their country. Whether they wrote novels, polemics, or scientific treatises, all sought a better understanding of society in general and their society in particular. Curiously, female sexuality and sexual behavior play an outside role in their writing. The figure of the prostitute is ubiquitous in everything from medical texts and treatises on racial evolution to anti-Muslim polemic and studies of ancient India. In this book, Durba Mitra argues that between the 1840s and the 1940s, the new science of sexuality became foundational to the scientific study of Indian social progress. The colonial state and an emerging set of Bengali male intellectuals extended the regulation of sexuality to far-reaching projects that sought to define what society should look like and how modern citizens should behave. An exploration of this history of social scientific thought offers new perspectives to understand the power of paternalistic and deeply violent claims about sexual norms in the postcolonial world today. These histories reveal the enduring authority of scientific claims to a tradition |
teeth will very much depend on how long you choose not to brush your teeth for, your diet and general health.
Your teeth are not likely to just fall out if you fail to brush once or twice, but continuing to do so will cause a chain of health issues that will likely lead to eventual tooth loss.
If you simply forget to brush one day is one thing, actively choosing not to brush is another.
Let's be honest, most of us have probably at some point gone without brushing our teeth once in a day, be that intentionally or not.
There are probably a fare few of us who have not brushed for even longer, be that 24 or 48 hours. Heck, I have when I was testing out plaque disclosing tablets.
However, this is by no means advisable and you really should follow the advice of dental professionals and governing bodies like the NHS and ADA.
As Downtown Dental Clinic put it, 'the buildup of plaque that causes gum disease can occur within a 24 hour period'.
If you have gone without brushing your teeth you probably know how bad it feels when you don't.
I know from purposely not brushing, that my teeth have felt sticky and sort of furry to the touch, my breath smelt and tasted bad and I just felt a bit more conscious.
In fact, the bacteria that are in your mouth start re-attaching to the teeth in what is called a biofilm, within mere hours. The biolfilm contains bacteria, and food leftovers from whatever you put into your mouth. As the bacteria continue to grow, this biofilm will also contain acids and other waste products.
Biolfilm grows over a few hours and as it develops you may feel it as that white furry stuff on your teeth – this is plaque!
The photo of my teeth above was just after 24 hours and the results of my plaque disclosing tests clearly showed the importance of brushing.
The Harvard Gazette has written how the human mouth is home to over 600 types of bacteria.
Some of these are good, protecting our mouths, but many are able to do real damage.
Some types of bacteria specifically cause tooth decay, such as Streptococcus mutans, whilst some bacteria are linked to gum disease.
Many of these bacteria come together to form what is known as plaque.
The Gazette describes plaque as a coating of bacterial film that feeds on the residual sugars left in your mouth. It produces acids that eat away tooth enamel and cause cavities, or small holes, to form. Those lingering sugars are like a banquet to plaque bacteria.
It is not possible to conclusively say what will happen to you as an individual if you do not brush your teeth, because there are so many variables.
For example, someone who does not brush their teeth but drinks only water, eats very healthily and exercises is likely to fare better than someone who eats a lot of sugary foods, drinks sugar rich drinks, and partakes in no exercise.
However, genetics, personal health and general dental health all play a part too.
Plaque is one the of the main reasons we brush our teeth and is in part the cause of many of the other negative effects of failing to brush.
Developing in less than 24 hours, if not cleaned away by toothbrushing, the bacteria feeds on the sugars in the mouth and grows.
Over time the plaque will get thicker and heavier, If plaque is not removed with toothbrushing, the minerals in your saliva will harden the soft, sticky substance into tartar (also known as calculus).
Plaque forms all over your teeth. It forms on the flat surfaces of your teeth, where your tongue may remove some of it. More worryingly, as the plaque forms, it also does so in places like the gingival crevice. The gingival crevice is the small space between the tooth and the gum.
The bacteria in plaque produce their own waste products, such as acids. These waste products can irritate the gum, causing them to swell, become red, sensitive and bleed. This is the early stages of gum disease- ginigival inflammation, or gingivitis.
Tarter is a hard deposit that forms on the teeth, and it does so as the result of failing to effectively remove plaque.
Tartar may also be called calculus.
Your saliva naturally contains minerals and ions, and it is these which cause the soft sticky plaque to harden into tartar.
It takes some time for this to form, but when it does it is very resistant to removal. Only professional cleaning by a dentist or hygienist will get rid of this build up.
In itself, tartar or calculus is not a problem. However it is a massive indicator to your dental professional that you are failing to clean effectively.
Tartar is also more sticky than your tooth surface, so you are more likely to have more gum-irritating bacteria stick to the tartar than your tooth.
Tartar will pick up stains more quickly than your teeth. This is especially true if you drink lots of tea or coffee, or if you smoke. If you notice dark stains building up around the edges of your teeth, consider a professional clean to remove the stains and then improving your techniques at home to prevent them building up in future.
Over time, if the teeth and gums are not properly cleaned, the plaque is not removed. The plaque builds up and the bacteria in it produce acids which irritates your gums.
This irritation in your gums will show as redness with bleeding, swelling and tenderness.
It can take just a few days for these symptoms to develop.
This is the early stages of a condition called gingivitis, or as it might more commonly known, gum disease.
Living with such can be uncomfortable and affect your mood and general health because you feel down about, or embarassed by, the condition of your mouth.
In order to treat gingivitis (early gum disease) and to stop gums bleeding, you need to remove the plaque and bacteria that are irritating the gums. This is easily done by improving your cleaning at home.
By simply improving your cleaning at home, you should see visible improvement within a matter of days, and within a couple of weeks the bleeding should stop altogether.
If left untreated, gingivitis may develop into periodontitis, which is when the bone that holds the teeth in is also lost.
Not everybody who develops gingivitis will progress to periodontitis, and there is not a lot of evidence as to why this may or may happen. Genetics plays a big role in protecting you. However diseases such as diabetes, or if you are a smoker, make it more likely that this will hapen.
Periodontitis will never improve unless you improve your cleaning at home.
The bone loss that occurs with periodontitis is irreversible. Eventually the teeth will become loose and fall out.
With all the nasty bacteria not being brushed away and feeding on the sugars in the mouth your breath will likely take and a unpleasant smell and taste.
The bacteria that are in your mouth release waste products like sulphites that contribute to bad breath.
Failing to brush your tongue can mean that more dead cells are stuck there which can also attract more bacteria!
Brushing cleans away the bacteria before it can make your breath smell and taste bad.
This is more of a psychological effect of failing to brush rather than a physical one.
If you end up with bad breath, gum disease and decay of the teeth as a result of not brushing, you are likely to feel sorry for yourself and have less confidence when out and about, be that in public or around family and friends.
You will be more conscious of your mouth and become quieter and more reserved, smile less and generally feel worse and less confident about who you are and what you are doing.
As the plaque builds up the bacteria in it continues to release acids.
These acids do harm to your teeth as they dissolve the outermost surface of the enamel, removing the calcium that forms the hard mineral structure of the enamel. This process is called decalcification, or demineralisation.
Removal of minerals occurs initially on a microscopic level. In actual fact, if you change your habits and look after your teeth better you will be able to reverse these very first stages of tooth decay.
Unfortunately if nothing changes and plaque continues to build up, and if the bacteria continue to be fed by the sugars that your put into your mouth, the perfectly formed tooth begins to look nothing like it did before.
Teeth with decay will start as white spots on your teeth, which may pick up stains or develop further to become black spots. Worse than this, holes will develop and teeth, often become infected and very sensitive as the more more receptive and less protected inner layers of the tooth are exposed.
Actual tooth loss will likely be one of the later results of failing to brush the teeth.
If you have managed to get through the pain and other health implications of not brushing, not to mention the confidence issues of having poorly maintained teeth, then teeth may begin to come loose or fall out or have to be removed by a dentist.
Teeth become loose as the gum disease caused by bacteria in your gums cause bone loss around the teeth.
Teeth with large holes and infection in the central nerve of the tooth require root fillings or extractions. Root canal therapy (root fillings) may not even be an option if the hole has been left for such a long time that there is only a small amount of tooth left.
By this point you are likely going to have no option but to seek professional assistance as the pain, discomfort and possible infection might just be too much.
Failing to look after the teeth in your mouth will mean that the bacteria inside is can continue to form and worsen. The imbalance in bacteria can |
Little Missouri State Park is a 6,000-acre (2,400 ha) public state park on the Little Missouri River's western coast.
The park has about 45 miles (72 km) of hiking and horse riding trails and campgrounds.
Visitors can enjoy stunning views of the streams winding through the badland's rocky scenery.
Mule deer, coyote, fox, bobcat, and golden eagle are among the natural species that call Little Missouri State Park their home.
Little Missouri State Park is open from May to October on a seasonal basis.
Little Missouri State Park is at Highway 22, Dunn Center, ND 58626, United States.
Badlands scenery near Medora.
The Badlands Overlook is in the southwest corner of North Dakota near Madora.
The area is now a barren work of nature where rivers once sculpted spectacular rock patterns that wow visitors today.
The Badlands Overlook provides an excellent glimpse of the park's geological history across a vast area, with stunning colours and frequent wildlife sightings.
The Badlands Overlook is at Medora, ND 58645, United States.
Devils Lake is one of the best fishing lakes in the country.
The lake is North Dakota's largest natural lake and is known as the 'Perch Capital of the World' for its abundance of walleye, northern pike and white bass.
Besides fishing, birdwatching is another popular activity here.
The first building in the city of Devil's Lake nearby was built in 1882.
Devils Lake is in North Dakota 58301, USA.
20 USA Landmarks
23 Canada Landmarks
22 Ohio Landmarks
21 Arizona Landmarks
21 Minnesota Landmarks
21 Oregon Landmarks
21 Illinois Landmarks
21 Colorado Landmarks
21 Georgia Landmarks
21 Michigan Landmarks
23 Los Angeles Landmarks
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20 Manitoba Landmarks
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25 Indiana Landmarks
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20 Florida Landmarks
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5 South Dakota Landmarks
21 Pennsylvania Landmarks
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21 Virginia Landmarks
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21 Utah Landmarks
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20 Massachusetts Landmarks
20 Washington DC Landmarks
20 Vermont Landmarks
20 Nebraska Landmarks
21 Missouri Landmarks
20 Rhode Island Landmarks
21 Maine Landmarks
21 Connecticut Landmarks
Pembina Gorge west of Walhalla is a stunning natural landmark in North Dakota.
Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area is a North Dakota state park system unit located six miles (9.7 km) west of Walhalla along the Pembina River.
Surging floodwaters formed the Pembina Gorge out of marine clay sandstone, resulting in North Dakota's deepest and sharpest river basins.
The gorge is home to 30 species of plants and 21 animal species categorised as rare within North Dakota, such as Orange-crowned Warblers, American Woodcock and Alder Flycatchers.
Canoeing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, animal viewing and birding are attractions in the Pembina Gorge.
The Emerson border crossing between North Dakota and the Canadian province of Manitoba is 44 miles (70km) from the gorge.
Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area is at Langdon, ND 58249, United States.
At 3506 feet above sea level, it is the highest point in North Dakota. It is located SE of Amidon, North Dakota. Photo: Jimmy Emerson/North Dakota Tourism.
White Butte (3,506 ft/1,069 m) is North Dakota's highest peak, and its summit is within Little Missouri National Grassland's farthest southeast corner, south of Amidon.
Little Missouri National Grassland is the country's most extensive grassland, covering 1,033,271 acres (418,150 hectares) with prominent features such as stunning badlands and rough terrain, extensively eroded by natural forces.
The trail to hike White Butte is a four-mile roundtrip that starts on private property owned by the Dennis family, and there's a small donation box to help maintain the area at the trailhead.
White Butte is in Little Missouri National Grassland, North Dakota.
For more Famous World Landmarks see:
20 New Zealand Landmarks
20 African Landmarks
21 Egyptian Landmark
10 Tasmanian Landmarks
The North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park offers breathtaking overlooks and a real chance to reconnect with nature, just a few miles south of Watford City.
The Maltese Cross Cabin was a favourite getaway of Theodore Roosevelt before he became the President of the USA.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park – one of North Dakota's most iconic attractions – is named after the United States' 26th President and retains the stunning scenery that once captivated Mr Roosevelt.
The park is known for its vast badlands, hills and the Little Missouri River that traverses through it.
It's split into three parts, totalling 70,446 acres (28,508 ha) – the North, South, and Elkhorn Ranch Unit.
The Maltese Cross Cabin is at Theodore Roosevelt National Park's South Unit Visitor Center near the town of Medora and the gateway to the park.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is at 201 E River Rd, Medora, ND 58645.
The bison statue at the North Dakota Heritage Center is a landmark in North Dakota that most visitors stop to admire.
The North Dakota Heritage Center is the state's largest museum, with four museum galleries detailing the region's rich history.
The museum displays a vast array of relics covering more than 12,000 years of North Dakota history, including items ranging from microscopic shells to colossal dinosaur bones.
The Treehouse exhibit encourages kids to learn about North Dakota life, both past and present.
North Dakota Heritage Center is at 612 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505, United States.
Chateau de Mores State Historic Site at Medora is a historic landmark in North Dakota.
The Chateau de Mores State Historic Site commemorates the life and accomplishments of Antoine de Vallombrosa, Marquis de Mores, who came to North Dakota in 1883.
The main attractions in the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site are Chateau de Mores, De Mores Memorial Park, and Packing Plant/Chimney Park.
You can enjoy activities that combine theatre arts and history to discover the lives and times of local individuals from earlier decades.
Chateau de Mores is a 26-room, two-story building that dates back to 1883 and was once the summer residence of the Marquis's family.
These days, the Chateau is a historic house museum with displays of original furnishings and personal effects that tell the story of the lives of the de Mores family.
Chateau de Mores State Historic Site is at 3426 Chateau Rd, Medora, ND 58645, United States.
Fort Buford State Historic Site near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in North Dakota is a historic landmark to visit.
Fort Buford State Historic Site preserves the ruins of a substantial frontier military station where Sitting Bull, the famous Sioux leader, surrendered in 1881.
Visitors to Fort Buford can tour the officers of the guardhouse and the field officers' quarters museum.
The Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center is less than a half-mile from the Fort Buford State Historic Site in Williston, North Dakota.
The Center displays the area's prehistoric, natural, tribal, and pioneer heritage.
Fort Buford And Confluence Center is at 15349 39th Ln NW, Williston, ND 58801, United States.
Fort Mandan Overlook State Historic Site is a fully furnished, full-size recreation of the fort at which the Lewis and Clark Explorers spent the winters of 1804 and 1805.
The site displays reproduction objects such as Meriwether Lewis' field desk, William Clark's map-making instruments, bunks the men slept in, the equipment they carried in the field, garments they wore, and the blacksmith's forge.
Visitors can join tours and educational programs about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and explore the walking routes along the land and the river.
Fort Mandan Overlook State Historic Site is at Unnamed Road, Washburn, ND 58577, USA.
The night sky at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is beautiful.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, founded in 1907, is North Dakota's oldest state park.
The park contains a reconstructed Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village and restored military buildings such as the Custer House.
Visitors can learn about Mandan and its heritage while exploring On-a-Slant Village and its six reconstructed earthen cabins.
The park also has plenty of outdoor pursuits like camping, rental cabins and teepees, hiking, and several events and outdoor shows year-round.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is at 4480 Fort Lincoln Rd, Mandan, ND 58554, USA.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site was the largest trading post on the Upper Missouri River and is a famous landmark of North Dakota.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historical State is a partial replica of upper Missouri |
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determined that you take orders there for your "Alfalfa Leaf Liquid Extract," "Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Liquid Extract," "Echinacea Purpurea Herb Liquid Extract," "Ashwagandha Root Liquid Extract," "Dandelion Leaf Liquid Extract," "Ginger Root Liquid Extract," "Hawthorn Berry Fruit Liquid Extract," "Juniper Berry Liquid Extract," "Milk Thistle Seed Liquid Extract," and "Wheat Grass Liquid Extract" products, which are intended for use for conditions that cause the products to be drugs under section 201(g)(l)(B) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1)(B)]. The therapeutic claims on your website establish that the products are intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease. As explained further below, introducing or delivering these products for introduction into interstate commerce for such uses violates the Act.
Examples of some of the website claims that provide evidence that your products are intended for use as drugs include:
Alfalfa Leaf Liquid Extract
• "May be very beneficial in easing pain from both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, helpful for those who suffer kidney or bladder conditions... aid in blocking the absorption of cholesterol."
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Liquid Extract
• "It can also be beneficial for conditions due to reduced blood flow to the brain... headache... hearing disorders.
Echinacea Purpurea Herb Liquid Extract
• "Often Referred to as Nature's BEST Immune System Enhancer, it is useful in Diminishing the length and Severity of the Common Cold, Viruses, Fever, Earache, and Respiratory Infections."
Ashwagandha Root Liquid Extract
• "Often used to EASE Arthritis, Rheumatism, Sciatica and other Chronic inflammatory diseases."
Dandelion Leaf Liquid Extract
• "It has been used for thousands of years and used to treat anemia, scurvy, skin problems, blood disorders and depression... and inhibits microbial growth in the urinary system."
Ginger Root Liquid Extract
• "[G]inger has also been Used to HELP Reduce Fevers, RELIEVE Headache... HELP REMOVE Toxins from the body. Preliminary studies Suggest that Ginger Root Extracts may Lower Cholesterol. Ginger Contains Very Potent Anti-Inflammatory compounds called Gingerols, Believed to REDUCE Pain and Inflammation Associated with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, and IMPROVE Joint Mobility."
Hawthorn Berry Fruit Liquid Extract
• "Believed to be Beneficial for arteriosclerosis, allergies, sinusitis, and May have Cholesterol Lowering Effects."
Juniper Berry Liquid Extract
• "The extract is commonly used to alleviate... GI infections, heartburn... It may also be useful for those who suffer from kidney or bladder stones."
Milk Thistle Seed Liquid Extract
• "Properties in this herb are believed to PROMOTE Normal Cholesterol... Those who have used this extract for Skin Improvement of Psoriasis, Rosacea or Eczema... "
Wheat Grass Liquid Extract
• "Uses for wheat grass are varied, including improving blood sugar disorders, removing toxins from the blood and liver, reducing cholesterol, accelerating wound healing... "
Your products are not generally recognized as safe and effective for the above referenced uses and, therefore, the products are "new drugs" under section 201(p) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(p)]. New drugs may not be legally marketed in the U.S. without prior approval from FDA as described in section 505( a) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 355(a)]; see also section 301(d) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 331(d)]. FDA approves a new drug on the basis of scientific data submitted by a drug sponsor to demonstrate that the drug is safe and effective.
Furthermore, your "Echinacea Purpurea Herb Liquid Extract," "Ashwagandha Root Liquid Extract," "Dandelion Leaf Liquid Extract," "Hawthorn Berry Fruit Liquid Extract," "Juniper Berry Liquid Extract," "Milk Thistle Seed Liquid Extract," and "Wheat Grass Liquid Extract" products are offered for conditions that are not amenable to self-diagnosis and treatment by individuals who are not medical practitioners; therefore, adequate directions for use cannot be written so that a layperson can use these drugs safely for their intended purposes. Thus, these drugs are misbranded within the meaning of section 502(f)(1) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 352(f)(1)], in that their labeling fails to bear adequate directions for uses. The introduction of or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of these products is a violation of section 301(a) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 331(a)].
Adulterated Dietary Supplements
Even if your "Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Liquid Extract," "Echinacea Purpurea Herb Liquid Extract," "Dandelion Leaf Liquid Extract," "Ginger Root Liquid Extract," and "Hawthorn Berry Fruit Liquid Extract" products did not have therapeutic claims which make them unapproved drugs, these products would be adulterated dietary supplements under section 402(g)(1) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 342(g)(l)] in that they have been prepared, packed, or held under conditions that do not meet the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) requirements for dietary supplements, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 111 (21 CFR Part 111).
During the inspection, our investigators were informed that your firm has entered into agreements with manufacturers who manufacture dietary supplement products that your firm packages, labels, holds, and distributes. Further, our investigators were informed that your firm is ultimately responsible for marketing and distributing your finished dietary supplement products. As a distributor that contracts with other manufacturers to manufacture dietary supplements that your firm releases for distribution under your firm's name, your firm has an obligation to know what and how these activities are performed so that you can make decisions related to whether your dietary supplement products conform to established specifications and whether to approve and release the products for distribution [72 Fed. Reg. 34752, 34790 (Jun. 25, 2007)]. Your firm introduces or delivers, or causes the introduction or delivery of, dietary supplements into interstate commerce in their final form for distribution to consumers. As such, your firm has an overarching and ultimate responsibility to ensure that all phases of the production of those products are in compliance with dietary supplement CGMP requirements found under 21 CFR Part 111.
Although your firm may contract out certain dietary supplement manufacturing operations, it cannot, by the same token, contract out its ultimate responsibility to ensure that the dietary supplements it places into commerce (or causes to be placed into commerce) are not adulterated for failure to comply with dietary supplement CGMP requirements (see United States v. Dotterweich, 320 U.S. 277,284 (1943) (explaining that an offense can be committed under the Act by anyone who has "a responsible share in the furtherance of the transaction which the statute outlaws"); United States v. Park, 421 U.S. 658, 672 (1975) (holding that criminal liability under the Act does not turn on awareness of wrongdoing, and that "agents vested with the responsibility, and power commensurate with that responsibility, to devise whatever measures are necessary to ensure compliance with the Act" can be held accountable for violations of the Act)). In particular, the Act prohibits a person from introducing, delivering for introduction, or causing the delivery or introduction into interstate commerce of a dietary supplement that is adulterated under section 402(g) for failure to comply with dietary supplement CGMP requirements (see 21 U.S.C. 342(g) and 33l(a)). Thus, a firm that contracts with other firms to conduct certain dietary supplement manufacturing operations for it is responsible for ensuring that the product is not adulterated for failure to comply with dietary supplement CGMP requirements, regardless of who actually performs the dietary supplement CGMP operations.
As a distributor, you have an obligation to know what and how manufacturing activities are performed so that your firm can make decisions related to whether your packaged and labeled dietary supplement products conform to established specifications and whether to approve and release the products for distribution. Your quality control personnel must approve for release, or reject, any packaged and labeled dietary supplement (including a repackaged or relabeled dietary supplement) for distribution. See 21 CFR 111.127.
During our inspection, our investigators observed the following significant violations, which were noted on Form FDA 483, Inspectional Observations, issued to you on June 22, 2015. We received your written response, dated July 13, 2015, to the Form FDA 483. Your response is discussed in more detail below.
1. You failed to establish product specifications to provide sufficient assurance that the product you receive from a supplier for packaging and labeling as a dietary supplement (and for distribution rather than for return to the supplier) is adequately identified and consistent with your purchase order, as required by 21 CFR 111.70(f). Specifically, you have not established any product specifications.
We acknowledge your response, dated July 13, 2015, to the Form FDA 483, Inspectional Observations issued at the close of the inspection. However, we are unable to determine the adequacy of your response. While you stated that policies and procedures will be written to establish product specifications for each product distributed, you did not include any supporting documentation regarding the product specifications.
2. You failed to establish and follow written procedures for the responsibilities of the quality control operations, including written procedures for conducting a material |
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O&M/
Advanced sonar revolutionizes underwater structure inspections
01/15/2007 | Robert Clarke, P. Eng. and Jason Gillham, ASI Group Ltd.
Inspection and monitoring of underwater structures has always been a challenge for power plants with submerged cooling system structures, mainly due to those structures' inherent inaccessibility. Commercial divers and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) work well for inspecting specific areas, but it's hard to assemble the point measurements that they make into a big picture of an asset's health.
High-flow conditions further complicate the task. Turbulence often dictates shutting down not only the generating unit being inspected but also units with adjacent intake structures and pumping stations. As a result, manual inspection methods incur three different kinds of costs: lost generation sales, the labor costs of the inspection itself, and the time costs of completing the regulatory paperwork and performing the administrative procedures needed to shut down and restart one or more units following the inspection.
Naturally, inspections of underwater structures may be done manually on a routine basis, and only during planned outages. But where more frequent inspection is warranted, any noninvasive technique able to examine structures under full operational load would provide more-useful data at a great cost savings. Scanning sonar is one such technique.
Easy as XYZ
Any sonar system transmits a pulse of sound and measures the time it takes to receive an echo from a target. Multiply this time by the speed of sound in the medium, and you know the distance to the target. Scanning sonar systems repeat this pulse-echo process several times as the transducer head is rotated through preset increments, effectively scanning a line.
Scanning sonar can work in either imaging or profile mode. In the former case, the images delivered can be used to make subjective assessments of the integrity and fouling of bridge piers, cooling water intakes, and dam walls (Figure 1). But because the images are two-dimensional, they cannot be used to identify the location of debris or damage in the third dimension, or its extent. In order to quantify the volume of debris or the extent of scour, measurements must incorporate survey points that are known in three dimensions so that volumetric calculations can be made.
1. Scanning sonar in imaging mode. This mosaic was made from imaging scans showing possible debris locations. The extent of the debris in the third dimension (toward and away from the viewer) cannot be determined from this type of survey. Source: ASI Group Ltd.
A scanning sonar system configured for profiling instead of imaging (Figure 2) can obtain the third set of coordinates, producing something akin to a relief map. Setting up the sonar at several locations enables collection of enough survey points to cover the desired area. If the process is properly done, it takes much longer to do the setups than the scans.
2. Scanning sonar in profiling mode. A bathymetric plot made by interpolating several profiling scans perpendicular to the intake face. Enough scans at different locations were done to provide 1,200 data points. Source: ASI Group Ltd.
A big benefit of using dual-axis scanning sonar is that it allows the position of the scanning head to be fixed at one or more known locations. Realize that if the head moves due to vibration or an insecure mount, the resulting measurements will be skewed unless they are extensively post-processed to correct for the positional errors. Well-designed dual-axis scanning sonar systems calibrate the readings to assist with post-processing by incorporating attitude sensors for measuring pitch, roll, and possibly yaw or heading.
Dual-axis scanning sonar systems such as the one whose work is shown in Figure 3 also include a precision actuator. The system's primary axis is the one around which the transducer rotates. The secondary axis, provided by the actuator, is used to rotate the body of the sonar perpendicular to the primary axis. With the head rotation on both axes known, the location of the point (return echo) can be determined in Cartesian coordinates. Making multiple scans from different angles allows generation of "point cloud" representations.
The system's on-board attitude sensors enable correlation of measurements to the actual mounting angle of the scanning head. Based on feedback from the sensors, the scanning process can be halted if the system moves due to vibration and then be restarted after it stabilizes. Calculations of the speed of sound can be made more accurate by optional water depth, temperature, and conductivity sensors.
Proven in practice
Following are lessons learned from, and general details of, three deployments of an ASI Group Ltd. dual-axis scanning sonar system for condition assessment that did not require a unit or plant shutdown.
Intake structure. Dual-axis sonar is ideal for monitoring the buildup of debris in and around an intake structure. Using multiple setups, it is possible to generate a point cloud representation of an entire intake face and the surrounding bathymetry without shutting a unit down. The extent and location of debris buildup can be determined accurately and viewed as the scan is taking place. When multiple scans are performed across an intake face, the point clouds can be merged by finding common points in adjacent scans and interlacing the data sets. Generating and trending point cloud representations of an intake structure at scheduled intervals can help determine when a unit should be shut down to remove debris clogging its cooling water intake.
Because sonar scans made by the ASI system are made along two axes, more details of submerged components perpendicular to the structure also are recorded. That was not the case for the initial, profiling scan of an intake structure shown in Figure 2; because the lines never reached the pier noses, their details were not captured. In the subsequent dual-axis survey (Figure 3), the scans were not only perpendicular to the face of the intake, but they also were made at roughly 3-degree increments over 180 degrees to intersect the pier noses. Details of the stepped pier noses are clearly visible, confirming as-built information that was previously in dispute. Figure 4 is a side-by-side-side representation of the three-dimensional data produced by the ASI system.
3. Richer perspective. Here's the same survey area shown in Figure 2 as pictured (without the contour lines) by a scanning sonar operating in dual-axis mode. Only four system setups were needed to generate more than 15,000 data points, which reveal more detail of pier noses than conventional perpendicular scans. Source: ASI Group Ltd.
4. Deeper understanding. A representation of the scanning sonar's 3-D data set showing intake openings and pier details. Source: ASI Group Ltd.
Surge shaft. The first deployment of ASI's dual-axis system was for the survey of a 600-foot vertical surge shaft submerged in 500 ft of water. The customer wanted to determine the verticality of the shaft and the smallest clear vertical opening into which a steel liner could be installed.
The initial plan was to perform several horizontal scans using a profiling sonar system, but the client was concerned that even with a vertical resolution of 1.5 ft, some details might be missed. Conducting another series of short vertical scans around the circumference may have been able to capture the missing details in the radial direction, but this would have been very time consuming. In the end, ASI proposed a more elegant way to scan in the vertical and radial directions at the same time: by mounting the system at a 45-degree angle, rather than horizontally (Figure 5). As a consequence, the shaft was surveyed in diagonal slices of elliptical shape.
5. Double duty. Here the scanning sonar head is mounted at a 45-degree angle on a secondary stepper motor. Courtesy: ASI Group Ltd.
After trying out several scan patterns, the system was configured to gather data with a scan resolution of 6 inches in the radial direction and 12 inches in the vertical direction. Once a scan was completed, the head was rotated a fixed amount and another scan was begun. A full set of these scans covered roughly 12 ft of height. Then the sonar head was lowered 10 ft and another set of scans was initiated. The 1-ft overlap between scan sets produced a very dense point cloud, which significantly reduced the chance of missing a defect.
The shaft survey was completed in less than three days, well within the customer's maintenance outage window of 10 days. The upper portion of the shaft and the surrounding surge tank were scanned by a high-resolution, close-range laser unit (Figure 6). Data from the laser were processed and merged with the sonar data to create a comprehensive data set for the overall shaft. Four temporary benchmarks, set into the floor of the surge tank, were also surveyed and combined with the data set. They can subsequently be related to geodetic survey points at the client's convenience for integration with the known benchmarks.
6. Multimedia show. These are the laser scanner and targets used for the topside survey. The framework over the shaft was used to support the dual-axis sonar |
Williams of Rebelution
Interview with Marley D Williams of Rebelution
June 8, 2014 John Baker Comments 0 Reggae
We had a chance to catch up with Marley D. Williams while he and Rebelution were gearing up for the 5th Annual California Roots Festival and their release of Count Me In, their latest studio album. Not surprisingly, we had a really honest and humble conversation with one of the hardest working bass players in music. We talked about working with reggae legends, being an entrepreneur, and his simple advice for other musicians out there. Check out the full interview below!
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at Top Shelf Reggae! I just wanted to start things off asking what are some of your early musical influences?
Well, my parents named me after Bob Marley, so generic as it sounds; I was raised by Bob Marley's music, Israel Vibration, Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru and other greats such as that. You know, I'm obviously not just a person who only listens to just reggae. I really appreciate the rap artist Dr. Dre, he's really made an incredible impact with his music and everything. It's more of an attitude kind of thing, but I think his music is tremendous. Sometimes you need a little bit of an edge and stuff. It's kind of like watching an action movie or something. It's not necessarily you believe in it, but it's kind of fun. You know, it's like a persona, and so I really appreciate that side thanks to rap. I also really like grunge music from way back in the day. I just like good music in general. A good song is a good song. It doesn't matter what genre it is, and you know, you can adapt different times of year, of life, to what the message is.
Well, was there anything in particular that got you interested in bass guitar in general or is it just something you happened to pick up?
I like bass guitar in reggae music because it's a lead melody. It's very unique to have a bass be such a busy part of the song and have the lead melody going on, whereas in other genres sometimes the bass is more in the background and subtle.
You've got this new album coming up, Count Me In. We got a preview at Top Shelf Reggae, and it sounded really killer! Can you tell me a little bit about the process and maybe if there's anything different that you've been doing on this album?
Yeah, I mean we're always trying to bend the genre or bend whatever our sound you can classify our sound as, in different ways. We always have to make an effort to give our fans something new so that we don't become stale or over-the-hill to them. At the same time, it's a fine balance because if you try too hard to change things up, they get a little mad because they want to hear the classic sound. And so, we try and do some songs that are different, and then we also try to keep it original. Keep the sound that we would like to stay that original Rebelution sound and make songs from that formula for all the die-hards.
It's really just, like I said, a fine line. I think you just try your best to please everybody and also please yourself. It's our art. You know? Some of us have different styles and tastes and desires. We're just all trying to work it out together. Not just Rebelution, but everybody who knows about Rebelution and supports us. We're all in this together. We're not making music without all these great people coming out to our shows all the time, buying our albums and showing us so much love and support through their messages and social media, and just in word-of-mouth when we meet people who are "Rebelutionaries", as I like to call them. So, that's kind of what's going on with this album. It's that culmination.
Do you have a favorite track or any interesting stories from the making of the album?
I really like "Roots Reggae Music". The bass line and the drumbeat I came up with one day at my house, just practicing some bass. I didn't really think much of it and I emailed it to Eric, and he sent it back with a really cool horn line. And shortly after, he sent it back with a really cool hook. And then from there, it just came together really quick and obviously we have Don Carlos, he's on that song. He's one of my favorites and also one of Eric's favorites. So, you know, I'm kind of more biased. It's like every song on our album is created a different way, you know.
Sometimes I don't even write the bass line. Eric will. I know on "Against the Grain", I don't know if you had a chance to listen to that off the album, but Rory made the bass line for that. So everybody has different melodies and ideas, and we all just pop in an out, and you never know. We just like to write good music together and do it as a team. You know, that's how Rebelution started. Us four guys grinding it out. We're just trying to put out a good product, but you know, that was the song that just came from a late night, practicing bass, and it turned into a really cool song.
When it was first recorded, I thought, "Oh, this is just a cool reggae song. You know, it's not too genre bending. It's pretty safe. You know, kind of more "traditional," but the people have been really reacting to it in a really strong way. It started from some idea on my own one night instead of jamming out with people or anything. I really like the song Eric had pretty much predominantly written on his own, called "Fade Away". It's a really genre-bending song. I think a lot of people gravitate to it.
And then there are kind of more the traditional groovers that everybody got involved with, like "De-stress" and "Count Me In". So, it's hard to say. I kind of like them all because it's a fresh album, but I'll get sick of it at some point.
It's got to be an honor to work with someone like Don Carlos and have him on that track. Well, you guys have had a really impressive career. You guys are celebrating your tenth year and as an independent band. No major labels. We were wondering if you had any advice for any of the up and coming bands out there?
Absolutely. I think it's all about keeping it really simple. And my simple thing to always live and die by, and what I've really pushed as a motto for myself and for other people who want to do this is, don't let anybody stop you from doing what you want to do, and always remember the only person that can stop you from what you really want to do in this world is yourself, so don't let yourself stop you.
That's awesome advice. Thank you! For the bass heads out there, what's your rig on stage like?
I've got an 8×10 Ampeg stack and actually at Cali-Roots I'm going to be playing two 8×10 Ampeg stacks because I decided that it was time to be really cool and macho! I play with one 8×10 out now and it actually does really help to have that extra bass. SVT full pro head, Avalon Pre-amp and I play a Sadowsky bass, handmade in Brooklyn, New York. Flatwound strings are super crucial. I guess it's about five elements. Oh yeah, and pick up Bob Marley's old sound engineer, Errol Brown. He'll always help out with everything too. Super blessed to have that guy doing our sound. It's just one of those things where every day I give thanks and praise for having him on our team and just knowing the history and everything he's been through. You can't really ask for more than that out of life; to have a legend engineer with you, your friend and your coworker, you know?
Well, you guys are continuing that legacy with your music.
Thanks, brother. We're trying. We're trying our best.
I ask this to a lot of the Cali Roots artists when I went the other years. What does California roots music mean to you?
California roots music means that there was a genre called reggae and it was spawned from Jamaica, and it was songs that were inspired from the environment of Jamaica. And they were so powerful and they came from such a small place and an Island of the world that got through a lot of hardships and they still remain positive in their lyrics. And now that genre will always live on forever. And California reggae or "Cali roots" reggae is just a different version, and we're using elements of reggae from Jamaica or we're putting our own interpretation of our environment that we grew up in. And basically you hear the elements of reggae in the building blocks, but you also hear the expression of, you know, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dr. Dre, and Nirvana and R&B. You know, there's so many great Hawaiian reggae bands and basically reggae music is world music. It's universal and everybody is welcome, and that's how beautiful reggae is.
You don't have to be a certain person. You know, in some other genres, you almost have to dress a certain way or have a certain edge or whatever. Anybody can play reggae music and be respected and spread on the message of " |
dominates discussion of the budget, Americans might understand the progress we have made in putting our public finances in order.
Much of what Clinton has achieved in the management of the federal government might also command more respect if so many people did not find the actual business of government so boring. Americans have supposedly been outraged by the kind of inefficiency symbolized by the Pentagon's mythical $600 toilet seat of some years ago. In 1993, the Congress passed a major reform of federal procurement, and as part of its effort to "reinvent" government the Clinton administration has made personnel management more flexible, sought to shift the focus of regulatory agencies from rules to results, and introduced new information technology to make it easier for citizens to obtain services and information. But while $600 toilet seats and petty scandals make great stories for "The Fleecing of America," the patient work of improving government is just too unexciting to make the news. I cannot say for sure that the federal government is, on balance, more efficient and responsive, but I am certain that there is no way Americans would have heard about it if it is.
T n its second two years, jockeying with the Republican Congress, the Clinton administration has necessarily been on the defensive-rather successfully from the standpoint of gaining political advantage. The results in policy have been more dubious.
Until this summer, the single biggest accomplishment of divided government in the Clinton-Gingrich era was the passage last February of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the most important change in communications law in 60 years. Similar legislation was poised to pass the previous Democratic Congress-it received more than 400 votes in the House-when in late September 1994, Bob Dole presented several nonnegotiable demands on behalf of the regional Bell phone companies, killing the bill. Although the new Republican Congress rewrote key provisions, particularly those affecting the cable and telephone industries, the 1996 model that ultimately passed and received President Clinton's signature was philosophically unchanged.
Like its earlier incarnations, the final Telecommunications Act removes regulatory barriers to competition across the boundaries that have traditionally divided local and long-distance telephone, cable, broadcasting, and newly emerging media. It allows larger consolidations of communications companies (particularly of broadcasters) than before. And it provides a continued regulatory basis for universal telecommunications service-indeed, it begins extending the concept to the new information superhighway. As I've noted in these pages ["Computing Our Way to Educational Reform," TAP, July-August 1996], the legislation for the first time makes "affordable" telecommunications connections for schools and libraries an aim of national policy. It also includes some strong protections for service to people with disabilities. With all its limitations, particularly its potential for increasing the concentrated power of communications behemoths, the legislation still counts, on balance, as modestly progressive.
The adoption of comprehensive reform of communications provides an instructive comparison with the earlier defeat of comprehensive reform of health care. Reforming an industry as large as health care was thought to be too ambitious; yet the sheer scale of communications, which represents an even larger share of the economy, never counted as an objection to a comprehensive bill. The Clinton health plan and other broad proposals were said to be too complex for most people to grasp; yet the communications legislation was incomprehensible to all but experts. (This summer the Federal Communications Commission released a more than 500-page ruling that sets out the terms for competition in the local phone market, which is just one aspect of the bill.) Some laissez-faire conservatives did want the government simply to go cold turkey on regulation, but the communications industries themselves explained they needed a regulatory referee.
Did favorable public opinion produce a positive outcome for the communications bill? There never really was any public opinion about it. The Telecommunications Act was the work chiefly of the business interests that negotiated it in concert with a few key congressional representatives and government officials. Telecommunications reform passed chiefly because of the commitment of its business sponsors, whereas health care reform suffered a decisive blow in early 1994 when business, large as well as small, decided it had more to lose than gain. Moreover, telecommunications reform didn't require any federal revenue; universal phone service (which is just over 90 percent "coverage") is supported by subsidies built inconspicuously into charges. But there was no way to finance universal health coverage without some major source of new revenue.
As I write at the end of July, Congress is moving toward approval of health insurance reforms initially introduced by Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Nancy Kassebaum. The Kennedy-Kassebaum bill confirms the pattern I've just described. It is utterly inoffensive to both big corporations and small business and calls for no significant new financing. Some refer to the bill as "incrementalist," but "minimalist" would be more apt. By comparison, President Bush's 1992 proposals would have done far more. After all the debate about the uninsured, the legislation offers no assistance to help people without insurance buy it. Instead, it mainly tries to help people with insurance keep it-a worthy objective, especially to those of us who already have coverage. The legislation is supposed to guarantee "portability"-a misleading claim, because employees will not be able to carry the same insurance or stay in the same HMO after leaving a job, except for the short-term coverage available under COBRA. Under the legislation, insurers will be unable to deny coverage for a preexisting condition to people who have been covered for the previous 12 months under another plan. There is no limit, however, on what the insurer can charge, although some provisions are meant to help keep rates down. You'll have a right to coverage if you can pay for it.
As a result of pressure from conservatives in the House, the health legislation also includes provisions for a four-year national experiment with medical savings accounts (MSAs). The experiment will enable 750,000 people to use tax-sheltered dollars to pay out-of-pocket costs under insurance policies with very high deductibles. Those who don't get sick and thus don't use their MSAs can keep the money. This is a wonderful deal for people who are healthy and relatively affluent; by pulling these people out of the general insurance pool, however, the MSAs are likely to make insurance more expensive for everyone else.
The significance of the health insurance legislation depends on how it is followed up. The MSA experiment could become the proverbial camel's nose under the tent, or Kennedy-Kassebaum could help to clarify the limitations of minimalist market reforms. Since the legislation provides no financing for the uninsured, it is unlikely to reduce their number significantly. In a future recession, the limitations will be especially apparent because the portability provisions mainly help people who change jobs, not those who lose them. Supporters of Kennedy-Kassebaum have justified it as a kind of confidence builder for a Congress nervous about any action on health care. But the debate will move ahead only when enough people lose confidence that minimalism is enough.
T he Republican Congress might have dissolved without any sense of historic achievement if it had not been for passage of welfare reform. Perhaps the House conservatives finally recognized that their own inflexibility had led to a self-inflicted defeat in the battle of the budget. In the compromise on welfare reform that they struck in midsummer with Senate moderates and the President, they gave up their effort to end the federal entitlements to Medicaid and food stamps, and they retreated on a number of subordinate issues, such as the "family cap" on benefit increases for children born on welfare. They gave enough ground to get Clinton's signature and thus triumphed on their central goal: eliminating the federal entitlement to cash assistance, setting time limits on benefits, and devolving authority to the states.
There is no doubting the symbolic impact of these changes. President Clinton came to office hoping to make health care a right of every American and has ended up signing legislation that abolishes the right of dependent children to a minimum standard of subsistence. Of course, he put welfare into play himself; he said the system was broken and pledged to fix it by establishing a new framework that would move recipients from dependency to work. His view is also that the entitlement to cash assistance has never been much of a right, given the enormous variations in eligibility criteria and benefit levels from state to state, and that the poor will be better off if antipoverty efforts are reconstructed on a new foundation. That may yet turn out to be true, as many articles in this journal have argued. Indeed, one virtue of Clinton's decision is that it cuts off the defense of traditional welfare as a political strategy and forces all sides to think seriously about full employment.
Still, this legislation is a long way from Clinton's original program and from any genuine effort to ameliorate poverty. Instead of expanding support for training, child care, and health insurance to help the poor get off and stay off welfare, the legislation reduces expenditures and provides no assurance of work or any source of income when benefits end. After welfare recipients hit their limits, it will just be too bad for them, their children, and the communities that must deal with the consequences if they lose their homes and are forced into complete destitution.
A decade after Charles Murray in Losing Ground called for abolishing welfare outright, the federal government has taken the first step-if this is really the first step. The significance of welfare reform, like Kennedy-Kassebaum, will depend on how it is followed up. It provides states the latitude to cut benefits; much will now depend on whether there is a race to the bottom, as past experience and fiscal incentives both suggest. Ultimately, the basic premise of this reform-that the poor will shape up and get work when they can't get away with freeloading-will run up against the reality that employers don't want all these workers. The harsh provisions of this legislation may simply not hold once the human impact becomes clear. But this is to assume |
body from the earth and then breathed life and spirit into it. The Spirit gave life to the body and.
I see lots of spiritual parallels and lessons we can. how is no longer the most important thing to me. I live every day with my heart in a place of expectation of His return, but I am occupying my.
Of course there are situations that are man-made, that come from our complicity with power, vanity, pride, wealth, all the passions that can be disordered. And every day we must take. of Loyola.
During Pope Francis' spiritual exercises, Msgr. Angelo De Donatis focused his meditations. and that the many seeds inside represent the various elements of creation, into which God breathed life, L.
Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises In the past Companions of Jesuits like Gianlorenzo Bernini, who will be mentioned later, not only experienced the Spiritual Exercises but made them the operative principles of his life as well as a lifelong process. The Exercises are divided into four distinct sections called "weeks".
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Aldersgate Free Methodist Church Indianapolis Tinney said he'd been part of similar projects at his previous church, Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Bellevue. "We started an annual building project with Habitat for Humanity," said Tinney, From buying ad space in programs to paying for schedule printing to sponsoring a mentoring program, the dealership has been there to support athletics and
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The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life You can also make the Spiritual Exercises alongside your normal life and work. You commit to pray and reflect for a certain amount of time each day and meet with your retreat guide once a week for 7-12 months.
Typically, the Spiritual Exercises are given individually to a retreatant in one of three forms: (1) the traditional, 30-day retreat, (2) an abbreviated 8-day retreat, or (3) a retreat in daily life (also referred to as a "nineteenth annotation retreat," in which the retreatant does not remove him or herself from the duties of daily living, but instead meets weekly with a director and incorporates.
It's the Kashi Labh Mukti Bhawan, in the cramped spiritual capital of Hindu India. Beliefs like these have made Varanasi, also called Kashi, a major center for Hindu pilgrimage, drawing tens of.
The order was founded in France by Mother Therese Couderc to offer spiritual exercises developed by St. Ignatius of. goals by re-programming deeply buried mind tapes. A brief daily affirmation.
Just like physical exercises which are good for tuning up muscles, improving circulation and flexibility, spiritual exercises are good for strengthening "spiritual muscles," increasing one's openness to the Holy Spirit, becoming more aware of God's presence, and growing more familiar with God's ways.
The week-long spiritual exercises ended Saturday. audiences with the aim of making the Church known and loved better as it manifests itself in the life and teachings of the saints: beginning with.
Some of the sessions, led by individuals from all the ecclesial states, focused on spiritual support. to increasingly assimilate that mystery in daily life according to one's vocation. Q: What is.
Feminism has not eradicated the tyranny of the ideal woman but, rather, has entrenched it and made it trickier. These days, it is perhaps even more psychologically seamless than ever for an ordinary.
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The Lanteri Center provides quality spiritual guidance, formation in the art and ministry of spiritual direction, and prayer and discernment at the parish level. What Is Spiritual Direction? Spiritual direction is the help given by one Christian (director) to another (seeker) which enables the seeker to be attentive to the Lord's personal.
If you think you could never do that, it may be because you have concluded that your adjusted quality of life comes from the.
Nuns Weigh Response To Scathing Vatican Rebuke Methodist Institute For Reconstructive Surgery Introduction To Tantra Buddhism In The Bedroom What Are The Traditions And Customs Of Buddhism May 20, 2014. Buddhism is one of the most important Asian spiritual traditions. today encompasses a number of different traditions, beliefs, and practices. But there's also another key attraction: This tradition of Buddhism doesn't require
When one thinks of a hospital and an 84-year-old woman, one doesn't think of a tiny nun rising daily at 3:20 a.m., trekking by subway. providing what one patient calls "spiritual bodybuilding" to.
May 25, 2005 · Making the Spiritual Exercises in daily life is a fairly straightforward if challenging endeavor. The 19th Annotation Retreat takes as its basis the same set of meditations that make up the thirty-day version of the Spiritual Exercises commonly known as the 'Long Retreat.'
Here are six practices you can incorporate into your life every day, which will help you to live more spiritually: 1. Meditation. Try to begin each day with meditation, even if it's only for a minute. This will allow you to start your day from a place of peace, feeling more centered and grounded.
For as strolling, walking and running are bodily exercises, so every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid itself of all the disordered tendencies, and, after it is rid, to seek and find the Divine Will as to the management of one's life for the salvation of the soul, is called a Spiritual Exercise.
He never beat me without a reason but he did beat me every day for three years. the Yazidi Supreme Spiritual Council.
"People from Regla are more spiritual and relaxed," she says. "Everyone knows one other. "The problems they have are the.
You Gave Me Love When Nobody Gave Me A Prayer You / When are you gonna wake up / You can't live life for the weekend. My birth mom, she gave birth to me and she walked out the door and was homeless again. She said, 'Everybody cares about you, getting you somewhere but nobody cared about me.' Gammy: I need to just say. 120
This evening we begin our symposium on "Interiority for Mission: Spiritual Formation for Priests of the New Evangelization." We will explore over the next few days the place of spiritual formation as.
St. Ignatius Loyola included in his Spiritual Exercises a prayer called "the Examen," which derives from the Latin word for examination. It is a meditation with roots not only in Ignatian spirituality, but also in the spiritual practices of the ancient Stoics. There are many versions of the Examen today, but all have five steps.
Newman turned the stables into a library and the granary into several rooms where he and some friends could live a shared life of study. prove the end of Newman's spiritual darkness. That night,
The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola are considered a classic work of spiritual literature. Many Jesuits are ready to direct the general public in retreats based on the Exercises. Since the 1980s there has been a growing interest in the Spiritual Exercises among people from other Christian traditions.
Behind-the-scenes footage included in the upcoming comprehensive Twin Peaks Blu-ray release, Twin Peaks: From Z to A,
Spiritual Exercises to Make You Strong (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22). It manufactures three hundred million new blood cells every day and it has a heart that beats seventy to eighty times per minute or one hundred thousand times every day. Over seventy years it pumps four hundred million liters of blood. What is true about physical life is.
Gilles Cusson is the author of The Spiritual Exercises Made in Everyday Life (5.00 avg rating, 1 rating, 0 reviews, published 1989), Biblical Theology an.
A retreatant's reflections on the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life. The retreat consists of bimonthly meetings through April. Meetings usually take place at someone's home or at St. Michael Church in Buffalo. For more information, call Gini Schultz at 716-837-6020, Joseph Ritzert at 716-627-5530, or visit the website at www.spirexignatius.org.
Through the yogic postures, the flow of prana (life), the stillness of dhyan (meditation |
14, 2017 9:44PM ET
RIP Edward Herman, Who Co-Wrote a Book That's Now More Important Than Ever
We need a new 'Manufacturing Consent'
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Edward Herman, the co-author (with Noam Chomsky) of Manufacturing Consent, has died. He was 92. His work has never been more relevant.
Manufacturing Consent was a kind of bible of media criticism for a generation of dissident thinkers. The book described with great clarity how the system of private commercial media in America cooperates with state power to generate propaganda.
Herman's work was difficult for many to understand because the nature of the American media, then and now, seemed at best to be at an arm's length from, say, the CIA or the State Department. Here is how the book put it:
"It is much more difficult to see a propaganda system at work where the media are private and formal censorship is absent."
The basic thesis of Manufacturing Consent was that propaganda in America is generated through a few key idiosyncrasies of our (mostly private) system.
One is that getting the whole population to buy in to a narrative requires the sustained attention of the greater part of the commercial media, for at least a news cycle or two.
We don't censor the truth in America, mostly. What we do instead is ignore it. If a lone reporter wants to keep banging a drum about something taboo, like contracting corruption in the military, or atrocities abroad, he or she will a) tend not advance in the business, and b) not be picked up by other media.
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Therefore the only stories that tended to reach mass audiences were ones in which the basic gist was agreed upon by the editors and news directors of all or most of the major media companies.
In virtually all cases this little mini-oligarchy of media overlords kept the news closely in sync with the official pronouncements of the U.S. government.
The appearance of dissent was permitted in op-ed pages, where Democrats and Republicans "debated" things. But what readers encountered in these places was a highly ritualized, artificially narrow form of argument kept strictly within a range of acceptable opinions.
Herman and Chomsky stressed the concept of worthy and unworthy victims. In Manufacturing Consent, written during the Cold War, the idea was expressed thusly: One Polish priest murdered behind the Iron Curtain earned about a hundred times as much coverage as priests shot in Latin America by American-backed dictatorships.
The Polish priest was the worthy victim, the Latin American priests unworthy.
So Americans learned to be furious about atrocities committed in Soviet client states, but blind to almost exactly similar crimes committed within our own spheres of influence.
The really sad part about the Herman/Chomsky thesis was that it didn't rely upon coercion or violence. Newspapers and TV channels portrayed the world in this America-centric way not because they were forced to. Mostly, they were just intellectually lazy and disinterested in the stated mission of their business, i.e., telling the truth.
In fact, media outlets were simply vehicles for conveying ads, and a consistent and un-troubling view of the political universe was a prerequisite for selling cars, candy bars, detergent, etc. Upset people don't buy stuff. This is why Sunday afternoon broadcasts featured golf tournaments and not police beatings or reports from cancer wards near Superfund sites.
The news business was about making money, and making money back then for big media was easy. So why make a fuss?
As a result, the top executives in news agencies were people who were inclined to take official sources as gospel. An additional feature of the business was that the least skeptical reporters were the ones who were promoted the most quickly. And when they got there, reporters manning the top posts were encouraged to develop an almost religious worship of credentialing.
A person with a title, be it someone from a think tank, a university, or especially a security service organ, was to be trusted unquestioningly. Meanwhile, outside/dissenting voices were given the hardcore "skeptical journalist" treatment.
This is how situations like the Iraq War invasion happened, in defiance of all common sense.
Even though a child could see that the government's stated reason for going into Iraq was both insane and a fiction, virtually everyone in the business jumped into the story with both feet.
Round the clock, TV sets were full of current and former generals and/or talking heads from think tanks boosting the war rationale. Antiwar voices were almost totally excluded.
Within the business, those with doubts hesitated to say so in public. Even at the editorial level, this was so, thanks to fear of backlash.
Herman/Chomsky identified that phenomenon in Manufacturing Consent as "flak" – a policing mechanism whereby reporters and/or media outlets that stepped out of line could expect to be denounced by an entire range of establishment voices.
Those voices were usually the same credentialed "experts" who were accustomed to being worshipped in the normal course of coverage.
Flak worked. It scared advertisers, and what scares advertisers scares editors.
In the case of Iraq, fear of being called unpatriotic, a terrorist-lover or "against the troops" cowed most news directors or editors with even remote doubts. And when that didn't work, networks like MSNBC simply yanked disobedient antiwar voices like Phil Donahue and Jesse Ventura.
Through these parallel operations – the pushing of approved narratives on the one hand and the policing and hiding of forbidden ones on the other – this seemingly unconnected federation of competing media companies and establishment spokesfiends "manufactured" public opinion.
There was no dictum from above, the way it might have happened in a tinpot dictatorship or a superpower oligarchy like the Soviet Union.
Public "consent" for policies like the Iraq invasion was manufactured through a complex series of organic processes, then kept in place via a mix of powerful economic and psychological incentives.
Herman was interested in the phenomenon of how even outright fictions could be sold in a "free" media system.
In his last piece, from this past summer, Herman made a list of some of the whoppers the media has foisted on the public over the years: the depiction of the U.S. not as an invader but as a defender of South Vietnam against "aggression," the notion that the Soviets were behind a papal assassination attempt, the "missile gap" and others.
Herman was a skeptic about the current Russia news, but that isn't why his work is relevant today. You can believe he's dead wrong on Russia and Trump, and Manufacturing Consent would still be far more relevant now than it was when he and Chomsky first wrote it.
The main reasons for this have to do with the structure of the current commercial media. Because of tech companies like Google and Facebook, it is significantly easier to "manufacture" consent today than it was before.
A small handful of monopolistic tech companies like Facebook have life-or-death power over media companies. They can steer traffic wherever they please simply by tweaking their algorithms. Firms that don't themselves create news content wield this monstrous influence.
Controlling how, where and when you got the news was how media companies were paid previously. Since those processes are mostly out of their hands now, news companies no longer control their own economic fates.
They have become vassals to essentially unregulated, monopolistic distribution mechanisms like Facebook, who additionally appropriate the lion's share of the profits that used to fund things like investigative journalism.
Moreover the policing mechanisms are far more powerful now. Herman and Chomsky wrote about flak in the era before social media. Today blowback against dissenting thought is instantaneous and massive.
Individual reporters are far more likely to be freaked out about it because Internet trolls are so personal and can rattle just about anyone. Add the proliferation of fake blowback produced by oppo firms and troll farms and it's not an accident that the overwhelming majority of "legacy media" content stays within the confines of conventional blue or red rhetoric.
The major difference between then and now has to do with which narratives are being pushed. When Manufacturing Consent was written the major problem was that Americans across the entire political spectrum were being sold a range of myths about the beneficence of American power and government policy.
Today it is not clear who is actually dictating to whom. Is the state dictating to the media, or are global distribution firms dictating the narrative to states?
We can make a few deductions about the new "manufactured consent." The thrust of modern media isn't as simple as cheerleading for the flag and ignoring atrocities, although we clearly still do that.
There seems also to be a massive emphasis on political division as a route to profit. Since getting people to discuss and argue is how companies like Facebook get paid, driving us toward ever more divisive media is an obvious imperative. But to what end?
Herman and Chomsky's work was a great gift to a generation of thinkers trying to make sense of how power in the West sold itself to populations. The late Herman should be honored for that critical contribution he made to understanding American empire.
It's a shame he never wrote a sequel. Now |
The current economic climate means IT directors must make the most of what money they have. Computer Weekly offers a seven-step guide to stretching your budget
The spectre of recession has cast doubt over ongoing investment in the IT department. Chris Angell, director of marketing at customer relationship management specialist Extraprise says, "Boards of directors are not impressed by IT any more, so there is a much greater need to show a return on investment."
It is time to free up money from your existing budget by cutting costs or at least trying to get more value from your existing investment. And here is how to do it.
1. Strike a better deal with suppliers
There are two sides to this. In the current climate, IT suppliers will be glad for any work they can get. If your current supplier is unable or unwilling to reconsider their prices or the level of service they provide, perhaps it is time to find someone more competitive.
You can also get access to more competitive suppliers by redesigning the way you evaluate them. The tendering process, especially that operated by large corporates and local authorities, tends to frighten off smaller suppliers. This is a pity because these companies will typically work harder for your business and charge less.
The tendering process among local authorities and government departments is so bureaucratic that these eager, more competitive suppliers simply cannot afford to compete. "There is so much form filling and so many stages to the process, we have decided it is simply not worth dealing with local authorities," says Alan McGibbon, managing director of reseller Scalable Networks.
The irony is that the tendering process, which is designed to protect buyers in public bodies, actually ensures that even more public money is spent. "Big corporates are the same," says McGibbon. They only ever seem to buy from household names, the result being you end up paying a higher premium for a brand name.
2. Install now, pay later
Surely, if IT manufacturers are so confident about the return on investment (ROI) their technology will yield, they would be prepared to put their money where their mouths are? Why don't they offer the option where you pay them a proportion of the money saved? For example, when your comms bill comes in, give them half the savings. You might end up paying more that way, but you have alleviated the risks and funded a mutually beneficial transaction.
There are a few companies that will consider this method of billing. The comms supplier Sitara Networks, for example, promised it could help its clients cut their telephony bills by installing boxes that manage their communications better.
It does this by assessing traffic on the Wan, prioritising the messages that are time critical and allocating bandwidth according to needs. The result is that back-up lines, such as ISDN, no longer need to be deployed, as the network traffic that has to get through has a clear path.
To convince potential buyers, Sitara initially gave potential clients the equipment, on the basis that they could pay later, when the cost savings of the installed devices became apparent.
"We were new to the market, so we had to offer something extra to get people to see us," explains Simon Clark, formerly sales director at Sitara Networks and now business development director at SRC Telecom. "In exceptional circumstances, suppliers will try harder to offer deals."
Given that most resellers and suppliers are desperate for custom, this is a deal that you could try to negotiate with suppliers. Alan Lloyd, IP business manager at networking and comms integrator Genesis has tried this and is sceptical.
Last year, Genesis was recognised by both BT and Cable & Wireless as their top partner. But in the current climate it recognised the need to negotiate deals. "The impetus for the initiative came from the financial director of the potential customer who was interested in offsetting cost savings against the final payment," says Lloyd.
He warns that there are several hurdles to be cleared. Negotiations can falter over maintaining agreed levels of cost savings, because these may involve the supplier dictating to the customer how it would use its network. But this is a challenge that the IT director and a technology partner could work out between them.
3. Consider utility billing
This could prove a more practical model. It involves a supplier billing you on your use of IT as if it were a utility. Hewlett-Packard calls this the pay-per-use model, which it launched in July.
"Utility pricing is a combination of technology," says Chris Franklin, HP's Unix server marketing manager. "It monitors system usage, which enables HP to bill accordingly. And it keeps tabs on financing, which means a customer pays in alignment to his usage of the system. The value proposition is that HP then is sharing some of the business risk with its customer," says Franklin.
Alistair Maughan, a partner with technology law firm Shaw Pittman says deals where suppliers share the risk are unlikely to happen. "The whole fee is never reliant on meeting targets. There is a good reason for this. IT solutions are never the whole story. There are always other elements to business change besides the IT. The IT solutions make performance improvements possible, not inevitable."
4. Rationalise print costs
One of the biggest sources of over spending is in printing and consumables. A document strategy is vital to rationalise costs, says Mick Heys, director of research on peripherals at IDC. "Our research shows companies need a strategy for managing documents because the costs of producing documents is galloping out of control."
Nigel Hancock, services marketing manager for Europe at Xerox Business Services explains why "cost down, productivity up" programmes are easiest to implement in the document area. "Companies have not managed their costs because no one is in charge. So it is a fairly straightforward problem to tackle. My work is to discover costs and identify ways of saving money for companies."
"I am often surprised to find that companies have not considered the cost of their office output fleet when they have been trying to reduce their overheads. The most likely explanation is that they do not think that their document output constitutes a major cost," says Hancock.
According to a study by the US-based Ashburnham Group, the price of hardware associated with document output machines is only 10% of the total cost of ownership, even consumables, such as paper and toner cartridges, are factored in to the cost of purchase. The remaining 90% of expenses are down to management, says Hancock.
There are invisible costs to printing, such as the strain on the network. Then there are the measurable costs. When help desk calls are analysed, for example, 20% to 40% of all calls are found to have been caused by the failure of a printer.
There are productivity costs too; at any one time, 21 people out of a company of 1,000 employees will be stood at a printer, according to research by Xerox. By rationalising printing, the costs can be slashed for large companies.
5. Scrutinise spending, assess assets
Some unscrupulous suppliers send multiple invoices, with different descriptions and job numbers, at separate times, for the same work. They get paid too. This is just one illustration of how end-users' assets are under utilised or even stripped by inefficiency.
"IT, telephony and even knowledge are all assets that IT managers should manage better," says Dominique Martineau, product manager at Peregrine Systems.
Assess their worth under the following criteria.
What do you own?
Where are the assets?
How well are they working?
How much are they costing?
How well are these assets supporting the business mission of the company?
If you can't answer these questions then you're wasting time, money and resources as a result, says Martineau.
Forget purchase costs, they are the tip of the iceberg. Consider the cost of ownership, such as support, management, consumables and licensing. You may find that by junking a few systems, you will save money.
Say, for example, a new employee joins a company and requires a new workstation. A company which is unaware of its total IT resources may simply buy or rent another workstation.
If, however, it has a complete map of its IT resources it may be able to take a computer from another department or end the licence on another workstation to make space for a new one. There needs to be a set of best practices that enables a company to standardise and control costs by assessing the performance of its assets, argues Martineau, and this is the time to do it.
6. Renegotiate contracts
Internet access costs are dropping, but providers are tying enterprises in on contracts, pay per packet charges and selling "bigger pipes" to ensure that the bill rises. The way out, however, is to go to multiple access providers and get them to deliver only the access. This is because "value add" is just another way of saying "extra cost". One reason why this does not currently occur is due to the management of the network and the IP address schema.
If you monitor your service level agreements (SLAs) this can help you negotiate discounts. Providers sell SLAs and have penalty charges they agree to pay, but how do you know if they have failed? Get a company that can monitor traffic to and from the ISP, so it knows when the link failed. If possible, use a contractor and pay them on a no win, no pay basis.
7. Sack your contractors
Not everyone shares the same qualms about sacking people. British Airways is currently the subject of some controversy over its cost-cutting strategy. It has sacked its UK contractors and has replaced them with cheaper contractors from India. Sound |
Institute of Technology and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Five others are in the local community: University of Alabama Huntsville, Alabama A&M University, Oakwood University, Calhoun Community College and Drake State Technical College.
Family and Morale, Welfare & Recreation
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone
Family and MWR is a network of support and leisure services designed to serve the needs, interests and responsibilities of each individual in the Army community and to enhance the quality of their lives, from family, child and youth programs to recreation, sports, entertainment, travel and leisure activities.
Army Community Service
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/army-community-service
Army Community Service helps commanders maintain readiness of individuals, families and communities by developing, coordinating, and delivering services that promote self-reliance, resilience, and stability. ACS programs include Family Advocacy, New Parent Support Program, Financial Readiness, Exceptional Family Member, Information and Referral, Relocation Assistance, Mobilization/Deployment, Army Family Team Building, and Army Family Action Plan. ACS also provides services for Sexual Harassment & Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) and Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC).
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/childcare
Child Development Centers offer weekly care for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. Hourly care can be reserved on a space-available basis. The nationally accredited centers provide a safe, nurturing environment that promotes the social, cognitive, language and physical development of youngsters.
Child Development Center-Goss Road
Bldg. 3140 and 3145 256-876-7952
Child Development Center-Mills Road
Bldgs. 5600 and 5601 256-842-5631
School Age Center
Exceptional Family Member Program
Bldg. 4100 256-955-8888, ext. 1654 or 1042
www.redstone.amedd.army.mil/Pages/EFMP.aspx
The Exceptional Family Member Program is a mandatory enrollment program that works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical and personnel services to families with special needs.
School Support Services
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/school-liaison-officer
School Support Services, a branch of Child, Youth and School Services, provides Army school-aged youth with the educational opportunities, resources and information they need for academic success.
School Support Services specializes in education transitions and ensures that incoming and exiting families have information about local schools, graduation requirements, after-school services and programs, youth sponsorship programs and home schooling. It also helps parents better understand the education process, school organization and how best to interact.
School Liaison Office
The School Liaison Office, under School Support Services, helps deliver the best educational resources and information for your children by building relationships and fostering communication among Army Families and the local school community, informing and assisting parents with school transitions and deployment challenges; establishing school and community partnerships; facilitating access to home-schooling resources for parents; and providing information about college and other post-secondary opportunities, as well as preparation materials.
Parent Central Services
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/cys-services
Child and Youth Services (CYS) provides programs and services for children of eligible military and civilian families. Within CYS you can find something to meet your children's needs, whether it is for full-time, or hourly child care, or after-school care, camps, programs for middle schoolers and teenagers, instructional classes, or sports and fitness activities.
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/youth-services
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/youth-sports
Seasonal team sports leagues are offered for children from 5 to 18 years old.
Team sports are offered in partnership with the City of Huntsville Recreation Services; fees vary depending on the sport, and include the uniform. All team sports require a sports physical at the time of registration. Various individual sports offered throughout the year may include baseball, soccer, basketball, flag football, tennis, golf and more. All registration takes place at Parent Central Services, Pershing Welcome Center, Bldg. 3443. For registration information, call 256-876-3704.
Redstone Federal Credit Union
www.redfcu.org
www.regions.com
Bldg. 3439 Honest John Road 256-876-9005
https://osja.redstone.army.mil
All services require an appointment except for notaries and powers of attorney. Notaries and powers of attorney are done on a walk-in basis anytime during normal hours.
https://redstone.armymwr.com/programs/library
The Redstone MWR Library is open to everyone in the Redstone Community including military, civilians, retirees and contractors. It has summer reading programs for children and adults as well as an outdoor StoryWalk for children and their parents to enjoy reading a picture book together as they stroll.
PERSHING WELCOME CENTER
Bldg. 3443 842-3202
Army Community Service 876-5397
Java Café 842-1819
Information, Tickets,and Reservations 876-4531
Leisure Travel 313-0090
MWR Membership Office 313-4006
Parent Central Services 876-3704
For information about recreational programs at Redstone Arsenal, visit the Redstone Arsenal Family and MWR online at http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone.
Challenger BINGO
Bldg. 1500……………………….256-955-3727
https://redstone.armymwr.com/programs/challenger-bingo
Participants must be at least 19 years of age to play and all guests are welcome. Guests must pay a guest fee and be signed in.
The Links at Redstone Golf Course
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/golf-course
This is a regulation 18-hole golf course with a driving range, pitching and putting greens, a pro shop, golf lessons, a snack bar and a grill.
https://redstone.armymwr.com/programs/fitness
MWR Sports & Fitness has three fitness centers (Sparkman Fitness Center, Col. Stephen Scott Fitness Center and Pagano Gym) and an aquatics center (Redstone Aquatics Center) on Redstone Arsenal.
All fitness centers have cardio, strength and free weight equipment and a full schedule of group fitness classes including step, toning, turbo kick, Zumba, boot camp and yoga.
In addition, Pagano Gym has racquetball and basketball courts, and two of the centers have both a dry sauna and steam room.
The Aquatics Center offers cardio equipment and a racquetball court.
Colonel Scott Fitness Center
Pagano Gym
https://redstone.armymwr.com/programs/swimming-pool
Information, Ticket and Reservations Office
http://redstone.armymwr.com/us/redstone/programs/itr
The ITR office inside the Pershing Welcome Center offers many different discount tickets to local and regional attractions such as theme parks, historic and cultural sites and special events. Regularly discounted tickets include Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios Florida, Six Flags Over Georgia and many more. Discount tickets are also available to dozens of celebrity theaters, dinner theaters, museums and other attractions. Principal travel destinations include Orlando, Pigeon Forge and Atlanta.
https://redstone.armymwr.com/programs/outdoor-recreation
Outdoor Recreation provides multiple opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors throughout the year through camping, fishing, hunting, canoeing, personalized skeet shooting lessons, and other outdoor adventures.
Bldg. 5139 houses equipment rental, hunting and fishing operations, a private conference room, women's and men's locker rooms and management offices.
Outdoor Recreation emphasizes skill development and opportunities to acquire lifetime leisure abilities; specialists are available to assist with activities such as camping, canoeing, boating, fishing, hunting and more.
And don't forget Outdoor Recreation when it comes to unit organizational days, backyard parties or weekend recreational getaways.
Aquatics Center, Bldg. 3705 256-313-1200
Outdoor Pool 3 (Goss Road) 256-876-6713
Redstone Lanes Bowling Center
https://redstone.armymwr.com/programs/bowling-center
Strike up family fun at the bowling center. Shoe rental, bowling leagues, professional instruction and a snack bar are available.
https://redstone.armymwr.com/programs/flying-activity
Redstone Arsenal Flying Activity is northern Alabama's premier flying club where individuals in the authorized patron category can learn to fly or take their rating to a higher level. Redstone Arsenal Flying Activity offers safe, low-cost flying lessons, professionally certified flight instructors, pilot-related equipment, and services. Resources include a very low traffic 7,200-foot runway and a control tower staffed during daylight hours.
Arts & Crafts Center
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Costume Guidelines
Props and Weapons Policy
Contact JLWNY
A short list of common questions we get. If you don't see an answer to yours here, please contact us and we'll be glad to help.
What is The Justice League of WNY?
The Justice League of WNY are a group of fans of various shows, series, films, movies, animations and comics, who have come together out of a love of fandom, costuming and who want to help bring some cheer to those in need. We are an all-volunteer organization formed for the purpose of of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. We seek to promote interest in fandom through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes in contributing to out local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.
Does the Justice League of WNY charge for their appearances?
We do not charge a fee for our appearances, either public or private. We do encourage that donations be done to charities in our name. If you do not have a charity of choice, our group would gladly provide a list of some that we support. Examples include Oishei Children's Hospital, Courage of Carly Fund, Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Shriners Hospitals for Children. We do welcome assistance covering travel and lodging costs.
Is the Justice League of WNY a charity?
As of May 20th 2019 we are incorporated as a NYS registered Non-Profit charitable organization. We are not currently setup as a 501c3. It is something we are working towards.
How do I make donations to the groups charities?
We do not accept money preferring instead that you make your donation directly to the charity group of your choice on our behalf. At some of our events we will have designated representatives of charities on hand so you can give them your donation.
How can I have the Justice League of WNY at my event?
We love attending events, especially charity ones.
Please use our Event Request form to reach us and we will be happy to discuss your needs and what we offer.
What can the The Justice League of WNY do for me?
There is nothing like having a group of your favorite characters appear to bring awesome attention to events. We work as a group to create a real-life fan experience with our wide array of professional-grade costumes and props. Our group's standards help us ensure a high level of professionalism both in action and appearance for quality fun events.
Is The Justice League of WNY a part of DC, Marvel, Disney or any other media company?
The Justice League of WNY recognizes it holds no claim over the costumes and characters it portrays. Our organization acknowledges and respects that these characters are owned by others. The members of The Justice League of WNY acknowledge and accept that while in costume, we represent their brands, and will do so in a professional and responsible manner at all times.
Where do I get a costume?
Our members put in a lot of time carefully researching their characters, and either building or buying the components needed. Most are hand made and built as our spare time allows. We are happy to assist our members in finding the people and places to do their own costumes and props, but as all of the characters we portray are the intellectual property of other companies it must be stressed that we do not provide or manufacture costumes or components for purchase.
How "screen accurate" does my costume have to be? / I tried to join another group and they rejected me?
We accept both beginner and expert costumers, and those in between. We do however require our members to own an accurate, complete, and professional-quality costume, that the member is able to functionally wear. "professional-quality" doesn't mean complicated, or expensive, just that it be of good quality, and that someone looking at you can suspend'reality' and believe you're that character.
We love seeing our members develop, improve and enhance their costumes and costuming skills. We are happy to assist our members in finding the people and places to do their own costumes and props, but as all of the characters we portray are the intellectual property of other companies it must be stressed that we do not provide or manufacture costumes or components for purchase.
Or to put it shortly, no we aren't going to triangulate every seam and rivet, but we're not likely to approve something that only marginally passes for a character.
Are there any restrictions on costumes?
Depending on the type of event we are doing, there may be some restrictions such as only expert level costumes, or one of a particular character at a time (ex only 1 Superman or Captain Kirk) or only from a particular show/series (ie movie opening), but other times can be more relaxed.
All of our costumes must meet some'safe for public' guidelines. Full details are in our Costume Guidelines, however the short version is nothing explicit, overly revealing, violent or scary.
Who can join the Justice League of WNY?
The Justice League of WNY is an inclusive, equal-opportunity fan club and will not tolerate discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, social class, political beliefs, religion, disability, age, gender, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.
What are the requirements for membership?
The requirements for full membership are:
Ownership of an accurate, complete, and professional-quality costume, that the member is able to functionally wear. The member must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
How can I join the Justice League of WNY?
Simply click here or on our menu where it says "Membership Application" and follow the instructions.
What does it cost to be a member of the Justice League of WNY?
Membership is currently free.
We do have 2 optional Membership Kits that are available for purchase.
The Basic Membership Kit is $10, and includes your ID card, 100 basic business cards and a print copy of the Member Handbook.
The Deluxe Membership Kit is $65, and includes the Basic Kit, plus 500 personalized Trading Cards, a group tee shirt, and a lanyard and ID Badge.
I'm a member of another group/club. Can I still join the Justice League of WNY?
Who would want to be part of a group that tries to limit your fun and enjoyment of fandom/cosplay/costuming? That's not fun. Our members are free to associate, participate, help out and play with whomever they like. Many are members of multiple groups, which only increases the fun for everyone.
Can JLWNY members be part of other groups?
In fact, we encourage it. Each group offers different opportunities, does different events, and helps different charities. So our members are welcome to join or hang out with members of other groups, and we invite members of other groups to join us in the fun ahead.
I'm not really into Superheroes, but I love Anime/Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror/etc. Can I still join the Justice League of WNY?
Of course. We love all the different aspects and genres. We have members who cosplay a wide range of things including Dr. Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, BattleStar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, Scooby Doo, the worlds of Disney and so many other great shows/series. We're fans, and fandom is supposed to be about fun.
Why was my application rejected?
An application can be rejected for many reasons. Some of those include costumes not up to our standards, past "drama" involving the applicant, a history of causing problems in the fan and cosplay community, and being a convicted sex offender. We may simply be at our current'max membership' and not have room for another person at this time.
'Max Membership'?
The goal of JLWNY is not to be the biggest cosplay club in the area. So that we may grow at a controlled pace, we periodically cap our membership so that we can adjust and evolve our internal procedures and controls for smooth operations. We want our members to enjoy being part of this group, and want the public to enjoy our appearances. That means not taking on more than we can professionally handle.
Group Operations
What is the "Steering Board" and what's it do?
The Justice League of WNY's Steering Board handles the basic operations of the group, and arranges and coordinates events. They take care of new member applications, costume reviews and approvals, and all other day-to-day things as needed. Our goal is to minimize stress for our members so that they can focus on the core idea of entertaining the pubic and bringing attention to the causes and charities that are important to us.
The Steering Board handles arranging events, talking to supporters and sponsors, managing the web stuff, and all that businessy 'behind the scenes' stuff. The goal is, our members know when things are, where they are, what the plans for things are, and can relax knowing that things will work smooth, and any ripples taken care of.
This is intended to be an informal group, not a 'Board of Directors" or "Senate" or such with a 600+ page rule book. We use the term "Steering Board" here, but even that is too 'formal'.
How do you get on the "Board"? Will there be elections?
For the short term, the Steering Board is static, and we're not planning on any elections for 2018. Our longer term plans are to look into a more formal structure eventually. There's significant financial costs involved with going "formal" as it were, and right now, |
known as Age -Sex pyramid, is basically a graphical illustration of the distribution of various age groups in males and females in a region. This pyramid helps us to understand the past, present trends, and also predict the future trends of demographic variables of a country. The first population pyramid was published in 1874 in a statistical atlas of the United States. Assessment of the population pyramid can help in planning for the provision of social and economic services. The male population is shown on the left of the pyramid and the female on the right. It can be represented with numerical values of the actual number of the population or in terms of percentage of the total population. This is an effective tool used in Ecology to determine the age distribution of a population which helps to indicate the reproductive capacity and the possibility of the continuation of the species. It provide us with information about population size, dependency ratio, population distribution across various age groups, population growth rate etc.
Structure of an age-sex pyramid
A population pyramid is a combination of two histograms, placed back to back (continuous stacked histogram bar diagram). The population is represented on the horizontal x-axis while the age groups are represented on the vertical y-axis. On the horizontal axis, the male and female population is represented on left and right respectively. The size of the population is often given in terms of percentage of the total population in the region or by the actual number of individuals in the population thereby making it extremely easier so as to determine in the population pyramid the ratio of the male to the female.
The y-axis represents the age typically in 5 year age groups with the youngest age group represented by the bottom bar and the oldest by the topmost bar. The length of the horizontal bar represents the number or percentage of individuals in that age group. Often the years of birth for each age category are also represented on the graph. The age axis is usually truncated at age group 80-85years due to the lower number of individuals in that age group. Population pyramids that are used for the purpose of comparison should be drawn on the same scale with the same age categories.
Related Articles: Types of Population Pyramids, What is Population Explosion?
Related: What is Population Geography, What is Urban Growth
Understanding age-sex pyramids
The shape of the population pyramid communicates significant information about the fertility and mortality of a specific population. Age-sex pyramids are commonly described as young, old, declining, and stationary.
When assessing a population pyramid, many a thing needs into consideration such as the central tendency, mean, median and mode as the data is not absolutely accurate. The average age of a population can be determined using these pyramids. A population with an average age in the 50s or 60s shows an aging population while an average age of 15 or in the early 20s shows a young population with greater potential for growth. A population pyramid can be used to represent additional information about the population in a local region such as the race and ethnicity, marital status and geographic location. In such cases, the bar for the age-sex is subdivided to include the additional categories. The same format is applied consistently throughout the bar diagram on both sides of the Y-axis.
Young and growing structure: Also known as an expansive pyramid, this structure has a typical 'pyramid' shape, with a broad base indicating a high birth rate. This structure specifies a significant population undergoing rapid growth.
Old and declining structure: Also known as the constrictive pyramid, this pyramid has a top-heavy structure that indicates a high population of older age groups which signifies a high dependent population. This may result from low birth rates and low death rates.
Stationary pyramid: A population pyramid with a rectangular population pyramid indicates a population that is neither growing nor declining. There are similar proportions in each age group, apart from at the oldest ages (due to mortality).
The age-sex pyramid can also be used to represent additional categories of a population, such as marital status, education, or geographic location. In this case, the bar for each age-sex group is further subdivided to represent the additional categories. The formatting system used to depict the additional categories should be applied consistently throughout the graph.
Population pyramid representing additional data
Other information which helps with interpretation
The Population Pyramid is usually represented through the following procedure. The shape of the bar diagram gives enough information about the age group and the sex of a specific population. The broad base of the pyramid indicates a large number of younger populations in the region as compared to the tapering top which indicates the relatively lower proportion of the older age group.
It is not necessary that the two sides of the Y-axis will be equal. The number of males and females in a population vary considerably in a region. For example, the number of females in the older age group is frequently larger than the males in the same age group. This is reflected in the shape of the pyramid with the bars on the right side of the Y-axis being longer than those on the left for the specific age groups.
The median age group of the population is the bar on mid of the Y-axis that equally divides the bar graph into equal halves within the pyramid (above and below).
The Population pyramid is good to represent the fertility and mortality in a region. It is easily reflected in the shape of the pyramid. A broad base and sharply tapering sides indicate a high rate of mortality as well as fertility in the lower age groups. Any unusual rate like high fertility or high mortality in any of the age groups is indicated by a bulge or an indentation on the pyramid. These aberrations can be caused due to migration in the region.
Population pyramids and demographic transition
According to demographers who study the historical changes in the age and gender variation along with the study of the fertility and mortality of the population, the transition of the demography can be represented by population pyramids. The stages of the transition can be indicated by population pyramids wherein the shape of which gives useful information on the demography.
The "Demographic Transition" is a model that defines population change over time. This theory is based on an understanding of the observed transitions, in birth and death rates in industrialized societies over the past two hundred years or so by the American demographer Warren Thompson in 1929. The Demographic transition theory suggests that future population growth will develop along with a predictable four-stage model:
Stage 1: birth and death rates are all high, while life expectancy is short. As countries begin to industrialize, they enter
Stage 2: where birth-rates are higher while infant mortality and the death rates drop. Life expectancy slightly increases.
Stage 3: occurs once a society is thoroughly industrialized; birth-rates decline, while life expectancy continues to increase. Death rates continue to decrease. In the final phase
Stage 4: we see the post-industrial era of society. Birth and death rates are low, people are healthier and live longer, and society enters a phase of population stability. The overall population may even decline.
The stages of this transition are represented in detail by different population pyramids:
A pyramid with a broad base and sharply tapering sides reflect high fertility and high mortality rates in the younger age groups which results in a population that increases very gradually and remains relatively low. This is followed by a pyramid that reflects a dip in the mortality rates in the younger age groups along with a high fertility rate. There is a rapid growth in the population which however remains relatively young. The third stage in the transition of the demography is represented by a pyramid that has almost vertical sides with a broad base and peak. This would indicate a low fertility and mortality rates. A considerable section of the population comprises of older people as compared to the previous two stages and the population reflects noticeable stability.
Population pyramid or age-sex pyramid is a handy tool, ideal for detecting changes or differences in population patterns across nations or selected population groups and speculate a population's future development. These pyramids are regularly generated and referred to in fields such as Planning, Ecology, Sociology, and Economics.
Also Read: Standardization of rates in Demography, What is Population Dynamics
Author Bio: This article was written by P. Soujanya with inputs from Planning Tank editorial team. P. Soujanya is a member of NOSPlan and a student at Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University.
Poston, D. L., Jr. (2005). Age and Sex. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, 19–58. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-387-23106-4_2?error=cookies_not_supported&code=6e52400e-3e40-4956-a0fb-5a149f973769.
Poston DL, Bouvier LF. 2017. Population and Society: An Introduction to Demography. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2nd edition. Chapter 10 (pp. 266–311).
Sloggett A (2015). Population Analysis for Policy and Programmes. Paris: International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. Available at https://papp.iussp.org/sessions/papp101_s02/PAPP101_s02_040_010.html.
Bezy, J. M. (2016, April 7). Population pyramid | sociology. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/population-pyramid.
Figure 1 source: populationpyramid.net
Figure 2 source:
Figure 3 source: Lutz, Wolfgang & Sanderson, Warren & Scherbov, Sergei. (2020). Demographic and Human-Capital Trends in Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Figure 4 source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D |
Mosaic of 5\arcsec\ $\times$ 50\hbox{$\,$\AA}\ boxes (spatial -- horizontal, wavelength -- vertical) of the sample
of SELs (single-emission-line without blue continuum) sources in the 10h (COSMOS) field. A flux of $F = 10^{-17}$~ergs~s$^{-1}$~cm$^{-2}$, a natural limit for narrow-band photometric studies, is easily reached with these data, at the $\sim10\sigma$ level. A flux of
$F = 3\,\10-18$~ergs~s$^{-1}$~cm$^{-2}$\ is detected at the $\sim3-4\sigma$ level. The number of sources rises rapidly with decreasing flux,
as described in the text. Strong artifacts (eg., cosmic rays, bad pixels, and sky subtraction problems) have been blanked
out in some cases.
\vspace*{0.2cm}
\addtolength{\baselineskip}{3pt}
}
\end{figure*}
\begin{figure*}
\vspace*{0.1cm}
\hbox{~}
\centerline{\psfig{file=f2.eps,angle=0.0,width=6.0in}}
\noindent{\scriptsize
\addtolength{\baselineskip}{-3pt}
\hspace*{0.3cm}Fig.~2.\ Same as Figure 1, for detected SEL sources in the 15h LCRIS field.
\vspace*{0.2cm}
\addtolength{\baselineskip}{3pt}
}
\end{figure*}
\noindent{becomes substantial at log $F$ ergs s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2} \approx -17.6$, ($2.5\,\10-18$~ergs~s$^{-1}$~cm$^{-2}$), at
which point the typical $S/N \approx 3$. Although our selection was done visually, we were apparently
successful in drawing the line with a relatively sharp cutoff in S/N. The implication, of course, is that there
are many more real sources among the class 4 candidates, but also many that are statistical fluctuations
and artifacts, as we supposed. In this paper we use a flux cut of log $F$ (ergs s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$) $\ge -17.6$.
\vspace*{0.1cm}
\hbox{~}
\centerline{\psfig{file=f3.eps,angle=0.0,width=3.2in}}
\noindent{\scriptsize
\addtolength{\baselineskip}{-3pt}
\hspace*{0.3cm}Fig.~3.\ S/N ratios for the detections displayed in Figures 1 \& 2. blue points -- 10h field;
green points -- 15h field. The sample used in this paper is cut at log $F$ (ergs s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$) $> -17.6$ ($2.5\,\10-18$~ergs~s$^{-1}$~cm$^{-2}$).
\vspace*{0.2cm}
\addtolength{\baselineskip}{3pt}
}
Once the SEL and Em+C sources were identified, the {\it COSMOS} data reduction package could be used to make
2-D spectral extractions with accurate sky subtraction. Another {\it COSMOS} program, {\it viewspectra}, was used
to examine the sky-subtracted 2-D spectrum in order to select the spectral ``columns'' containing the object.
Generally, the extractions were 9 pixels centered on the object (1.8\arcsec) but some variation was made to
optimize signal-to-noise ratio for more diffuse or more compact objects, and to avoid artifacts that dot the frames.
These 1-D spectra were then inspected with {\it IRAF} {\it splot} to make, if necessary, an adjustment to the
continuum level, in order to measure the emission-line over zero-backround, and to determine the wavelength limits
for integrating the counts. Counts were summed and converted to flux by the calibration $1.35 \times 10^{-20}$~ergs~s$^{-1}$~cm$^{-2}$\
per \emph{IMACS} count (photoelectron). The calibration came from 6 measurements of 2 Hamuy standard stars
EG274 and LTT7379 (Hamuy \hbox{et al.}\ 1994) through a 7\arcsec\ round aperture on two of the four nights, which were
in agreement to about 5\%, a systematic error considerably larger than the photon statistics of the observations.
\section{Results of the Search: Derivation of Source Counts}
With measured fluxes for the SEL sources --- presumed $z\sim5.7$ \mbox {Ly$\alpha$}\ emitters (LAEs) or foreground
emission-line galaxies, and fluxes for the Em+C sources --- certain foreground galaxies, we plot in Figure 4
cumulative source counts versus measured flux. The blue line shows the cumulative distribution of all
emission-line sources detected in the two fields. The black line shows the counts for SEL sources. The
black line rises steeply, arguably more steeply than any known foreground population, as indicated, for example by
our own counts of foreground galaxies, the Em+C sources --- the red line. (As we show in the next section, these
are almost entirely \hbox{[O II]}$\,$\ emitters at $z \approx 1.19$, \hbox{[O III]}$\,$\ emitters at $z = 0.63$, and \hbox{H$\alpha$}$\,$\ at $z = 0.25$.) This is
our first indication that many of the SEL sources are LAEs at $z = 5.7$. However, another possibility is that
foreground galaxies that would otherwise be on the red line have been added to the black line, if we systematically
fail to detect their continuum flux as we observe fainter sources of moderate equivalent width. For this reason,
we cannot simply credit the steep rise in emission-line-only sources as exclusively or even \emph{mainly} due
to LAEs. We return to this issue below after discussing the incompleteness correction for the SEL counts.
\vspace*{0.1cm}
\hbox{~}
\centerline{\psfig{file=f4.eps,angle=0.,width=3.4in}}
\noindent{\scriptsize
\addtolength{\baselineskip}{-3pt}
\hspace*{0.3cm}Fig.~4.\ The cumulative source counts formed for both the 10h (COSMOS) and 15h (LCIRS)
fields, in log$_{10}$ number per 110 sq arcmin, the combined area surveyed in the two fields. The red line shows the
cumulative counts of `Em+C' (emission-line sources with blue continua); the black line shows the counts of `SEL'
(single-emission-line-only) sources. The faint end of the latter is shown in raw counts as well as after correction for three
different values of the completeness correction (see text), at 50\% incompleteness levels of $F = 3.0, 3.5, $ and $
4.0\, \10-18$~ergs~s$^{-1}$~cm$^{-2}$. (The form of the incompleteness function is shown at the bottom of the figure, and the correction
applied to the observed counts -- the black line -- is shown in red, green, and purple for the these three bounding values
of the 50\% completeness level.) The red-line Em+C distribution has not been corrected for this incompleteness, but
for a larger effect that results from the increasing difficulty of detecting a continuum for progressively fainter emission
lines. The dashed red line is an estimate of the correction that is needed because of this effect. As explained
in the text, the `ALL' line, a sum of the uncorrected Em+C counts and the SEL counts corrected for the `3.5'
incompleteness, has instead been chosen as the basis for the subsequent analysis of the LAE luminosity function.
\vspace*{0.2cm}
\addtolength{\baselineskip}{3pt}
}
As can be appreciated from the sharp peak in the emission-line-only sources in Figures 1 \& 2, incompleteness
in our SEL detections sets in sharply at $F \approx 3\,\10-18$~ergs~s$^{-1}$~cm$^{-2}$. (This is seen in the cumulative counts of
Figure 4 as the sudden leveling-off of the black line.) In Martin08 we investigated incompleteness by
the technique of randomly inserting point sources of different flux levels and using SExtractor to try to recover
these sources. The result of that experiment was just such a sharp cutoff, whose form is reproduced in Figure 4
for three different flux values of 50 |
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}MOF_InstanceDeclList;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** struct MI_InstanceAliasDecl
**
** Represents an instance alias declaration (as encountered in MOF).
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MI_InstanceAliasDecl MI_InstanceAliasDecl;
struct _MI_InstanceAliasDecl
{
MI_Uint32 id;
MI_Uint32 lineno;
MI_CONST MI_Char* name; /* name of alias of the instance */
MI_CONST MI_InstanceDecl * decl; /* the instance decl */
};
typedef struct _MOF_InstanceAliasList
{
MI_InstanceAliasDecl** data;
MI_Uint32 size;
}MOF_InstanceAliasList;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** MOF_LineList
**
** Track the line where EmbeddedInstance qualifiers were encountered for
** post processing.
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MOF_EmbeddedInstance
{
/* Pointer to embedded instance qualifier */
MI_Qualifier* qualifier;
/* Line where EmbeddedInstance qualifier was encountered */
unsigned int line;
}
MOF_EmbeddedInstance;
typedef struct _MOF_EmbeddedInstanceList
{
MOF_EmbeddedInstance** data;
MI_Uint32 size;
}
MOF_EmbeddedInstanceList;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** MOF_PropertyList
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MOF_PropertyList
{
MI_PropertyDecl** data;
MI_Uint32 size;
}
MOF_PropertyList;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** MOF_MethodList
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MOF_MethodList
{
MI_MethodDecl** data;
MI_Uint32 size;
}
MOF_MethodList;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** MOF_ParameterList
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MOF_ParameterList
{
MI_ParameterDecl** data;
MI_Uint32 size;
}
MOF_ParameterList;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** MOF_FeatureList
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MOFFeatureList
{
MOF_PropertyList propertySet;
MOF_MethodList methodList;
}
MOF_FeatureList;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** MOF_ConstantValue
**
** Represents a MOF constant value. The type field must be one of the
** following:
** TOK_INTEGER_VALUE
** TOK_REAL_VALUE
** TOK_CHAR_VALUE
** TOK_STRING_VALUE
** TOK_NULL
**
** The union holds the value (or nothing if it is null).
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MOF_ConstantValue
{
int type;
union
{
MI_Sint64 integer;
MI_Real64 real;
MI_Char16 character;
MI_Boolean boolean;
MI_Char* string;
}
value;
/* str-to-int conversion flag: boolean flag that indicates value is too big for sint64 */
MI_Boolean tooBigForSint64;
}
MOF_ConstantValue;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** MOF_Initializer
**
** Represents a MOF initializer (both scalar and array). Scalars are
** represented by a single constant value element with size set to 1.
** Arrays are are represented by an array of constant values with size
** set to the size of the array.
**
**==============================================================================
*/
typedef struct _MOF_Initializer
{
MOF_ConstantValue* data;
MI_Uint32 size;
MI_Boolean isArray;
}
MOF_Initializer;
/*
**==============================================================================
**
** Functions
**
**==============================================================================
*/
/* Convert this initializer to a Statik value of the given type */
int InitializerToValue(
void * mofstate,
MOF_Initializer* self,
MI_Uint32 /*MI_Type*/ type,
void** value);
/* Release all memory held by this initializer */
void ReleaseInitializer(
void * mofstate,
MOF_Initializer* self);
void FreeQualifierDeclaration(
void * mofstate,
MI_QualifierDecl* self);
int AddQualifierDeclaration(
void * mofstate,
MI_QualifierDecl* qd);
const MI_QualifierDecl* FindQualifierDeclaration(
_In_ void * mofstate,
_In_z_ const MI_Char* name);
int AddClassDecl(
void * mofstate,
MI_ClassDecl* cd);
const MI_ClassDecl* FindClassDecl(
void * mofstate,
const MI_Char* name);
const MI_ClassDecl* FindClassDeclBufferOnly(
void * mofstate,
const MI_Char* name);
const MI_InstanceAliasDecl* FindInstanceAliasDecl(
void * mofstate,
const MI_Char* name);
MI_Uint32 GetQualFlags(
void * mofstate,
MI_Qualifier** qualifiers,
size_t numQualifiers);
void* NewTrueValue(void * mofstate);
int FinalizeClass(
void * mofstate,
MI_ClassDecl* cd);
int FinalizeInstance(
void * mofstate,
MI_InstanceDecl* decl);
int CheckScope(
void * mofstate,
MI_Uint32 scope,
MOF_QualifierList* qualifiers);
int CheckPropertyValueConstraints(
void * mofstate,
const MI_PropertyDecl* pd);
MI_Type InitializerToType(const MOF_Initializer* initializer);
int AddInstanceDecl(
void * mofstate,
MI_InstanceDecl* instanceDecl);
MI_ParameterDecl ** CreateParameterSet(
_In_ void * mofstate,
_In_reads_(numOldParameters) MI_ParameterDecl ** oldParameters,
_In_ MI_Uint32 numOldParameters,
_In_ MI_Type methodReturnType);
/* Propagate flavors from 'from' mask to 'to' mask (return result mask) */
MI_Uint32 PropagateFlavors(MI_Uint32 to, MI_Uint32 from);
/* Set default flavors */
MI_Uint32 SetDefaultFlavors(MI_Uint32 flavor);
/* Find/Search functions */
MI_PropertyDecl* FindProperty(
_In_ MOF_PropertyList* self,
_In_z |
MT 9-28-2008 22:58:50
Assyrian International News Agency
Brussels — Despite talks about the importance of securing rights of its minorities, Iraq is moving in the direction of minimizing the minorities' role in the political process.
The new provincial elections law passed on the 24 September saw the elimination of the quota seats designated for minorities in the provincial councils in what could be best described as a political coup.
The former provincial elections law, adopted on the 22 July this year, guaranteed Assyrians 13 seats in six provinces, as well as seats for other minorities. The elimination of these quotas means the Assyrians can never attain 13 seats in elections because the mass exodus of Assyrians due to the war has been proportionally bigger than the other groups. The lawmakers of the majority groups cannot pretend not to know this fact.
Assyrians and other minorities see the passing of the new provincial elections law as a serious threat to their future presence in Iraq. The Assyrian representative in Iraq's parliament, Mr. Yonadam Kanna, gave the following comment to the International Herald Tribune: "We are really disappointed. It seems they are confiscating the free will of the minorities and trying to impose their own puppets to represent them"
This action by the Council of Representatives amounts to political oppression against Iraq's indigenous minorities who now find themselves excluded from any meaningful political representation on the provincial level.
It is especially regrettable to note that the actions of the Kurdish lawmakers in the Iraqi parliament run contrary to the Kurdish leadership's proclaimed care for the rights of minorities
The Assyria Council of Europe calls on the European Union to pay attention to the dangerous and gradual exclusion of Iraq's minorities from the political process and reiterate to its Iraqi partner that minority rights must be strengthened in deeds, not words.
The European Union must call on Iraq to reinstate the quotas of the minorities.
Assyria Council of Europe
This item is available as: html
Copyright (C) 2008, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.
IRAQIS WANT THE U.S. OUT!
Tags: U.S. soldiers killing Iraqi academics, US Crimes in Iraq
Iraqi Hopes for US Troop Withdrawal by Juan Cole
http://www.juancole.com/
One of the things that struck me about Friday night's debate on the time line for troop withdrawal was that McCain appeared to believe that how long US troops remain in Iraq and at what strength is a unilateral matter dictated by Washington. The government of prime minister Nuri al-Maliki is already trying to negotiate a timetable for US withdrawal as part of the proposed security agreement. A majority of parliament certainly supports a timetable.
Indeed, the Iraqi government wanted a 2010 deadline for withdrawal. Bush pushed for a delay until 2015 in part because he was afraid that agreeing to 2010 would make McCain look bad.
The Iraqis were forced to accept 2011.
There is even less tolerance for a long term foreign troop presence among ordinary Iraqis, thousands of whom have lost relatives to US military operations. Aljazeera English reports on the death of a respected Iraqi academic in Baquba, shot at a US checkpoint.
Watch the video on:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/09/2008927131758344448.html
One exception to this yearning to see the Americans go is the some of the Kurds, who as a minority trying to remain independent of Baghdad and able to confront Turkey. Some Kurds would very much like to keep US troops in Iraq. This Kurdish aspiration explains Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari's continual announcements about there being no timetable in the security agreement. Clearly, the Shiite Arabs do want a timetable.
Neocon Zionist anti-Islamic smearing campaigns
Tags: Anti-Islamic campaign, Neocon, Zionism
Obsession: NeoCon Zionist Incitement and Justification for Killing Millions of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine
Hassan El-Najjar
ccun.org, September 26, 2008
In a desperate attempt to distract the public opinion in the US and Europe away from the horrors of the Zionist-planned wars around the world, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine, US neo-con Zionists have continued producing anti-Islamic smearing campaigns. The main goal is neutralizing the average persons in the US and Europe, so they would not protest the killing of millions of Iraqis and thousands of Afghanis.
Basically, the neocon Zionist campaigns such as "Islamofascism" in the media and college campuses, and the most recent attempt, a film called Obsession, aim at saying to Americans and Europeans that these Muslims out there are dangerous and bad, which justifies invading them, occupying their countries, and usurping their resources.
What these neocon Zionists forget every time is that Americans and Europeans are not that stupid. People everywhere know that US-EU invasions of Muslim countries happened FIRST, then all these announcements or actions from Muslims happened after as a reaction to the Zionist-led US-EU policies and invasions.
The US-UK invasion of the Middle East started in 1990, with the pretext of expelling Iraqis from Kuwait. But when this happened in 1991, US-EU forces did not leave, which triggered resistance to the US-EU military presence there. There was no hostility or bad blood until 1991, when US-EU forces killed about 150,000 Iraqis, in an unwarranted war. Iraq was destroyed as a strong Arab state standing in the face of the Israeli hegemony in the oil-rich Middle East.
About one and a half million Iraqis were killed by the US-EU imposed embargo and sanctions from 1990 to 2003, then more than one million Iraqis have been killed as a result of the 2003 US-EU invasion and occupation of that beleaguered country.
What did the Iraqis do to the US and Europe to deserve what has been happening to them? They have never posed any threats to Americans or Europeans. Why is this destruction to their country?
The unequivocal answer comes from the neocon Zionist document, called "Clean Break," which was written in 1996, by the same people who planned and executed the US-EU invasion of Iraq, namely Wolfowitz, Pearle, and Feith. It's part of a grand Zionist plan to dominate the oil-rich Middle East after destroying Arab and Muslim states one after the other, with Iran next on their menu.
Palestinians have never posed any threat to Europeans or Americans, including Jews. Before the Zionist invasion of their homeland between the two world wars, they have never participated in harming Jews. Why were they invaded and subjected to the longest and most brutal occupation in human history, with continuous sadistic practices on daily basis since 1948?
Neocon Zionists want to distract people in Europe and America from the horrors of the Israeli occupation practices. Thus doing, they give an example of how neocon Zionists (referred to in the academia as Israel Lobby) use enormous amounts of money to keep their tight grip on the information fed to the minds of Americans and Europeans, who are bombarded with the same smearing messages from the Zionist-owned and controlled mass media (major corporate TV stations, newspapers, and magazines).
This new desperate attempt, called "Obsession," is truly a Zionist obsession to smear the victims of wars of the Zionist Empire.
It's a Zionist obsession with aggression, distortion, and hate of mankind.
For peace activists:
The best way to deal with latest neocon Zionist ploy is uncovering it as such.
peace activists can show documentaries about the evil Israeli occupation practices during the Infifada and about the horrors of the US-EU wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
People should know that Muslims have been FIRST subjected to invasions and occupation by Israelis and their Zionist-controlled governments in Europe and America.
Speak out in your places of worship, write letters to newspapers, organize protests against any entity which participates in spreading this neocon Zionist smearing campaign.
Promoting peace is patriotic.
Promoting hate justifies oppression of victims, aggression, hostilities, and wars.
References:1. "Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid," By Jimmy Carter:
youtube.com/watch?v=wBJgaBe5NgM
2. The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy By John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt (TEXT)
3. Findley, Paul. A. Lincoln, "Deliberate Deceptions: Facing the Facts about the US-Israeli Relationship." (1990), They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel�s Lobby. (1985). Video: Findley Dares to Speak Again: opposingdigits.com/vlog/?p=478
4. The Gaza Holocaust: Israeli Attacks on Jabalia February 27-March 3, 2008
5. The Gulf War: Overreaction & Excessiveness By Hassan El-Najjar
6. Zionism, the highest stage of imperialism
7. "Terrorism" & "Islamo-Fascism" Propaganda Campaigns A Lecture, photos, references
http://www.ccun.org/Opinion%20Editorials/2008/September/26%20o/Obsession%20NeoCon%20Zio
nist%20Incitement%20and%20Justification%20for%20Killing%20Million
s%20of%20Muslims%20in%20Iraq,%20Afghanistan,% |
of Adam through Seth were the sons of God and the sons of Cain were the sons of men and he tried to trivialise the problem by saying that the sons of Seth had simply interbred with the sons of Cain and that was the intermingling of the blood lines. Augustine was to produce a scenario that was to last up until the twentieth century and completely destroyed the capacity of the Church to deal with anthropological finds, to explain what was happening and to explain the biblical positions. The New Testament is quite clear in its writings that this view of the angels is that they had somehow committed fornication. The letter of Jude, which is attributed by most as being written by James, the brother of Jesus, is canonised in Scripture. Jude 6-9 says (Interlinear Bible).
Jude 6-9 And those angels not having kept their first place, but having descended their dwelling-place, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of a great Day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, committing fornication, and going away after other flesh, laid down an example beforetimes, undergoing vengeance of everlasting fire. 8 Likewise, indeed, also those dreaming ones even defile flesh, and despise rulership, and speak evil of glories. 9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the Devil, he argued about the body of Moses - he dared not bring a judgment of blasphemy but said, Let the Lord rebuke you!
This whole concept is that the angels had left their first estate and committed fornication. The Interlinear Bible says in its transliteration:
Jude 6-9: 6 angels and those not having kept the of themselves first place, but having deserted the own dwelling-place, for (the) Judgment of a great Day in chains eternal under blackness He has kept: 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah and the around them cities, in the similar to these manner committing fornication and going away after flesh other. laid beforetimes an example of fire everlasting vengeance undergoing. 8 Likewise indeed also these dreaming (ones) flesh even defile, lordship and despise, glories and speak evil of. 9 But Michael the archangel, when with the Devil contending, he argues about the of Moses body, not he dared a judgment to bring of blasphemy, but said, Let rebuke (the) Lord.
The New Oxford Annotated RSV Bible deals with Jude 6 in this way:
the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nethergloom until the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lusts, served as an example to undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
God's New Covenant - a New Testament Translation by Heinz W. Cassirer published by Eerdmans, Michigan, 1989, in its translation of Jude says:
Moreover there were angels who were not content to keep to the sphere of influence assigned to them but who have abandoned their proper domain and the way the Lord dealt with these was that he confined them to a dark place binding them with everlasting chains and reserving them to receive the judgment of the great day. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah and with them their neighbouring cities how they made themselves guilty of the same debauchery as the angels had pursuing their own natural lusts. Now they lie before our eyes serving as a warning and suffer the punishment of being consumed by an everlasting fire.
The Cassirer Bible translation is quite clear. The New English Bible translation is also clear – but perhaps not as clear as Cassirer – and shows absolutely that Jude 6 holds that the angels left their first estate and committed fornication. Paul also held that to be so in the text written in 1Corinthians 11. In this text Paul dealt with the concept of the position of women. In 1Corinthians 11:10 he says:
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. (KJV)
The whole basis of the covering and the position of woman in relation to man in the text of 1Corinthians 11, was placed in relation to the activities of the angelic Host and the interaction with female humanity. That is why Paul says it was because of the angels. That has been an enigmatic statement to many, but we can't understand it unless we understand Jude and the interrelationship with what is happening in relation to this Genesis story.
The Genesis story deals specifically with what had happened in this interbreeding and the consequence. Noah had been perfect in his generations. The Flood was caused to deal with and eliminate the Nephilim and the Rephaim or Gibbowrim.
The concept of the Rephaim is examined also in Isaiah 26.
Isaiah 26:12-21 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. 13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. 15 Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. 16 LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. 17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. (KJV)
Note the text at verses 13-14:
13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
The text here deals with the resurrection. This is evident also from a comparison with verse 19. Note also that the world is not converted by Israel.
The resurrection is, however, confined to the one species and not the others. The Nephilim or Rephaim have no resurrection. The word for "deceased" in verse 14 should not be translated as deceased; it is a proper name, i.e. Rephaim.
The concept of the offspring of the fallen Host or the gods is not pantheistic. The theoi or elohim are all sons of the Most High. They are Sons of Heaven or Sons of The God.
The concept is that by their physical sin the angels produced a race of humanoids that was inferior and violent. The intent appears to have been to sabotage the Plan of God by the production of a product that would interbreed with and pollute the Adamic system. This concept is virtually universal. They were often considered to have been of superior stature and power and, hence, mighty. The word gibberish in our language is a reflection of the speech of the gibbowrim. (The question of the resurrection is detailed in the paper The Resurrection of the Dead (No. 143)).
The Companion Bible deals with this concept and is unequivocal in its position on the Nephilim. The position of Augustine of Hippo in The City of God is thus quite false as we now know from archaeological evidence.
The Nephilim, or Giants of Gen. 6
The progeny of the fallen angels with the daughters of Adam (see notes on Gen. 6, and Ap. 23) are called in Gen. 6, Ne-phil'-im, which means fallen ones (from naphal, to fall). What these beings were can be gathered only from Scripture. They were evidently great in size, as well as great in wickedness. They were superhuman, abnormal beings; and their destruction was necessary for the preservation of the human race, and for the faithfulness of Jehovah's Word (Gen. 3.15).
This was why the Flood was brought "upon the world of the ungodly" (2Pet. 2.5) as prophesied by Enoch (Jude 14).
But we read of the Nephilim again in Num. 13.33: "there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, which come of the Nephilim". How, it may be asked, could this be, if they were all destroyed in the Flood? The answer is contained in Gen. 6.4, where we read: "There were |
-40 Krag cartridge were also underpowered compared to those used by the Spanish, and these deficiencies forced the Army to search for something better.
The development of a new rifle began at the turn of the century, and after a series of false starts, the result would be one of the U.S. military's most iconic weapons—the Springfield M1903. With the 1903, the Army embraced the universal rifle concept, which had been pioneered by the British with the Short Magazine, Lee-Enfield. This saw the standard issue rifle shortened, so both the infantry and cavalry could use the same rifle. The new rifle's design was close to that of the Spanish Mauser—so much so that U.S. had to pay royalties to Mauser.
The first Springfields used a 12-inch long "rod" bayonet that was stored beneath the barrel, but was extremely flimsy. So much so that President Theodore Roosevelt personally intervened, writing to the Secretary of War, saying the bayonet was "about as poor an invention as I ever saw" and personally called for its replacement.
The redesigned M1903, actually built in 1906, removed the untrusty bayonets and also used a better projectile – the.30-06 which became the standard rifle cartridge until the adoption until the 1950s.
American marines in a trench in France, armed with Springfield M1903s.
The 1903 proved its worth in France, during the fighting near Belleau Wood in June 1918, attacking Marines were able to break up a German counter-attack, with intense, accurate rifle fire, at a staggering 800 yards.
But when sending troops in 1917, the Army faced a shortage of rifles with only 840,000 Springfields, so despite the excellence of the 1903, more rifles were needed to arm the rapidly expanding U.S. military.
This time America would turn to a British design. Winchester, Remington, and Eddystone had all recently completed contracts to build Pattern 1914 rifles for the British. Rather than retool their plants to produce M1903s, it was decided that it would be more efficient to use the existing Pattern 1914 tools to manufacture a new rifle firing the.30-06 round. The resulting rifle was adopted as the M1917, and by 1918 some 2,200,000 had been manufactured. Because the rifle cost only $30 to make and its production far outpaced that of the slightly more complex M1903, up to 75 percent of the American Expeditionary Force in France were armed with these guns.
U.S. Guardhouse in Germany, 1919. The soldier is armed with the M1917 rifle.
It was with this M1917 that Sergeant Alvin York won the Congressional Medal of Honor, in October 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. "I didn't have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush... As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them."
With his M1917 he kept over thirty German soldiers pinned down. He was "in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could." The smooth bolt action of the M1917 and York's skill saw him silence German machine gun positions and single-handedly capture 132 German prisoners.
The Greatest Battle Implement Ever Devised
Two infantry men compare the M1 Garand (top) to the old Springfield M1903.
Dmitri Kessel / The Life Images CollectionGetty Images
During the interwar period, America's small arms designers got even more creative. In the early 1930s John Cantius Garand, a French-Canadian gun designer, developed a new rifle that utilized the propellant gas of the ammunition to power a long-stroke gas piston. When it was introduced in 1937, this new operating system allowed riflemen to fire an unprecedented thirty rounds-per-minute—firepower Springfield M1903 troops could only dream of.
The Legendary Garand
The Legendary Rifle That Fought World War II
The new rifle, the M1 Garand, is arguably the US Military's most iconic rifle, hailed as the "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S. Patton, and it proved to be one of the best infantry rifles of World War II. The semi-automatic Garand served American soldiers well on battlefields around the world from France to Okinawa, from North Africa to the Philippines.
John Garand with the M1 Garand.
Lt. Colonel John George, an infantry officer in the Pacific, claimed the M1's "employment had the very desirable effect of doubling the strength of our frontline platoons, in either defense or attack. It gave an American squad the ability to slug it out on the trail with a Japanese company, and hold for a long time. The gun was amply accurate, powerful, and it was quite reliable."
Staff Sergeant Walt Ehlers, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in Europe, recalled that "those that trained with the '03 never complained about the M1, because it had so much more firepower...it was just more modern."
Those that trained with the '03 never complained about the M1, because it had so much more firepower
The M1 would go on to served U.S. troops well during the Korean War where American units often came so close to being overrun that Marine Jack Walentine claimed that during one attack his Garand rifle "was actually on fire a few times" as the heat from the barrel set the wooden handguard alight.
During the 40s and 50s, the Garand served alongside the.30 calibre M1 Carbine, a lighter, handier personal defense weapon. It was the weapon 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy used to win his Medal of Honor, before clambering onto a burning tank to use its M2.50 calibre machine gun, in January 1945. Both the M1 rifle and carbine were well liked by troops and the Army continued to use both even into the Vietnam War, long after the military had moved on to its next rifle.
The Death of Steel, the Birth of Plastic
U.S. Marines armed with the M1's successor, the M14.
Keystone-FranceGetty Images
The M1 was finally replaced in 1960, by the select-fire M14, a rifle which owes much of its lineage to John Garand as its receiver, bolt, and sights were nearly identical to the M1. The M14 had one of the military's shortest standard issue service lives, but has soldiered on in numerous other roles long after it was replaced.
The M14 fired a new 7.62x51mm round fed from a larger twenty-round box magazine. Entering service after the Korean War it saw action for the first time in 1965 during the U.S. intervention into the Dominican Civil War and the early years of the Vietnam War.
American soldier with M16A1 in South Vietnam.
Ronald L. Haeberle / The Life Images CollectionGetty Images
Medal of Honour recipient Captain Robert Modrejewski, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, described the M14 as a rifle "that you could drop in the mud, drop in the dirt. You could drop the magazine, the bullets would get dirty, and yet the weapon would still fire."
Because of its large calibre the M14 has since found new roles as a sniper and designated marksman rifle with enhanced versions being developed all the way into the early 2000s.
But the M14 would be the last wood and steel rifle to issued to an Army soldier. It's replacement, the M16, evolved from the Eugene Stoner-designed AR-10, and used space age materials like plastic and aluminum, making it far lighter than the weapons of war before it. The M16 was so light and so different from the M14, troops joked it had been made by the Mattel toy company. It's all black receiver, in-line stock, and controllable high rate of fire set it apart from the M14 and the Soviet AK-47.
"What we fear the most is the B-52 and the new little black weapon."
The introduction of the 'black rifle', however, was not without problems. In 1965, troops fighting in Vietnam reported jamming problems in harsh conditions with soldiers having to strip down their weapons in the field. A failure to chrome-line the rifle's barrels, issue proper cleaning kits, and a change to the propellant powder used in the M16's ammunition led to these failures and a major investigation was launched in late 1966. The improved M16A1 arrived in early 1967, and confidence in the rifle slowly grew. A Viet Cong prisoner is reputed to have said "what we fear the most is the B-52 and the new little black weapon."
After Vietnam the M16, and the shorter M4 carbine, would see action in conflicts in Grenada, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In this broad spectrum of climates and environments, the M16 remains an important weapon in the annals of American rifles.
U.S. soldier fires M4 rifle during firefight in Barge Matal, Afghanistan, 2009.
In recent years a number of attempts (and millions of dollars have been spent) trying to develop a gun worthy enough to replace the M4, but the rifle looks set to continue service for decades to come. In 2010, the Army introduced the improved M4A1, and with the recent collapse the Interim Combat Service Rifle Program, further improvement programs will likely extend the M4's service life. The future of small arms technology may lie with cased, telesc |
and the private right of action would mean that the threat of litigation would always at least affect negotiations even if the federal agencies stopped bring new cases.³ Despite our constant ridicule of his outdated ways, he insisted that I learn the intricacies of the statute and cases, analyze the latest changes to the Fred Meyer Guides, and otherwise prepare to take over from him the counseling of a client that sold goods "of like grade and quality" in at least three overlapping channels.
I'm glad he did. He was right. To this day, suppliers and retailers negotiate in the shadow of RP and require counseling about its sometimes-obscure details. Every year, new private litigation gets filed and generates opinions and even jury verdicts on Robinson-Patman issues.⁴ Fewer than in the "60's but still greater than zero. So for all the suppliers and the retailers through whom they sell—along with their respective counselors—here is a summary of what you need to know about RP in the 21st Century:
The Basics of the Robinson-Patman Act
There are two kinds of discrimination that RP is meant to prevent and where some litigation is still filed today. Section 2(a) prohibits the sale of the same commodity at different prices to two competing buyers by one seller if the result is harm to competition. It has several elements that must be met and potential defenses, all of which narrow the scope of its application. Sections 2(d) and 2(e) are per se prohibitions of the discriminatory provision of or payment for certain promotional aids meant to assist in resale of a seller's commodity. Again, several elements must be met to prove a violation. In addition, Robinson-Patman applies only to commodities sold for use or resale in the U.S.
Section 2(a) Price Discrimination – Elements
The elements of a Section 2(a) claim are usually summarized as prohibiting (1) a difference in price (2) in reasonably contemporaneous sales to two buyers purchasing from a single seller, (3) involving commodities, (4) of like grade and quality (5) that may injure competition.
While price discrimination is "merely a price difference", actual net prices must be compared, after taking into account all discounts, rebates and other factors affecting price. If the lower price is "functionally available" to the plaintiff but plaintiff chooses not to accept it, courts have held that such proof "essentially negates the discrimination element" of plaintiff's price discrimination claim.⁵
The two sales at different prices must be reasonably contemporaneous, a question of fact that depends on the seasonal quality of the sales and overall market conditions. Also, those two contemporaneous transactions must be "sales", not something else like leases, licenses or an offer to sell. Finally, two completed sales are required and so at least one court has held that this element is not met in competitive bid situations where the commodity is only purchased if the dealer's bid is successful.⁶
Section 2(a), as well as sections 2(d) and 2(e), apply only to "commodities", a term left undefined by the statute. Courts have consistently interpreted the term to mean tangible products. Intangible items that have been held not to be commodities include medical services, cable television programming, and advertising, including online advertising.
The two commodities sold at different prices must be "of like grade and quality" for Section 2(a) to apply. When interpreting that statutory language, lower courts have followed the US Supreme Court's lead in FTC v. Borden Co. and focused on physical differences in the products that affect consumer marketability.⁷ In that case, the Court found two varieties of the defendant's evaporated milk to be "of like grade and quality" because the products were physically identical, even though the higher-price branded version had gained consumer preference over the lower-priced private label version.⁸
The final element of a Section 2(a) violation is whether "the effect of such discrimination may be substantially … to lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly …", which has been interpreted to mean that a plaintiff need not show an actual adverse effect on competition, only a "reasonable possibility" of such an effect.
Injury to competition generally is found at the level of a rival to the discriminating seller ("primary line injury") or of the disfavored customer ("secondary line injury"). The Supreme Court's Brooke Group opinion clarified that a successful primary line claim must meet the same difficult test required of predatory pricing plaintiffs.⁹ As a result, secondary line cases now predominate.
Secondary line claims of injury have no explicit multi-step test; instead, the plaintiff must show competition between the favored and disfavored buyers and then show an injury to competition. That injury can be shown by direct evidence of lost sales or profits caused by the discriminatory pricing. In the absence of such direct evidence, plaintiffs may take advantage of the so-called "Morton Salt presumption". In FTC v. Morton Salt,¹⁰ the Supreme Court found that the existence of a substantial price difference over a substantial period of time in an industry where competition is "keen" creates a rebuttable presumption of competitive injury.
That presumption can be rebutted by evidence breaking the causal connection between a price differential and lost sales or profits. Defendants have successfully rebutted the presumption in many situations, including when the seller was only one of many competing sellers and the discounts were introductory offers to new customers. In the remand of the Borden case, for instance, the lower court found no secondary line injury because the price differential merely reflected customer preferences for branded milk.¹¹
Section 2(a) Price Discrimination – Defenses
Even when all elements of a 2(a) violation are met, defendants can still call on several statutory or court-made defenses. For instance, Section 2(b) provides an affirmative defense to a seller that acts "in good faith to meet an equally low price of a competitor". To invoke this defense, the seller must show "facts which would lead a reasonable and prudent person to believe that the granting of a lower price would, in fact, meet the equally low price of a competitor."¹²
Section 2(a) permits price differences that "make only due allowance for differences in the cost of manufacture, sale or delivery resulting from the differing methods or quantities" in which the commodities are "sold or delivered". This "cost justification defense" is more than just a "quantity discount defense" and requires evidence or rigorous estimates of manufacturing or other cost savings.
Finally, the Supreme Court has recognized in Texaco, Inc. v. Hasbrouck that the "Morton Salt presumption" can be rebutted where the reseller receiving the lower price is a wholesaler that is performing distribution functions for the manufacturer that the other reseller is not.¹³ Such "functional discounts", however, must be related to distribution functions actually performed by the favored reseller and for which it is not otherwise compensated.
Sections 2(d)/2(e) Promotional Allowance Discrimination
RP Sections 2(d) and 2(e) prohibit a seller from either paying for or furnishing, respectively, any promotional services to a reselling customer unless such payments or services are available to all competing reselling customers on proportionally equal terms. Violations of these Sections do not require a showing of harm to competition, although a private plaintiff must still show harm to recover any damages. The cost justification defense available under Section 2(a) is not available here, although the meeting competition defense can be used.
These Sections require that the services paid for or furnished be in connection with the resale of the seller's products, not the initial sale of the seller's product to the reseller. The FTC has provided guidance on which services are covered, along with other questions under these Sections, in their Fred Meyer Guides.¹⁴ According to courts and the Guides, such services include cooperative advertising; demonstrators; catalogues; cabinets and other displays; and prizes for promotional contests, but not preferential credit arrangements, delivery services, and lease terms.
These Sections apply only to services paid for or provided to reselling customers that compete with one another, which requires an economic analysis, not a mere recitation of the labels applied to the buyers.
The courts and the FTC, both through opinions and the Guides, have spent considerable time explaining how the provisions of such promotional services can be made "proportionally equal". Although that guidance does not prescribe a particular method for achieving "proportional equality", it does strongly suggest that it be accomplished through a well-designed plan whose elements are well-communicated to competing customers. It is clear that "proportionally equal" does not mean "identical" and a seller can tailor the plan to meet the special needs of particular classes of customers.
The FTC last modified the Guides in 2014. Most of the changes were an acknowledgement of the growth of the Internet and online sales, including a recognition that resellers who sell online might compete with those who sell through physical stores.
Those recent changes to the Guides were an integral part of a recent Robinson-Patman case that reached the appellate courts. The defendant in Woodman's Food Market, Inc. v. Clorox Co.¹⁵ sold a wide variety of consumer products through several channels. When it stopped selling to plaintiff the large and multi-pack versions of its products that it sold to warehouse clubs, the plaintiff alleged 2(d) and 2(e) violations. The defendant moved to dismiss, claiming that the different size packages were different products and defendant did not need to sell all products to all customers. Also, defendant claimed that no court had held a special package size constituted a promotional allowance or service. The district court rejected the motion on the basis of two FTC opinions from 1940 and 1956 that explicitly held |
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